Any Paper Models in your layout?

WOW!! You could have fooled me these look amazing.  

I had a bunch of them I put up a few years back as something for the tinplate guys to print out and use. Haven’t been able to get to my layout since people started putting stuff in the attic again though

Here was one of my attempts.

Really nice!

Thanks Rich. They are really fun to design and build.

Beautiful work.

I don't have any 100% paper structures (although I do have one that is 100% coffee-stirrer sticks). However, I sometimes use paper as a siding material--often over foam-core.  Here is an example:

foam board and paper

I have boxes of prewar built rite building, many other brands. Even an original 1897 Mclaughlin Bros "My Pretty Village". Unfortunately out of room for them.

Had these on another thread. All made from paper card stock.

All really nice! rich, did you use model builder software to build your model?

Amazing creations by all. 

About 3-4 years ago I had purchased several 1:48 photo scale card stock buildings from this eBay seller fully intending to build them for my O Scale module for my club that I owned at the time but never got around to it.    Looking at the images so far in this thread is making me think about doing it again.

Ray, it looks like you're using model builder. I can tell by the windows! Reall nice work.

Kevin, I would highly recommend building the card models. They really are a lot of fun to build and detail.  You can get an amazing level of realism. In my opinion, better than plastic kits. Just my opinion.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3vqvVz2H9yA

check out Paper Town USA. All O gauge.

I've been playing with building a z scale cookie tin layout - more in another episode. Here's a shot or two of some of the paper structures, including tiny vending machines and benches. Yes, that's a regulation sized sharpie marker. The layout is a Rokuhan Z-Shorty from Japan that runs off of a single AA battery and features a KiHa-51 RDC.

Jackshobbyhut posted:

... All the buildings are made from scratch out of paper ...

Very impressive! My wallet wishes you'd mentioned this earlier .

- The Other Guy

SteamWolf posted:

WOW! Please provide progress on the cookie tin project. This is too cool.

- The Other Guy

I built this many years ago, but it is on my newer layout.  Paper (card stock) on masonite with a painted chicken grit roof.  These pictures were taken outside just after I built it.
Dennis

I have seen these in shows, but, somehow. for me, as in that first building with blue windows and white trees, l miss the third dimension.

Do flats count? I made all of what you see in this pic from my own photographs. Layout pic taken on my extended-duration S scale experimental layout.

2 of mine.

A Heinz structure to hold a Miller Heinz animated sign.

EDIT COMMENT: should have mentioned that the Heinz building is brick paper over 1/4" foam core.

The real one:

My attempt.  Paper over foam core:

A base for a Miller animated Christmas Tree

- walt

Boy, some really nice work here by everyone who has posted photos of their own projects! Great work all!

@Jackshobbyhut, others have mentioned putting the paper over foam core or Masonite. Or STE mentioned using paper card stock. So are YOU using some type of material like foam core behind your outstanding structures?

I've always been intrigued by this whole topic. Before the 3-rail train makers started doing so many scale proportioned products, I've seen older wood kits at train shows and ebay that had printed paper sides to be glued on to the basic wood based car. There was recently still one firm on ebay advertising cardstock printed sides for scratch built rolling stock.

One of our forum members, Gandydancer, had taken some plug door 027 box cars, redid the sides and made reefers out of them using printed sides. That's a project idea that inspired me and am working on one right now as I write.

Again, great work all.

I don't know that these are necessarily better than plastic. BUT they certainly are more cost effective and more importantly, offer a method of having unique structures that have not been offered as plastic kits by a manufacturer - and maybe never will because of sheer economics of tooling costs versus potential sales revenues.

brianel_k-lineguy posted:

Boy, some really nice work here by everyone who has posted photos of their own projects! Great work all!

@Jackshobbyhut, others have mentioned putting the paper over foam core or Masonite. Or STE mentioned using paper card stock. So are YOU using some type of material like foam core behind your outstanding structures?

I've always been intrigued by this whole topic. Before the 3-rail train makers started doing so many scale proportioned products, I've seen older wood kits at train shows and ebay that had printed paper sides to be glued on to the basic wood based car. There was recently still one firm on ebay advertising cardstock printed sides for scratch built rolling stock.

One of our forum members, Gandydancer, had taken some plug door 027 box cars, redid the sides and made reefers out of them using printed sides. That's a project idea that inspired me and am working on one right now as I write.

Again, great work all.

I don't know that these are necessarily better than plastic. BUT they certainly are more cost effective and more importantly, offer a method of having unique structures that have not been offered as plastic kits by a manufacturer - and maybe never will because of sheer economics of tooling costs versus potential sales revenues.

