by Tom Ruprecht
1/700 HMS Dreadnought (Digital Navy)
This is the free download from Digital Navy, my second ship model, but not my first card model (I have done a number of spacecraft, and the Digital Navy V-108, a full hull model). I have not yet added anchor chain, and probably will not. The masts, yards and booms are all styrene. The simplified rigging is stretched sprue attached with 5 minute epoxy. I did very little research and did not agonize over the details. Yes, the aft mast is crooked- no big deal- it's a paper model. The result? IMHO, it will never win a contest, but not bad for paper, and a lot of fun.
Other thoughts about card/paper modeling:
It can be a lower-stress vacation from plastic or resin. Very little painting. If you make a mistake, just print that part a second (or third) time and try it again. I did that to get the small boats' keels shaped to my satisfaction. Forgive yourself. Relax, it's a paper model.
A search will show that there are oodles of kits available, many for free, on the web.
Many techniques developed in card modeling can be used in other models, including using paper parts on those models. If you are new to the use of photoetch and especially if PE intimidates you, the bending techniques are similar and the tiny parts can be just as frustrating until you develop the skills of managing them. Just a lot cheaper. I especially wanted to use this kit as a type of dress rehearsal before I dive into a few expensive 1/700 resin kits in the stash (I promise I'll get the masts straight). As for this one, relax- it's a paper model
