Paper Models
I cannot resist free paper models. Here are a few dioramas from my micro museum, featuring free, online offerings. The Japanese model is the carrier Akagi's island with deck. The cost of a 1/144 Aichi type 99 "Val" and B5N "Kate" exceed the cost of much larger scale kits so I opted for the lower cost Type B6N "Jill" and Type B7A "Grace", an aircraft that was not produced until the loss of the Japanese carrier fleet, hence the location off the deck.
The German airfield displays some of the more well known Luftwaffe aircraft, featuring complete markings. The Goering figure is 1/6th scale holding two 1/144 scale "model" aircraft most critical to his career, as a picture of Hanna Reitsch looks on nearby. The other figures are Adolf Galland discussing aircraft and tactics with a pilot from his squadron. He holds a 1/100 Bf-109 "model" aircraft.
The link trainer is a free offering from the web accompanied by a 1/24 scale figure. Part of my instrument training was taken in one of these antiques.
You'd never know these were paper...outstanding!
Yes very eclectic group. We have one particularly talented paper modeller in our club, who has won national awards here. For something different, he provided a bundle of free paper model “kits” for a group competition early last autumn that was judged at Christmas. The winner was a superb Eindeker, made by a member who had never modelled this way before.
Hello Mr. Ley,
Carton, sometimes you cant see the difference anymore between resin, plastic or carton.
Looks very convincing to me.
Regards,Dirk / The Netherlands.
Superb aircraft - I would have no idea they were maade of paper! Really outstanding, G. Lay!
I especially like the Link Trainer as my Mother was a Link operator as a US Navy WAVE instructor during WWII. VERY interesting!
A bit of clarification, only the structures are paper in the 1/144 dios. The aircraft are tiny plastic kits. A few were pre-built, some are pre-painted kits, others are un-painted kits. All required decaling, which is difficult enough in this scale. I was surprised and gratified to find a full sheet of Hackenkreuz in this scale.
This is perhaps the most annoying issue when building WWII German subjects, especially when I find photos of modern Japanese ships flying the WWII "sunburst" naval ensign identical to the one on my Akagi. If we are to labor over ancient, wartime guilt, why is that perfectly acceptable?
It is yet more added cost to have to purchase a special sheet of decals or fiddle with aligning separate sectionals to accurately portray Luftwaffe and Kreigsmarine subjects. After more than seventy years, how much longer must we be saddled with Germany's guilt?
The first time I built the A5M "Claude" around a year ago, I wound up trashing the kit. It was just too tiny for my "fence-post" fingers and elderly eyesight. I amazed myself when I began constructing the other aircraft, especially the D-VII.
In this scale, these subjects are difficult enough in plastic, no way for paper. Although the Akagi did include a paper Zero, I didn't even attempt the build. After building the carrier scene, I decided I wanted something a bit more accurate on the decks.
I find it very difficult to accurately represent a subject with paper models as opposed to plastic or wood. The main issue being curved surfaces, especially complex curvatures.
One thing about 1/144 scale it doesn't take up much room, so one can have a lot of subjects in a small space. The Luftwaffe dio sits on a single, standard book shelf that determined its dimensions.
Fantastic work. It's great to see what is possible to make in paper. At the Dutch IPMS event in november there is allways a nice section with papercraft models present.