Hi Brian, Thanks for the kind words. I use chipboard behind card stock.  I used to think plastic kits were better too. My opinion has changed.  You really can get a fantastic amount of realism using printed paper.  You should check the model builder software web site and look at the structure gallery.  You can get detail that looks like an expensive craftsman style wood kit using paper.  I don't take that much time and effort with my buildings due to the fact that I only put them out once a year at Christmas.  If a had a permanent layout I would take more time and add more detail.  Also, remember that the photos are up close.  The amount of detail you see on a structure on a layout from a distance is vastly reduced.  As a matter of fact I am working on an article for a train magazine that discusses "Scale Viewing" as it relates to paper card stock modeling.  The photo below is a paper diorama I built for photographing completed plastic models.  The scale is 1/24, you can see the realism you can achieve with paper.  Everything but the vehicle in the photo is paper, including the sidewalk, street, and even the mailbox.  Each of the storefronts are actually photographs I took while traveling in small towns and imported into the software. Again, I really didn't take a lot of time on these buildings with details.  The main subject in the photo is the Ambulance.  Just so you know, I have no association with the company that makes Model Builder Software.  I just use it.

Jackshobbyhut posted:

Thanks for such a detailed response accompanied by a great example of the work. Really neat.  

-The Other Guy 

I've used paper on foam board for many background buildings. in the photo the tall building and the one to the right of it are both paper siding brickwork. to heighten the 3-d effect i added fire escapes, vents and roof top accessories (structure is about 1” deep). in the lower building i added tichy windows cut through the foam, roof top chimneys and an easily made basswood strip 2-window bay type extension with pipes running from the bottom and the left side. i’ve probably done about 6-8 background buildings this way each with very individual details so none look even remotely the same. pretty cost effective way to do these background structures and cover a lot of real estate. 

Amfleet25124 posted:

Amazing creations by all. 

About 3-4 years ago I had purchased several 1:48 photo scale card stock buildings from this eBay seller fully intending to build them for my O Scale module for my club that I owned at the time but never got around to it.    Looking at the images so far in this thread is making me think about doing it again.

Kevin, the best paper models are by "Clever Models" and create completely your own designs and builds, with "Modelbuilder Software" by Evans Designs".  They also sell a large variety of LEDs pre-wired in all sizes.  I have many paper structures, enhanced with balsa wood and details'... from both companies.

I've tried others, but was unhappy with the products'... Here are some early shots of entire paper builds on early stages of my layout build...

Paper models? 

Watch out for the Big Bad Wolf that may come by and blow your house down! LOL

Seriously, Ted, I think your paper models, which I am unfamiliar with, are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them. Arnold

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Paper models? 

Watch out for the Big Bad Wolf that may come by and blow your house down! LOL

Seriously, Ted, I think your paper models, which I am unfamiliar with, are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them. Arnold

 Thanks Arnold'... Here is an early edition, 2nd Evans Design, Model Builder Software I used.  The Kensington Hotel'...

ON THE CHEAP SIDE...… Before I started work on my layout I had replaced all of my hollow core doors in my house. Tried to sell them at our yard sale; no buyers. Come time to start construction of some buildings on the layout ( I enjoy designing/building my own ) and I realized all those doors were the perfect material for building the structures. Easy to apply paper, plastic, base wood. Picture below I used painters/masking tape for the siding. Those are some fantastic looking structures you all have built.

Ron045 posted:

Here was one of my attempts.

Beautiful work!!!!!

Great work everyone. I haven't done any full buildings yet but I'm a big fan of paper modeling.

My retaining wall is paper as is the roof on my Team Track depot.

Cereal boxes are my preferred mounting medium

Currently working on some backdrop buildings.

Really nice work. I have seen people use cereal boxes before. You can't beat the price! If you want to build a lot of buildings, you just have to eat more cereal!

again, your layout looks great.

Jerrman posted:

I've used paper on foam board for many background buildings. in the photo the tall building and the one to the right of it are both paper siding brickwork. to heighten the 3-d effect i added fire escapes, vents and roof top accessories (structure is about 1” deep). in the lower building i added tichy windows cut through the foam, roof top chimneys and an easily made basswood strip 2-window bay type extension with pipes running from the bottom and the left side. i’ve probably done about 6-8 background buildings this way each with very individual details so none look even remotely the same. pretty cost effective way to do these background structures and cover a lot of real estate. 

 

Wow, that really looks great. Adds so much depth to the scene. Great job!

Yep! We usually buy at BJ's or Costco so the bigger boxes yield more material. Just have to watch the curling when the glue is wet. I put some weight on the pieces until dry.

