How did you get started in paper models? - Page 2

**Philip** · #11 01-31-2021, 03:12 PM

It was the cereal boxes that got me started too. Then one of my teachers at junior school introduced me to Micromodels. They were pretty hard to make well, but they were affordable and kept me quiet for a long time. Long time ago, now.

**mbauer** · #12 01-31-2021, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveB

When I was a kid, back in the 60s, my dad gave me a copy of 'Cardboard Engineering' by G.H.Deason. It was a great book - full of ideas and was a real inspiration. The first thing I remember building was a model of an Austin 7 during one of the school holidays. Been 'tinkering' on and off ever since. Things have come a long way since then :o) Great idea for a thread btw.

Thank you!

Did not know about this book. Priced anywhere from $39 USD to $1000+.

Guess which one I bought?

During my search, he did lots of boats, cars etc.., both of those books are readily available-lot cheaper. The Cardboard design book much harder to find at reasonable price.

Mike

**willygoat** · #13 01-31-2021, 03:48 PM

I'd been building plastic kits with my dad since I was a little kid in the 80's. I also built a lot of my toys from cardboard boxes since we didn't have a lot of spare income for the fancy toys. That continued until 2004 when I moved into my apartment with my wife. She hated the smell of the glue and paint and made me do that part of the model build out on our balcony. In the winter. Nope.

While looking up a diagram of a Piper Cub for an aviation class I was teaching, I found the free Fiddlersgreen model sheet. I got super excited and printed it out immediately. I think I built 3 or 4 of them in a couple of hours just trying to get a good one. That started the obsession right there. Since then, I've built hundreds of models. Mostly planes. It helped that I had a part-time job at the local air and space museum. I built a lot of models of the types of planes that we had in the museum. I also built at least a dozen every summer for use in the flight camps. They were used for instructional models for all aspects of flight.

Now, I'm lucky if I can make 3-4 models a year. Work, kids, and taking night classes to advance my degree have taken over my time. I still mostly built aircraft when I do build though.

**Lrjanzen** · #14 01-31-2021, 05:32 PM

Mike...
Love Chips work also. I have a large (read all) collection of his english village. I also like to write small historical fiction stories. To do settings I pull out the Village and arrange. That way can be consistent about the location if I do a second story about the same place. Place everything photograph and put away. just easier for me to move things around than using pencil and paper or learning a cad program.

**DWest** · #15 01-31-2021, 10:04 PM

I bought some post card size WWI aircraft models from Fiddlersgreen many years ago and have been playing with paper models off and on ever since.

**Madbrit** · #16 01-31-2021, 11:50 PM

I think I was about seven when made a cottage from a rice cereal package. My next attempt was about four years later with a botched attempt at building the Micromodels HMS Vanguard followed by a clumsy version of the Roman trading ship. I then moved to the first Airfix kits, a model of the Mayflower. Paper came back into my life some 20 years later courtesy of "New Dimensions in Paper Craft" by Sadami Yamada and Kiyotada Ito (1971 edition) . My first Dover excursion was in 1988 building The Robie House. Fiddlers Green cards I found at a tea shop in South Pasadena while a friend gifted me with Whitewings. after that madness, Elmers and Aleens ran rampant through my soul ....

**Jim Nunn** · #17 02-01-2021, 01:10 AM

In 1958 my stepdad was stationed in Germany. The local Tabakladen (there like a news stand/ 7-11 store) had a model of the Bismark in his window which got my attention. I stopped and asked about the model and I was shown a drawer like you would use for blue prints and it was full of Wilhelmshaven models. I purchased the Bismark for about 1 mark 75 pfennigs. (around q dollar US)

When we returned to the US I found the ad in I believe scale modeler for PMI. I sent for the catalog and ordered a few models. We were living on the Navy base in long beach at that time and I asked my mom to take me over to San Pedro and pick up the models. There I meet John Hathaway. PMI was located on the second floor a 2 story building with retail stores on the first floor and offices on the second floor. PMI was stuffed into a small office with stacks of paper models every ware. John gave me some tips on how to build a better model that day.

I went to PMI a few times after that to purchase models. I stopped visiting john when I joined the Navy.

Jim Nunn

**Jim Nunn** · #18 02-01-2021, 01:12 AM

Lonnie, you get my vote for the best use of a paper model.

**Positive_Rate** · #19 02-01-2021, 01:37 AM

My brother was instructed to demonstrate how to build a plastic Hurricane kit I'd been given. I lost the canopy! Was fascinated all the same and got others, made the quantum leap into painting and decals. Bought and helped my nephew make planes, still recall vividly the beautiful KLM 747 we made. Did some R/C boats too.

Years later on shore leave from the vessel one day in Wilhelmshaven came upon a fine display of models for a fraction of the price. Was absolutely intrigued with the detail and that they were made from A4 paper. Bought 'Conti Belgica'. Seemed like a great idea at the time. Wasn't long discovering how difficult this was going to be - with no other reference/experience whatsoever than the kit instructions!

I blew the first one but was not discouraged from trying again. Recently came across a site where I could download paper models - but they didn't fit well so dived in to Fentens one day and hooked ever since!

**gregbal** · #20 02-01-2021, 06:13 AM

I had built plastic models from the age of six or seven. Around age eleven, I scratchbuilt a modestly-impressive Viking ship from cardboard and toothpicks as a school project, working from illustrations in several National Geographic magazines. Next birthday, an uncle who did a lot of foreign travel in his work presented me with the ABC paper model of the Packard Landaulet...and The rest, as they say, is history.
Still do plastic as well as paper...everything in the former, but mainly pre-Dreadnought ships in the latter (some kit, some scratchbuilt) with the occasional buildings or armor subject thrown in for variety.
Cheers