| HISTORY...
While paper modeling is looked at as a new and in many cases, a limited
art 3-D crafts, it has a real history and a well overlooked potential.
For starters, paper modeling has been done in different forms and profiles
throughout history. The oldest I know of is the simple Japanese art everyone
should know of: origami which is usually based on simple folding, and tearing
and from what I understand has been used for decorations as simple as just
bird or animal toys for peasants and events as well as accessories for
costumes such as the very decorative mufti person Dragons. I am not sure
exactly how much later but eventually, societies began making anything
from simple hats to toys and even airplanes out of paper products which
may have been responsible for the original idea that man would possibly
be able to make machines that they could fly in. You probably have
seen many story's and movies of people making different toys and such out
of paper materials in times as early as the late 1700s which has reality
behind it and has began to prosper as an art since to a level that so many
have no idea it is at more ever would make it to. |
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| THE ART TODAY
Those of you whom haven't, when you get a chance, go to a hobby shop
and observe an advanced paper model kit. While average society sees
paper as being well limited, the world of graphic modeling has produced
kits in many and maybe even most cases, as graphic as upper class plastic
and wood kits with sizes of up to 4 and 3/4 feet in length. Remember
that big 1/350 scale USS Enterprise kit? It may not be aS graphic but they
make a paper model kit that is well larger then that model that I have
seen. Well, anyone knows you can get a paper craft ( Tag Board )
model pretty big but graphic? I hear this line to many times: it can't
be possible or: I can't believe it's paper. |
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| I have been in to paper modeling since age 5 and have produced
thousands of paper model projects throughout my child hood and growing
up. Most were cursed with what could be seen as the real dilemma in the
world of paper modeling. The models life. Paper models with many glues
only live for so long and for the most part people from my experience discard
paper models as a true lasting art for that fact. not the fact that it
is out of paper. |
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| Their is one overlooked detail though, paper is a wood
product of which is, in a different form, much of the same material that
our long lasting wooden ship models are made of and to be honest, if well
treated and assembled correctly and with future or even the current technology,
may one day have an even longer potential life then wooden models in general.
The fact that parts are flimsy can and usually do make them more able to
withstand abuse for one. |
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| I myself have self proven a way to overcome and make paper models ever
lasting but the tactic I can only duplicate as an art that I would have
a hard time teaching another and prefer to keep it to myself until I can
prove it with explanation since everyone is going to have many opinions
and some will block out the idea before I can prove it and up root an evolutionary
step to paper models before it is even set. Behold a real example. |
click images
to enlarge
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| Many of you have probably seen my 1/257 Scale USS Nimitz model but
have no idea the both amazing and yet tragic story behind it. after
I finished it, I had someone research the latest world records regarding
paper models and discovered that it has broken 2 major world records (
only to the extent that we read the specs and found more of the presented
model through measurements. Those records are Largest and most graphic
but never made it to be investigated by the authorities (Guinness etc.)
before it was fatally damaged. |
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| The model was beat and literally ripped to shreds by careless
personnel ignorant of the damage they were doing. It took several times
the abuse to damage beyond repair then if it were made out of wood.
The model had also been completely rebuilt as my skills increased 3 times
and all within 1100 hours which may in some way be a speed record. |
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| I am currently doing one double the size and as much as 4, 5 times
the detail and at the rate I am moving, will be knocked out in 500 to 700
hour's being a 1 shot deal. If you think the 1/257 scale is something,
be happy to know that it looks like,,, not that much in comparison.
This is a great example of the un discovered future for paper models. I
don't hold myself on high and personally wish to see others persevere in
the art at my side and as it looks, in my stead since I have what I find
to be more motivating trade interests and this will probably be my final
major model project before I give up the trade / hobby and move on. Their
are so few models in the world at this level yet something that just any
modeler can do if years of investment are given to a single master project
weather out of paper or any other materials. In fact, the idea I
got for this was not something I just dreamt up, but the whole idea of
my current high profile aircraft carrier models comes from someone else's
model. It was an article that Finescale Model Magazine did in 1996 about
a 1/72 scale model of the USS Enterprise that a man in Texas built. He
used 1/72 scale KITS for the aircraft and deck crew. |
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| Those of you who saw and remember that article can expect similar but
still lessor content in this new model. The idea has always been
to have a paper model not in competition but up on the same level as the
largest and most graphic models on earth for the simple purpose of proving
that it can be done and is an equally capable art as this next model will
do in my honest opinion but still to the judgment of other modelers
and viewers. |
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| Personally, I see little professional market for
the field of paper models now and in the near future since it is so hard
at this time to get across to buyers the real potential but perhaps one
day, people will see the world of paper models with the potential it has
and may one day become the well renowned art it deserves to be and even
if it does nothing for me, my motive and goal is to expose the potential
of paper models for what it is and give my fellow paper modelers the foundation
they deserve with the art that I call the sleeping giant. |
| More of Jared's work can be found on his website:
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