About

Dear Hobbyist,

On behalf of H&B Precision card with the German 'Wilhelmshaven Paper models" and others, I would like to welcome you to the fascinating world of card modeling.  Model building has been around for a long time.  It is based upon the basic human instinct to play and can entertain a hobbyist their entire life, especially by challenging ones own creative thinking.   With the Wilhelmshaven paper models, transforming 2-dimensional objects printed on sheets of paper into 3-dimensional models demands structured, advanced planning of logical consequences in miniature models similar to the thoughts processed by the designers of the original.  

Before commencing with your "paper engineering",  study the sheets to get the layout of parts and then build the model in your mind before cutting out any of it.  All major straight lines, especially side frames, central keel etc, should be cut with a razor knife, surgical scalpel or similar type of tool, using a steel ruler.  You will also require scissors of one or two sizes for curves, a pair of pointed tweezers, a darning needle or similar scoring tool for scoring the fold lines. 

A self-healing cutting board or sheet of safety glass can be used as a cutting board - if you want to use a piece of cardboard or hard wood be careful to insure that your cutting instrument does not get caught in a previous cut.  The best adhesives available in the United States have a low water content - Aleene's Tacky glue is one example.   These should be used sparingly as too much glue causes "sinks."   If you intend super detailing the model the Humbrol Universal adhesive is better for joining plastic to paper or making scale railings from spruce, etc. Once having gained experience most modelers will find that each adhesive has advantages for particular techniques as applied to this type of modeling.

The line codes in the instructions are very important.  Study these Wilhelmshaven line codes and follow it at all times, if you encounter any difficulty check your work against the line code:
- straight lines mark where to cut,
- dashed lines mark the location to be scored on the reverse side, to bend up,
- dash-doted lines are fold lines, to bend down,
- dash-double-dotted lines are boundaries.
- arrows indicate where component parts have to be separated from each other,
- areas which are crosshatched represent areas that are to be cut out.

- the following letters appear on certain deck fittings, wing spars etc, to show the direction
O = Ober = upper
U = Unter = lower
H = Hinten = rear
V = Vorn = front.

The black numbers are part numbers. The colored numbers and/or digits in parentheses indicate the attachment areas to which the corresponding black numbered parts are to be glued.
  

Before gluing, you should "dry" fit all parts in order to be able to correct them if necessary.