Tools and Materials
Some of the things i use in papermodelling
This page is intended as an ongoing work in progress where I’ll be adding tools and materials I use.Â
Make good use of it if you like!
CUTTING TOOLS
Just sharp blades
I use and recommend modelling knifes of
various shapes and sizes.
nothing mystical here, just find your weapon of choice.
CROCHET HOOKS AND TWEEZERS
and other strange stuff!
You can use a lot every day life objects to help yourself in papermodelling.
I found very useful crochet hooks to accurately lay the vinyl glue and deform parts.
Tweezers of various sizes are very useful also.
PENS & PENCILS
and other cylindrical objects
When you build a papermodel one thing is important: deform the paper parts before gluing them. Parts as fuselage, cones, small tanks demand to be deformed to take a proper round and convincing shape.
Using pens and other stuff is very helpful in this task.
TRAPEZOIDAL CUTTER BLADE
My weapon of choice!
Robust and super sharp. I use them for cutting most of the kit pieces.
Once worn they are perfect for folding small parts (wing tabs, wing pylons ect.)
VINYL GLUE
Use it with caution!
I found myself confortable with Aleene's tacky glue, but you can use any vinyl glue available.
It offers a very strong bond, but with little time for adjusting parts.
Moreover it tends to warp and deform thin paper due to the water inside it.
SOLID STICK GLUE
AÂ timeless classic.
This kind of glue is easy to use, gives you time for precision adjustments and most important does not warp or soak paper parts.
Make sure to use a good quality one with decent adhesive strenght.
I found myself confortable with Pritt and Faber Castell stick glues.
PAPER!
Last but not least, the most important material.
For 1:100 scale modelling i use 80gsm A4 copy paper.
You have no choice here. In order to build my models you must use this paper weight, all the parts are designed to work with 0.1mm paper thickness. It's a great paper to work with, easy to roll and deform, with oly one drawback: it soaks easily with water.
So use vinyl glue with caution and only in small amounts. Stick glue will be the glue of choice here.
I hope this small list of materials can help you out in building not only my models, but also papermodels of any sort.
One last tip: you can use a lot of everyday life objects to help yourself, so be creative, try new techniques and don't give up on the first model trashed.