Paper vs Plastic

[Dracumel]

Ok i believe we all have think of it... For some reason we chose one another. But why? And at the very end which constructions are more realistic to the public? What do you believe? Who's the "winner" at this "battle"?

[whulsey]

Being more of a mixed media type, whichever works best for the job at hand so you can throw in metal, resin, cloth, hair, etc.

[Spar]

I think that the actual material that an item is made with in real scale would make a model of it look most realistic. For example, use metal to make a model car, wood to make a boat (unless it's a battleship, then metal would be used for that too), and stone to make a castle.
That's why wooden model ships, doll dresses made of cloth, and metal toy locomotives seem to have more of a "real feel" to them than those made of plastic.

In other words, what looks more appetizing: a bowl of wax fruit or a bowl of real fruit?

[eatcrow2]

I do both.. just depends on what interests me at the time. Plastic is mostly figure kits..

[thorst]

I also do both.
Plastic kits tend to frustrate me since I started to search reference material for most models (you come across so many mistakes the model manufacturer includes), so I started building from scratch and also learned how to make molds for resin casting and to make my own PE parts. All this is very expensive and requires about 80% of the same processes & time (research, research, drawing, research...) as making a paper model of the same subject. Although a plastic model is more strudy (unless the paper is doped with CA) and compound shapes can be reproduced more accurately, I like the aspect that I can share paper model "kits" with others and reproduce them easily for myself, which is the biggest win for them in my eyes.

Thorsten

[Amccombs3]

I build in paper because I'm really bad at painting ...

Anne

[Inky]

I do both. I like plastic because in most cases it looks more realistic. It is hard to get some of the detail from paper. I like paper because it is more challenging and there are more subjects to choose from.

I hate plastic because the kits are so effing expensive these days, $70 to $80 for a small model...Please. I love paper because it is cheaper. $5 for a pack of paper, little over $30 for my ink and I can build allot of models.

I do love plastic because I love to do custom builds like with my semi trucks, it is harder to custom paper unless you know how to.

All in all they both have there good points and bad points.

[mbauer]

Can't print plastic without a 3d printer. Can't afford a 3d printer so paper it is!
A little something to think about:
However, unlike balsa gliders, paper gliders have a far higher strength to thickness ratio – a sheet of office-quality 80 g/sq m photo copier/ paper, for example, has approximate in-scale strength of aircraft-grade aluminum sheet metal while card stock approximates the properties of steel at the scale of paper model aircraft.

Plastic sure doesn't fly as well as paper!

Mike

[richkat]

I used to do both but the cost of plastic kits is crazy!..I still build some but only if I can get them at a good price, i look at a lot of garage sales and sometime try Hobby Lobby craft stores, they put them on for 40% off a lot so one I realy like I might buy. But paper is SO much cheaper it's hard not to go with them....Rich

[mchale]

I prefer plastic for car models and paper for boat plane and spaceship models