Confessions of a Sporadic Blogger

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tree-and-storm-2_300wThis should probably be a quick apology for going way, way too long without updating this blog or the Paper Hollywood listings. I should probably say I’ll start updating more frequently and we’ll all live happily ever after. However, this is not my first blog. In fact it’s not even the only blog I have right now. My dirty secret is that I am the sort of person who doesn’t seem to adapt well to a routine of constant and regular blogging. Keeping up Paper Hollywood is strictly a hobby of mine, so I’ve always updated rather sporadically.

As paper model link lists go, Paper Hollywood is one of the best, though, if I must say so myself. When I do update I always check for problemed links and correct accordingly. The problem is I just don’t do that very often. I’ve just devised a little solution, though, for all you other hard core movie/TV paper model buffs.

I have always constantly maintained my own growing raw list of model links for future additions to the main PH list. The problem has always been that it takes a whole lot of time to add the links to the main HTML, write my blurbs and ready the thumbnail pics. It just occurred to me the I could just place this raw list online as a favor to those of you who do check the site with some frequency. The list is nothing but raw shortcut filenames linked to pages with models. I usually do have the movie/show name in the filename (sometimes abbreviated). Consider the list a secret treasure trove only for you, the most devoted PH fans.

Feel free to bookmark the list. You can link to it if you wish, of course, though it’s really just for us blog readers. When I do get around to putting the links into the main PH listing, I’ll remove them from the sorta secret list, however, so it may occasionally be blank. I don’t know of any way to separate links by date, so new additions will simply appear in alpha order. I’ll make a quick little blog post here whenever I update the list.

THE PAPER HOLLYWOOD SORTA SECRET RAW LINK LIST

[Lightning image, Tree And Storm 2 by George Hodan]

Star Trek Shuttlecraft Galileo Sold and to be Saved

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The remains of the screen used shuttlecraft prop from the original Star Trek series sold recently at auction for $60,000. The good news is it sold to a group dedicated to restoring it and sharing it with Trek fans. The prop has deteriorated considerably over the decades, not being designed to last this long. The previous owners had begun restoration, but for various reasons had to sell it. The group, Galileo Restoration, plans to raise $100,000+ with a Kickstarter campaign to complete the badly needed work required to bring the prop back to it’s original glory. Let’s hope they succeed. I’m sure you will have the opportunity to help.

You can, of course, have your own Galileo shuttle by building one of the paper models available online.

Jorge Stammen of phoxim.de offers a model with the tripodal landing gear down, as well as a complete interior and and opening door. Designed to be 1:30 scale, the level of detail on this model makes it an essential for any TOS paper model collection. Be sure to download the separate directions PDF. While Jorge’s website is on German, the shuttle model directions are entirely photographic and easy to follow.

Dave of Cut’n Fold has a very clean version of the Galileo with just the right amount of detailing. You’ll find the download near the bottom of this page full of Dave’s great Kool Wheelz model collection. It is designed to print on one sheet, but could easily be enlarged (or reduced)  to a desired scale. I think a reduced version might look great in a scratchbuilt Enterprise Shuttle Bay– unless some talented designer out there would like to create a Shuttle Bay model sometime (hint, hint).

Here a few screen captures of the Galileo from the series:

A Brief History of 4 Disney Moonliners

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Perhaps one of the most influential visual icons of the 20th century was the magnificent TWA Moonliner rocket that highlighted Disneyland’s Tomorrowland section from the early days of the park. Designed by John Hench with influences from noted rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, the original was never a real rocket, but grand piece of googie architecture that stood 76 feet above Tomorrowland, a perfect landmark any small children lost from their parents. It marked the entrance Disneyland’s Rocket To The Moon simulation ride and was envisioned in Disney’s “Man in Space” television films predicting the near future of space travel.

That was Moonliner number one, which stayed at Disneyland from 1955 to 1967, when it was dismantled for more “modern” visions of tomorrow. Few know, however, that a second Moonliner was erected just a year after the Tomorrowland rocket’s debut. Howard Hughes’ TWA airlines, which sponsored the Disneyland Moonliner decided to place a smaller (22 ft.) version of the craft on the roof of their new headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. Sadly, it was removed and sold after only 6 years there. It then spent decades deteriorating as a RV park sign.

The 22 footer was eventually rescued and restored by concerned historian Dan Viets. It can be seen today at the National Airline History Museum in Kansas City, MO. Read this great article at Yesterland for much more on this, including some great photos.

That’s two. The third is a reproduction of that 22 foot rocket and is shown in the photo here. It was created in 2005 as part of a full restoration of the old TWA building on which the original had stood.

The forth Moonliner, as you may know, is right where it should be– in the original Disneyland’s Tomorrowland section. In 1998, a new 66 foot tall version of the Moonliner was erected near where the original had stood. While it no longer bears the TWA logo, it stands proudly over a cleaver Coca-Cola kiosk that launches Coke bottles like rockets.

