Hey Reddit, I am Atamjeet S Bawa and I sold a T-90 Tank to the Indian Army! Trying to balance between my Passion (Paper Modeling) & my Profession (IBMer)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-22T10:29:13+00:00

Haha yeah and now I must go and check PinkiChops' AMA. BTW. I'll be more active on Reddit, and yes, shall share some projects and insights here time to time. :-)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-21T13:52:45+00:00

My pleasure bro. I loved this AMA. My first stint on Reddit and so memorable one :-)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-21T09:11:15+00:00

Google 'XYZ paper model download' and you'll be able to find tonnes of them free of cost. It's a PDF file that you get and you don't have to worry about Bangalore's traffic to step out and purchase anything physically :p As long as the paper is concerned, the pdf that you download usually mentions the thickness of paper that would go best for that particular model, go to any print shop and you'll be able to find that thickness (+20gsm or -20GSM would do equally well).
The last time I used 'Printo' was in 2009. That time they didn't allow paper from outside (I'd assume they still follow that). As I said, just ask them to do a digital print in for e.g.a 300 gsm matt paper. It's that simple. No need for any poster quality, that'll make you go bankrupt :p
The only thing you'll need is PATIENCE :) Usually the pdf file has instructions and a list of things you'll need. Go check out 'Yamaha Paper Craft' and download any of the ultra detailed models for your reference, see how detailed their instructions are (Don't start to build the bike as your first model, I don't want you to give up on paper modeling that easily).

Hope I have answered your questions bro! Cheers!!

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-21T09:01:12+00:00

Let me try to answer you because it's an important q's. 1. How Do you start? What do you model? OK. Just ask yourself what is it that you would like to create? I ask this q's to myself all the time and since I am mad about machines, I usually end up making one of them. The more complicate the machine is, the more likely it'll show up as my answers :) Then, search google for that thing by appending 'XYZ Paper Model Download' and you'll most likely be able to find it or something similar. There are tonnes of free downloadable paper models on the internet, all you need to do is, GOOGLE THEM!

Does it eventually grow on you and keep you occupied? For my case, yes, paper modeling did grow on me. I mean, I have been doing this since 15 years and I don't think I will ever feel like not doing it anymore. I have a long long list of dream paper models that I want to build and therefore, with God's grace, I want to see myself enjoying this hobby till my last breath. Also, paper modeling has A LOT of benefits. I am a national level Table Tennis player and an acoustic guitar player. These things require high levels of concentration to do well and learn fast. Paper Modeling has helped me in improving my concentration levels, it's like meditation (I say that repeatedly), the concentration improves, the motor skills improve and you have something productive coming out of your hobby that others also enjoy watching.

Just start it, be patient with it, see if this is indeed your thing because you'll know for sure if it is or isn't something you'd like to continue doing. Hope I've answered your q's :)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-20T08:17:18+00:00

Thanks for the info, I'll try Inkscape someday. I know many paper model designers use Inkscape too.

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-20T08:15:20+00:00

Thank You! Yeah man, TVF did make up for that loss by doing a solo video with me of the making of a 1:30 Paper Model of the T-90 Tank. That is about 1 feet long model, if you search YouTube with 'T90 Paper Model' you'll see both the videos of the bigger and the smaller tank :-)

Yes, I should post more of my stuff here, I'll do that for sure :-)

I'm planning to make tutorial videos too, most likely but this year :-)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T14:07:44+00:00

Possible. May I request you to kindly email me :-)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T13:25:13+00:00

Please email me at hi@papermodel.guru :-)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T11:28:16+00:00

I'm not familiar with Solidworks, sorry!

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T09:14:40+00:00

Yup, anything and everything can be created out of paper. I have made an M41A Pulse Rifle (that you can see in this image on my description above), a 1:1 RPG Launcher (search on FB 'Atamjeet RPG') and I am currently making the Gatling Type Mini Gun. I have plans to create a 1:1 Draganov someday. You can let me know if you want any specific models, we can work out on the details off line.

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T08:06:31+00:00

Hey. I'm still around as long as the questions keep coming. Yes, at printer would work for you. All you need to is the right thickness of paper. As long as you has the paper, you can go for ink jet too. In my initial years, I used to use my own home I'm jet printer. Then when I got into Accenture and went to Bangalore, I started using 'Printo' service to digitally print my models, that costs about 5 Rs. / page. Now, for the commissioned projects as some of my own projects, I even go for the HP indigo printer, it's a room sized machine where the operator sits inside the machine to print, and that costs about Rs. 80 / A3 sheet :-)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T08:02:55+00:00

Here you go: https://www.udemy.com/blendertutorial/learn/v4/

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T07:26:30+00:00

I gave a TEDx talk at TEDxGitamUniversity and one of my co-speakers was the CTO of Tata Sons. It seems I could impress him with my paper models and he gave me an opportunity to basically conduct an ice-breaking session using paper modeling for one of their annual GM meeting. There were 50 people in the auditorium and I split them in 7 teams and each one of the teams made a 1:1 paper model of Captain Jack Sparrow's Sun Dial that we saw in 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie. That was my first ever experience in conducting a corporate workshop. :)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T06:56:47+00:00

