Hi all!

I got the itch to do some Poser scenes based in the Aliens universe and started doing a search to see what 3d models are available on the net (forgetting of course about the excellent free stuff postings here on the alien queen and the drone and dropship, d'oh).

Anyway, I found a site that had 3ds models of the M41 Pulse Rifle, the Smart Gun (M91?), the Sulaco, a drop ship, etc. and then I ran across this REALLY interesting site (for me at least) on Paper Models (papercraft). The english URL is http://aliens.humlak.cz/aliens/Aliens_papirove_modely.htm, and for those that reach Czech there's a page in that language too.

The author, Jan Rr, finds 3d models on the net, then unwraps them (kind of like UV mapping, but with added contact points for the glue) and puts textures on them. You cut the printed plans out, fold em, and glue em together. I plan on doing the M41 Pulse rifle, which is 30 sheets of paper at A4 size, with multiple pieces on each piece of paper, and it's 1 to 1 in size. It even has a working slide! I figure I'll do it on relatively heavy stock and see how this comes out. There's a TON of models available, from the APC to the LV-426 colony buildings and vehicles - although some are still under construction. The author rates each papercraft project on a rating of 1 to 5. Note that it's confusing where to find the models of the drop ships, as on one page the author says they aren't done, but you can find them under the link for the LV-426 aircraft and vehicles link. The scale is about 1/148th.

Just thought I'd share this, since I know there are more than a few Aliens fans here. Sure, there isn't a lot of detail, but think of the customizations you could do! As a modeler I'm hooked already.

Jack

If you know where to get it there is thin plastic sheeting that will actually hold a crease pretty well, that would be perfect for this.

That's a great idea HullBreach, and i was just getting around to thinking 'what can I use that will be better than paper and last longer' - but the problem is transfering the art to the sheeting, not so much finding it or folding it. The support needs to be able to go through a color printer, and I don't know if I can find a place that'll print on plastic sheeting. Jack

FreeJack, That really is a cool site and I used it a lot for the references when making the Aliens models available on VanishingPoint. The colonist complex that I am busy with is based largely on his work and textures. There are various sites on the internet dedicated to paper art, but predictibly many of those are in Chinese and Japanese, so become very hard to navigate for us poor westerners.

Thanks for the link, I haven't built paper models for years, but I think I'll be starting again soon. 8)