The Nature of Epemera
Hi, a few thoughts, please don't flame me or banish me, when I mention pl*sti#c or m#t@l and wood (paper in its original state) as model material.
Collectors classify paper things as "ephemera": things that do not last or were not intended to last.
(Collectors and builders of vintage paper models should look here
http://www.ephemerasociety.org/whatisephemera.html.)
I was getting bummed by the expense and mess of plastic models and then what to do with them when finished. They are hard to give away.
I had no problems finding a home for wood models, but each building session required a lot of clean up.
Then I found paper, fun to build, interesting problems to solve, good results, low investment, so psychologically they are easy to part with, and it is also easier to find a taker for a paper model than a plastic one. If one is damaged build another or give the recipient of the paper model the files so s/he can make one of her/his own. Paper modeling is very Zen like, the process not the end point that most of us enjoy the most.
There are a few paper models that I keep, out of direct sunlight, away from dust ( the switch from incandescent bulbs to CFLs, which may produce more UV, might lead to fading). However, I am not creating timeless works of art, just things to eventually dispose of or give away or else I would not have room to make more. (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collyer_
brothers for what happens if you have too much stuff)
If you want to create something with a degree of longevity it is time for a trip down to the nearest college library that has a fine arts section, and start reading up on toxicity and longevity of materials. Plastics are not all that long lived either, in fact artist's quality acid free cotton bond paper colored with PIGMENTs (not dyes) might be longer lived than some solvent formed or bonded plastics.
Carefully built wood ship models have the potential to last a long time, especially if you can store them in a pyramid in the middle of a dessert.
Or consider switching from paper to metal. Instead of using flat sheets of paper and bottles of glue as the base material, switch to brass sheets and silver solder and rivets.
Gerald Wingrove's books on car modeling are full of useful techniques, but they are out of print, considered collectible, hard to find, and pricey if found.
Or get a copy of this recently published book:
Model Building with Brass by Ken Foran.
http://www.amazon.com/Model-Building-Brass-Kenneth-Foran/dp/0764340042
or
http://www.schifferbooks.com/newschiffer/book_template.php?isbn=9780764340048
Basically any model you can make out of paper should be transferable to fabrication out of sheet brass.
Some of us have built Chip Fynn's planes out of foam and flown them, and others have printed them on plastic sheet and entered them in IPMS contests.
The FG oldies would look good in brass, with some additional detailing his WWI tanks would be great subjects for construction with sheet brass.
They could be left in raw brass, painted, or Chip's artistry printed on decals and transferred to the brass model. A 1/35th brass WWI tank with suitable patina might even be passed off as authentic trench art.
Anyway, we are creating ephemeral objects out out of ephemera.
If you really want to create something that will last nearly forever, consider sculpting in balsalt or making castings in bronze. and even then you would have to bury them where they could never be found and vandalized or launch them into deep space if you wanted them to last for awhile (And keep in mind that both most well established religions and science say that the universe as we know it is not going to be around forever).
Paper is just not one of your more durable media.
If you do want your completed paper model to last, use acid free artist quality paper, acid free adhesives, and pigment based colors (Some top end Epson and I think some Canon printers use pigments in their inks.)
Consider using Krylon's UV resistant sealant, and store your model in a dark, humidity and temperature controlled nitrogen flushed stainless steel gun cabinet. Don't look at them since that will mean exposing them to light and temperature change.
Look at how the Japanese approach the permanence issue with their temples. They have wood temples that depending on how you look at it are either a thousand years old, or were built just 10 years ago. They consider the temples to be ancient, but they are rebuilt each generation, and the rebuilding is ceremonial and contributes to their antiquity and continuity.
When you started a thread about how to keep your paper model from fading you were really just touching on important questions of maintaining traditions, the economics of leisure, the accumulation of possessions, philosophy, entropy and where are we going to eat lunch.