Having lost all my original 737 models on a thumb drive during a recent trip, I've decided to take a break from designing and see how other modelers have approached this subject. Models by Marek has 737 models in over a dozen liveries for sale over at ECardmodels.com. I'm going to build up the Transaero version available at
1/100 Boeing 737- 700 Transaero Airlines Paper Model. I chose this particular model because the paint scheme is simple and will make for easy repainting.
If you haven't shopped at ecardmodels.com recently you should give them a try. Payment by PayPal resulted in almost immediate availablity for download. They also have several free models available for download.
The model itself consists of a pdf file with 8 pages. It has a title page, 4 pages of parts, and three pages of diagrams. According to the file properties the pages are 8.5 x 11 inches but when I printed them out full size some of the bottom was cut off. I opened up the file with Photoshop and cut and pasted a new page with items from the bottom of the original pages to get complete parts. It should be noted that the pages are 300 dpi which means that you can print it out at double the size (1/50 scale) and still have good resolution. You can also just reduce the print size to 92% to get a complete page to print out.
The nose is the hardest part of the 737 to get right, and Marek has done a good job at getting an accurate outline with the minimum of parts. You basically make up the nose cone separately and glue it to the fuselage below the windshields. The rest of the fuselage goes together easily, joined together with joining strips. It has an extra reinforcement around the wing area to strengten the fuselage. Don't forget to cut out the slots for the wing spars before you roll the main fuselage tube.