As mentioned previously, if there’s a low tech way to achieve something, I’ll generally go for it. This is why I tend to make models out of cornflake packets and clay even though there are far more advanced methods out there.
So it will probably be of no surprise to either of my readers that after making a paper mock-up a couple of weeks ago for the van sides, I started wondering if I could take it a step further and use paper on the final model. There is some logic to this: the transfers for the van sides will have to cover the whole of the van, partly because I want white writing which can be hard to achieve with transfers, and partly because of those big pictures on one of them. Transfers that big could get a bit unwieldy but a piece of paper would hold its shape much better, and it would be cheaper. Also, as I don’t currently have a printer at my apartment, it wouldn’t risk gumming up the one at work.
On the other hand, would they be realistic, or would they look like a piece of paper stuck on a plastic model?
To answer this question I made a mock-up of the van sides with all the features of the final model like the “gaps” in the doors and the holes for the handles, cut one of the door “sides”, applied glue and stuck it down. When this failed to cause an apocalypse I tried weathering powder which promptly stuck in the grain of the paper and looked a mess. I thought a bit, then sprayed the lot with matt varnish, and after a slight panic as the paper bubbled up in the wet varnish, weathered it again and added a final layer of varnish to seal it.
It looks okay, I just need to paint the ends and details first, and remember to glue on the paper, varnish it, and then apply weathering to the whole wagon…
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