Ended up here by accident.

[chrismisterx]

Good morning from Newcastle UK.

Due to ill health decided I needed a hobby, to keep my spirits up, googled a few different ideas from taking up painting, cooking or even just colouring in books, the Doc said I needed something to help reduce my stress levels, I even looked at needle craft and knitting!

Nothing really took my fancy, but as a kid I did enjoy building the odd airfix model and decided I should look for a kit, it was while on ebay looking for a sci-fi kit of some sorts, that I came across a wonderful model of A Space Odissey Rocket Bus, thought that that looks interesting to only discover it was made out of paper!

Mind well and truly blown, as I had no idea such models existed I just had to find out more about this hobby, less than an hour later and seeing a fantastic array of models, I came across this forum.

So I have decided paper modeling is 100% something I want to try, it ticked the right box, I have no tools, no experience and no idea where to start but boy I am excited, like an inner child has awoke.

So when I say I am a "newbie" I am really a newborn, this is my first hour into the hobby and cant wait to get started, so after this hello its time to google what tools I will need and how to get started.

If any of you fine people could point me in the right direction that would also be fantastic.

very happy to have found this forum and am looking forward to a very long stay.

[Texman]

Welcome,

We have a subforum of tips and tricks, that would provide some information.

http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/tips-tricks/

To begin with, some basic tools would be fine scissors, an exacto knife,
a metal straight edge, a couple of small dowels for rolling cardstock, and a low water content glue.

Then, as experience builds, you will begin looking at everything as some type of tool!

And eventually, you will get some markers, or water color pencils and paints to color
the edges of the paper, so the white cuts are not as apparent.

I am sure others will start listing more ideas shortly.

[FRD]

Good to see you Chris, you came to the right place!

[Tim Crowe]

Welcome to the forum

Tim

[SteveB]

Hi
a good place to start is 'The Works' - they've got a few branches in the Newcastle area, you can check the store locator on their website. I've found their 'Tacky Glue' ideal for most things, they also have cheap acrylic paints, brushes, craft knives and circle cutters etc, probably most of what you'll need to get started.

I think you'll find paper and card modelling a great hobby, it's a great medium to work in. For what it's worth, my advice would be, as with any new hobby, to start simple. Practice the basics - get the hang of cutting out accurately and making neat joints. You'll soon get a feel for how different papers and cards can be folded and curved. Download some free models - there's an enormous variety of kits available, so you're bound to find something of interest.

Probably the most important thing you'll need is patience - take your time, have fun, and watch the hours disappear!

[mbauer]

Glad you found the site!

What kind of model will you be looking for? Plenty available to download in the download section.

As mentioned, we do have areas to learn lots of techniques from.

Quick hints:
1) Careful with the amount of glue you use, too much can warp the paper and takes forever to dry. Ideally use just enough to get a good joint. I use a small dentist tool called a Monoject 512 (plastic syringe used to flush water into the mouth). It lays down a small bead that is the perfect size, controlled by how much pressure you exert on the plunger.
a) Lots of things can be used as a tool for applying glue, toothpicks, q-tips, bamboo skewers, inkjet refill syringes, can find glue bottles in the fishing dept, a small plastic bottle with a metal tube that can be squeezed to apply the glue, get one with the bigger tube for easier gluing.

2) Press hard and hold the glue connection. You want the glue to penetrate the fibers on both pieces. Clamping forces the glue deep to get a nice connection. Clamping can be as easy as pressing down with a thumb or finger with the parts sandwiched between them and a tabletop.

3) Good tools. Keep them cutting tools sharp. Find a stylus or embosser to help "score" the fold lines. Bamboo skewers, wood dowel help out big time. Straight edges are a must. I use the plastic quilting type because they are thick enough to help guide the blade vertically while cutting.

4) Pre-Shape all the parts. Roll tubes, cones etc. to give them a curved "pre-rolled" shape. This makes construction easier. A mouse pad and wood dowel can help roll tubes (example of all kinds of uses in this hobby for different household items).

5) When cutting parts out. Try to cut the same part of the outline "line" as you are cutting the parts out: i.e., some cut down the center of the line, others start on one edge and cut that same edge. I like to remove all black lines, so I cut the inked line on the "inside" side to remove. This helps maintain a constant "size" standard for all parts.

6) Some models have bad part fit, this can be discouraging, if for some reason the parts aren't fitting, ask questions here, maybe someone else has info that can help, or let you know it is the model and not you.

7) Have fun!

Very nice to meet you.

Mike

[Rubenandres77]

Welcome home!

Besides the above mentioned tools, don't forget to get a cutting mat, play some good music, and you're done.

When in doubt, don't hesitate to ask. No question is small or dumb. They're all valuable.


To train your hands and to master the tools you may start with some simple exercises. Some of the easy Canon models are wonderful for that:
https://creativepark.canon/en/catego...-0071/top.html

Good thing is that if you damage a build, there's always the option of printing again and start over.

Have fun. That's the main ingredient in this hobby.

[whulsey]

Welcome, been some good suggestions given. Ruben's last one is the best: Have fun!

[murphyaa]

One thing I like about paper models is that no matter what subject you're interested in, there's almost guaranteed to be a model of it. And most you won't have to take out a third mortgage to purchase.

[AquaMarine]

Welcome!

Sometimes accidents end up with great discoveries.
This might well be one of them.

I can recommend a few short tutorials from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGg...83cjXGpMMmNQLg

Enjoy!

Cheers,