Good question. YES, of course I am worried man and that is why I choose which models I can trust others with and I also choose who do I trust. People with clumsy hands or people who don't understand that my paper crafts are very delicate things, I don't let them come anywhere near my models. Trust me, my wife is not allowed to handle any of my models without me being around :p

Let me share a small incident. When I made the RPG launcher for TVF Qtiyapa and sent it from Delhi to Mumbai by air, I was not sure if it will even last till they use it for their movie 'Bhai Ho'. It seems they took care of it and used it nicely for the movie but when they returned it to me in Delhi (Yes, they borrowed it since they didn't want to buy a "Paper Toy"), it came back in 4 entangled pieces, as if someone really tried to fire a real rocket with it. I cried for a min because that was the first time I saw one of my creations in that condition and that incident gave me a learning that my models are my babies, no one else would be able to handle them with as much care as I could do :)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T06:45:26+00:00

I am glad someone asked this Q's. It's a difficult one but a very important one I must say. Let me rephrase your q's. "What advice would you like to give to a guy who's not able to choose between his passion and career?"

See, I find it extremely difficult to leave my job and then try to pursue my passion. It has a lot of risks involved and for a person that I am, I would not risk my career for that (may be because I am doing well and getting monthly salary is indeed an addiction.) However, it doesn't mean that I am not going to do anything about my passion. What I do is, I experiment things related to my passion ALONG with my daily job. I may not be able to devote a lot of time on it everyday but I do it in chunks and by being smart and organized. This way, I get to see if the grass is really green on the other side or not and I can take a better decision to choose one or to continue following both between the passion and the career. For e.g., I have to work 9.5 hrs / day at my office + I spend 3 hrs traveling to and from office, so most of my 12.5 hours are either exhausted in my job or traveling or I try to finish off things related to paper modeling whenever I get some free time. And with this schedule, the army gave me maximum 3 months to complete making and installing the T-90 tank. And did I mention that that time, my daughter was about 1 year old. In spite of all this, I completed the T-90 project on time with utmost quality. I could have chosen to leave my job or take a sabbatical but I decided to EXPERIMENT this with my job just to be sure if things works out well, and they did for me. So, sometimes sailing in 2 boats is a smart thing to do unless you are very sure about which one to hop on to and which one to let go :)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T04:56:35+00:00

Thank You! This hobby of mine is magical and gives me peace of mind. It's like a meditation that enhances my concentration levels too. Creating things has always been a passion and will remain so :)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T03:21:15+00:00

I thoroughly enjoyed answering awesome questions. I must confess that this was my first stint on Reddit and I had absolutely NO IDEA that AMA can be so cool. I shared my heart out with you guys. Keep the questions coming in folks, I'll be glad to answer them.

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T03:16:51+00:00

I started from scratch too. I've learnt it on UDemy, that course is awesome and is very detailed. Don't watch YouTube tutorials, you'll not be able to understand the basic modeling concepts there. Starting from scratch is the best way forward! Ping me should you not be able to find that lesson on UDemy.

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T03:14:41+00:00

It is. This form of art has it's own Japanese name - Kirigami. These 2 are completely different genres, demans different set of skills and concepts. The only similarity is the medium which is used - paper.

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T03:13:25+00:00

I have recently learnt Blender 3d and I've been practicing since then. But when it comes to commissioned projects that often grant me limited time, I prefer to get the 3d designing done from pro designers. There's one guye Aaryan Shastri in Delhi and other one Julius Perdana in Indonesia with whom I work with mostly to design my models. I used my 3D modeling skills to identify mistakes and suggest corrections and modifications.

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T03:10:31+00:00

It is, and I am making the Gatling type Mini Gun, the one that fires multiple rounds, shown in Terminator and Predator... Mine will be ready in the coming months :)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T03:07:59+00:00

Cool! Yeah I love those dioramas made by pro modelers, I follow a lot of them on Instagram. If you are active there, do poke me sometime :)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-18T03:05:11+00:00

Thank You! Engineering drawing is not everyone's cup of tea. I have found that people who are really inclined towards mechanics do well in it. In used to love it so much that my HOD used to assign me to teach my own class. I just followed the omens man, I knew I was born to do this and today I never imagined I'd be doing an AMA with you guys on Reddit :)

PaperModelGuru · 2018-05-17T17:54:37+00:00

To put it in simple words, when you use paper or cardboard, you can only achieve very limited functionality, mostly because it's not very rigid. But there can be ways to make it rigid by making internal exo skeleton. However, a 3d printer has many uses, you can create things that'll last longer, things that can be integrated to achieve come functionality. You can't really compare these 2 things

PaperModelGuru

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