Weighting Your Models and Giving Them "Staying Power"

While the "CLIP-IT" system may solve many of your bumping model blues you might want to take it a step further. The following techniques are guaranteed to make your models as heavy and as unmovable as the heaviest of commercially made models.PENNY STRIPPING

• Tools of the trade:

• GLUE GUN or TAPE (Kids need adult supervision if using the glue gun!)

• PENNIES (Raid your piggy bank, your couch, your wife's purse, your Moms purse, your Dads wallet and that kid down the street you despise)

• Penny Stripping is a very simple, speedy process for giving your models some much needed extra weight. This works on small prop pieces right up to large risers. Simply apply pennies to the inside of the model you wish to give weight. The more pennies you add the heavier the model will be. Attach the pennies by using either a strip of tape or a hot glue gun. Because I use my models so often I opted for the glue gun and the pennies have stayed on for months.

RUBBERIZED BOTTOMS

• Another cheap, fast and effective way of keeping your models from moving around is to rubberize their bottoms. Tools of the trade:

• HOT GLUE GUN ( This method works best with low temperature glues as they tend to be more "rubbery".)

• Place your selected models upside down on a even surface and run a bead of hot glue in a zigzag pattern on the bottom. IMPORTANT! Be sure to give your models at least five minutes before flipping them over or the results could be disastrous. The glue gunned bottoms of your models will now have the friction they need to hold their place on your Masterboard. This method works best for corridor pieces and ground tiles.

If you combine all three techniques: CLIP-IT, PENNY STRIPPING and RUBBERIZED BOTTOMS your bottoms your models aren't going ANYWHERE! Now no one can say anything negative about paper models...I hope ;)