Paper modeling

Paper steak, carrots, plate, knife and fork shown on napkin and placemat.

Paper modeling is one of our favorite pastimes. Most of the paper models we make are downloaded from the internet for free. We recently came across one that we just had to build: the paper steak.
Most paper models depict a vehicle or building. Only a few are of animals or other organic things. The problem with such models is that it is difficult to get a proper representation of the subject. Most living creatures are made up of many compound curves and angles which are hard to duplicate in paper.
We found this model on http://www.wombat.zaq.ne.jp/fare/steak.html website. This particular website does in fact have several models of living things, including a paper hornet, a paper scorpion and a paper roast chicken at
http://www.wombat.zaq.ne.jp/fare/chicken.html.
The paper steak model is made up of two steaks, one cooked and one uncooked. Also included are two carrots, a plate, a knife and fork. We made the cooked version. The steak is mostly flat, which makes assembly easier. The sides are the steak are somewhat fiddly to get on, especially on the second side.
The carrots were also a challenge due to their small size. They are five-sided and fold so they come to a point at the end. The fork and the knife were easier to make, each consisting of several parts to give to appropriate thickness. The plate was the easiest to make, as it has only two parts.
We put the whole thing together in about three hours. Cutting out the pieces actually took more time than the assembly.
Recently we also acquired a model of the Kremlin. It is a Micromodels kit, published in book form. Originally the Micromodels were designed in the 1950’s and printed on post-card size 3 by 5-inch cards, which makes them really micro. The one we got was enlarged to double size and printed in 1983. Even at that, a lot of the parts are still fairly small.
Our copy of this book we found at www.paperbackswap.com. At this site books are swapped for the cost of postage only.
In doing some reading about the Kremlin we found out that the original building was designed as a castle to protect the local population from the Mongols. Its walls were first established in 1156 in Moscow. Gradually it was reinforced and expanded and in 1397 the first stone walls were built. As the Mongol threat diminished, the Kremlin became used more and more for government and church buildings. During the Romanov rule, which ran from 1613 to 1917, the famous cathedrals were built.
After the communist revolution in 1918 it was used completely for the government. It covers an area of approximately 64 acres and contains 26 major buildings, including Lenin’s tomb which lies outside the walls.
More information on card models can be found in these past blogs from 2008: “Card models and P&P games” on Dec. 19, “Card models” on July 18 and “Making Dune game” June 13.