Kim's two latest houses inspired me finally to build a 1:48 scale typical late 19th century American ranch or farm house. It is still under construction and needs a front porch and awning, some rafters, and a step or two for the back door. It represents a deteriorating but still serviceable old structure badly in need of more whitewash and probably new roofing.
At this point the entire model is inkjet printed cardstock except for the interior stripwood bracing. I drew the plans in my new 2-D CAD program, Q-CAD. It replaces 2004 AutoCAD Lt, now too ancient to operate on my computer, cost U.S. $39, and works as well or better than AutoCAD. Better yet, I own it; there's no annual extortion fee.
I designed the doors and windows in Q-CAD as laser cut "kits" and experimented with peel-and-stick construction using 3-M 467 double sided tape. I found 12" square sheets on eBay. It's a little less trouble to work with than glue but otherwise not much different.
If you click on the photos they'll open up in a much larger size.
I'll post progress shots as construction blazes toward a thrilling conclusion.
Russ
And the back ....
Hi Russ.
Great result and such an interesting technique but the windows great job on such a challenging item. Yes, the finish the bleached wood, and the contours of the siding totally believable.
cheers
I think this is an outstanding result, colors are spot on.
Nice job on the building. The colors look fantastic.
I tried the 3-M 467 double sided tape. I bought a roll from Amazon. Here are a few pictures. I laminated board-n-batten siding to a chipboard backing. Works great and it sticks too. No warping from using glue for the two surfaces.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkingstonemodelworks.com%2FHOn30QRR%2Fcrusher-34.JPG&hash=213a91b875481b688222379e8ccb3a4a1c14a611)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkingstonemodelworks.com%2FHOn30QRR%2Fcrusher-35.JPG&hash=84451a5cb30a1ea76eb9a941e9c60c8afab78571)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkingstonemodelworks.com%2FHOn30QRR%2Fcrusher-36.JPG&hash=888c2f5e513324ccadbd7fe447358f256497ef27)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkingstonemodelworks.com%2FHOn30QRR%2Fcrusher-37.JPG&hash=e1a6e2cd5921b778fe210adc0abe97a2b110c705)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkingstonemodelworks.com%2FHOn30QRR%2Fcrusher-39.JPG&hash=b93c56982abea23f1c9c85fb1935eec29904e481)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkingstonemodelworks.com%2FHOn30QRR%2Fcrusher-40.JPG&hash=3bdcd6c74fc52e075b9253c8be77e27c74624cf5)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkingstonemodelworks.com%2FHOn30QRR%2Fcrusher-43.JPG&hash=367cdad301b3099f810799344da1ccddbb52ff19)
Bernd
Great job Unc! Glad to see you have other interests besides playing the clarinet!! You do still play right??
Jerry
Wow! Looks great! Really glad to see you modelling again.
Russ,
I really do appreciate your photoshop capabilities, but you don't fool me.
Volker
In other words: it looks great!
Who needs a 3D printer when an Inkjet can still do so much!?
Extremely impressive.
Russ, You've got the inkjet technique in hand! Good to see you modeling!
Will Laura Ingalls Wilder and her cousin, Gene, being taking up residence when finished?
Satisfactory... ;) If you don't already know of it, check out https://quixel.com/megascans/home/ (https://quixel.com/megascans/home/) and search under surfaces. Lots of excellent 4K textures available. Here are a couple of examples:
ubqmdiwfw_4K_Albedo.jpg
tj1mce2aw_4K_Albedo.jpg
Welcome to the most inspiring modelling forum going - keep the good work up and keep it coming - a satisfactory start
Barney
Bernd, I learned about 3-M 467 tape from my friend, Tom Fitzgerald, who used to own Crystal River Products and produced superb structure kits. The tape is as strong as any glue and lasts a lifetime.
I got the idea of laser cutting doors and windows from Strathmore cardstock when everyone else was using wood (with grain running the wrong way). You can paint or stain them with outstanding results. Tom cut my first batch and then added them to his product line. They look better than any molded plastic or laser cut wood parts but most hobbyists never seemed to care. Tom engineered the windows, sills, and glazing so everything almost self-aligns. I copied his method.
