A very general question about paper modelling

[silveroxide]

If you follow any of my build threads, you will notice that I use a myriad of materials to accomplish the desired effect. Plastic or cellophane tape for canopies. Wire for landing gears or hinges. Dowels or toothpicks for anything that is long and thin, like axles, guns exhaust pipes ie. Foam board for inside structure strength. I also laminate heavily my sheets especially if I use bulkheads or formers.

In some of my design and builds I do them in white and then hand color them. see pics for example in my present design and build thread, the buggy and a previous one on the stealth star. Both of them are strictly paper. In the buggy I used metal foil paper for the trimmings, foam and fabric for the seats, and I will use wire later for the canopy frame from paper clips.

If you have scratched built in the past, you probably used whatever was available. The same is for paper but I try to make my models at least 80% to 90% paper. The name of the game is to enjoy yourself so if you feel comfortable with what you are doing, go for it.

When you build something, post some pics for our enjoyment also. See you around in the forums.

[Retired_for_now]

Ok, Bob. Surfacing some issues? My prescription for you is to print out a nice, two page paper model and do some building. If you're still stressed after you're done, go ahead and squash that model in your hand while exhaling vigorously - then print out and build yourself another. Repeat as needed until you have a keeper.

Yogi (just letting everyone build in their own way, whether or not I approve or am impressed is irrelevant for that builder)

[Golden Bear]

First of all, hi Cliff! I hope that you hang around and learn a little about this odd hobby.

Definitely, one of the motivations becomes trying to do in paper/card the same or better than can be done in other media. No doubt about that. I find myself taking the long route sometimes just so I can use fibrous material instead of something premade.

Let me throw out the idea that the paper part is already colored and detailed. My feeling as a former plastic modeler is that the shape (model) is easy and comes ready to slap together with a little glue. With paper the coloring is already there but the shaping is very difficult. Personally I get a satisfaction of shaping the model that isn't there for plastic. Anyway, if I use a piece of plastic sprue instead of card I need to paint it to match the existing artwork. Easier just to roll a piece of cardstodk. BTW, rolling tubes is among the easiest tasks in card modeling, heh. It's those things that roll and bulge that are difficult but are easy in plastic.

Recoloring is one of the keystones of cardmodeling. Painting and repainting is rampant. Ship hulls are frequently puttied, sanded and painted. Edges and backsides always need painting or coloring. A cottage industry has sprung up about recoloring aircraft in software before building.

Scratchbuilding is a cornerstone of cardmodeling. Look at the details inside a Halinski aircraft cockit (not scratch but you get the idea) and there is the idea that anything can be done with card.

Frankly, for a "model" builder, command of card techniques along with those of plastic and wood would yield the most realistic result. All have strengths. However, once you get into the card thing, part of the fun is trying to show how much you can do with card rather than other materials or prebuilds.

Take care and give us poor paper benders a kind thought when you return to oil-derivative-material land!


Carl

[ct ertz]

Hello and welcome!
I like paper modeling because I am not right in the head.
It is just like shooting to me, one of my favorite past times. You see, I like shooting modern self contained ammo, but then one day when I was 14 years old my grandfather turned me on to muzzle loading guns! Not just shooting any more, but you had to cast the lead ball, grease your linen cloth, measure your charge cut the patch load the ball and prime the piece...then shoot!

Plastic modeling is like shooting modern guns, everything comes ready for you. Yes its a good time. But Paper modeling is like muzzle loading! Yes its more work, but you have an intimate knowlage of every step that goes into each shot...er, model part!

And black power guns can be made from scratch, or easily personalized when in kit form, same as paper models. And then we come to the cost...

I do not save any money on paper models overall because I just buy more stuff to do paper modeling!

Anyhow, I told you I ain't right in the head.

CT

[Darwin]

Cliftonra, you echo my thoughts a lot of years ago when I quit (a) competitive modeling and (b) slot cars (yes, I'm an old guy).

