Hi there! I've never tried to make anything from paper before and have always a bit skeptical about the medium. As a modeller I have worked with plastics and metals. It's not that I'm an elitist; I just accept that I have clunky hands and the suitability of paper projects running through my mitts is questionable. Still, I was really impressed by some of the images I have seen while googling reference materials for other projects so I wanted to check this out after I found a lead here while looking for pictures of an NX shuttle craft. I think I would like to try building some things from paper to learn a bit about the medium and at least use the process as a means of prototyping patterns for more hardy projects or possibly to learn some new skills that might carry over to other types of modelling in general. I'm in the process of trying to build a series of models for a Star Trek RPG I plan on playing and was really impressed by the TOS bridge build I saw on another thread. There was also a mock up of a Voyager console that looked pretty awesome too. I would like to build interiors of an NX as a set for gaming so hopefully I can learn a thing or two and make something of my own.
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HORRIDPERSON: I'm not afraid - to make a paper model.
YODA: You will be. You will be. - But chosen the right place to be you have! (giggles)
Welcome to Zealot!
Your aims are high but I can assure you: Everything you can imagine is possible. My mate, @Rhaven Blaack , has the right motto when it comes to that. He says, "If it can be thought of, it can be done!" And he proved this on more than one occasion. So you may do it, too. Just start with some easy projects to get a feel for the matter, like the models from Canon:
http://cp.c-ij.com/de/index.html
There are many free models for nearly all different occasions, even automata, animated things (I especially like the Halloween dancers and the carousel), animals, buildings and many more. If you are more into real space and rockets, just take a look at the axm models:
http://axmpaperspacescalemodels.com/
or the ones found at
http://papermodelingman.com/gallery_models.html
Do not be intimidated by the parts count or anything else. Just tackle one piece at a time, pay attention to the instructions and ask a question to the community whenever you have a problem. I would suggest 160 gsm paper and non-water based glue in order to avoid warping. Zip Dry is said to be one of the best glues for paper modeling.
I'd love to see some pictures of yor previous builds. It would be great if you could show them here in this thread. The best part of the hobby is, you can use the paper plans as templates for other materials like styrene and metal. There is a guy who has made a Cylon bust from metal - and paper master Red even made a complete wearable Cylon Centurion suit from left-over aluminium sheets using paper model plans. And if something goes wrong, just print out another copy.
Anyway, I wish you a happy time here with us.
Have fun and enjoy!
YODA: You will be. You will be. - But chosen the right place to be you have! (giggles)
Welcome to Zealot!
Your aims are high but I can assure you: Everything you can imagine is possible. My mate, @Rhaven Blaack , has the right motto when it comes to that. He says, "If it can be thought of, it can be done!" And he proved this on more than one occasion. So you may do it, too. Just start with some easy projects to get a feel for the matter, like the models from Canon:
http://cp.c-ij.com/de/index.html
There are many free models for nearly all different occasions, even automata, animated things (I especially like the Halloween dancers and the carousel), animals, buildings and many more. If you are more into real space and rockets, just take a look at the axm models:
http://axmpaperspacescalemodels.com/
or the ones found at
http://papermodelingman.com/gallery_models.html
Do not be intimidated by the parts count or anything else. Just tackle one piece at a time, pay attention to the instructions and ask a question to the community whenever you have a problem. I would suggest 160 gsm paper and non-water based glue in order to avoid warping. Zip Dry is said to be one of the best glues for paper modeling.
I'd love to see some pictures of yor previous builds. It would be great if you could show them here in this thread. The best part of the hobby is, you can use the paper plans as templates for other materials like styrene and metal. There is a guy who has made a Cylon bust from metal - and paper master Red even made a complete wearable Cylon Centurion suit from left-over aluminium sheets using paper model plans. And if something goes wrong, just print out another copy.
Anyway, I wish you a happy time here with us.
Have fun and enjoy!
Welcome to Zealot! Sounds like you got a good idea, and are starting like most of us. I started just because of the cost of other medi was just too prohibitive,crude 1/35th scale resin kits at 60$ .. accckkk! then I found out that I could do the same model in card stock in more detail for a few $ and was hooked!
just to get you started on some ideas and as a reference,
http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints-main2.php
http://www.startrekpropauthority.com/2011/05/video-tour-of-enterprise-shuttlepod-1.html
you should be able to find something to mock up out of these sites!
Have fun, and as I always say, you got questions Please ask, someone here will be happy to help!
- Apr 5, 2013
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Welcome to Zealot. A lot of the technique used by the modelers here is tried and true, but much has been developed by the modelers here. If you printer uses Pigment Ink, you can experiment with water forming your parts to make compound surfaces. The medium is among the first, and is established. What an individual can do with it has much to do with the individual, and knowing the limits of the primary medium. We are not paper purists here, and you will see models using everything off of the shelf, making completed, and quite convincing models.
Thanks for for the replies everyone. That probably brought me here too Gandolf50. It bothers me to have to pay through the nose for crude kits composed of simple shapes that shouldn't be too difficult to reproduce in some other way. Bad kits one thing but recently delving into kits involving IPs has really made that point to me. The ewater forming sounds like a pretty sly trick. My printer doesn't use pigment and isn't very good at all but would forming then painting pieces with acrylics after they have been sealed accomplish the same thing? I'll have to have a look at more of these links. Thanks .
.Hello there . I would only add, that paper modeling is addictive and possibilities are endles - you can make everything from simple to very complex models from paper.
Definitely Yes. You can even soak the paper with super glue and than you can sand it, or cement it as you need to make compound curve shapes.
. I would only add, that paper modeling is addictive and possibilities are endles - you can make everything from simple to very complex models from paper. Definitely Yes. You can even soak the paper with super glue and than you can sand it, or cement it as you need to make compound curve shapes.
Thanks for for the replies everyone. That probably brought me here too Gandolf50. It bothers me to have to pay through the nose for crude kits composed of simple shapes that shouldn't be too difficult to reproduce in some other way. Bad kits one thing but recently delving into kits involving IPs has really made that point to me. The ewater forming sounds like a pretty sly trick. My printer doesn't use pigment and isn't very good at all but would forming then painting pieces with acrylics after they have been sealed accomplish the same thing? I'll have to have a look at more of these links. Thanks
Absolutely! and as bigpetr also says you can add sections soaked with super glue that can be sanded/drilled/ pins added and made into tons of items like hinges / struts / just about anything that needs to be strong and moveable... add a small inexpensive airbrush and compressor to you tools and you can mix up your own colors and then all your printer needs to do is get something on cardstock to cut out. Most of us here are GREAT recyclers and grab stuff from packaging ( make your own vacu-forming) thrift shop trips for usable items, wire from used discarded electronics ect ect .. water forming is a short step that will allow you to form card to a shape, take it a bit further and you get into paper molding ( not paper mache' ) but a lot like it where paper is formed under pressure so all the water is removed and it forms a light strong formed object, that can be cut sanded painted etc.
100% paper. Most definitely a very compound shape!
- Apr 5, 2013
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Hello there
Definitely Yes. You can even soak the paper with super glue and than you can sand it, or cement it as you need to make compound curve shapes.
I think making models, forming the shapes, then painting them, makes some of the most convincing models I have seen to date.
That figure is amazing! I was impressed with the paper models I have seen (more than enough to come calling here ) but never imagined you could create something something like that. I think my preconceptions about the medium made this such a surprise. I think I was expecting simple curves and hard edges.
) but never imagined you could create something something like that. I think my preconceptions about the medium made this such a surprise. I think I was expecting simple curves and hard edges.