how is this done?

[Vinalssergio155]

Now yes, that particular fairing must have received a sanding and painting treatment.No rings are observed and I seem to see some subtle lines of petals.From what I have seen so far that result is achieved by puttingty, sanding and painting.
Oh who has done it has a supernatural ability.

[southwestforests]

The black arrows show were I see lighter ridges which tell me where tabs were curved then glued together to form front of cowl. Orange circle shows some of the scratches which suggest the paper was hardened with glue then sanded smooth to even out the paper thickness at tab joins. Final color is most likely model paint.

[Michael Mash]

Southwestforests has a good eye. And he has given you a good description of the likely process the builder used. This kind of modeling is labor intensive, but with practice it can achieve a nice result. Most builders describe their technique in their build report. If not, you can post a question and they are usually happy to describe the process they used.
Mike

[Lex]

That post above really nailed it. Bear in mind that paper isn't the best material to use sandpaper on, and it's very easy to end up with protruding fibres even after hardening with CA. It takes a lot of experimentation to yield a result as impressive as in the photo

[airdave]

Something like this is often used:



This is "surface putty" or "modelers putty"...used to fill seams and cracks, and smooth surfaces.
It is a plastic putty much like automotive "bondo".
It requires sanding, shaping and priming (before painting).

(This is easier to work with than hardened glue - sands and shapes much easier)

Paper Models are built from paper and glue.

Mixed media scale models are built using whatever materials are required to reach the desired effect.
Like Modelers Putty.

I like seeing the paper seams...it verifies that the model is paper.
And there are some excellent modellers who have mastered the skill of minimizing the seams without the use of putty and fillers.
Very careful and precise cutting and shaping is required.
Precise edge colouring also helps.

[Dabeer]

Originally Posted by rickstef

Or if you prefer alternate methods, How To: post pictures to a thread

The paper clip button is really just a shortcut to the Manage Attachments button. It's the same method

[JohnM]

As well as the exceptionally well-executed cowl, can I also comment that (If it's paper) that wooden propellor is a work of art.

[rickstef]

Originally Posted by Dabeer

The paper clip button is really just a shortcut to the Manage Attachments button. It's the same method

good to know, all this time, and never really noticed it

never to old....

[leonn56]

hi guys. first,thanks for the very helpful answers. i suppose what i was after was how to get rid of join lines where none would exist on the real vehicle. if the model were plastic then naturally i would know how to proceed. if precise cutting,shaping and gluing followed by filler and paint is the way to go,then im sorted. what glue (or glues) would you chaps recommend? im thinking the prittstick style for general work,two part epoxy for things that need to be strongly fixed and super glue for the finer bits. sorry,im sure this sort of question has been asked a thousand times before! cheers

[a380]

here's a late reply. since my models are mostly scratch-build i use water-thin ca glue to harden paper. after that, i treat it like i would styrene - use putty, sand and grind to achieve the needed shape. finally, i paint. i use bob smith industries thin ca but you could use any brand as long as it's watery enough to soak into the paper. by the way, i would not recommend this technique with pre-printed kits. for gluing i use both thin and thick ca. hope this helps.