I stole the idea of inkjet printed cardstock from George Taylor, former Disney artist and owner of the now defunct but once very successful Paper Creek Models. While you guys were learning advanced weathering techniques with paint, I was shooting photos for my publications and got pretty good with Photoshop. It took years to figure out what kind of photo to start with but, once I figured it out, the results were better than anything I can do with paints or stains. The choice of paper also is important. The model's siding represents mostly bare, weathered lumber and the paper with the best texture for that is Lanaquarelle Cold Press.
My friend, and Terrapin NG Society member, Ted Edgell has a terrific corrugating tool for 1:48 scale modeling. He ran a bunch of printed paper through it for me a few years ago. Yet another thing I didn't think of myself.
Moral of the story: Steal ideas from the best people!
Volker, go stand in the corner.
Russ
Yes, paper.
Huge fan Paul those sample textures are great.
Russ, you were mentioning sourcing corrugated paper I also use it for my sidings and roofs but I source it from art supply shops A 3 size , heavy enough to take paint and the price is really really good.
cheers
Nice to see you modeling again, Russ. That house looks great!
I ordered some of Railscale Models' shake shingles in a custom wood which is a tropical veneer which closely matches western cedar. I have used 3M-467 to cover some of the scraps and plan on making shiplap siding to match so that when I weather it chemically the wood pieces will match. Since I am incarcerated in a rehab facility for another month or so the experiment will have to wait. If I can figure out how to size and post I'll send a couple of photos to the group.
I've used 3M-467 for a number of years and have had good results laminating styrene sheets to themselves and other materials.
The house is complete and, when I find somebody with a tablesaw who can cut a 2 foot square piece of MDF into four 12" squares, I'll attach the house and add scenery.
If anybody wants a basic set of instructions for how I build models with inkjet printed paper, just ask. Those of us with limited dexterity may find computers and printers our modeling salvation.
Russ
If you click on the images they'll magically become giant size.
Suggestion: Don't try building windows from tiny scraps of card or wood or you may lose your mind. The laser cutter is your friend.
And now my wife wants me to build a model of the house we live in but it will look a lot like this model. How humiliating! -- Russ
Quote from: finescalerr on October 28, 2021, 12:38:14 PM
And now my wife wants me to build a model of the house we live in but it will look a lot like this model. How humiliating! -- Russ
Hah! As I recall you do have indoor plumbing and electricity! Nicely done...
Awesome! Is there glass/plastic in the windows?
Paul, you were here decades ago. The house has deteriorated a little ....
Ray, yes, the windows have glazing. Not sure what kind of plastic it is or where I bought it. It's a pain in the neck to hand cut and install the glazing in the window sash.
Russ
Quote from: finescalerr on October 28, 2021, 09:10:25 PM
Paul, you were here decades ago. The house has deteriorated a little ....
It has been a long time... by deteriorated you mean the process of natural weathering... happens to us all!
If I weren't locked up in rehab for a broken hip, I'd cut and mail a piece for you on the condition that one corner had the witch's feet sticking out from under it.
Really nice building, Russ. Hard to believe that it is built from printed cardboard. All child I have also built models from cut-out sheets. But this is much better and absolutely more professional.
Bernhard
Well that is a really great looking model!
Jerry
Bernhard, it's not the kind of printed cardboard we remember from those old kits we built when we were kids.
I specifically choose certain art papers because of their texture, reflective qualities, and ability to produce a good photo. For example, the walls on this model represent almost unpainted wood so they must have no gloss at all and should have a texture much like that of wood (0.012-inch Lanaquarelle Cold Press). If the house were painted, the paper would be smooth with a slight sheen (0.01-inch Wausau ExactIndex).
Also, in 1:48 scale, the fine grain of even basswood often is too coarse so, to my eye, a photo of real wood with scale knots and grain on paper of the proper texture, looks more convincing and can depict a specific kind of wood, such as oak or cedar. I also build with individual boards and/or scribe every board joint so the model is truly three dimensional. I am very careful about trim, door, and window thickness; paper allows me to achieve that more accurately than I can with wood. I laser cut the doors and windows in this model from 0.016-inch thick Strathmore Bristol on 0.002-inch thick 3-M 467 double sided tape. The assembled doors and windows are very accurate in all three dimensions and have no unrealistic grain. Unlike laser board, plastic, or other materials, Strathmore also is an ideal material to paint or stain.
