I am still new to the idea of creating paper models and have been contemplating the cost of getting started in building paper models.
I know building plastic models can be as little as the cost of the bare kit ( Snap Tite ) and glue without any paint.
I used to build first and paint later as a child due partly due to cost.
Paper models on the very basic level would be the cost of either purchasing the pre-printed kit or paying for printing a downloaded kit.
I just bought a wide carriage printer on sale for less than the cost of two current release mid range 1/35 th scale armor kits.
I don’t intend to use the printer exclusively for printing kits so I may not be able to blame the cost of ink entirely on kits.
In any case, if I were to spend on just paper and factory ink then I would be adding nearly the cost paid for a printer upon buying the first four ink cartridges plus a few dollars for misc. card stock and some white glue .
Plastic kit paint, putty, masking tape, decals, photo etch and various tools can add up quickly as I have been finding out since returning to the hobby.
My hunch is that paper models may be popular around the world simply because they require fewer resources in the form of finishing accessory purchases even though more work is required to build the models.
You are dead on ." Paper" models,for the most part are pre-colored and so on .This helps with cost .Schreiber and Wilhemshaven make good kits and the Polish companies do to .You do have to know this though .There’s more of them out there than plastic !
I don’t know about armor at all . so I will say this much . My stash of " Paper " models is probably worth a couple of hundred dollars ( I’ve been accumulating them for 25 years .) My plastic stash is worth thousands in kits and materials . 50 years worth . And the cost of tools etc.
I won’t be able to build plastic models in a nursing home , sooooo. That day may come and I am ready ! I will not die from Boredom ! T.B.
Paper is the “new plastic”. Most paper kits can be scaled up or down with Foxit. I have tons of plastic, but have changed to paper for costs. Plastic has finally become too stinking expensive and paper offers so many more subjects. So come on over to the paper side.
You don’t have to convince me . What I like about paper over plastic is the civil aircraft section is much larger in the genre Tanker - Builder P.S. They have lots more Tankers too !
I recently began building paper ship models and have been quite thrilled. One comment above referred to the overall cost. Not only do I get a large-scaled ship model kit for less that the cost of a good 1/700 scale plastic ship, but I can also simply duplicate the kit on my scanner and printer and build as many as I like in whatever scale I like. A high-quality kit such as the HMV kits, which cost on average about $55.00 for a 1/200 or 1/250 scale battleship (compared with over $300.00 for a similarly scaled plastic kit can easily be down-scaled to 1/350 scale or even smaller, depending on my preferences. I love this option!
I just bought a set of 20 pastels in various shades of gray for $3.00. This will last for many, many models with different shades being available or easily mixed for the various navies. Consider that a single bottle of enamel or acrylic model paint now costs over $3.00, the overall economy of paper over plastic is obvious.
Paper kits offer another advantage for those of us living with family members such as a wife and kids . . . there are no noxious odors from the cements or paints as with plastic, nor do paper kits take up as much room for construction. I use a TV tray with a cutting matt affixed to the top on which to cut and shape each part. I do it in front of the television surrounded by my family. Adding this dimension to my ship building has been fantastic!