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#1
07-11-2011, 11:36 AM
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"T1E1 From Perry's Paper" or "New Techniques and a Goody Bag"
Over the past few weeks, my paper-modeling horizons have greatly expanded. I started making my first model using cardboard as a cutting mat and my wife's left over xacto knife and a half used bottle of elmers glue. Now I have a decent set of decent tools, and more on their way. I have received several extremely encouraging PMs and emails from several of the folks here, as well as some models to work on. I have to say, again, that the community here is second to none! I must also thank Don Boose for his goody bag... He included an olfa circle cutter and a Japanese hole punch for me to borrow and test out to see if I liked it as well as a can of paper finishing spray to likewise test out. The real gem, however, was an olive drab water soluble wax "crayon" for use in edge dressing. Best part is, I get to keep the crayon!
This build is interesting because of everything ELSE going on in my life. I finished up my 1/125 scale model of CT Ertz's Palmetto State, a model I had already completed at 1/250. I chose to build it again because scaling seemed to be a neat concept, and I wanted to try it out early in my paper modeling "career" to see how it worked. I think it turned out pretty nice. As I finished it up, my brother showed up at my house and the modeling gear went away for a day, but he was fascinated by the concept and liked the ship. So, he went out and as a gift, bought my wife a bottle of Chianti and me a can of Krylon Matte finish. I am going to be trying both that and the Krylon spray Don let me borrow (it is a different type, same brand).. I will report on which I like better and why. Incidentally, I had already printed up Kondradus.com’s Stuart Tank, translated the directions, and was about to begin on it. I decided, however, that such a massive undertaking that is this Stuart model should wait until I have some of the gear I ordered last week (including a set of forceps, a better pair of tweezers, and a set of magnifying glasses you wear on your head). I decided instead, in the interest of trying out my new goodies, to work on a model I have eyeballed for a week or so now, Perry’s Paper’s T1E1 at 1/48. The model itself looks pretty tight, and from the other build threads of the tank on these forums and my experience with two others from that line, it looks straight forward but finicky. I began by laminating the parts that needed to be laminated, and then I kind of started on everything at once. When I work, I find myself working as fast as I possibly can. My patience wears thin quickly. Before, that meant sloppy workmanship. I decided if I keep two or three “projects” going, that is, the wheels, chassis and suspension, all at once, I can work on one while the others dry. The method seems to be working. I simply zone out for a half hour or hour and zip through the model. It is a great way to decompress and still my mind. Ok, a word on the glue. I have found my preferred spray adhesive, as you can see in the photo below. Elmers glue seems to be good for regular work, although I would like to find something that does not turn the edges of my model into a temporary sponge of color-bleeding mess. As for superglue, I am still looking for something to stick with. (heh, get it?) I built my first model with the store-brand stuff that comes out like water. I tried the craft-specific gel superglue and my next try will be the scotch-brand gel. So far, the cheap watery stuff works best for me. It grips quickly, causes minimum discoloration of the paper if you are careful, and I do not have to wait long to move on. I will report on the scotch super glue gel when I get a chance to use it. Now, the first big issue I ran into was not a tool-based one, but rather my inability to figure out this model. The chassis is coming together great, but I simply cannot figure out the back side of the suspension. Please look at images four and five below. I cannot figure out how the last three pieces fit together. If anyone has some insight, like the fellows who have already built this one, please, do tell. The road wheels are another part I am experimenting on. I secretly fantasize about someday producing road wheels that look real and have no blemishes. The wheels on this model are not supposed to have that look to them, so I am using the opportunity to try another method of construction. Before, I simply laminated enough cardboard together to make a solid mass of road wheel because I could not wrap my mind around the cylinder creation process that is road wheel construction on a model like this one. I think I figured it out, however… As a photograph is worth at least seventy or eighty words, please see image 6 below to see my process. I am sure this is not a new technique, but I certainly felt very clever. The model is coming along well, and as with all the models from this line, it is a pleasure to build. I started the model with a brown marker for edge dressing, and I am finishing it with the wax crayon, so I will report on the pluses and minuses of each next post. In my next post, I will also comment on the chassis and my disappointment with the circle cutter. If anyone has any insight into the proper use of a circle cutter like this, please let me know. 