Some of the boxes are thin corrugated cardboard too.

jackiejr posted:

ON THE CHEAP SIDE...… Before I started work on my layout I had replaced all of my hollow core doors in my house. Tried to sell them at our yard sale; no buyers. Come time to start construction of some buildings on the layout ( I enjoy designing/building my own ) and I realized all those doors were the perfect material for building the structures. Easy to apply paper, plastic, base wood. Picture below I used painters/masking tape for the siding. Those are some fantastic looking structures you all have built.

Jackie, nice work. I did a similar thing when I moved into my current home. All the walls in every room had wood paneling. As I renovated I used the paneling to build G scale structures which I use every year on my G Christmas layout.

Quarter Gauger 48 posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Paper models? 

Watch out for the Big Bad Wolf that may come by and blow your house down! LOL

Seriously, Ted, I think your paper models, which I am unfamiliar with, are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them. Arnold

 Thanks Arnold'... Here is an early edition, 2nd Evans Design, Model Builder Software I used.  The Kensington Hotel'...

I wish I was on that terrace with her. LOL

Jackshobbyhut posted:

Really nice work. I have seen people use cereal boxes before. You can't beat the price! If you want to build a lot of buildings, you just have to eat more cereal!

again, your layout looks great.

For cardboard, I have used pizza boxes.

Here are a few images of my most recent completed structure. I say completed because a have a few started that I am have lost time to finish... but had time to start .

This build started life as the Clever Models Coal Dealer. Artwork modified in Photoshop. Front door is freelance.

Charlie

Ted (Quarter Gauger 48) - I will have to look into that.

This is a great thread.  Keep those photos coming along.  Lost of great work on display and ideas to put in everyone's head.

AVANTI     Very nice stone work you did on the pink foam. The shack is not too shabby either.  

Amfleet25124 posted:

Ted (Quarter Gauger 48) - I will have to look into that.

This is a great thread.  Keep those photos coming along.  Lost of great work on display and ideas to put in everyone's head.

Okay Kevin,  enough talk. save your money, hold off on York'... Spend $40.00 bucks on the "Model Builder Software" and start building and constructing.... some original structures'.......... You'll love it'...

OR'... try a "Clever"  Brothers model'... they're good, you'll like them.... ☺

Wow!!  Incredible work everyone!  And some great lighting as well.

Your paper buildings have surely come a long way from my mother's "putz houses" we had on our S gauge Christmas layout when I was a kid :-)

(For examples: http://www.cardboardputzhouses.com/)

I use "paper structures" too but they consist of interchangeable photos of buildings, tipples, and etc. that I insert in plastic stands from Staples.  It's a carpet layout, so I can easily make location and structure changes this way.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

When I wanted a drive-in I bought a fold up on e-bay. Serves the purpose. Kit included the screen, sign ,ticket booth and refreshment stand.

wbg pete posted:

Vick's Mercantile looks great Pete. I really like the distressed paint. What was the technique used to get that look?

Thanks

Charlie

Charlie posted:

wbg pete posted:

Vick's Mercantile looks great Pete. I really like the distressed paint. What was the technique used to get that look?

Thanks

Charlie

Charlie,

The kit came that way, according to the friend who built it and later gave it to me.  I added a modified front porch, smoke stack, and weathered it.

I can't remember the kit maker, but I think it is one of the better ones available.  It exceeds the 18" rule and the surfaces really look like they have depth...

Composite kits, Card stock, paper shingles, wood, plastic, etc.  Coal tipple

Just remembered this one. A card stock addition to a modified MTH Granary - became a foundry

The structure on the left is paper.

I ordered my first nine paper structures from Clever yesterday and will try to prove that I'm as good with scissors as I was in first grade. They have a lot more going for them than I anticipated, extra doors and windows, details galore, and some things that I don't yet understand.

It looks like a fun challenge.

The hotel(Pioneer Valley), newsstand and loading ramp(Clever Bros) are paper. Building on the left is Ameri-Towne.   John in Lansing, ILL

I bought a whole bale of Clever Models stuff back about six months ago...then got sidetracked on kit bashing Plasticville.  Might be time to take a break from plastic and try paper.

The Good Reverend is waiting for his Sunday Services to resume.

This is a pressed board kit I bought a number of years ago. My "to do" list includes adding some additional detailing (including a bell) and enhancing the surroundings.

I have several experiments using paper on my layout. It was enjoyable to design unique buildings. I papered wood for larger bldgs, and reinforced foam board for flats and small buildings. I tip my hat to all the great work posted on this thread. 

