Build Your Own Scottish Town - Eleven Architectural Papercrafts via Doors Open Days

A small Scottish town made entirely of paper. This is the idea behind Cut • Fold • Build, an interesting collection of 11 papercraft models of traditional Scottish buildings, created by the Scottish Civic Trust and made available through the Doors Open Days website.

The collection brings together different styles of Scottish architecture, from urban residential buildings and apartment blocks to medieval chapels and 17th-century houses. Each model represents a little of the country's architectural diversity and offers a fun way to discover its buildings and traditions.

The project was launched in 2020 with a simple purpose: to encourage people of all ages to explore Scotland's architectural heritage through hands-on activities.

The models were designed to be printed on A4 paper and assembled using basic materials such as scissors and glue. The sheets include cutting, folding and gluing guidelines, along with a suggested assembly sequence to make construction easier. Some models are more elaborate and require several pieces.

One interesting detail is that the models can also be customized. You can color the buildings realistically by researching their original appearance, or simply use your imagination to create completely different versions.

And, of course, there is nothing stopping you from combining all 11 buildings to create a miniature Scottish town made of paper, complete with streets, squares and other scenery elements.

The material is available for free in English and Scottish Gaelic, including printer-friendly versions. A particularly interesting collection for anyone who enjoys architecture, history, dioramas and, of course, papercraft.

Uma pequena cidade escocesa feita inteiramente de papel. Essa é a proposta do Cut • Fold • Build, uma interessante coleção de 11 modelos de construções típicas da Escócia, criada pelo Scottish Civic Trust e disponibilizada através do site Doors Open Days.

A coleção reúne diferentes estilos de arquitetura escocesa, desde edifícios residenciais urbanos e blocos de apartamentos até capelas medievais e casas do século XVII. Cada modelo representa um pouco da diversidade arquitetônica do país e oferece uma maneira divertida de conhecer suas construções e tradições.

O projeto foi lançado em 2020, com uma proposta simples: incentivar pessoas de todas as idades a explorar o patrimônio arquitetônico escocês através de atividades manuais.

Os modelos foram pensados para serem impressos em papel A4 e montados com materiais básicos, como tesoura e cola. As folhas apresentam indicações de corte, dobra e colagem, além de uma sequência sugerida para facilitar a montagem. Alguns modelos são mais elaborados e exigem várias peças.

Um detalhe interessante é que os modelos também podem ser personalizados. É possível colorir as construções de maneira realista, pesquisando suas características originais, ou simplesmente usar a imaginação para criar versões completamente diferentes.

E, naturalmente, nada impede que os 11 edifícios sejam reunidos para formar uma pequena cidade escocesa de papel, com ruas, praças e outros elementos de cenário.

O material está disponível gratuitamente em inglês e gaélico escocês, com versões próprias para impressão. Uma coleção especialmente interessante para quem gosta de arquitetura, história, dioramas e, claro, papercraft.

If you would like to explore Scotland's architectural heritage in a creative way, or perhaps build your own miniature Scottish town, you will find the link to download all 11 papercraft models right below.

Build Your Own Scottish Town - Eleven Architectural Papercrafts - via Doors Open Days

And if you enjoyed this collection of Scottish architectural papercrafts, you might also like these four projects previously featured here on Papermau, featuring historic British landmarks, traditional buildings and miniature European architecture. Check out the links below:

01: Big Ben Papercraft Templates With Step-by-Step Instructions - by Domestika

02: Free Paper Buildings For Railway Layouts And Miniature Streets - by Kingsway Models

03: Small Brick Church For Dioramas And Model Railways In 1/76 Scale - by 3DK Model Kits

04: Old European House Papercraft - Rustic Style - by Papermau

Nürburgring Zeitnehmerhaus 1950 - 1/64 Scale Papercraft by Henning Möller - via Carrera4Fun

This beautiful paper model reproduces the Zeitnehmerhaus, or Timekeeper's House, from the legendary Nürburgring circuit in Germany, as it appeared in 1950.