The Moonliner has been a favorite of modelers since the 1950s and there have been a couple of paper versions for download. The ultimate, I think is this one from The Disney Experience website (shown below). It stands 25″ tall and features fine landing gear details. This one’s a must for any Disney or spacecraft paper modeler. It makes for a great contrast piece amidst a collection of real space rockets.

More great facts about the TWA Moonliners:

Daveland: The Moonliner

Yesterland: One City, Two Moonliners

Wikipedia: TWA Moonliner

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images:

Original Moonliner from selago at Flickr
New rooftop Moonliner by Americasroof
New Moonliner from randychico at Flickr
Papercraft Moonliner by Disney Experience

Paper Interest: Avenging Edition

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Here’s another collection of images with links to models and paper art items I’ve run across and thought I’d pass along here. Move your mouse over the images to read the title and click to visit the link. There are some amazing things here.
Wade



















MIB3: The Latest Movie Time Machine Looks Familiar

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The above-right poster from the upcoming release, Men in Black 3 shows Will Smith’s Agent K character zooming through time (and, possibly, down a road) using a device I find more than a little reminiscent of the Time Machine shown on the cover of the 1956 Classics Illustrated comic version of the familiar H.G. Well’s story. Perhaps the MIB version has to get up to 88 mph, as a certain time traveling DeLorean does.

Here’s a link to a larger version of the MIB poster.

Collectible Cars and Paper Modeling

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Barrett-Jackson Auction Easter 2012

My brother just bought a spiffy last-year-produced BMW Z3* convertible not too unlike the one in the James Bond film Goldeneye. Of course, I quickly looked around and found a paper model download of the Z3. While this car is still a reasonable buy, it’s movie introduction and the fact that it was only produced for seven years may make it a good investment as a future collectible car.

In the last few years, the car collecting as a hobby has exploded to grand scale. I watched with interest the massive Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction held recently in Palm Beach, Florida. I wasn’t there, but the entire auction is broadcast live in the US on the Speed Network. This auction is one of the best places I know to see great views of some the coolest and most collectible cars. I thought it would be fun to check around the web for paper model downloads of some of the coolest I saw auctioned last weekend. Below are links to several free paper models similar to some of my favorite cars sold in the auction.

1966 Shelby GT350A big ticket seller at the auction was a completely restored 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 which sold for a cool $135,000. While I didn’t find a ’66, I found a nice ‘65 350R model in white with the same racing stripe pattern. From Daytona-Mag.com, the directions for this model are in Japanese, but graphics Shelby 350R Modelmake it buildable enough for the experienced modeler.

On the same page at Daytona-Mag.com, You’ll find a nice model download of a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette convertible painted for racing.  Lot #662 at Barrett-Jackson was a clean black ‘63 Corvette 1962 Corvetteconvertible that went for $71,500.

Collectible doesn’t necessarily mean old Barrett-Jackson.  A 1997 Ferrari F-355 Spyder and sold for $74,800. While not a Spyder a very similar model version is Chivi Cheng’s nice Ferrari 360 Modena design.

1962 Corvette ModelOn the more vintage side is this 1949 MG TC convertible, lot #58 which went for $27,500. You can download an excellent model version of a 1948 MG TC that looks very similar to this one at the wonderful Canon Creative Park.

Not all the cool cars at the Palm Beach auction went for high prices, though. In Kit Car Version of a 1937 Mercedes SSKfact two of my favorites were not even what they seemed to be. A reproduction of a 1937 Buggatti with a VW rear engine sold for $6380 (lot 27.2). It looks very much like Ichiyama’s excellent 1/30th Bugatti T35/T51 scale model design.

SSK ModelAnother kit-car, this one a repro of a 1929 Mercedes Benz SSK (Lot #14), sold for $11K with commissions. Civi Cheng also has a nice model download of  an SSK that looks a lot like this cloner. This model is even the same color as the one in the auction.

The prices of all these cars add up to nearly a quarter of a million dollars, but thanks to these great downloads, you can own the entire collection for free. Don’t you love paper modeling?

* Since I mentioned it, here’s a nice model of the BMW Z3 by Alvin Cheng.

Prometheus Ship Details

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Prometheus Ship Details

The Alien prequel Prometheus is one of the most anticipated films of the year and, thankfully, we are being treated to a number of interesting teaser promotions before  it’s June release. This diagram, along with sneak trailers are giving us a great advance look at the latest Alien universe spacecraft. I think this one’s a great candidate for a paper model, don’t you?

Paper Interest: Egg Hunting Edition

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This is a collection of images with links to models, sculptures, movie/TV info and other things I think might be interesting. Mouseover an image and click the link for more info.
Wade



























Star Trek Paper Model of the Week: Enterprise NX-01

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Enterprise NX-01 in spacedockWhile “Enterprise” had the shortest run of any Star Trek series, the ship that for which the show drew it’s name has a prominent place in Trek history. The first “NX” class starship, Enterprise NX-01 was Earth’s first warp 5 starship designed for deep space travel. Launch of NX-01 came a full 88 years after engineer Zefram Cochrane’s first warp drive engine and it’s launch finally made interstellar travel practical for we Earthlings.

