One Spicy Meatball - Der Kampfflieger Caproni Ca.3 Paper Model Review

**mr7q** · 02-02-2011 20:03

Well, finally finished my long and arduous task of attempting a 1/144 scale paper model of the Caproni Ca.3.

Der Kampfflieger sells a 1/72 paper kit, which I scaled by 50% and printed out what seems like ages ago. I finally managed to get everything together tonight.

First of all, this is not the paper kit to get when you're looking at getting into paper modelling. A Fiddler's Green Gotha would be the way to go in that regard. There are a lot of fiddly bits on this model, and the lack of tabs make putting things together an exercise in fabrication. There's a lot of doubled up paper that I used on the model to give it some rigidity and a fair amount of creativity to get things to glue together. It is what I would consider an advanced kit. That said, I'm no expert, but I've been paper modelling for a bit, and I had to use almost every "trick" in the repertoire to get it to look halfway decent.

Furthermore, as should be obvious from the pictures below, there's a lot that I've added to the model that isn't paper. The wing struts (and looking at the pics, I need to go straighten some of them out) are out of 20 gauge craft wire, the gunners cage is craft wire as well, and the pilots are Reviresco. The rest was printed on 110 lbs card stock, and cut, glued and cursed at until it made something vaguely resembling a Caproni.

That said, there's a fair amount of detail on the model. The pilots seats, controls and gunners compartment up front are modelled quite well. All in all, I think it looks pretty good in one's hand. Hopefully it will withstand the tabletop!

And now, some pictures!

If anybody has any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer as best I can!

**Skullduggery** · 02-02-2011 22:03

I think they look good

**The Cowman** · 02-03-2011 00:10

Martin I like it!

I am thinking if you could figure out a way to use plastic rod instead of craft wire you might get straighter results, so I am thinking I am going to add this one to my lists of "models to Build"! Thanks for the great pics!

**Shiraz68** · 02-03-2011 00:10

Nice work Martin.

i especially like the rear gunner/gunners cage! Paper models isn't something I have considered doing, but I may have to re-consider for some of the kites that do not currently have miniatures or are harder to come by.

**Bluedevil** · 02-03-2011 00:19

Nice work ...

although I can imagine you had a lot of cursing to do before they came out right.

**Flying Officer Kyte** · 02-03-2011 01:13

Obviously a labour of love Martin. I did quite a bit of card modelling in my younger days, and I would think twice before taking on something as small as that. It's not what you glue, it's the way that you glue it. To paraphrase an old song. It is very hard to align that last join on an enclosed space, even with the aid of tape paper clips, and small clamps. Having said that, a lot of people get put off by the thought that card is not very robust. They don't realise how strong a structure can be by the correct folding and formation of ribs and supporting struts. I used to get the kids at school to rollup a piece of A4 paper into a tube, and then see how many weights they could load onto it before it failed.
So don't anyone be put off trying this type of construction. It can be great fun, and as Martin has shown here, it can result in a very professional looking result.
Rob.

**Dom S** · 02-03-2011 01:50

Very nice work indeed.

**Justin3.14** · 02-03-2011 04:17

Great Plane, Great Model, Great work!!
I started building the Handley Page, but had to stop when i ran out of swear words...

**jbmacek** · 02-03-2011 04:17

Those are beautiful! Just what I need to inspire me while drinking my morning cup of coffee!

**Burt** · 02-03-2011 04:51

I'm very impressed, can't say I would like to do a complete plane in card though.

Don

**grumpybear** · 02-03-2011 07:08

Super nice I have enough trouble with plastic and metal so I dont think I will try paper.

**mr7q** · 02-03-2011 11:06

Thanks all for the kind words!

I'm happy enough with the way it turned out, but given the chance would have changed the way I did a few things. The wings are a little warped for my perfectionist tastes, and I think it's because each of the struts is slightly different in size due to how I put it together. On the Handley Page, I used craft wire bent into a [ shape, where I'd tuck a tab into each wing and then fold the wing over on itself and glue it. I think that worked well because it had paper on the outside of the wire, essentially straightening the wire. However, without the paper sheath, the wire doesn't bend at a total 90 degree angle. However, I've found that by using superglue and using a pin vise to create a "pocket" for the wire, it actually makes a decent structural bond, meaning I can just use straight pieces of wire which should be a lot easier to make uniform.

However, Ken, your suggestion of using styrene rod is tempting. I'm in the middle of banging through a Fiddlers Green Gotha, and as I do them in pairs (one day, one night for the Gotha), I may try that method out.

And yes, there was a LOT of profanity uttered on this build. Getting the gunner's cage together in craft wire was frustrating, especially when I bumped it before the glue set and the whole thing fell apart. Everything else was pretty straightforward, aside from the fact that there were no tabs or the like to assist in conceptualizing the build.

And Rob, you're spot on when you mention the "last step" in getting something like this together. I usually put a piece together with just fingers and folds about four or five times before I even break out the glue. However, the nice thing about the downloadable paper kits is that if you really manage to foul something up, just the part out again!

I did just pick up some metal kits, so it's going to be interesting to see how the build experience compares. The nice thing about the paper kits is that for the most part, you don't have to paint them. Of course, assembling the thing together is an exercise in patience and frustration. After the Gotha, I think I'm finally going to tackle the Reviresco Friedrichschaffen, which for those who aren't familiar with it is a hybrid of both card and metal modeling. Of course, I think I may scan the parts and reprint them onto 110 lbs cardstock instead of the 55 lbs stock it comes on (at least that's what I'm guessing it came on).

That said, doing paper models this small isn't as daunting as it seems. I'd highly recommend the Fiddler's Green models for the beginner. They're usually quite simple, and while they may not have the detail of a metal kit, they're usually passable on the tabletop. The only things one really needs are a sharp hobby knife, a cutting mat, a scoring tool (I use a mechanical pencil with the lead retracted - also allows me to make marks to cutting), tweezers to put pieces into place, and then glue (of which I still use Elmer's white - probably a sacrilege, but it's worked up until now). For this build, I used a bunch of hobby wire, as well as my "helping hands" from my soldering kit which I finally had to reappropriate from work. If I ever find the time, I may put up a guide to paper modeling in this scale and the things I've learned. However, with the sun finally starting to come out and the snow starting to melt, my bicycles and motorcycles start to use up my spare time...

Of course, now I really need to get some bases going on...

**vacca rabite** · 02-03-2011 18:39

Could you do the body in paper and the wings in sheet styrene?
Just thinking out loud.
They look great. WAY better then I imagined a paper model would look.

**mr7q** · 02-05-2011 09:33

I was thinking about using styrene, but the nice thing about paper is that you can add some curves (i.e. airfoil shape/wing dihedral) that are a little harder to do with plastics. And two pieces of 110lbs card stock glued together are actually surprisingly sturdy!

**Warhorse47** · 02-05-2011 09:52

First off, great job. They look fantastic. Second, m y admiration for your skill and patience at doing such a fine job with paper.

**Danrit** · 02-05-2011 16:20

Paper is more versatile than people think, and your build proves it. They look really good. It has reminded me of a paper project I was thinking of doing...hmm...maybe later!