Incredible Paper Ship Model (2000 hrs of work)

[Frederic Testard]

I think your point is quite good Dave. Frank Herbert wrote something in his Dune saga about the predator being there to make its prey stronger. These incredible ship models are a good illustration of this.

[finescalerr]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I do not understand why railroad modelers (for example) have abandoned the use of cardstock. On this forum, Marc has shown how to use it in place of wood without sacrificing appearance or workability. In eastern Europe, craftsmen routinely use it to turn out many models equal or superior to what we do with plastic and metal.

The highest quality card is less expensive than mediocre quality wood and you can work with it just as you do wood. It won't warp any more than wood, has the same longevity, and in other ways is pretty much the equal of wood.

Finally, you can print on it. Try that with any other material.

That is one reason why my challenge for next year's Modelers' Annual is to build a small cardstock structure. I'm hoping some of you will push the envelope and, in so doing, realize card can be as good as (possibly better than) some other materials we routinely use for such applications as doors, windows, corrugated metal, and many instances of painted wood -- depending on scale. While my main hope is that we could use it to shortcut some aspects of finishing a model, it would be nice to see top modelers generally make more and better use of a readily available material.

Yeah, I'm just contrary.

Russ

[DaKra]

In USA, paper kits tend to be marketed as quick / cheap / easy alternative to other types of kits and are designed and built with that mentality.  Results speak for themselves.  Printed shadows are not a substitute for 3 dimensionality on a serious model, no matter how fancy the graphics.    Look at a few of those flat models, its a serious turn off.   

[finescalerr]

Don't get me started on the vulgar approach to card, paper, and many other things by the hobby "industry"! Talk about turnoffs, how about the negative aspects of the abortive Plasticville or MDC product lines? Following the logic you suggest, anyone with eyes would have discarded styrene as a modeling material!

I'm afraid the problem lies more with the lazy attitude and lack of innovation of most hobbyists. Almost nobody seems to consider cardstock a major scratchbuilding material and uses it to best advantage. Nor do we often see much other creative innovation except here, on this forum, and the occasional like to another site. Are we all really that closely related to sheep?

Uh, better not answer ....

Russ

[eTraxx]

While not in anyway up to the standards of this forum .. I used paper a few months ago on a Boiler house in HO ..

Inside the coal shed. That's all paper (ok .. except for the coal)


That's paper mostly


Boiler



Less happy with the outside. Should have gone board by board. Hey .. live and learn


Just saying .. I like cardstock .. Heck .. the first thing I posted here was my outhouse .. cardstock

[teejay99]

The first inkling I had into the possibilities of paper/cardstock was from a book by Wayne Wesolowski ....Model Railroad Structures from A to Z . It was fascinating reading back in the 90's and I kept his ideas in mind . Around my area , even in our local Michaels and other various art supply shops , there seems to be an absence of Strathmore Board ....they push " Brisol Board " which comes in a variety of colours and a couple of thicknesses ( plys ) but is more suitable for kids school projects . I can only find S.B when I go to Detroit which isn't often these days .
I did buy one Paper Creek kit and it was laughable ....like something you might use around the Christmas tree.
I agree , paper and cardstock is uncharted territory for a lot of modelers and has many advantages such as those mentioned by Russ .

Terry

[narrowgauger]

Hi Guys,

I am up for the challenge Russ.

for years I worked with paper & card for timber structures and to simulate steel etc on all my HO scale models.  Following many of my 1:48 On3 rolling stock was built from the same materials, after which I managed to get hooked on styrene.  should have stayed with paper & card since these are still all intact while many of the styrene models have warped over time.

My best piece to date is the Lighthouse, which is 80% paper & card, with board-by-board construction throughout.  The wharf structure is basswood for the main beams with card flooring.  Both dingies are paper as are all the interior details.  Not up to the Victory standards, but good enough to win Best in Show at the Australian Narrow Gauge Convention.

Bernard

[gin sot]

Is the lighthouse based on Australian design practice?

[marc_reusser]

Bernard,

That is a lovely build. Would really enjoy more pics of it if you have them.


Marc

[finescalerr]

Way to go, Bernard. I'm with Marc: If you have more photos, please post them. And a few construction details, too, if you remember them. -- Russ

[Andi Little]

I'd like to weigh in on the plus side of card modelling..............

Here's what I hope to be an amusing model of a "Tree-house" - think Goonies! Mostly card with a bit of balsa strip and some pie pan ally.



And this building fascia - a frontage for an "Estate" railway I'm working on [slowly unfortunately].



And this almost finished but stalled building from the same model.



Again.......... not up to the board standard - but I am trying.

[eTraxx]

I sent a PM to Doris via Papermodelers.com inviting her to join this forum. See if she comes over to the 'Dark Side'.

[DaKra]

Nice work, Andi!

Russ, plastic started as the "faster easier" alternative to wooden models, but they delivered something which was at least as good as the common kits of the era (eg Strombecker) and improved steadily.   So Plasticville has evolved into Walther's Cornerstone.    

Domestic paper kits don't really offer a product that improves on wood or plastic beyond good old American marketing: "faster-cheaper-easier".  Minimal evolution.   I have a couple of paper kits from the 1920s, and some of the old Dover publication structures.  Same sort of parts break down as a modern American kit, similar results.  The big difference I see is modern graphics are smarmy.  IMHO the old ones look better, since the graphics are hand drawn and have personality, they aren't trying to be anything fancy.   Just something to amuse on a rainy day.  

But these Eastern European paper kits-- they are a different breed.   The designers have a great advantage over there because they can legitimately assume a customer base with greater skills.   There are parts requiring sophisticated folding and shaping, intricate cutting, many small parts, well researched subject matter, scale proportions.  I have several Imperial Russian battleship kits in paper, its fascinating to see the way the designer has reverse-engineered complicated shapes and compound curves to flat shapes.   There is a lot of ingenuity behind these kits, I refer to them in my design work, they are excellent pictorial references.

Dave

 

[clevermod01]

After WWII we had a thriving plastics industry (molders, tool and die makers, access to petrochemicals) that needed things to make. wile eastern Europe was beat up and starving for materials. paper models were already established and there was no economic engine to change it.

[finescalerr]

I'm not trying to put down plastic in favor of card. That would be lunacy. I hope I didn't create that impression.

The point of my comment was only to amplify on my disappointment with the hobby industry in general. Too many "me, too" nincompoops and too few innovators, mavericks, creative types to provide inspiration and new ideas. Heck, if you are going to be one of the latter types, hobbies are about the only place where you have a chance.

One way to produce a superior "faster, easier" model might be to laser cut printed cardstock. Another might be to use card or resin paper instead of grainy plywood for laser cut doors and windows. Right?

Russ