What's the best Pepakura method?

Shaunbrook7104

Shaunbrook7104

New Member
So I wanted to find out how you guys do your pep builds. I just seem to be taking forever to build mine grrrrr!

1-I start by scaling and printing obviously

2-I cut everything out, scoring and folding as I go along

3-I then lay out all my parts on the worktop using a method I saw Adam Savage do called Knolling (I put everything into pairs and whats left over goes into the middle section layout)

4-With the Laptop on the bench I then begin to glue with the glue gun and burn myself for about 2-3 days depending on how detiled and how much time I have to myself after work!

This is just soooo time consuming and i have a lot of patience but this takes the biscuit. I get discouraged when I see numbers like Fold 2566 etc etc!

Is there a quicker and easier way please please help for the sake of my patience!

It not a hobby and more its the point where I need to beat this Pep file weather its the last thing I do haha!!!
 
While it may sound like lip-service, the best method is the one that works for you. The best advice I can give is to try EVERYTHING twice.

If you are finding hot glue to be troublesome, try using superglue. Hobby store grade medium thick CA works the best for me. It gives just enough time to move a piece around slightly before it sets but doesn't get runny like the thin store bought stuff.

I also find that if there are symmetrical sides to a piece, and if I build them as units and set them aside before joining them to the main "body" of the piece, it goes much faster. Same goes for any pieces that have a lot of detail. I'll build them up first then set them aside until I need them later. It's the tedium of building the little things after building all the big pieces that saps my energy level. Spend some time making assemblies, then assemble them as units.
 
I agree with Bayouwolf. Try super glue gel. I only use hot glue for foam.

Also I agree with him when he says try everything twice. In fact, prepare to try several times. It's a patience game. If it's not fun anymore, play around with foam and other things. You'll get your nitch. Maybe even take a break from your build.

When things seem this way for me, I watch Iron Man movies! :D

Eventually, I get hyped again, and DIVE right back in.
 
Let me just sneak in right here to slip in a little pep talk (pep talk. get it? pep? okay.)

I spent six and a half months on my last major project (Elrond armor). As an amateur, most everything about the build was new to me. As the other folks said, by force of circumstance I had to try many things many times. So much fell on the cutting floor. But with each painful oops and eventual aha, I became more adept. It really just took a lot of time.

But it's the time we put into attending to the details of our projects that makes them special (figured this out by reading the build blogs here). We are more proud of them with every additional minute we devote towards claiming those bragging rights.

Of course, we want to finish our projects quickly and as effortlessly as possible. But we also want them to be the best they can be.

So... when those moments of frustration and impatience creep in (as they always do), take a walk. Work on your other hobbies. Organize your workspace. Or just sit back and appreciate how far you've gone on your project.

Then get back to work thinking, "This will be so awesome when it's done!"

End of pep talk. ;)
 
We are working on our first build ourselves. We are learning as we go. One suggestion that helps us is we bought a Silhouette Cameo the other day. Before the Cameo, it would take us about 3-5 hours to mark and hand cut each section of Iron Man armor. Once I had the Cameo set up, I was able to cut out 3 sections of Armor in about 4 hours. If you can afford it, I recommend buying it as it saves so much time, saves fingers and everything attached with cutting.
 
i typically just cut off all of the tabs and make my own tabs to glu to the back side of both connecting surfaces, takes longer but results in a smoother surface to make the bondo stage go a bit faster and easier

edit: my method of gluing is hot glue, fast dry and comes off my skin easily. burns don't hurt you much after you've burned yourself with it as much as i have (;
 
Shaunbrook7104 said:
4-With the Laptop on the bench I then begin to glue with the glue gun and burn myself for about 2-3 days depending on how detiled and how much time I have to myself after work!

This is just soooo time consuming and i have a lot of patience but this takes the biscuit. !
Click to expand...

I've never understood people using hot glue for gluing PAPER!!! It's overkill, it's slow, it's overcomplicated, and as you've certainly found out, it's a good way to get burned fingers.

Glueing paper is a solved problem. There's a TON of glues on the market that are designed specifically for gluing paper-to-paper, and hotglue isn't one of them.

I personally find gluesticks to be almost ideal for Pepekura tabs. They're small, super cheap, easy to apply. It holds as strong or stronger than the paper itself, and the drying time is almost ideal (as long as you don't goop it on ridiculously thick). It bonds almost instantly, but there's a brief window where you can re-position it.

Try gluesticks. If it doesn't work, you're only out a couple of bucks and I guarantee it'll be faster and easier than hotglue. :)

I think the ultimate way to remove the tedium from Pepakura would probably be to get one of those cutting printer thingies like the Cameo, but I can't tell you from experience because I can't convince myself to drop that kind of dough on a paper cutter. :)
 
A paper cutter definitely turned the tide for me. Bought a Cameo and can tell you it shaves DAYS off your cutting time.
 
Cheers for the suggestions guys! Lots of people say about the cameo and I would buy one but moving house next week so need to wait out there grrrr! I did think that the glue gun was overkill but its good for larger peps and a draw back on the detailed areas. I have a few tubes of pva glue with a extra fine tip but doesn't set too quick.

Ive looked at using other materials for builds. My main one was going to be cardboard using foam files. As I can resin and bondo after.

Cheers for the help guys
 
Ive got a Halo reach armour and a mark 39 gemini suit im doing. Its the back on the gemini which has so many folds and cuts thats why I'm loosing hope haha.

The glue sticks are something I have in the house ill give that a go at some point cheers
 
One thing that MAY help......encouragement from your fellow builders! :)

I've seen your Gemini project and your doing a good job. Keep it up. :cool

You gotta remember, bro, if it was EASY, EVERYONE would be doing it! Here's to being the ones who ARE doing it!!!
 
If you use builder's quality PVA - make sure it has 'cross-linking' somewhere on the label, plus it's a bit more expensive - I find it grips quickly and very strong. One drop on a toothpick, smeared along the tab, should be sufficient. I have used hot glue and super-glue, but find that the PVA is the best compromise between speed, ease of use and strength.

Mind you - I'm old, so I've got more patience... ;)

Bob McCormick said:
Straight up PVA glue takes for ever to dry.
Click to expand...
 
I have used pva glue and it works well but slow to build an entire suit from. I work 12 hour shift so have little time to my self and want it done now haha!

Chers ghost minion im trying its this back tho grrrr. Once thats out the way ill fly through the rest!
 
When I build paper models I used wood glue. Put a small dab on a piece of cardboard get a paper clip and off you go, easy to spread and dries pretty quick. Foam is hot glue gun definitely, and for card board, I actually cheated and taped it up first then used a hot glue gun after cutting off taped sections. It helps keep the shape as I'm building.

For the paper cutting part I would love to have a auto cutter printer, but I still use the old method of hobby knife/exacto knife and cutting it out. I usually don't bother scoring all the lines and such if it's an easy bend or large piece, mostly I use a metal ruler to help but that's about it. *End of lame info dump :)*
 
I used to use wood glue on peps, but now I laminete back of the paper (inside of the model) so wood glue doesn't work. And now I use hot glue gun.
 
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