So instead of thinking of this technique as "building with cardboard", a more accurate description might be "applying wallpaper" to whatever sub-structure you prefer. I don't understand why more modelers haven't tried it.
Russ
Russ, I have seen laser-cut cardboard kits, which are available from various manufacturers. But they all seemed too two-dimensional to me. But you have brought this design to perfection. Very inspiring!
Bernhard
The effort you put into cutting individual "boards" and/or scribing the joints, plus building up window frames, etc is what puts this model so far above all the other printed paper models I've seen elsewhere.
Frankly, most paper structure models I have seen are very disappointing. The artwork often is more impressionistic than realistic. The idea seems to be to use shortcuts and "fool the eye" techniques rather than true modeling methods. And the effort I put into my models is probably less than I would have to put into a wood model, especially the finish. My goal in developing a decent inkjet printed cardstock model was to achieve about 90% of the excellence of the models I see here ... in about 30% of the time! -- Russ
The effect of the wood is spectacular. This technique is very good and perfectly mastered!
Russ,
Your paper models are simply a feast for the eyes :)
I love the crisp and uncluttered look of your models.
An exercise in understatement.
This is remarkable work Russ. I for one would love to see you you designed and put this together. A "paper" masterpiece tutorial would be great if you ever had the time!
Satisfactory!
I have been toying with the idea of doing UV textured color printing over top of laser board and basswood and then indexing the printed material with the laser cutter and cutting out the parts. Or vice versa. That way you wind up with pre-printed and textured components before assembly. It issue right now is the cost and complexity of flat bed UV color printers. A decent Roland machine is $25K. I would consider it for the hobby business if I new I could get good results. The other issue is the finicky nature of the printer heads. They gum up a lot and can go out of alignment etc. Like a ink jet but add in the UV light and sticky inks....
You're probably better off choosing the right paper for texture, using an inkjet to print the artwork on it and, unless the parts to cut are complex and very small, just using a knife an straightedge.
Building my models is simple; anyone on the forum probably could build them better than I do. The only unique aspect is the artwork and I doubt a tutorial on working with Affinity Photo or Photoshop would be of much interest here. Besides, I just look for a photo of the right kind of brick, wood, or whatever and tweak it. I even posted a simple minded step-by-step here several years ago. As I recall, Paul Rayner and Marc Reusser contributed to the thread.
If you or anyone else has a specific question, though, I'll answer as clearly and thoroughly as I can.
Russ
Remarkable stuff this Russ - Have you had a look at The Pendon Museum site https://pendonmuseum.com/about/the-vale-scene They use card and different imbosed papers to achieve some superb models of buildings
Thanks for a step by step method but lets have more !!
Barney
Thanks for your reply Russ.
I have looked through your photos in detail and still can't tell if the planks for the siding are individual or is it a sheet of paper. Did you cut out each plank and glue them to a substrate or is each wall a photo (less the window frames and corner posts? If it is a photo, the contrast between the planks is very very well done.
Darryl, the wall planks are a photo. I used the "needle" from a grade school compass to scribe the joint lines. The advantage of using a photo instead of actual wood is that you can replicate real varieties of wood rather than only the generic wood appearance of basswood (or whatever). Photos include grain, cracks, knots, subtle coloration, and the unique appearance of specific varieties.
So each wall is a photo (inkjet printed on Lanaquarelle art paper) with scribed board joints. I used a knife to cut out each wall and the door and window openings, then used 3-M 467 double sided tape to fasten the photo to a piece of 2-ply (0.0165-inch) Strathmore Bristol art paper to create a wall of the proper scale thickness for the door and window setbacks. Interior stripwood bracing keeps the walls from warping.
Barney, I'm very familiar with the Pendon Museum and even have a few photos a friend sent after visiting there. Again, if enough guys want a detailed step-by-step, I'll put one together. I really think my simple minded models are far less sophisticated than you might think and anyone on this forum could do at least as well and probably much better than I.
Russ
Thanks for the details on the wall Russ. That is what I was looking for. The scribe lines definitely enhance the 3D effect.
BTW, whether complicated model or not, it is your precise implementation that makes this work so well.
I have tried a similar photoshop technique on mimicking interior walls etc. and can tell you there is a fine line between realism and cartoon. You are far over to the realism side here.