1:250 Scale Paper Model: Multi-Purpose Vessel "Mellum"

[dr_gn]

Completed the lifeboat, tender and RIB earlier this week. Lots of parts even for these fairly simple craft. Not that fantastic in terms of accuracy of fit either:

[robemcdonald]

How do you manage not to show the edge of the paper after you've cut it out? Having seen my efforts you'll know it's something I struggle with.
By the way this is awesome. I'd love to see how well you could make one of the Yamaha models.

[dr_gn]

robemcdonald said:

How do you manage not to show the edge of the paper after you've cut it out? Having seen my efforts you'll know it's something I struggle with.
By the way this is awesome. I'd love to see how well you could make one of the Yamaha models.

It's vey simple - just get some water based paint, mix it to the right colour and paint it along the edges with a fine brush (and whatever other white bits you think might show through once assembled). Once the paint is completely dry, pva sticks to it just as well as to printed paper. The beauty of water paints over felt tips is that you can - to a degree, remove any errors with a damp paintbrush.

I also sometimes brush over an entire substructure with Tamiya weathering powders of the appropriate colour. It tends to blend the parts together and make the joints less obvious.

Hope this helps.

[robemcdonald]

dr_gn said:

robemcdonald said:

How do you manage not to show the edge of the paper after you've cut it out? Having seen my efforts you'll know it's something I struggle with.
By the way this is awesome. I'd love to see how well you could make one of the Yamaha models.

It's vey simple - just get some water based paint, mix it to the right colour and paint it along the edges with a fine brush (and whatever other white bits you think might show through once assembled). Once the paint is completely dry, pva sticks to it just as well as to printed paper. The beauty of water paints over felt tips is that you can - to a degree, remove any errors with a damp paintbrush.

I also sometimes brush over an entire substructure with Tamiya weathering powders of the appropriate colour. It tends to blend the parts together and make the joints less obvious.

Hope this helps.

Blimey.. I'm not in the same league as you. Not sure I'm even playing the same sport.

Maybe one day....

[Turn7]

robemcdonald said:

dr_gn said:

robemcdonald said:

How do you manage not to show the edge of the paper after you've cut it out? Having seen my efforts you'll know it's something I struggle with.
By the way this is awesome. I'd love to see how well you could make one of the Yamaha models.

It's vey simple - just get some water based paint, mix it to the right colour and paint it along the edges with a fine brush (and whatever other white bits you think might show through once assembled). Once the paint is completely dry, pva sticks to it just as well as to printed paper. The beauty of water paints over felt tips is that you can - to a degree, remove any errors with a damp paintbrush.

I also sometimes brush over an entire substructure with Tamiya weathering powders of the appropriate colour. It tends to blend the parts together and make the joints less obvious.

Hope this helps.

Blimey.. I'm not in the same league as you. Not sure I'm even playing the same sport.

LOL...

Thats some amaziing detailing , Im impressed.

[dr_gn]

Guys - I don't get it: All I'm suggesting really is painting along the edges of the paper with the same coloured paint as the part. What's difficult about that?

[Murph7355]

dr_gn said:

Guys - I don't get it: All I'm suggesting really is painting along the edges of the paper with the same coloured paint as the part. What's difficult about that?

I can barely tie my own shoe laces first time out! When I see your stuff, and especially against something for scale, it's truly staggering.

That rib against the pound coin is immense. Unless you're a leprechaun I can't even begin to fathom how you folded/built that, let alone painted the edges of paper to ensure they don't show. I suspect many others think the same

[4321go]

What he said. I know that you use a quality magnifying lamp, and that you're beyond passionate when it comes to getting it right, but how small is part "f" on the rib. How do you cut it out, let alone apply glue to it? Perhaps that's a novelty, chocolate £1 coin?

[dr_gn]

I don't use a magnifying glass, just a decent lamp.

Most of the parts aren't too small to cut out with small scissors, or failing that a scalpel. The sides were just cut out and wrapped around a small drill, and glued along the join to form tubes. All the parts are pretty much self-jigging.

The small circular "f" parts were about 2mm in diameter, but these looked far too big stuck on the ends of the sponsons, so I found some scrap orange paper from another part and punched them out at 1mm diameter using a punch and die set, so there was no cutting at all needed for those.

[perdu]

If you havent met dr_gn you won't realise he has microbladed fingertips and stereohypervision which makes all this awesome precision inevitable

or I am talking utter bks as usual?

Any way, just butting in to congratulate him for his and junior doc's successes at Cosford

Certificated excellence from both again

Well done, nice to see you lot again at the show

b

[dr_gn]

perdu said:

If you havent met dr_gn you won't realise he has microbladed fingertips and stereohypervision which makes all this awesome precision inevitable

or I am talking utter bks as usual?

Any way, just butting in to congratulate him for his and junior doc's successes at Cosford

Certificated excellence from both again

Well done, nice to see you lot again at the show

b

Nice to see you too Perdu. We always try to seek you out at model shows: Its good to interact with a normal person at these events.

[perdu]

It was good to see you too, I always like to keep up with real people


normal person?

moi?

you exaggerate sirrah

any way, well done

[dr_gn]

More stairs, more railings, more doors:

[perdu]

You seem a tad displeased with some of this

You shouldn't be, it is going to knock some of us out again when you finish it

That view above is tremendous

[dr_gn]

There have been quite a few fairly big fit errors so far, and they are not easy to correct once the parts are cut out. Since you have to glue the decks pretty much as you go, and some parts span several decks, there is no room for adjustment. Strange really - the trawler was almost spot on in this respect, and it's the same scale and same designer. It's a good challenge though.

[dr_gn]

Added the rest of the doubled-up lights, doors and their laser-cut handles, plus made and fitted the three benches that fit behind the cabin:

[dr_gn]

Fitted the massive upper deck cabin surround (or at least the front of it). Needed some fettling and bracing with cocktail sticks to get everything in line:



I'm hoping the upper decks and cabins will be easier to fit.

[dr_gn]

Fitted the second intermediate deck and the corresponding cabin front. Currently weighted down while the glue sets:

[dr_gn]

Got another deck and cabin installed, plus a stupidly complicated faceted...thing...below the top deck. Plus, of course, more steps:

[dr_gn]

So here's...even more steps. This time built with the 'aid' of the cute little step jig:



As with the previous model, there's no indication of how to use it. If you assemble it as - apparently - intended, its too wide to be of any use since it's impossible to apply glue to the end of the treads without also applying it to the jig. If you use it as a single piece as I did, it doesn't really hole the treads in place.

Anyway here they are finished:



and fitted:



You might notice I had to extend them by one tread in order to get them to fit parallel with the other two flights already fitted. This model really is filled with small flaws that add up to be a real pain in the arse.