Hilber Graf's "It's Only Paper" Article

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At last Friday night's IPMS/OC meeting, I was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Hilber Graf. He was 54.

Hilber was a Hollywood special effects artist who worked on "The Abyss", and was also an author, screenwriter, paranormal investigator, Halloween haunted house creator and noted plastic/resin model builder. More on Hilber Graf can be found here:

http://smashortrashindiefilmmaking.com/?p=610

I met Hilber Graf at local model contests and SF cons, and was always amazed by his work. I can't recall precisely, but either Mike Hungerford or myself gave him one of our "Science Fiction Paper Models on the Internet" handouts at a San Diego convention. (Mike and I usually have a display table at ConDor with a list of links and tips.) Shortly thereafter, Hilber's article on paper models appeared in the now-defunct "Modeler's Resource" magazine, where he had a regular column. When I met him again, Hilber graciously accepted my thanks and said he admired paper model designers and builders. This appreciation from an award-winning craftsman was high praise indeed.

Hilber Graf's article was once featured on the "Modeler's Resource" website, but that disappeared after the magazine folded. However, it was preserved at the Internet Archives. It's a fine introduction for those who already had some modelmaking experience, but are unfamiliar with downloaded paper models. I especially liked how he chose three models of increasing complexity, and added his own detailing techniques.

I'm posting the direct link to the Internet Archives stored PDF file. Feel free to read and store this on your own hard drive for future reference, but due to lingering questions over ownership (I don't know if the former publishers or Hilber's estate retain copyright) it's best not to host this article on private websites. There should be no problem distributing the link address, however.

Enjoy this article, but please take a moment to quietly thank a multi-talented individual who left us all too soon.

http://web.archive.org/web/20051104035640/www.modelersresource.com/articles/Paper/only_paper.pdf

Thanks again, Hilber.

David T. Okamura