NX-01 Emblem
Class: NX
Length: 225 meters
Launch Date: April 16, 2151
Captain at launch: Jonathan Archer
Typical crew compliment: 86

Here are three paper model versions of Enterprise NX-01:

Designer: Peres at Blog do Péricles

NX-01 by Peres at Blog do Péricles
This site is in Spanish, but you just need to know to click the “Downloads” tab at the page top to find the models.
Model Info: This model has approximately 125 pieces pieces. The downloaded RAR file contains another a photo, a short Word doc about the ship and another RAR file containing the actual model files in both PDF and PDO formats, indicating that the model was designed using Pepakura Designer. Parts are over 4 one-page PDF files. Also included is a JPG page with a base for the model. Directions are not included. This model has nicely photographic-like texturing, though it’s resolution is not very high. The saucer edge seems to be made up of roughly 24 flat sides rather than being circular. This model would be a very difficult build.

NX-01 by James at ParagonDesigner: James at Paragon

Model Info: About 68 pieces. This model is on a single PDF page. I think the texturing is good enough to be printed at a somewhat larger resolution well enough, but you might want to consider this a small model. Take a look at cMags’ modification of the Paragon NX-01 front end a thread at the Papermodeler.com forum.

Designer: Clever Santoro Lopes at Clever PaperModelNX-01 by Clever at Clever PaperModel

Model Info: This one has about 95 pieces. The model is on a one 31 page PDF file that includes visual directions as well as some elevation drawings of the ship.
Texturing is bitmapped, but high quality and stands up to close inspection.
This also would be a difficult build, but could produce a very nice model.

One Sheet Wonders: A Few Single Page Paper Models for Beginners

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Eiffel Tower 1889

There are quite a few clever tricks and techniques used by paper modelers, but I believe the best way to for the beginner is to simply start building. With practice you’ll quickly find the best methods that work for you. It’s nice to have a few finished successes on the shelf before tackling anything really complex. Remember one great advantage of printing your own models is that if you mess up you can always reprint the page and start over.

The purpose of this post is to guide you to a few models that look great, but can be completed by a beginner in a short time. Don’t be fooled by their size, though. Just because a model has few parts doesn’t mean there won’t be some challenges to assembly. Many experienced card modelers enjoy a one pager now and then for the quick satisfaction or simply because it’s a good looking model.

Borg CubeThe very first paper model I ever downloaded and built was this Borg Cube available for download at Starship Modeler. While a cube might seem to be the simplest possible shape to build, it actually can be a bit tricky to make the folds such that all sides come out square and flat. I list multiple Borg Cubes in the main PH listing as well as lots (and lots) of other Trek models.

A good next one-page build for the Trek enthusiast might be this excellent versionStar Trek Galileo Model of the TOS Enterprise’s shuttle, Galileo by Dave’s Card Creations as part of his lengthy KoolWheelz collection. Dave rates this one as a “medium” difficult build. It will give you some experience a bit more complex folding and tabbing. Note that on this page, Dave rates all his one pagers for difficulty and has several good for first timers.

Hellraiser BoxIf horror films interest you more than Star Trek, you might opt a Hellraiser Lament, the curious (and dangerous) puzzle box from the Hellraiser movies. Some people actually print this one with black ink on gold foil paper, but it doesn’t look at all bad printed with a good color printer. BTW, this paper version has no sharp objects inside like the one in the movie.

For a bit of beginner’s whimsy, you might want to build Mike Hungerford’s little Snoopy's DoghouseSnoopy Doghouse model. Not nearly as easy a build as it seems, this little model has some tricky folds that will hone your beginner’s skills, but not take weeks before you’ve got something to show for it.

Hummer ModelsIf, like me, you enjoy modeling an automobile now and then, try one of clearly laid-out Hummer designs at s t r e e t p a p e r . d e. The site features 7 different versions of the iconic off-roader. Like many free downloads, these models lack directions, but these are simply designed such that directions are not really necessary.

If WWII aircraft are of interest, you should you might want to start with one of the many one-sheet classic planes by Fabrizio Prudenziati at his Zio Prudenzio site. The Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk shown here is one of well over 100 versions of WWI and WWII planes there. Most have the parts printed on one sheet with an assembly diagram on another.

Eiffel 1888 from pilllpatAs shown above and at left, I love this vintage Eiffel Tower model produced for the 1889 Paris World’s Fair for which the tower was built. Be sure to check the many other great vintage models posted on her Flickr account by Patricia M. She has very much established herself as the web’s leading preserver of vintage French paper models and popular culture. As paper model fans we certainly owe her gratitude for her efforts.