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#2
07-12-2011, 02:54 AM
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Quote:
As for circles: I have an Olfa circle cutter but I hardly ever use it. I freehand cut out inner circles of rings with a knife and outer circles with scissors. I find the circle cutter cumbersome. Greg
__________________
In dry dock: ? In factory: CWS T-1. In hanger: Fokker triplanes? under construction: ? 
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#3
07-12-2011, 10:05 AM
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Karl -
Looks great so far. I'm glad you found the C.A.R.E. package when you came off the History Trail. Once Second Resident Course is over, we can get together and compare notes. At the rate you are learning, I can see that I will be learning from you soon. Greg has an uncanny ability to cut circles freehand, but I find the circle cutter to be very useful. It may be a matter of practice, and it certainly requires a sharp blade (I may have only given you one extra blade). Very important are to make sure the central point stays in place and to use a very light touch. Don't try to cut all the way through, just gently twist the handle and let the blade do the cutting. I THINK I can show you how the suspension goes together, but as you know, my own T1E1 has been lying fallow for months. This weekend (after the Gettysburg Staff Ride), I hope to get a little modeling in, will reacquaint myself with the T1E1 suspension, and we may figure it out together. You will probably get some advice from B-Manic, who recently built one, and possibly from Alfredo himself. Incidentally, I received my own package from GPM yesterday: two copies of Michal's GPM 1/25 T1E1, an M3A1 Scout Car, a Mark IV WWI tank, and the GPM Sherman (so that some day I can follow in the footsteps of Greg and Kevin). We will have some fun looking at these models when time permits. Gotta head back to the seminar. Maybe I will see you at the Perspectives Lecture tomorrow evening. Don
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#4
07-12-2011, 10:34 AM
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Heard of cross-training? It's an exercise technique that employs different types of training regimens to build physical fitness.
It's mention in this forum is intended to remind you to look outside our own hobby to others for resources and techniques. For "superglue," or cyanoacrylate, go to the RC hobby shops and purchase the stuff in bulk. When you purchase the Loctite and similar brands in little tubes, you are paying the equivalent of hundreds of dollars per gallon for the stuff. You can buy large amounts at a much lower price. Check Ebay and you'll see what I mean.
__________________
Maj Charles Davenport, USAF (Ret)
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#5
07-12-2011, 10:58 AM
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Thanks for the responses, gentlemen. I think loctite and Aleen's will be my next glue purchases to give them a go. I certainly see plenty of Aleen's in the background of build photographs to give it a try! As for the CA glue in bulk... I have read on the forums here about folks using syringes to apply glue, and now that you mention CA in bulk I am making a connection. Is that the best way to use bulk CA? How does that work? Is there a thread or a how-to including using such a technique? I would be afraid of spending money on a syringe set and bulk CA glue to have it harden into a chunk of brittle plastic!
@Don: I read your T1E1 thread and have decided to ditch what I have already done above. Your techniques are much different, and cleaner, than mine, and I want to retry with your thread in mind. Especially the formers you placed inside to keep the hull aligned right. Ingenious! Also, I ran in to all of the same issues you did, so I look forward to re-working them to make things look better. I am going to photoshop some longer road wheel treads and rebuild my suspension. The issue I was having was not bending the front and rear spacers properly as you did. With that in mind, it all makes sense now. So, tonight I will be printing up another copy and starting over to get a cleaner build.
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#6
07-12-2011, 12:21 PM
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I believe the CA will harden up in a syringe. The bottles it comes in are the best. When using CA I pour a little out onto the overturned bottom of a small glass (dollar store) and apply it from there using a tool I made by sticking a large darning, needle eye first, into the end of a piece of hardwood dowling (used needle nosed pliers). When you are finished the dried CA can be easiliy scraped of the bottom of the glass and needle (use old blades).
