Hi Ya'll
As you know I do all kinds of models. For my personal choice for pure inventive fun I choose Paper or Card models. Why? well they require a lot of patience and eye hand co'ordination. I find that at my age to be a calming factor for all the other stuff I build.
Now, that said when it comes to Paper or Card, I cheat, Always have. Why? Well, I am always trying ways to improve the detail without getting in a funk because the paper part didn't work out the way it's pictured or explained!
When you work in 1/250-1/400 or whatever it aon't easy trying to do a crane boom for instance. The paper is doubled then glued to thicken it. You cut it and it can mess up. It will twist up and sometimes seperate. This happens because of the glue not being spread evenly or it's thin and it dries to fast.
So, I sneak in some train stuff. "H.O." which is 1/87 scale is somewhat off size, but you can use it on some. The smaller ships are candidates for 1/160 which is " N " scale. I have also used some "Z" scale which all I know is Half of " N " scale.
You might say " Chicken" and you'd probably be right. I love building in paper.But this to me has always been the one drawback. I was amazed when I did my first Full Hull paper ship. It was a tug from the early 1900s. The paper was thin and so on. But I pulled it off Even going so far as to rolling the masts in paper soaked in glue. Whatta mess. But they did work!
They even had the hull designed in such a way so you could remove the bottom and display it in waterline configuration! Now, the one I am working on now has a full hull. Built carefully I still am having problems. Why? well the hull bottom pieces have the centerline and it's offset from the keel so one side is higher than the other. Why I don't know.Well, I was able to correct that, But, that means I will have to actually paint it to correct the printed waterline on one side.
I have to go on with this vessel because I am going to try another as a yacht conversion. Yeah, me and my conversions. Now there is a trick to the doubled sheets which took me all these years to master. I Got It! I Got It!
I don't press in the knife hard and just go gentle. Lots of useable pieces. Am I going to be a purist? Heck no. I have to much fun trying to mix scales and parts. Besides, how many Crane boom sides can you cut out before you either get fuzzy vision or get frustrated?