Created by Henning Möller and available on the Carrera4Fun website, the model is in 1/64 scale, making it especially interesting for die-cast car collectors and for creating historical motorsport dioramas.

For decades, the Zeitnehmerhaus was one of Nürburgring's most characteristic buildings. Located near the start and finish area, it witnessed a large part of the circuit's history and had its appearance modified several times over the years.

Henning chose to reproduce the building as it appeared in 1950. In this configuration, the upper cabin with its characteristic roof was already present, as was the Mercedes star, while some of the extensions that would become part of its appearance in later years had not yet been built.

The model takes up nine sheets, including two intended for cardboard reinforcement. The Carrera4Fun page also provides assembly instructions and an exploded-view drawing to help with construction.

Despite the amount of graphic detail, Henning tried to keep the model accessible to build. From the beginning, the idea was to find a balance between simplicity and authenticity, something that, as you will see below, is directly related to the way he approaches modeling.

When Henning told me that the Zeitnehmerhaus was finally available, he also kindly sent me a text telling a little of the story behind this model.

His account ended up going far beyond the Zeitnehmerhaus itself. Henning told me a little about his history as a modeler, his passion for motorsport, how he met Frank Rehberg of Carrera4Fun, and how that friendship eventually led to a rather ambitious project related to the Nürburgring centenary, which will be celebrated in 2027.

Henning kindly allowed me to share his account here on Papermau. I made only a few small adaptations to the text so that it would flow more naturally within this post, without changing the essence of what he wrote so generously and spontaneously.

In the words of Henning Möller:

My interest in building things goes back to my childhood. LEGO, model kits, or even pieces handmade from wood with a coping saw, over the years I have built a little bit of everything.

My greatest hobby has always been model railroading. On my first layout, I even included a Faller AMS track, and both slot cars and that scale never completely left me. Later I moved from HO scale to N scale, but my second great passion, Formula 1 in particular and motorsport in general, eventually brought me back to slot cars when I reached the age of 50.

At first I returned to HO scale, or more precisely 1/64 scale, and later to Carrera Evolution in 1/32 scale.

But simply laying a track on the carpet seemed a little boring to me. For me, there had to be some atmosphere around it.

The problem is that suitable buildings and accessories are not exactly plentiful, and I also did not want to spend hundreds of euros just to place a few structures around the track.

That was how I began finding various websites dedicated to papercraft on the internet. During one of those searches, I came across Frank Rehberg's website, Carrera4Fun.

I immediately built the Dunlop Tower, followed by the Conti Tower, the pit lane and the gas station. Those buildings had a special charm, and before long I had caught the Nürburgring fever.

But the Zeitnehmerhaus was missing.

Together with the Dunlop Tower, the Shell gas station, the Conti Tower and the pit lane, the Timekeeper's House was certainly one of the most important structures at the Ring during the first seven decades after its opening in 1927.

On a motorsport website, I found a photograph of a model of this building, with Frank Rehberg credited as its creator. So I decided to contact him and ask whether he intended to make it available.

His reply came quickly and was unexpectedly positive. Frank offered to send me the PDF file of the model and asked only that I take photographs of the building process.

That was how a great friendship began.

A few years ago, after we completed the Schleizer Dreieck building for its centenary, Frank and I decided to turn our attention to the Nürburgring centenary.

The project grew to include new models still to be developed, updates to buildings that had already been released and, finally, the idea of recreating a complete pit area representing the first 70 years of the circuit.

After spending some time working with extremely detailed paper models in N scale, at the beginning of this year I decided to concentrate my work on 1/64 scale.

After the Dunlop Tower, it was time for the Zeitnehmerhaus.

I have always been fascinated by classic cars from the 1950s, so I decided to recreate the Nürburgring buildings as they appeared during that period. My goal is to develop models that are relatively easy to build but, at the same time, look as authentic as possible.

I also do not necessarily follow the idea that absolutely everything in a paper model has to be made of paper. Schreiber-Bogen itself, for example, offers photo-etched parts to complement some of its paper ship models. I also like combining papercraft with traditional modeling techniques whenever they can contribute to the final result.

