Laser Cut Formers

[Maltedfalcon]

my 2 cents is,
it just another kind of paper model.
I make all kinds of paper models. I might make one with formers if they were available. -might not - It really depends on what the model is... not how its made...
One of the things I really really like about paper models is it really isnt just about the paper, its about the model.

I always laugh (usually to myself) at those plastic purists. who would never use anything but plastic. Its not like there are rules...
oh wait those plastic guys do have rules...

I remember this guy built a Delta 7 Mercury capsule it was gorgeous and then at one of those plastic model conventions he entered it in the space models division. It won first place everyone oooh and ahhhd over it. Until somebody asked which plastic model that was....

Nobody could believe it was paper not plastic, and when that sunk in, everybody thought it wasnt as good anymore.... the sense was the builder cheated...

I would use formers, I use wood, I use plastic, I use metal, I use whatever makes the model look good.

[Claus]

Originally Posted by Maltedfalcon

I would use formers, I use wood, I use plastic, I use metal, I use whatever makes the model look good.

Exactly what I think.
In the moment I build a model without laser cut formers. The wings have about 270 parts. That's no challenge - that's just boring. Of course I'd use laser cut formers.

[Bomarc]

I decided to wait 24hrs before I chimed in again on this post to see if anybody was listening, and you were! Lots of great viewpoints, and I’ve come to appreciate even more the diversity of modeling skills, techniques, and attitudes presented throughout this forum. And nary a mention of deceased entertainers…..bravo!

Just to be clear, I'm pretty much ambivalent toward the use of pre-cut this or photo-etched that. To echo the theme I sense emerging from this thread (and really the forum as a whole), “whatever floats your boat”. After reading the above posts, I’m starting to be convinced that things like pre-cut formers, pre-shaped wheels, pre-formed canopies, and whatever "pre" else someone will come up with and market is a boon to this hobby, and I think the effect will be similar to what resin and PE did for the plastic world. More new people will try paper modeling, or those that got out because they just couldn’t cut those thick formers anymore or what have you, now have a way to “get back in the game”, all good things, to be sure! I just hope card modeling doesn’t get too big for it britches (I think anyone who ever been to an IPMS National Convention knows what I mean).

For me, I’ll go on cutting my own formers, molding my own canopies, and turning my own wheels as long as I’m physically able. I don’t think it’s boring at all, but that’s just me (hell, I rolled 28 tiny engine cylinders. You want to talk about boring…). But it is nice to know those aftermarket things are out there if/when I need them.

And speaking about IPMS, I am a bit saddened with the “us versus them” mentality that seems to flow between the paper and plastic communities. Reading stories like the one above with the Mercury Capsule has me just shaking my head. I know most of the stuff I see in that vein (at least on this forum) is just good-natured ribbing (all of it I would hope), but in my travels in the “plastic world”, I’ve never seen anything but admiration for what can be achieved in paper. In fact, one forum I sometimes frequent, Large Scale Planes (link), has guys on there who regularly use paper model kits to pattern their own builds, and not necessarily in plastic either, just because they can’t find subjects they want in the big scales they want. And nobody there, that I’ve seen at least, writes sentences like “I was talking to a p***r modeler the other day….” as if the word “paper” was something unmentionable. But, again, I'm sure all of that is in jest (it is, right? :().

Ron touched on this before in his post above, but I consider myself a “modeler” period (although some of my friends might take exception to that). A modeler who will gladly work in any medium, but paper is my weapon of choice. Who knows, I made decide to model in cat poop one day (‘jagolden01’ and ‘the hermit’, alert your feline companions, I may come knocking ).

Just my $0.02….

Let’s hear from more folks!

Mike

P.S. Ron, I’m old, but I’m not that old. I turned 49 this past month. I started building stick and tissue kits in the late ‘60’s early ‘70’s. Comet kits were plentiful in those days, and Pactra “Aerogloss” dope could be bought by the gallon at my LHS (you supplied the jug). Great smell that stuff…..

[KCStephens]

In my opinion, Tank tracks = Laser cut parts. Enough said.

[Paperwarrior]

I agree on the tank tracks. Ugh!!! Any way to make that easier and less tedious

[Bomarc]

Does someone make laser cut tank treads? Sound like it could be a best seller......

Mike

[member_3]

There are a number of AFV tread link sets available in laser-cut form. They are usually model specific - check Paper Model Store or GPM under "accessories."

[jagolden01]

Originally Posted by Bomarc

Does someone make laser cut tank treads? Sound like it could be a best seller......

Mike

Oh Yeah!
Paper Model Store

Notice they have them for a 1:16 Panzer III. Going to buy them for the 1:16 GPM Panzer that's an on-going project.

[Retired_for_now]

Ditto Bomarc on the IPMS - I showed some pretty basic stuff (FG shuttle on Falorni's stack, little-bitty FG P-51 from my build thread, and my 1:48 take on the Voyager space probe) when I dropped by the local chapter. They were complimentary and impressed, no negatives at all.

Laser cut formers (or a frame kit for a boat) are just pieces - it's your build that transforms the parts pile into a model (or boat) that's worth the effort.

Yogi (I are builder - all scales from 1:1 on down; well, not into Ray's territory)

[CharlieC]

Lasercut tank tracks sound as if they would save a lot of time - they do - but not as much as you would imagine.
Firstly, the track shoes need to be shaped once the parts are glued together - usually this means rounding off the side where the track pin goes. Secondly, if you want pins in the track the holes have to be drilled out.

Lasercut tracks can look much more realistic than building the track from card - but they aren't a free lunch.

Regards,

Charlie