@Forty Rod posted:

I bought a whole bale of Clever Models stuff back about six months ago...then got sidetracked on kit bashing Plasticville.  Might be time to take a break from plastic and try paper.

Tom,  We have several Clever Brothers completed kits on our railroads.  Just follow the directions, don't improvise and you'll do a good job.  Felt tip pens can cover a bunch of sins.  John in Lansing, ILL

@brianel_k-lineguy posted:

 ...snip...One of our forum members, Gandydancer, had taken some plug door 027 box cars, redid the sides and made reefers out of them using printed sides. T ...snip...

These O scale Heatbath car sides are a single printed side:

As you can see, they could be applied to whatever kit the builder was using:

As I understand it, the sides were given out to anyone who sent in the required postage and an S-A.S.E. Someone who worked at Heatbath was a modeler and had these made up, probably just before WW2; interesting as Heatbath never owned/leased any cars with their name proudly emblazoned on the sides.  So far my friend and I have found three different road numbers, I wonder how many were offered and if the requester had any choice in the matter. I eventually want to have the artwork enlarged a few percent and applied to a center-flow hopper and maybe a tanker.

BTW: The Heatbath Corporation was still in business until 2015 when they were acquired by DuBois Chemicals.

I’ve posted these before, but here are some card stock models I’ve put together from Clever Models

The Good Reverend is ready for Sunday Services to resume. 

He is standing in front of a pressed

@rattler21 posted:

Tom,  We have several Clever Brothers completed kits on our railroads.  Just follow the directions, don't improvise and you'll do a good job.  Felt tip pens can cover a bunch of sins.  John in Lansing, ILL

I still have a few PV kit bashes to finish, but one of them is in great need for two Quonset buildings...longer than the Clever model and with doors and windows ala cam Rahn Bay ca 1968, and a large corrugated warehouse.

I'll get there eventually.

 Thanks.

Tom

Photo-realistic look you just can't get with plastic. I love working with paper. I know this is an o gauge forum,  but I'm making some z gauge paper European models right now. Get the magnification ready! Standard size matchbook for scale.

The two houses and background are Built-Rite from the 30's - 40's scanned scaled larger and then printed. The lumber shed is Skyline from the 50's scanned scaled slightly smaller and then printed.

These garages are wood ,4x4 untreated pine , cut to the shape I wanted then covered in paper .  The doors and windows are my own design and printed at the local office store .  The roofing is from corrugated paper from a hobby shop and the embossed brick is from Woodlandsceens . The vegetation is drawn on using colored markers .  These were made to go by my 184 Bungalows and villas on my standard gauge floor layout .

A couple more card stock models.  

I built the garage a few years ago and I just finished  the trailer

both are from clever models 

Crappy OGR software.... xxxxxxx

Lets try again.

Nice! Is that a model of a building on Richmond terrace?

👍🏻 Very nice job on those builds Steve'...

This is a photo of my last o gauge paper build.

Here’s my first attempt at a card stock building. It’s the free sample download at the Evan Designs website. I used matchsticks and coffee stir sticks to add some details. Downloaded several antique signs from the internet. That will add more detail. Easy to build and opened up a whole new world of possibilities for my layout. 

Made from photos of the real building

t

The clock tower is from the Plasticville Independence hall

Nice work!!!

Among paper covered bldgs I made are the two big bldgs with tunnels. They are a few of my favorites I designed. They are made with 3/4 inch pine and covered with brick paper and windows printed from model builders disc. 

Another paper model - this is Greezy Gus’s Drive in Burgers.

i sat it next to a plaster building from Downtown Deco for scale and texture comparison 

Another shot as I was building before adding some detail

I just made this simple Quonset hut from the card board you get under your sandwich at Panera's  Bread.

Yes.  Mission Santa Barbara.

My son's grade school project a very long time ago...

When I was a teenager (ancient times) a buddy and I stumbled onto an old new in the box skyline kit for 4 buildings.    We pooled our funds and bought it for Lionel layouts.    He took the water tower and freight station, and I took the passenger station and control tower.    These have survived over 50 years and have been fixed up a little but are basically original.    I think the big think I did was add more internal bracing to straighten out a little warping.

I think they still look pretty good from 3 feet away.

I have also scratchbuilt a couple of industrial buildings using "strathmore" or poster board and Grandt Line or Tichy windows and doors.

Oops do not have photo of other industrial stuff.

The following is the back, trackside, of a line of commercial buildings in one of my towns.    the fronts are not visible from any angle and are blank.    These are 1/4 inch foam core, brick paper and again grandt line plastic windows and doors.

Finally there was an outfit called "Pioneer Valley" that sold paper kits and I bought a few.   

