For over 40 years my wife and I have created a virtual world in our
home which for the last 15 years, we opened to the public under the name
of Old Strathcona Model & Toy Museum. This "world" consists
of scaled replicas of famous buildings and monuments, ships, aircraft,
transportation vehicles, locomotives, military vehicles and other items
reflecting world cultures and history, and everything is made entirely
out of paper.
Modeling with paper and thin card achieved
popularity during the second world war when wood and metal were scarce
and before plastics dominated the model making industry.. Although most
of the models were simple children's cut-outs, there were some such as
the tiny Micromodels which were quite intricate and became popular
with adult modelers. Now with the development of computers and CAD programs
and modern color printing technology, paper models have reached a height
of sophistication that rivals plastic and other types of model making.
Paper models should not be confused with paper
mache or origami. The model parts are printed on sheets of heavy
paper or thin card and have to be cut, scored, folded, curved, and glued
with precision to create a full three dimensional model. Some models such
as aircraft and ships are so detailed that they may take many months to
complete while others can be completed in one evening. Unlike their plastic
counterparts, paper models are accurately colored so no painting is needed.
It is the coloring that makes the completed paper model look so realistic
and you have to look realy close to see that the bricks are not real brick,
or the fuselage of a plane is not metal.
If you want to know more about this hobby
as well as addresses of dealers and links to free downloads of models on
the web (there are lots of them, mostly easy models but some quite advanced)
click on the card modeling faq link on our locomotive page.