Greetings to all!

I recently discovered Denny's great contribution to the gaming community and had a question (actually it's more to settle an debate between myself and another miniature gamer). How durable are paper models? (Assuming I follow the suggestion of 100 lb paper and given normal wear and tear.) My friend says that they won't last that long and other such "Resin, plastic, and other maluable materials are better than paper" comments and I wanted to know if anyone had any long term experience with them, so I may crush the opposition.... er... explain nicely to my friend....

Thanks for the help and I can't wait to see the future of WorldWorks.
DarkHeart Tiger

Paper models can be astonishingly strong after assembly.

As a loose sheet, cardstock and paper may seem flimsy at first blush, but what most people don't immediately realize is that card models like Denny's scenery sets derive their true strength from the finished, folded structure.

If you haven't bought any yet, download the crypt freebie from Denny's site and you'll be able to readily demonstrate to your friend just how durable a finished cardstock piece really is.

As a rule, the smaller the model and the denser the concentration of folds, the stronger it is. Large models such as those designed by Denny are resilient enough on their own, and should be able to benefit even further from internal bracing using either craft sticks (a.k.a. popsicle sticks) or a transverse accordion strip edge glued along the sides that need support. But truth be told, the internal support I mentioned can be pretty redundant unless you're using 5 pound miniatures because the folds that define the surface where you would put a miniature already lend enough strength to support them.

Card models also have many other advantages over pewter and resin. For one thing, you could drop one of Denny's sets on a hard floor by accident and it would sustain practically no damage. If you did that with a soft metal or brittle resin model of a comparable size, however...some intensive therapy may be in order.

Another very important advantage is the fact that you are essentially paying one time for a number of reproductions limited only by the amount of raw materials and time that you want to invest into the process. In other words, buy one, get a million free.

So, for instance, if you were to move somewhere and could not bring your gaming scenery with you...the only thing you'd need to bring with you is the files. With conventional metal/resin scenery, you'd either have to rent a storage room, leave it with a friend, sell it, or give it away. But with card scenery, you'll always have the source data available if you decide to print out a new set at a later date.

I'm digressing now. Sorry. Short form: any card model derives its structural strength from the folds and glue joints. For the most part, they're much stronger than they appear, and much more resistant to falling damage in several cases than the conventional stuff.

-The Masked Designer

All great points "The Masked Designer".

Obviously my comments on this subject might be a bit bias but hopefully others will come forward with there own comments on "durability".

If you treat your cardstock models (printed on 110lb cardstock) with the same respect you would treat a board game there is no reason they won’t last just as long. I say this because I have sets that are well over a year old now and they are in the same shape as when I first built them. In fact, all of my sets are in perfect shape excluding those that weren’t stored properly. In the end its how you store your models that will determine longevity and not actual game play.

If you throw your models into a backpack or leave them near an open window on a rainy day of course they won’t last. I use old game boxes and Tupperware storage racks for my collection and they keep the models in perfect condition. The benefits that cardstock naysayers are overlooking here can be broken down into one quick "Why Cardstock Models Kick Ass" list:

1. Extremely quick build times. Spend more time playing and less time building! Build an entire dungeon in a couple of days (not a couple of months with alternatives).
2. CHEAP! For the price of one or two plaster/resin cast models you can buy an entire village, dungeon, castle...you get the picture.
3. Detailed. There is a level of realism/detail you can achieve with cardstock models that cannot be matched by resin model sets.  
4. The wonders of the PDF format. You can re-print as many props as you need, build it as massive or tiny as you want for very little money. Wreck a prop, print another one!
5. Durability. Contrary to popular belief, cardstock models are incredibly durable and will last you as long as any gameboard. Storage is the key consideration here.

Im sure that more could be added to the list but these are the major points. When people criticize cardstock it’s usually because:
A: they simply haven’t tried it yet.
B: they blew a mountain of cash on resin cast playsets and would hate to think that there is something more economical out there.
C: they've spent years of their lives building instead of playing.

I hope that at least one of these points helps to sway your friend to a world that many gamers are finally catching onto

First post since my first purchase but your question caught my eye.  I recently added CastleWorks/ VillageWorks/ CastleWorks InteriorWorks/ Pubs & Inns InteriorWorks as the start of a growing collection of gaming miniatures and terrain and will be adding more as time progresses.
The first Paper Foldup Models I found were free on the D&D home website but they are nothing in comparison to the variety of possibilities that WorldWorks has presented.  As a GM/DM I used to use everything from gridpaper and pencils when I didn't own miniatures and nylon gaming mats with wet erase markers once my current collection of over 400 miniatures needed dungeons to walk around in.  I can say I didn't like it and in the end it confused my players.

