Photos by the author

Beta Version Download

Following some hitches with parts fit, adjustments have been made to the affected parts and a few improvements to the design. I have adopted the sloped base sides used by Piet Wieringa on his thumbnail buildup, but to do this I have had to reduce the model's scale to 1/96 again. I'm actually quite happy about this as comparing the smaller mono beta to the colour one, it somehow seems more elegant and attractive in this scale. The sheets are designed for A3 paper and if you choose A3 and 'fit to size' printer settings, the model should print out quite close to the correct scale. Of course, you can print out to any scale you like.

There is still more testing and perfecting to do but rather than put off a final model for another month, I thought it might be fun to post a "beta" version this month instead. It's not perfect yet, but is just about buildable and as a simple model, can be put together in an evening or two. If you feel like wasting some of your valuable time - have a go! Feedback will be greatly appreciated and suggestions, fixes etc incorporated into the final model, with credit.

Click on the above thumbnails to download the pages.

Instructions

Construction is straightforward and parts are grouped into sections "A", "B" and "C" according to whether they belong to the lantern, tower or base.

Lantern:

Weathervane parts A1 and A2 should be folded and glued down the middle then set aside to dry under a weight. When dry, cut the part out and slot the two pieces together then set aside.

Part A3 forms the dome. Glue and bend to form a 12-sided dome, using Part A5 to form the base.

Part A8 forms the flange around the bottom of the dome. Glue to A5 and fold the tabs backwards> until they touch the side of the dome and glue in place.

Part A4 is the lantern itself and should be formed into a 12-sided cylinder using parts A6 and A7 to form the top and bottom.

Part A9 is an optional part which can sit between the bottom of the lantern and the top of the tower. Assemble the lantern, dome and weathervane and set aside.

Tower:

Part B1 requires careful cutting out. Use a sharp knife and only cut one side's "zig-zags" at first. Form the part into a narrow cone by rolling then carefully match the zigzags together to ensure a good fit - you should have a flush fit which is an exact match. Use part B2 on the inside to secure the join, using as little glue as possible. Fit parts B3 and B4 as top and bottom of the tower respectively.

The function of parts B5 and B6 is self-explanatory, these are critical parts and should not be omitted under any circumstances.

Part B7 is the walkway and should be doubled over and glued, then set aside to dry under a weight, before cutting out.

Part B8 is the walkway railing and should be treated in the same way. It may be feasible to cut out the "void" spaces in the railing if you have a steady hand. When "cut and dried", the part should be rolled into a circle and butt-jointed. It may then be attached to the walkway, noting the white rectangles which locate the posts.

Parts B9 are the tricky bit. These are the walkway supports and require six folds each. The two long 'flanges' are scored on the reverse and folded forwards. The sides of the pink rectangle are scored on the front and folded as usual. The lines flanking the pink rectangle are scored on the reverse and folded forwards. The objective is to create a double-sided support with the pink rectangle at the top as a flat mounting plate for the walkway. Note: DO NOT attach these or the lantern yet!

Base:

Part C1 forms a ring and box arrangement into which the tower fits. It must be slid over the tower and glued in place at the lower edge of the bottom red daymark. Be sure to align the door marks with the door on the tower.

Parts C3, C4, C3a and C4a form the box structure of the base. Fold and glue them together to form an octagonal box. The inner tabs are glued to the sides of the C1 'box', while the outer edges attach to the tabs of C2. The lower tabs of C1 and the whole of B4 may also be glued to C2. Note: use glue sparingly, C2 should be used with the printed side down.

Extreme care is needed to keep all this square and ensure no gaps or warps are built in! This is the area where most test models built to date have problems and you may find some dimensions or angles are incorrect.

Parts C5, C5a, C5b and C5c form the entryway. C5 has 11 scorelines, so take your time and work out which are which! Hint: only the outer two 'vertical' scorelines are scored on the reverse. The aim is to make a slightly projecting 'roof', where the sides project a little from the main sides - refer to the photos in the September article for details.

Parts Ca, b and c form inside detail for the entryway. When complete, attach to tower sides and base.

Parts C6 form reinforcing flanges that connect tower to base. Fold the entire piece over along the middle, glue and set aside to dry under weight before cutting out. Each flange is fitted to the side of the tower at the marked spots, with the short side down.

Final assembly:

Glue parts B9 in place, attach the handrail, still the lantern on (noting correct orientation - see drawing) aaaaaand....that's it! Good luck and happy building. If have any comments or you do find any problem areas, please contact the author at nipngnwm@q-net.net.au

Hopefully next issue we will have a perfect "alpha" model for you!