Shipyard 1/96 Santa Leocadia paper model build

BigKeith95

BigKeith95

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This is my first build and I’ve chosen a paper model to dive into headfirst. I’m using primarily the paper (and lasercut card) components provided in the kit but I’m planning on using wood for some parts depending on how I get on and if I can figure out the planking configuration and etc…

I’ve been gradually buying up the kit and materials as needed so the quality of build will most likely improve over the course of the project but any tips are very welcome.

Initially out of the pack the cardboard frame was very easy to assemble and very sturdy, I didn’t add any glue at this stage but realised later I’d need some to protect delicate corners and secure the pieces in place.


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Starting the first planking, initially tried doing this with PVA glue but it didn’t hold very well so I switched to superglue which works well but is unforgiving, some of the “planks” aren’t perfectly placed and it has left the hull slightly warped in areas along with the rough glue residue everywhere.
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I’ve realised I skipped the part where I added the deck and this caused me some difficulty, the biggest issue was that I used PVA glue to stick the paper deck to 1mm thick cardboard as per the instructions, however the glue caused the paper and card to bend which made it difficult to lay the deck on to the frame flat. My solution to this was to cut the deck in half down the middle, bend it to a shape that would allow both pieces to conform with the shape of the frame, stick them down with superglue and then stick the printed paper wooden deck sheet over the top, cunningly concealing any evidence of a cut & shut job.

My next step was adding the deck support thingies, and parts of the cabin, which I admit are rather shoddily done and I didn’t even bother to properly cut out some of the supports that I know will be covered by the upper deck. I may revisit this later if I change my mind but I found cutting these parts out with any degree of precision with a scalpel to be very difficult and time consuming.
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More updates to come very soon.
 
Try Alene's Glue, it holds well and gives you a little time to maneuver pieces that you don't have with CA glue.
I built the HMS Alert (destroyed by cat), and found it easier to cut pieces out with small trimming scissors, and straight edge razors, found that easier than razor knife or scapel.
It at times pays to read forward in the directions. Good luck, keep the pets away!

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11320 Titanic said:
Try Alene's Glue, it holds well and gives you a little time to maneuver pieces that you don't have with CA glue.
I built the HMS Alert (destroyed by cat), and found it easier to cut pieces out with small trimming scissors, and straight edge razors, found that easier than razor knife or scapel.
It at times pays to read forward in the directions. Good luck, keep the pets away!

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Thank you for the tips, when you say trimming scissors do you mean the curved kind for nails etc…? I’ve been asking around my local hobby shop for ideas on cutting cardboard more precisely and consistently but they, probably not being too familiar with paper models couldn’t recommend anything other than a regular razor.
 
Update 1/??

My next step is the upper hull sides and gun ports, in my last post I hadn’t glued the inner hull/ gun port pieces in place as the instructions said I should do the outer hull first, which I guess makes sense to make sure the inner and outer gun ports are properly aligned.

The aforementioned port alignment issue has cropped up in this build as the paper deck was just slightly off when I stuck it down, meaning the knees from the middle of the deck and back are slightly off so that the inner gun ports sit slightly further forward than expected. There isn’t much I can do about it now and my solution has been to just cut the gun ports affected slightly wider on the inner layer so that when I get the (possibly 3D printed) cannons in there won’t be a noticeable issue… hopefully.

This was also tedious but not as bad as cutting the knees, I think I’ll need some red paint to fill any white space on the gun port frames but I’m overall not disappointed with how they’ve turned out.
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I’ve opted to stick the inner hull frames down first, reasoning that I can shave down the inner gun ports more easily where needed like this, than if I stick the outer hull down first.
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I’ve also found some nice 0.8mm thin balsa wood sheets which are almost as easy to cut as the equivalent thickness cardboard, and have been experimenting with replicating the outer hull parts with it.

I’m considering using this as it’d provide a more sturdy base than paper, and if I did decide I wanted to plank it with real wood I imagine it would be easier this way than trying to plank on paper… any feedback on this idea is welcome.
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More updates to come after my holiday.
 
