Building a Los Angeles Class Attack Submarine

Rambler

Rambler

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A paper one, that is! Thought it would be fun to document my latest build as I make it; pretty much a DAR for modeling. Anyway, I'm using this build to get back into the swing of paper modeling. Due to that fact, I chose to make something somewhat easy; a submarine! I've always liked the LA class attack sub, so the choice was a no-brainer. Without further ado, let's begin (Pics are kind of crappy because I used my phone).

There are a total of 10 sheets that make up the model, and I printed them on 65 lb (175 g/m^2 for our European friends) cardstock. It's at 1/144 scale, so it'll be a good size model when finished.
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I like to start by cutting out all of the supports and formers first. The hull formers for the sub are required by the instructions to be sturdier than just the thickness of cardstock, so I cut the formers out in groups and spray mounted them to a cut up cereal box. Final thickness was 1mm, so that will be plenty sturdy. Now comes the fun part, cutting them all out. The best way to cut out rings is to remove the center first and then cut around the outside. You have more to hold onto that way.
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I have 15 of these to cut out, so I'll catch y'all on the flip side.
 
All 15 hull formers are cut out. I think I've had enough circle cutting to last me awhile!
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The next step is to prep the rest of the model sheets with a sealant. This keeps the ink from rubbing off on your fingers when forming the hull sections into a cylinder or cone. I use a matte clear acrylic varnish to accomplish this task. Other than sealing and protecting the paper, it has the added bonus of making the colors richer.
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I'm now ready to cut out and shape the hull sections.
 
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So for the complete nub to this hobby, what secrets/tricks are there to cutting out your circles? Or all slow deliberate free-hand (surely not?)?
 
I did all of those freehand just going slow and deliberate. There is a technique to it, though. I used the x-acto knife to cut the centers out. I would do one pass with light pressure on the knife to get the track cut into the paper, and I would add enough pressure to cut through the rest of the material on the next pass. A couple times it took a third pass to get the center fully out. Also, instead of holding the paper still and cutting the circle out with your knife, you actually keep the knife relatively still and turn the paper underneath it a little at a time. I used scissors to cut the outer circumference. Again, it's just going slow and keeping the scissors relatively still while you cut and rotating the paper into the blades.

That being said, you can buy some circle cutters to make things easier. With those, you have to make sure you get the point you're rotating the blade around exactly dead center in the circle.
 
Progress is still being made, though a lot slower this past week. Still cutting out the hull sections and connecting strips.
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I have the majority of them cut out. There are only four left to do. Here are the sections that I have cut out arranged end to end. It's going to be a pretty big model (I didn't realize I had the wrong side of the ruler showing in the pic below. Those measurements are in picas and points).
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wow thanks for sharing this rambler- I've seen paper models but never how they were made! Sadly not something I could manage I'm afraid :( you must have a very steady hand!
 
You're welcome, Artemis! Glad people are finding it interesting. Haha, my hands aren't super steady or anything. A lot of it is just patience and practice. Random story: back when I was in design school, one of our very first assignments was to make a cube out of bristol, a very heavy paper (270 g/m^2). We had to hand draw the template and then make it. In order to determine whether we passed or failed the assignment, our instructor had a gauge that he would slide over the cube to see if it was within tolerance. If your cube didn't fit through the gauge, you failed the assignment and had to make another one. You learn pretty quick to pay attention to your craftsmanship when grades are riding on it!
 
Bet y'all thought I had forgotten about this build. Not so! Now that the Christmas and New Year's season has come it a close, it's time to get back to the cutting mat. Things are starting to take shape, literally. The fore and aft hull sections have had all of the connecting strips attached. I also formed them, meaning I curled the paper so that it would keep its shape when made into conic sections. I like to do this by using various diameter rods, working from larger to smaller, in order to gradually work the paper into a tighter diameter. Finally, the 1mm thick stiffeners have been glued into the sections for support. I ended up leaving the ones in the very tip of the bow out since they weren't necessary.
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With that done, it's time to start putting the sections together! I will be starting with the sonar dome and fore hull sections, and then I'll glue the aft sections together. Just a note in the picture below, the 50% cool gray watercolor marker and red felt tip pen in the background were used to edge color the paper. This helps hide the seams since you won't have the contrast of white edge and colored face if there are slight alignment issues. Let's get to building!
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Sonar dome and bow sections ready to be mated.
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Not long after the aft sections are glued together, and the hull is over halfway done! All that remains is to make the center hull sections. These will be pretty easy since they are straight up cylinders.
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While this thread hasn't been updated in awhile, work has slowly been continuing on the sub. So, it's time for an update!

I formed and built the center hull sections. Some of the formers had to be sanded due to them being slightly too large of a diameter. I just used a fine grain sandpaper to accomplish that. I sanded around the outer circumference a little bit at a time and repeatedly test fit until the fit was perfect. As the saying goes, you can always take material off but never put it back! Here are all the hull pieces begging to be assembled:
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An assemble them I do. Everything fit perfect with no issues. And it turns out to be huge. It's like a submarine baseball bat. Yes, it's as long as my table. My black cutting mat in the background is 24" (~61 cm) long, and the ruler is 18" (~46 cm).
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On my desk by by monitor for scale.
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With the hull all assembled, it's time to focus on all the small parts. I'm currently working on the propeller and the rear stabilizers. I form the airfoil shapes by gradually working the shape of the leading edge with different diameters rods until I can fold the trailing edges together for gluing. All without causing any creases.
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That's it for now from the dry dock.
 
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