[Beachead]

Clift - as you can probably tell from reading these posts, there are some passionate paper benders. For me, as a novice one, it’s the simple idea of using paper. The cutting, cutting, and more cutting, of parts and more parts, combining and bending, folding, gluing, on and on. It’s the coolness of taking all these parts and putting it all together on an intiment level.

I never had that with plastic. The work is all done really with those.
And its just bloody awesome! A PAPER model with details that rival a lot of other venues. SWEET!

[ghshinn]

I used to be a plastic modeler, but gave it up because of cost. (I'm on a limited income.) But when I found card modeling, I fell in love with it.

Like others here, I'm don't care whether a person is a purist or not. Sometimes I'll put a model together strictly from paper products just so I can tell people who've never seen a card model that it's made from "nothing but paper."

But not always, and who really cares, anyway? Being an independent cuss, I do what I want, and most of the people I've watched on this site do the same thing, as is obvious from the comments in this thread. In fact, I'm in awe of some of the creativity I've seen, and plan to steal...er, borrow from it freely. Thanks, card modelers for posting your work. It's been an inspiration!

Garland

[peter taft]

I used to be into the plastic model making for many years and enjoyed it.... But, when i saw what could be made using paper, i was truly shocked. The plastic days were over for me more-or-less instantly when i found this world of paper model making. I said it myself... " That can't be Paper... surely " It's one of the best eye openers i ever had, and seeing details guys {and gals} were putting into their builds simply knocked me out. Paper is 2D and lifeless, yet you get to see something very beautiful emerge in to a 3D masterpiece out from it. Plastic kits can be altered to suit the builders VERSION of a given subject, and can be fun, but at the end of the day, paper models are often more complex in there design and build, and if other media needs to be used to create what you want that is fine to me, so long as the other media never out numbers the paper parts. Welcome to our wonderful world of Paper Model Making

[modelperry]

I build paper because it expanded my interests many times over. When I built in plastic, I concentrated on automotive subject. I avoided military subjects like the plague and built few aircraft. Ships were a non-entity in my world of plastic.

Now I build everything in paper and have found a special fondness for ships. Something I never thought I would develop. Military subject are no longer taboo either. I build planes too, but still have not become obsessed with them as with the other subjects.

Regarding non-paper materials: I absolutely use them! Styrene and brass rod, bead wire and thread are all my friends. I also use chains and other little details from the model railroad shop.

Even IPMS has relaxed their rules for plastic content and I have entered many of my paper projects in IPMS contests and have come away with a few awards. I have not been shunned at all and find many people genuinely appreciative of my efforts. Hearing: "That's paper ?!?" NEVER gets old and I have fooled a few people into thinking some of my stuff was built out of plastic.

Greg

[sgoti]

Hmm, where to begin...

1) I love the fact that someone can dream up a model, and in a (sometimes shockingly) short time have it available. Look at the recent LARGE Enterprise (NCC-1701) model by Rawen, kenlwest's Lockheed Constellation, ANY of uhu02's stuff, etc. Also, no tooling costs to recover, etc.

2) Easy to personalize. This includes scale, coloring, detailing, etc. Sometimes a few tweaks with the graphics program of your choice is all it takes.

3) The hands-on appeal. "Look! I took ordinary paper (sometimes SEVERAL sheets! :D) and made THIS!"

4) The different ways used to achieve the same results. I have seen a lot of "Hey, that's cool! Let me show you my method..." discussions here and other places.

5) The friendliness/camaraderie factor. People here are old friends, even the new guys. I come from a model train background, and while I truly appreciate the effort some people put into their models, I have also run into some sever cases of nit-picking/one-upmanship. Uh, it is a HOBBY, for FUN, isn't it?

6) Paper only for the sheer challenge, mixed media if it works better. I was blown away by someone's WWI aircraft tires made from paper and mono-filament.

7) Mess up a part? Print another. Want a fleet (squadron, task force, etc...)? Print more.

8) I have seen some models with FANTASTIC finishes that would rival any plastic version. I have seen some with hand-done coloring that, while it isn't museum quality, it still made me exclaim "That's so COOL!". Hand-coloring on a plastic model? It just looks like a bad paint job.

My short answer would be "why not?".

Glenn