And there is still much more to come.

Not all of the models that Frank and I intend to add to Carrera4Fun have been released yet. It is also important to remember that developing a convincing model is not easy when precise dimensions or original plans are not available.

This means analyzing hundreds of photographs, comparing details, correcting countless errors and building test models. The whole process takes a great deal of time, and for that reason it simply is not possible to present a new project every month.

I also do not use professional software or a high-performance computer. I work with LibreOffice Draw on a Mac Mini 2.

End of Henning's account.

That last observation from Henning particularly caught my attention because my own way of working is quite similar.

I have never used expensive professional programs to create my models either. Until last month, I was still working on an old computer from 2010 running Windows 7, which had been with me for many years. Only now have I moved to a machine running Windows 11.

And I still use simple, free and intuitive tools. Among them are the good old MS Paint, Paint.NET, an old version of SketchUp, version 6, and also a free version of Pepakura.

Perhaps our experiences are a good demonstration that you do not need the newest computer or the most sophisticated software to create something interesting. The tools help, of course, but knowing well what we have at our disposal, finding our own solutions and, above all, enjoying the creative process are still what matter most.

In the message he sent me, Henning ended with words that made me particularly happy. He said that Papermau is an almost daily source of inspiration for his next projects and joked that, because of this, his to-do list just keeps getting longer.

I can only thank Henning for those words, for his generosity in sharing a little of his story and, of course, for all the work and dedication he put into creating this model.

And the Zeitnehmerhaus 1950 is far from the end of this story. Henning and Frank still have other Nürburgring-related projects in development for the circuit's centenary in 2027.

From what Henning has already hinted at, we can expect some very interesting things to come from this partnership.

The Nürburgring Zeitnehmerhaus 1950 in 1/64 scale, together with the assembly instructions, is available at Carrera4Fun at the link below:

Nürburgring Zeitnehmerhaus 1950 - 1/64 Scale Papercraft - by Henning Möller

If you enjoy papercraft buildings created to display miniature cars and bring racing and automotive dioramas to life, take a look at the related models below.

01 - French Workshop Diorama Papercraft For Slot Cars And Miniatures - by Carrera4Fun

02 - Riverside Auto Works Garage Papercraft In 1/64 Scale - by Papermau

03 - Multi-Level Parking Garage Display Shelf Papercraft In 1/64 Scale - by Marco Antonio Checa Funcke

04 - Old Town Garage Papercraft In 1/64 Scale For Diecast Dioramas - by Papermau

Aos amigos de língua portuguesa: Para não deixar este post excessivamente longo, desta vez publiquei aqui a versão completa em inglês. O texto integral em português, acompanhado de todas as fotos, está disponível no meu blog secundário, The Papermau, no link abaixo:

Nürburgring Zeitnehmerhaus 1950 - Papercraft em Escala 1/64 - por Henning Möller - via Carrera4Fun

Iron Age Farmhouse Papercraft Based On A Real Archaeological Site by Mart Scholte Lubberink

This beautiful and unusual papercraft represents an Iron Age farmhouse that existed more than two thousand years ago in the region that today corresponds to the province of Drenthe, in the Netherlands.

The model was created by Dutch archaeologist Mart Scholte Lubberink for RAAP, a Dutch organization specializing in archaeology and cultural heritage. What makes it particularly interesting is that this is not simply an imaginary ancient building created for a paper model. The papercraft is based directly on archaeological evidence.

The house represented here is known as House Plan 101, and its remains were discovered during archaeological excavations at Borger-Daalkampen. It belongs to the so-called Hijken type and has been dated to approximately 150 BC.

As often happens in the archaeology of prehistoric buildings, the house itself disappeared many centuries ago. What remained in the ground were mainly the traces left by the wooden posts that once supported its structure. The positions of these traces allow archaeologists to determine the size and layout of the building and, using this information together with knowledge gained from other archaeological sites, propose what it probably looked like.

