Why Paperhammer 40K?
Before tackling that question, I think it's important to understand that paperhammer dates from GW's first days, and has been absolutely integral to the success of the game. As a young company, they simply didn't have the model range to support the grand vision that would become Warhammer 40K. They imagined things like Cauldrons of Blood fighting for the forces of Chaos and gigantic mechanized behemoths known as Titans striding the battlefield, laying waste to everything before them. Stranger still were machinations like the Weird Boy tower, Ordinatus Golgotha, and single man "Knight Titans". People were encouraged to create their own proxies for these units, at first using nothing more than post-it notes, or soda cans. Soon, some creative individuals began modeling 3d versions of the concepts based upon rough artwork and textual references from Rogue Trader and later, plans from White Dwarf. In the early years of the game, it was common to see tanks made of shoeboxes, with toilet paper roll gun barrels or shampoo bottle Eldar vehicles. Basically, people improvised with whatever they had available. Before you knew it, there were people making and trading cardstock plans for some of these units. GW's own magazines published plans, encouraging people to build new war machines! Like these, for the gobsmasha!
Gobsmasha Plans from GW
In short, Games Workshop differed from other game companies at the time because of their expansive vision and zealous support of the modeling and conversion community. Even when they began to grow and develop plastic kits, initially they encouraged us to mod them and use them in creative ways. GW adopted the general rule that as long as it was "mostly" GW bits, any conversion or scratchbuild would be allowed on the game table, provided it was easily recognizable. Games Workshop attracted people like me because of this attitude. They had an unusually large vision for their game and let us help tell that story in whatever way we saw fit. When kits were finally released for the Leman Russ, the first 40K tank, the community scrambled to support them and purchased their kits, which reflected the vision of the game nicely. We didn't stop building our own, we simply incorporated what GW was offering into our own designs, and it became the base for even more creative designs, although they now had a more uniform appeal.
But year after year, the prices have increased, sometimes as much as 10 U.S. dollars for a vehicle in a single price increase! The once awesome plastic kits have become priced out of a lot of people's ability to afford them. It's a sad reality that the ever growing price of their official models is driving many people to look for alternatives to their fine products. Whereas Paperhammer 40K was once a place that 40K fans evolved into, many are being "forced" into Paperhammer 40K due to GW pricing their kits higher than that of almost any other comperable product in the market. Heaven help you if you want to play with the new Spearhead rules and don't posess 500$ to spend on the tanks required to do it; you're just outta luck. That's where paperhammer comes in. Real Leman Russ, meet Paper Leman Russ:
But year after year, the prices have increased, sometimes as much as 10 U.S. dollars for a vehicle in a single price increase! The once awesome plastic kits have become priced out of a lot of people's ability to afford them. It's a sad reality that the ever growing price of their official models is driving many people to look for alternatives to their fine products. Whereas Paperhammer 40K was once a place that 40K fans evolved into, many are being "forced" into Paperhammer 40K due to GW pricing their kits higher than that of almost any other comperable product in the market. Heaven help you if you want to play with the new Spearhead rules and don't posess 500$ to spend on the tanks required to do it; you're just outta luck. That's where paperhammer comes in. Real Leman Russ, meet Paper Leman Russ:
I know the gun barrels are different variants, but it was as good as I could do on short notice. lol
There are only 3 types of paper modelers in my opinion. The first is the true hobbyist, that views papercraft and scratch building as the next level up from simple converting. The second is the individual that is driven to look for cheaper alternatives as GW is simply pricing the game out of their reach; this is the majority of paperhammer modelers as I've found them to be. The only way for them to stay in the hobby viably is by putting in the work and hours required to make their own units. The third type is the ardent protester that simply refuses to give GW any more of their money and feels this is a way to poke a stick in the behemoths eye. I would say that I'm a mix of all three. I'm fortunate enough to be reasonably well off, but I despise GW's prices, business practices and complete disregard for their fan base, so I'm definitely a protester. But I think mostly, I'm the first type. Lately I've been building ever larger constructs entirely out of paper, simply to see if it can be done and see how far I can take the medium. I spend much more time than is explicitly necessary reinforcing joints, building internal frameworks etc. Arguably, I'm losing money when you factor in the value of my time; that is, until you count my particular enjoyment of the hobby. See example below:
There are only 3 types of paper modelers in my opinion. The first is the true hobbyist, that views papercraft and scratch building as the next level up from simple converting. The second is the individual that is driven to look for cheaper alternatives as GW is simply pricing the game out of their reach; this is the majority of paperhammer modelers as I've found them to be. The only way for them to stay in the hobby viably is by putting in the work and hours required to make their own units. The third type is the ardent protester that simply refuses to give GW any more of their money and feels this is a way to poke a stick in the behemoths eye. I would say that I'm a mix of all three. I'm fortunate enough to be reasonably well off, but I despise GW's prices, business practices and complete disregard for their fan base, so I'm definitely a protester. But I think mostly, I'm the first type. Lately I've been building ever larger constructs entirely out of paper, simply to see if it can be done and see how far I can take the medium. I spend much more time than is explicitly necessary reinforcing joints, building internal frameworks etc. Arguably, I'm losing money when you factor in the value of my time; that is, until you count my particular enjoyment of the hobby. See example below:
Badicus is right at 24 inches
The only plastic bit on Badicus, my first Warlord Titan were the tubes for his shoulder weapons; and that was only because I was sick of staring at them in my bitz box, and finally found a use for something that large. Also, every model in that photo is made of paper. I'll be publishing better photos of the examples in the future.
In short, this is an amazing hobby, and I hope to preserve some of it, and to help new folks into it. Whether you're looking to escape the shackles of a greedy, mismanaged corporation that punishes it's fan base (90% operating costs for 2009 GW? REALLY?!) or if you're simply looking to take your conversion skills to the next level by scratchbuilding with plasticard, cardstock, or old cereal boxes, then paperhammer 40K is for you. Don't be afraid to download a free 3d drawing tool like google SKETCHUP and try designing your own models and sharing the plans with everyone! The community is alive and more than willing to share in your modeling triumphs. One of the biggest paperhammer communities active today is a yahoo group known as BWC ARCHIVE. Please check em out, sign up, and you'll even see me post on there occasionally, with noob questions!
-Lord Manimal
In short, this is an amazing hobby, and I hope to preserve some of it, and to help new folks into it. Whether you're looking to escape the shackles of a greedy, mismanaged corporation that punishes it's fan base (90% operating costs for 2009 GW? REALLY?!) or if you're simply looking to take your conversion skills to the next level by scratchbuilding with plasticard, cardstock, or old cereal boxes, then paperhammer 40K is for you. Don't be afraid to download a free 3d drawing tool like google SKETCHUP and try designing your own models and sharing the plans with everyone! The community is alive and more than willing to share in your modeling triumphs. One of the biggest paperhammer communities active today is a yahoo group known as BWC ARCHIVE. Please check em out, sign up, and you'll even see me post on there occasionally, with noob questions!
-Lord Manimal
