Cardboard modeling or cardboard engineering is a form of
modelling with
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
,
card stock
Card stock, also called cover stock and pasteboard, is paper that is thicker and more durable than normal writing and printing paper, but thinner and more flexible than other forms of paperboard.
Card stock is often used for business cards, ...
,
paperboard
Paperboard is a thick paper-based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker (usually over 0.30 mm, 0.012 in, or 12 Inch#Equivalents, points) than paper and has certain superior ...
, and
corrugated fiberboard
Corrugated fiberboard, corrugated cardboard, or corrugated is a type of packaging material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards. It is made on "flute lamination machines" or "corrugators" and is used for maki ...
. The term ''cardboard engineering'' is sometimes used to differentiate from the
craft
A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...
of making
decorative cards. It is often referred to as ''
paper modelling'' although in practice card is generally used.
History
Originally this was a form of modelling undertaken because of the low cost involved. Card, a means of
cutting
Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force.
Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the sca ...
and
glue
Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation.
The use of adhesives offers certain advantage ...
are all that is needed. Some models are 100% card, while others use items of other materials to reinforce the model. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
cardboard models were promoted by a number of model companies. One company, ERG (
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
) Ltd. produced a book "Cardboard Rolling Stock and How to Build It" and
Superquick are still well known for their range of printed and pre-cut kits.
Books of printed
model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , .
Models can be divided in ...
s to cut out and make have been around a long time
. Also, specially printed cards were available from which models could be made. In the UK
Micromodels were well known for very small card models.
Models to cut out were also a feature of
paperboard
Paperboard is a thick paper-based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker (usually over 0.30 mm, 0.012 in, or 12 Inch#Equivalents, points) than paper and has certain superior ...
folding
carton
A carton is a box or container usually made of liquid packaging board, paperboard and sometimes of corrugated fiberboard.
Many types of cartons are used in packaging. Sometimes a carton is also called a box.
Types of cartons
Folding cartons
...
s. For many years, breakfast cereal makers had models to cut out on their packets.
The hobby has been revived through the use of
ink-jet and
laser colour printers, with the availability of inexpensive
cutting plotters and
laser engravers also reducing the time, effort, and tedium associated with cutting out the many parts. Using a
vector graphics
Vector graphics are a form of computer graphics in which visual images are created directly from geometric shapes defined on a Cartesian plane, such as points, lines, curves and polygons. The associated mechanisms may include vector displ ...
package, it is even possible for anyone to create their own models from scratch, though most use
special software.
Models to cut out can also be downloaded from the internet.
See also
*
Net (polyhedron)
In geometry, a net of a polyhedron is an arrangement of non-overlapping Edge (geometry), edge-joined polygons in the plane (geometry), plane which can be folded (along edges) to become the face (geometry), faces of the polyhedron. Polyhedral net ...
*
Paper model
*
Architectural model
An architectural model is a type of scale model made to study aspects of an architectural design or to communicate design intent. They are made using a variety of materials including paper, plaster, plastic, resin, wood, glass, and metal.
Mod ...
References
External links
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Scale modeling
Paper toys
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