As far as the tracks for this model go I found them to be a little long. I had to trim off about a cm to get a nice fit. The model really needs some reinforcing to get a reasonsable looking build but it is worth the effort.  T1E1 U.S. Light Tank 1927
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#7
07-12-2011, 01:08 PM
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I saw your thread on this, B-Manic. How did you take care of the top parts of the turet? I am having issues making it fit just right without really cramming the two half-circle-ish pieces in their positions... Maybe I just did not cut the part right.
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#8
07-12-2011, 03:25 PM
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Quote:
 ). They fit by resting on top of the turret not inside. I hope this is helpful.~ Douglas
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#9
08-02-2011, 09:05 PM
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After a week of vacation, a week of working hard at, well, Work, and generally taking a short break from modeling, I finally finished the T1E1. I actually started the whole thing over, caught up to myself, and THEN finished it. You can see, this time I used re-enforcement as suggested. You can also see the result of leaving a brown Crayola marker in the reach of Loki the Norse Dog of Mischief. I just took a minute or two here and there and got through it... I was not too happy with my final product. I think if I actually take my time and build for a block of time, I end up with a better model. When I worked in the restaurant, I would slip in to a kind of sushi-making "zone" where I was perfect with the customers and perfect with my knife. When I design and code websites, it is the same way... if I check out and just get in the zone, everything just comes together. So, with that in mind, my strategy for armor models in the future will be to cut the repetitious bitty pieces like tracks and such when I have a minute or two here and there, and do the cutting and assembly of the primary structures when I have larger sections of time to commit. Hopefully that will allow me to take advantage of all of the time slots I have available in my schedule.
So, the build: the toughest part, as I am sure I stated above, was the whole suspension assembly. Using Don and B-manic’s builds as guides, I kind of just fiddled with it until it ended up together in a reasonable manner. I found the trick was to kind of “spot-weld” the parts together with just a tiny bit of Elmer’s and then go back with CA and really cement everything together. That may not be best for all models, but in this case, with the longer strips of paper on the suspension, it worked well. The tracks were pretty cool. I simply laminated the two sides, cut out the angled edges, and scored between each track section. They turned out clean and realistic. Otherwise, the turret did not fit together precisely, but I slivered bits and used B-Manic's suggestion of an emery board until it worked. The rest of the model worked out great. This one will sit on my desk at work next to Perry’s M2 and T4. As far as techniques and goodies: In addition to what I mentioned in previous posts, I received a magnifying glass head set. I LOVE it. Let me repeat. I LOVE it. It just let me see things closer, no other real explanation. I also got two forceps… the locking kind. I like them; they worked well for holding the track ends together when I finally affixed them to the model. I do NOT like the fact that they have toothed grips. I wonder if there are hemostat forceps that have smooth heads? I got a better pair of tweezers that are steel and got to a nice sharp point that actually works well for embossing. The Scotch gel glue works great: it is stickier than the craft CA but it is still spreadable for a decent amount of time. It is strange. If you just spread it, it does not seem to dry fast. The second you ATTACH something to the glue-covered part, it is game over, no reposition. I like it, it is the best of both worlds... it grabs but its gooeyness allows some precision and no running or discoloration due to running. So, my next model will be a M3 Don Boose (it is great to work near another paper modeler!) gave me until after next paycheck when I can buy more ink for the printer. I will probably just post a few images of the final M3 build on this thread. After that, I will be going full force into an ironclad from the Ertz collection at 1:250 over in the ship building forum. Cheers! EDIT: I got a pack of revell #11s... in my most humble opinion, they are vastly superior to xacto #11s. I have not tried to re-sharpen one yet, so I do not know how it will hold an edge after that. Last edited by k.warner; 08-02-2011 at 09:22 PM.
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#10
08-02-2011, 09:26 PM
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Now this is inspiring - wanting to improve, setting the goal to improve, and then improving! I really find your work moving, it's great to see a fellow modeler with such charisma and desire, truly inspiring.
Might I also add, your Circle Cutting Fu is at master class level. Would you please explain how you got your circle to be so round? My guess is that you're cutting small segments of the circle carefully at a time and then using sandpaper to smooth the edges (?)
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