At that time, a building like this was not used only as a residence. People and animals shared the same large structure, although they occupied different areas under the same roof. The walls were made from a wooden framework with woven branches covered with clay, while the large roof was covered with reeds or similar plant material.

The small raised building that accompanies the house also had a specific purpose. It is a spieker, a small structure used to store grain and other agricultural products above ground level, helping to protect them from moisture and animals.

There is also a particularly interesting connection between the model and the archaeological research that inspired it. Mart Scholte Lubberink participated in the excavations at Borger-Daalkampen himself and, years later, transformed that discovery into a paper model that anyone can build at home.

The papercraft includes the large farmhouse, the small spieker, the base, figures and other elements that help give scale and life to the scene. The result is almost a small archaeological diorama, especially interesting for anyone who enjoys historical architecture, ancient history and educational models.

RAAP provides the printable files for free, together with assembly instructions. The recommendation is to print the pieces on paper of approximately 170 g/m².

This is a great example of how papercraft can go beyond a simple hobby: here, a few sheets of paper transform traces discovered in the ground into a small reconstruction of what life on a farm in the Netherlands may have looked like more than two thousand years ago.

Este belo e incomum papercraft representa uma fazenda da Idade do Ferro que existiu há mais de dois mil anos na região que hoje corresponde à província de Drenthe, nos Países Baixos.

O modelo foi criado pelo arqueólogo holandês Mart Scholte Lubberink para a RAAP, uma organização dos Países Baixos especializada em arqueologia e patrimônio cultural. O mais interessante é que não estamos diante de uma construção simplesmente imaginada para um modelo de papel. O papercraft é baseado diretamente em evidências arqueológicas.

A casa representada é conhecida como House Plan 101 e seus vestígios foram encontrados durante escavações realizadas em Borger-Daalkampen. Ela pertence ao chamado tipo Hijken e foi datada de aproximadamente 150 a.C.

Como acontece frequentemente na arqueologia de construções pré-históricas, a casa propriamente dita desapareceu há muitos séculos. O que permaneceu no solo foram principalmente as marcas deixadas pelos postes de madeira que sustentavam sua estrutura. A posição dessas marcas permite aos arqueólogos determinar o tamanho e a disposição do edifício e, a partir dessas informações e do conhecimento adquirido em outros sítios arqueológicos, propor como ele provavelmente se parecia.

Naquela época, uma construção como esta não servia apenas como residência. Pessoas e animais compartilhavam o mesmo grande edifício, embora ocupassem áreas diferentes sob o mesmo teto. As paredes eram feitas com uma estrutura de madeira e galhos entrelaçados revestidos com barro, enquanto o grande telhado era coberto com junco ou material vegetal semelhante.

O pequeno edifício elevado que acompanha a casa também tem uma função específica. Trata-se de um spieker, uma pequena construção utilizada para armazenar grãos e outros produtos agrícolas acima do nível do solo, ajudando a protegê-los da umidade e de animais.

Há ainda uma ligação particularmente interessante entre o modelo e a pesquisa arqueológica que o inspirou. Mart Scholte Lubberink participou das próprias escavações em Borger-Daalkampen e, anos depois, transformou aquela descoberta em um modelo de papel que qualquer pessoa pode construir em casa.

O papercraft inclui a grande casa, o pequeno spieker, a base e personagens e elementos que ajudam a dar escala e vida à cena. O resultado é quase um pequeno diorama arqueológico, especialmente interessante para quem gosta de arquitetura histórica, história antiga e modelos educativos.

A RAAP disponibiliza gratuitamente os arquivos para impressão, juntamente com instruções de montagem. A recomendação é imprimir as peças em papel com aproximadamente 170 g/m².

É um ótimo exemplo de como o papercraft pode ir além de um simples passatempo: aqui, algumas folhas de papel transformam vestígios encontrados no solo em uma pequena reconstrução de como poderia ter sido a vida em uma fazenda nos Países Baixos há mais de dois mil anos.

If you would like to bring this fascinating piece of Iron Age history back to life in paper, you will find the templates and assembly instructions below.

