First Paper Model, having some difficulties?

[aweiler]

Hello! I'm an amateur model-builder and I've built a few plastic Star Wars vehicles in my time. I wanted to add a few 3D Papercrafts to my display and I've found some online.

The one I started is T3-M4 but I'm having a really hard time with a few pieces:
(See attached image)

For example, one piece has a thousand little jaggy lines which are really hard to cut properly, and even harder to fold (the piece in the bottom right corner). There is another piece that is supposed to be a squat round cylinder, but I had a really hard time making it round (near the bottom left corner).

Do you have any tips that a beginner could use?

[rewalston]

let me see if I can help you out a bit. All those little triangles (the jaggy lines as you described) are glue tabs. To get them to fold you need to score all of the fold lines before you cut the project out. Scoring helps those fold down easier. For cylinders, find something round that is about the same size as what the cylinder is supposed to be and use it to pre-round the project using the palm of your hand or even your leg to offer some padding so the paper doesn't wrinkle. By pre-shaping the cylinder it helps it to hold the shape while applying glue. I personally would have chosen something a little more simple to be my first paper model but you have a good challenge for you. I wish you luck. OH and the important thing to remember IT"S PAPER if you screw up a piece you can reprint it and don't have to buy a new kit just for that part. That's the great thing about paper modelling...Let me know if you need anything else.

Rusty

[airdave]

pre-score your folds.

excellent tip!!!

I have a special tool for that...I made it from an Exacto Knife (Hobby Knife)
with an old dull blade.
I filed the blade flat and dull and rounded so it won't cut through paper anymore.

You need something like that, that can put a score (dent) in the paper without
cutting through...to create a fold line.

If you do this before you cut out a part, the folds will happen easier and much cleaner.

As rewalston says, those triangles are the tabs that you will fold down for gluing.
They are triangles because that part has to roll and bend, so one long tab will not work.
Get used to them, they are very common in model building.

That doesn't look like a difficult model...other than its scale size.
If that model was enlarged, it would be a great learner.

For practice, you could try enlarging the model during printing.
Maybe as much as 200%.
Try "tiling" it across two pages?
Don't worry about the parts that get cut across the pages...focus on any
part that is still whole and build it. This will give you some practice with folds,
bends, and assemblies ...and get you used to this model's style.

Then try printing it again at normal scale, and give it another go.

[Zakopious]

My scoring tool is a small cheap stainless steel pocket knife (I found it in a parking lot).
The steel is so poor that it will not hold an edge but it makes a great scoring tool because it will not cut.

For more suggestions, see: Card Modeling FAQ

[Vermin_King]

question 1 for me is, are you using a hobby knife? To cut the triangles, I would go around the part, rotating the part and make all of the little cuts in one direction, then shift the page a little so the other side of the tab is lined up and rotate and cut around again. Once the tabs are cut, then finish cutting out the part.

question 2 is , are you cutting out each part from the whole page, or did you 'rough cut' out the parts first. By dividing the page up, it is usually easier to get a quality finished piece ... at least for me.

If you are looking for a much easier SW model, the R2 from Spoonful looks good.
R2-D2 Papercraft | Printables | Spoonful
When I did this a while back I printed a second set and cut detailing off the second set to layer on my model. It turns a fairly simple model into a nice piece.

[Wad Cutter]

There are several different "Hobby Knives" to solect from and just what you think you have the best one for you, up comes another to pick from. Welcome to the world of Card Stock Modeling. Yes we use a special knife to cut out models out with unlsee you want to buy a special printer that will cut them out for you. My opinion, kind of cheating. The knife I use for the most cutting is OLFA AK-4 OLFA Precision Art Knife OLFA AK-4 OLFA Precision Art Knife Detail Page

The knife handle is very conformable, and the steel of the blade holds up for a lot of cutting. There are many more to pick from.
In some cases I will cull a part for a single page or a rough cut to isolate the part from the page to get a better hold on the part and move it about.
The key item I want to stress at this point is that you have come here to Paper Modelers and asked your question. Bravo for you. These people (not my self-included too am a novice) are the smartest of the very smartest people when it comes to this hobby. I hope I have been a small amount helpful. Best wishes and welcome aboard. wc

Fiddlersgreen
http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/

[Vermin_King]

I keep comparing your image of the kit to the one on my computer. It looks a lot better than the one I have, but in saving it to my computer, it looks like my old one. I am so confused.

[Burning Beard]

For scoring I use and old .5mm mechanical pencil that stopped advancing lead. I got the suggestion off of some paper modeling site somewhere. The thing works great, doesn't tear the paper and is accurate, ie. the point is where you put it.

Beard

[Dabeer]

Originally Posted by Burning Beard

For scoring I use and old .5mm mechanical pencil that stopped advancing lead. I got the suggestion off of some paper modeling site somewhere. The thing works great, doesn't tear the paper and is accurate, ie. the point is where you put it.

Beard

I use 2 ballpoint pens without ink, one about 0.3mm, the other either 0.7mm or 1.0mm.

[aweiler]

Thank you for the advice and help! So now I am wondering:

-Scoring: I could use a swiss army knife that isn't too sharp. Or use the plastic tip of a mechanical pencil. Am I supposed to drag it along the design-side or the blank-side of the page? Is it best to score every fold, or just the glue tabs?

-Paper: I used the last piece of cardboard to print out the T3 model and need to buy more, so I'm wondering what quality of paper is best for this type of work? I'm not planning on making any vehicles or anything, just small creatures or characters. White paper, but some thickness? Also is wood glue okay or should I get something else?

-Vermin_King: I don't quite understand your first question, but I found it worked better if I cut roughly each piece out with scissors. Then did the fine work with a hobby knife. I need to get something better to cut on though, I was trying to use cardboard and it was not great.

-I actually did see that R2 before, but it was after I'd cut most of the pieces out of the T3 pattern. I might put it aside and try an easier one first.