I began looking for alternatives that looked realistic and impressive, but most importantly modular, but all I kept finding was overpriced resin and other similiar models.  Although they looked spectacular, with the average cost of miniatures even today they were beyond my price range.  A modular 6x3 foot dungeon could easily cost a couple of thousand dollars.  Though there are alternatives of lesser quality they are usually too time consuming to construct, less durable, and harder to replace then Paper Models you can print out as much as you want.

Then I found WorldWorks, and I have to admit that initially I was sceptical of the durability as well.  I built a few and though durable with care, they were easily crushed or bent, and occasionally on those hot days when we left the windows open for air flow they would react like real buildings to a hurricane with a light gust of wind.

Not deterred in the least I continued to search for a more durable way to construct the WorldWorks Models.  It costs a little more than cardstock alone, but here is how I solved my durability issues (in the near future I will be including photos on the forum designed for them). Posterboard!!!

First I follow most of the normal instructions up to the assembly process.  
1) Print out the pages on cardstock (I still use it as it is more durable than standard paper while gluing).  
2) Cut out the individual peices from the cardstock as you would before assembly, and remove the standard assembly tabs.  
3) This next part turned out to be the hardest when it came to furniture but not as difficult when doing walls or floors.  Either picture the finished model in your head or fold as per normal instructions an example copy, this allows you to figure out how to segment the peices for the next process so that when you assemble them they won't be too thick (an example: the bed from InteriorWorks Pubs & Inns had to be cut into three peices initially, the headboard's backside, frontside and the main part of the bed(top, sides and foot).  
4) You then glue certain peices to 1/16 inch thick posterboard (bed example cont.:glue only the back of the headboard and the main part of the bed to the posterboard, not the front of the headboard).  
5) After the glue dries, cut out the peices from the posterboard, then you have to cut them into individual peices to be assembled (bed example cont.: in this case remove the sides and foot of the bed from the top portion, by this time you should have five peices glued to posterboard and one not).
6) Trim to size for final assembly.  
7) Cut the edges to be glued together at a 45 degree angle using an exacto knife, (this turned out to be the hardest and most dangerous part of the process as some sections are small and very hard to trim due to the thickness of the posterboard, be VERY careful). (bed example cont.: trim the edges of the top, sides and foot of the bed with the 45 degree angle, unglued they should fit together close to seamlessly).
Then glue any peices that weren't glued to the posterboard into place. (bed example cont.: glue the front of the headboard onto the opposite side of the posterboard the rear of the headboard was originally glued on and trim any excess, you should now have five peices for final assembly).
9) Glue the peices together for the finished product (bed example cont.: glue the foot and sides of the bed together and allow to set for several minutes, while its still flexible glue on the top portion of the bed and allow to set, then attach this assembled portion to the headboard, and voila, you have a bed durable eneogh to support any sized miniature).
10) Fill in any noticeable portions of the posterboard with pencil crayons or felts, another alternative is to buy colored posterboard for your support base (bed example cont.: the edges of the headboard were white when I assembled the final product so I used pencil crayons to color it brown and it worked out quite well).

This is the most durable way I have found for assembling foldup paper models.  And though I have done several chairs and tables, cutting out the legs and other features was an extremly difficult task, although I must admit when I took two of my heaviest two inch pewter figurines and stood them on one of the chairs and it didn't break I was impressed eneogh to continue laboring away on them for my own collection. Hope this helps and will provide pictures in the near future.

I mounted my CastleWorks wall sections, towers, and gatehouse, on plexiglass bases, covered these with pre-mixed vinyl concrete patch, and painted this green, when dry.  For the buildings, I am adding a bass-wood frame, around the bottom, which is glued with wood glue, to the card-stock, the wood is then epoxied to the plexiglass base.  Here is a link to some photo's of my work:


http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/plasticwars/castle1.html


With regards to strength, I placed nine (9) LEAD miniature on the catwalk of a large wall section, mounted on plexiglass, and the card-stock catwalk held the mini's with no problem!  I was very impressed.  Card-stock modeling is incredibly fast, inexpensive (use www.inksell.com to buy refill kits for your printer cartridges -- B&W are down to US$6.00 per refill, and Color is down to US$8.00 per refill...), and the finished products are great eye-candy.  As Denny stated, anyone who bashes it, has an agenda, or a pride issue.  Buy a set, make some up, and demonstrate it to your friend.  Seeing is believing...  Cheers!

Sgt.Slag,

Thank you for the backup I really love how you've mounted your castle sections. Your structural reinforcement tips will really help those diehards out there who want their models to last into their 80's...lol. That’s going to make for one kick butt setup! Keep up the great work.