The balsa will give you a better glue base, and more options for the type of glue you use. It is a good base for the decking and if you want to skip real planking, photocopy the kit decking and glue it to the balsa. You can alter the tints and darkness with your printer too. It helps if you seal the balsa with a dull coat lacquer before gluing.
When I built the HMS Alert, one problem that cropped up was the blocks and tackles were laminated, and POV glue, including the Alene's did not bind securely and while rigging, those blocks and tackles would delaminate with pressure applied.
I bought some properly sized rigging blocks and tackle online which was a satisfactory solution to that problem.
If you bend a paper part, you can straighten it out and then harden it with CA glue so it will maintain the shape you want.
And remember...no cussing! Enjoy!
 
BigKeith95 said:
Thank you for the tips, when you say trimming scissors do you mean the curved kind for nails etc…? I’ve been asking around my local hobby shop for ideas on cutting cardboard more precisely and consistently but they, probably not being too familiar with paper models couldn’t recommend anything other than a regular razor.
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I stole my wife's trimming scissors and they were curved. She spent three weeks looking for them, then they were suddenly "found" when the Alert was finished.
 
I’m back from my holiday and I have a small update. I’ve stuck on the upper hull and gun ports which I made from thin balsa wood on the left side and it looks pretty good.


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I’ve not covered the 50L piece yet, and unsure yet if I will because of the way the frontal frame is structured it might cause it to protrude more than needed.

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Because it’s 0.8mm thick it does mean the upper hull protrudes slightly more than it would with paper, my next step to remedy this will be to fill, sand and even out the lower hull which will hopefully make the discrepancy less obvious.

If I were to start this project again I’d probably use thin balsa for the lower hull planking instead of the paper because it curves much more nicely and feels more sturdy (though I can imagine the smaller parts at the back of the hull would be much more fiddly).

Any recommendations on an easily spendable filler material I can seal the hull with are very welcome.
 
Update, both hull sides went on quite easily after filing down some of the outer knees to allow for the extra 0.8mm of the balsa wood, looks good.

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I ended up having to cut some excess cardboard from the internal gun ports due to their being slightly off (as expected: refer to my first post)

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I may have accidentally painted one entire hull section red while trying to do the inner gunports more convincingly in red. Looks quite cool actually. Makes me think I could indeed plank the upper hull and paint the and use the cardboard planks for the lower part.
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The second and third planking will cover the hull fairly well. If you have to paint any planking, they should be numbered on the directions, paint first the surface and bot ends so you have no white spots where the planks join.not bad so far, have some fun...wifey says you should have painted it pink!
 
Another small update:

Finished sticking down the hill sides, had to file down the outer knees to compensate for the additional width of the balsa, overall I’m pleased with the result, I think if I’d done this with paper it’d have gotten creased out of shape and be very difficult for my clumsy hands to stick anything else down on top of it, which I will need to do soon.

Will probably be focussing on some of the below deck details for the next couple of posts before sorting out the upper deck.

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I’m not a huge fan of the look of the paper deck and kinda wish I’d planked it now, oh well.

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The lower hull has taken a beating from my continual handling of it so I plan to smooth it out with putty soon.
 
UPDATE

I’ve been very busy since my last update. I’ve been using P38 filler to smooth the hull. It turned out to be a lot more uneven than I’d thought so I’ve used A LOT of filler.

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A lot more sanding to be done and some more minor gaps to fill.
 
11320 Titanic said:
Do you have more planking to add after filling in the hull? Keep at it, when you are finished you will be suprised at how well it looks.
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I’ve got another layer of planking to add (cardboard) but I’ve bought a whole bunch of 2x1mm lime wood strips which just so happen to be the exact right scale for me to plank the entire hull properly with wood. I’m thinking I might use wood on the upper half of the hull and use the cardboard laminated paper for the bottom to save me from having to do any complicated plank cutting and bending. My trepidation about this stage has been part of the reason for my slow updates as I want to plan the next planking properly. Still got some finer sanding to do this weekend before I start the second planking.
 
Small update as I’ve had to take a break from the project for a while due to work and family commitments, I’ve opted to plank the outer hull with lime wood strips. It’s very rough and tedious at the moment but I think the end result will be worth it.

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I’m still undecided on whether I’ll go all out and plank the underwater portion of the hull, or use cardboard as the instructions recommend.
 
Planking is like paint, it covers a multitude of sins. That ship will look good with either paper or wood. You might want to research whether you should seal the putty or not before gluing it. I think that wood would take a stain better if you want to go that route.
 
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