I haven't really found any vast, comprehensive site about papercrafting yet (which /po on 4chan is most definitely
not). So I’ll just toss out what I know in the meantime.
Paper: I've gotten by with plain ol' printer paper most of the time. Larger faces tend to sag under their own weight, so it’s a good idea to stiffen them with poster board or cardstock. I never used poster board as the base material since that would involve cutting it up, but cardstock works just as well if you feel the model must be made stiffer all around (case in point:
the one on the bottom was like a tank when I finished). Doesn't work so well in
smaller models, though.
Glue: Glue stick is out of the question, but regular white/school glue should work fine. Superglue is better for tiny or difficult applications, like joining small segments that are difficult to hold together. But superglue is also expensive and can fail if the surface you’re gluing is too dirty, so it’s probably best to save it until you feel you have to use it.
Tools: As far as cutting implements go, an Xacto knife is best for the more intricate parts, but that usually requires a cutting mat. My father-in-law has a 2’ square one, but it doesn’t need to be that big at all; I managed to
make Sajuuk with my dinky little 6” mat. Still, scissors can work just as well 90% of the time. I’ve never had to use tweezers on anything, probably because the detail in models that small is lost due to printing resolution.
Technique: On parts with a sawtooth pattern of tabs (like a cylinder or other rounded edge), I tend to cut one angle of all the tabs at once, then the other so I only have to rotate my hand once. And speaking of rounded portions, you may want to consider omitting folds on broad, gentle curves. I learned this after screwing up a
Hiigaran transport.
You'll generally be fine if you make sure edges match up with each other, but be aware that little errors can sometimes compound themselves. With models using stacked portions like the
Kadeshi Mothership, you should be very careful to make sure everything is good and perpendicular or else they'll visibly tilt.
Honestly, this papercraft stuff doesn't take much skill, but time. My lack of actual craftsmanship in other hobbies is proof of that.
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Topic: Papercraft! (Read 4286 times)