Iron Age Farmhouse Papercraft Based On A Real Archaeological Site - by Mart Scholte Lubberink

If you enjoy bringing the distant past back to life through paper, take a look below at four more archaeological and historical papercrafts inspired by ancient European architecture.

01: A Big Papercraft Collection About Ancient European Architecture - by Secanda

02: The Ancient Oven In Pompeii Paper Model - by Papermau

03: Roman Castrum In Romania - Revised Version by Papermau

04: Roman Watchtower Papercraft With Roman Emperor Figure - by Brother Creative Center

Two Historic Japanese Architectural Papercrafts - Nagayamon Gate And Storehouse - by Kokubunji City

Two beautiful architectural papercrafts are available on the official website of Kokubunji City in Tokyo, Japan. They reproduce the Nagayamon Gate and Storehouse of the Former Honda Family Residence, two preserved historic buildings located at the Otaka-no-Michi Spring Garden and recognized as important cultural properties of the city.

The larger model represents the Nagayamon Gate of the Former Honda Family Residence. A nagayamon is a traditional Japanese gate incorporated into a long building, with rooms on either side of its central passage. This explains why this fascinating structure looks much more like a house than a simple gate.

It was built during the late Edo period for the Honda family, whose members served for generations as nanushi, or village administrators, in old Kokubunji. A document preserved by the family and dated 1848 contains specifications for its construction. Besides being the main entrance to the property, part of the building also contained residential rooms.

The second papercraft represents the Storehouse of the Former Honda Family Residence. Much smaller, the real building is a two-story wooden structure measuring approximately 4.5 by 3.6 meters. An inscription found in the building mentions an original construction date of 1708 and a complete reconstruction in 1900.

Both papercrafts are part of the Home Museum section of Kokubunji City's official website and are associated with the Musashi Kokubunji Temple Remains Museum. The project offers educational activities related to the history, archaeology and cultural heritage of the area.

The Nagayamon Gate is the more elaborate model, featuring many delicate parts and separate files for the building, roof, base and assembly instructions. The small storehouse is considerably simpler and fits on a single sheet. Both models are available in color and black-and-white versions, allowing builders to add their own colors.

I could not find a stated scale or the name of an individual designer, so the safest credit is to the Musashi Kokubunji Temple Remains Museum and Kokubunji City. The creators even suggest building both papercrafts together, recreating in miniature part of this historic site that can still be visited today.

Dois belos papercrafts arquitetônicos estão disponíveis no site oficial da cidade de Kokubunji, em Tóquio, Japão. Os modelos reproduzem o Portão Nagayamon e o Armazém da Antiga Residência da Família Honda, dois edifícios históricos preservados no Jardim das Nascentes de Otaka-no-Michi e reconhecidos como importantes bens culturais da cidade.

O modelo maior representa o Portão Nagayamon da Antiga Residência da Família Honda. Um nagayamon é um tipo tradicional de portão japonês integrado a uma construção alongada, com cômodos dos dois lados da passagem central. Por isso, à primeira vista, este edifício se parece muito mais com uma casa do que com um simples portão.

Ele foi construído no final do período Edo para a família Honda, que durante gerações exerceu a função de nanushi, uma espécie de chefe ou administrador da antiga vila de Kokubunji. Um documento preservado pela família, datado de 1848, contém especificações para sua construção. Além de servir como entrada principal da propriedade, parte do edifício possuía cômodos residenciais, uma característica bastante interessante e incomum.

O segundo papercraft representa o Armazém da Antiga Residência da Família Honda. Bem menor, o edifício real é uma construção de madeira de dois andares, com aproximadamente 4,5 por 3,6 metros. Uma inscrição encontrada em sua estrutura menciona uma construção original em 1708 e uma reconstrução completa em 1900.

Os dois modelos fazem parte da seção Museu em Casa, mantida no site oficial da cidade de Kokubunji e ligada ao Museu das Ruínas do Templo Musashi Kokubunji. A iniciativa oferece atividades educativas relacionadas à história, arqueologia e ao patrimônio cultural da região.