The Pioneer Valley stuff is pretty crude compared to what you can do with the new printable paper kits today.

prrjim, all very nice examples.  Actually, to me the Pioneer Valley buildings in your photos look like tin plate-style printing -- so there's a lot of charm in that.  Your vehicles each do a great job of setting off the buildings.

TRRR

Those are some fine looking paper building.  They seem to be a great solution to get building much faster than building a kit out of plastic or wood.  In the 40s and 50s the use of paper brick and roofing was very common.  I have two buildings my Dad built from 1/8 in Masonite and covered with brick and roofing paper.

I used the same methods to build my round house and other buildings over 35 years ago.  A total card stock building would have been much quicker but the Masonite and brick paper went very quick.  Masonite buildings are stronger and mine have been in 5 different house and moves over 35 years.

The Station at top left was made in late 1940s by my Dad.  The building in rear and Round House made in 1980s by me.  Roofs are rough side up Masonite.

Charlie

Just finished this building flat- all paper cardstock printed on an ink-jet printer.

Print, cut, glue, repeat.

Building a fence now

Here is something I wanted to contribute. It is not mine, it was scratchbuilt by my friend's younger brother. A HO double track truss bridge (now decommissioned and out of service) made totally from PAPER. (Thin cardstock). This still amazes me. Each separate girder was made individually with all the cross braces ( there are thousands of them)  within was cut out individually with an Xacto knife and Elmers glue. The rivet heads were embossed with a pen from the opposite side. And made all the gussets too.Then painted it. It would hold up 2 heavy Bowser die cast engines passing through with no problem. He worked on it evening after evening for months.

I needed a barn for a small space.  I love the Menards and Woodland Scenics ones, but both are just too big or too expensive (or both).  I bought this a couple weeks ago.  Took only about 2 hours to build.  I have mixed feelings... I like it but it doesn't really match anything else on my layout and while it says it is 1:48 scale, it feels too small to me.  The instructions (online) were kind of awful, but figuring out how to build it without most of them really wasn't that hard.

Here is the link to buy it (and many other structures).  The price is certainly right!  1:48 Scale O Gauge Sugar Creek Vintage Farm Photo Real Scale Building Kit Sets | eBay

Brad, maybe purchase another, and add it to the back?

Rusty

hmmmm @Diverging Clear that's an interesting idea!

I'm working on another one now. It's a wood retaining wall and tunnel. I've added balsa to give it some dimension. It's going to be set into rigid foam to make the hill that it's holding back .

Bob

Here is one I made by having an HO cut out book for it reprinted at Office Depot in O scale on light card stock. This Victorian "cottage' is rather big! I also worked over some of it parts on the computer to add the port cochere.  It rested on a hill top in a corner of my layout. 

Something simpler was this B&O shelter, copied from a 1906 drawing. Colored with pencils, cut folded and assembled, it was made to see if a more substantial model of it in styrene or wood could fit into the allotted space. 1920's B&O structure colors were applied. They lasted into the 1940's on many B&O line side buildings.

S. Islander

Whose is the mfg of the retaining wall?    That looks very usable.

@prrjim posted:

Whose is the mfg of the retaining wall?    That looks very usable.

I follow a blog from a guy in the UK. He sells these prints for a song. They are scaled for HO but can be enlarged to suit your needs. I print them on matte card stock and glue them to thin cardboard.

Bob

Not yet, but I have printed out model buildings from Evan, Clever, Big Indoor Trains, Model Railroad Layouts and Scenery, and Historic Preservation Division of Illinois Natural Resources.  Some were free, some cost a piddling amount.

I'll get to them as soon as I finish the huge windfall of Plasticville and other similar structures that I came across just before the Covid hit.  I ended up with 34 complete buildings and enough parts to cobble up a few dozen more, plus some stuff I could use on paper structures or things I might to try to build from scratch

Kit bashing can take a lot more thought and effort than  had expected, and my progress is not what I'd like it to be.

@S. Islander posted:

Here is one I made by having an HO cut out book for it reprinted at Office Depot in O scale on light card stock. This Victorian "cottage' is rather big! I also worked over some of it parts on the computer to add the port cochere.  It rested on a hill top in a corner of my layout.

Something simpler was this B&O shelter, copied from a 1906 drawing. Colored with pencils, cut folded and assembled, it was made to see if a more substantial model of it in styrene or wood could fit into the allotted space. 1920's B&O structure colors were applied. They lasted into the 1940's on many B&O line side buildings.

S. Islander

That "cottage", if it were 1/1 scale, would be as big as some towns I've lived in.  Absolutely beautiful.