¹⁄18

Paper BTR-60PB

Hussein writes: I thought to share with you a very unusual model, having been always (and remain to be) a plastic scale modeler I have seen some of my friends at the Scale modelers club who make paper models and I was really interested to try one especially for the possibility that 'in case I print my own model' I had the option to increase the scale.

I wanted to make a paper model and then treat it exactly as I would treat a plastic model and totally repaint it. To find a suitable model was no easy task as I needed a model that had absolutely no printed details, until I came across the BTR-60PB model which I noticed had all the details in 3D pieces and no printed details whatsoever this meant that it was probably one of the hardest paper models to create and assemble as every bit of it had to be scratch built.

The model consists of 90% card board and paper, some parts are made of metal wire in different thicknesses and some parts are made of wood sticks. I decided not to use the paper wheels that came with the model as it is always the weak point of every paper model, it's almost impossible to get round parts in paper without the seams showing. So I 3D printed the tires and still made the rims from paper.

Once the model assembly was completed I proceeded to fill the lines with filling putty and sanded off the excess very carefully with fine sand paper. Then I gave the model two full coats of primer, once the primed dried and hardened I treated the model as a plastic model using acrylic paint and Enamel washes and enamel weathering materials and chipping and finally gave it a matte varnish coat.

At the final stage the model came out looking like a plastic model with the same finish but in a stunning 1/18 scale at 44 cm length, this was a new and unusual approach to paper models but I have to say I enjoyed the process very much and it became one of the most beloved models in my collection.

I hope you like it and that it will inspire you with ideas.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.