O Portão Nagayamon é o modelo mais elaborado, com várias peças delicadas e arquivos separados para o edifício, telhado, base e instruções. O pequeno armazém é bem mais simples e cabe em uma única folha. Ambos são oferecidos em versões coloridas e em preto e branco, permitindo também uma pintura personalizada.

Não encontrei indicação de escala nem o nome de um designer individual, portanto o crédito mais seguro é para o Museu das Ruínas do Templo Musashi Kokubunji e a cidade de Kokubunji. Uma sugestão especialmente interessante dos próprios responsáveis pelo projeto é montar os dois modelos juntos, recriando em miniatura parte do conjunto histórico que ainda pode ser visitado atualmente.

If you would like to build these two little pieces of Japanese history yourself, the templates in color and black-and-white versions are available at the link below.

Two Historic Japanese Miniature Architectural Papercrafts - by Kokubunji City

And if you enjoy recreating old Japan in miniature, here are four more architectural papercrafts that deserve a place in your collection.

01: A Japanese Family House Papercraft In 1/150 Scale - by Pokara

02: Hand-Drawn Papercraft Models Of Cultural Heritage - by Suita City

03: Ancient Japanese Pit Dwellings In Paper - by Suita City Museum

04: A Lot Of Japanese Architectural Paper Models In 1/150 Scale - by Brother Japan

GTA V Ammu-Nation Gun Shop Papercraft Revisited Test Build Almost Finished

The test build of the new version of the Ammu-Nation Gun Shop is almost complete and, this time, I gathered several photos showing a little more of the whole process, from the separate walls to the finished building standing on its base.

In some of the photos I placed a few 1/64 scale die-cast cars next to the model, including in the first image of this post. This is the classic scale used by many miniatures from Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Majorette, GreenLight, Johnny Lightning, Tomica and many others, and since the first version of this Ammu-Nation, back in 2015, one of my ideas was to create a small setting that could be used with this kind of miniature.

This test build had a very important purpose: to find out if everything I had redesigned on the computer would actually work when transferred to paper. After printing, cutting, folding, gluing and assembling each part, I can say that it does. All the pieces fit together perfectly, the proportions turned out as I expected and I found no structural problems that would require any major changes to the project.

It is particularly fun to see this model finished again because my relationship with GTA V goes back a long way. I have been playing the game practically since its release and have spent many, many hours exploring Los Santos and Blaine County, especially in GTA Online. After so much time, some places on the map become strangely familiar, almost like places in a city we actually know.

Curiously, it has been about a year since I last played GTA Online, but I think that break is coming to an end. October is almost here and anyone who has played GTA Online at this time of year knows that Halloween is one of the best times to return to Los Santos.

For a few weeks, the whole atmosphere of the game changes. UFOs begin appearing in the skies, driverless cars chase players along the roads, killers appear during the night and we can even run into a clone of our own character trying to kill us. There are also ghosts to find, pumpkins scattered around the map, special game modes, strange storms and several other surprises. Los Santos, which is not exactly a peaceful city to begin with, becomes even crazier.

I have always enjoyed the way Rockstar uses Halloween to play with the supernatural side of GTA Online. So, after almost a year away from the game, maybe this is a good excuse to bring my character out of retirement and take another drive around Los Santos. Who knows, perhaps this return will also provide some inspiration for a future papercraft?

Perhaps it is precisely because I am so familiar with the game world that I have always enjoyed turning some of its buildings into paper models. Rather than the big events of GTA V, it is often these ordinary places that catch my attention: a workshop, a garage, a warehouse, a neighborhood store or an Ammu-Nation discovered while driving around the map.

The first version of this Ammu-Nation was created in exactly this way, using images and textures that I captured directly inside GTA V. Eleven years later, it has been very interesting to return to the same building with different resources and rebuild practically all of the graphics, trying to improve the textures and add details without losing the simplicity of the original model.

Now that I know the construction works as it should and, most importantly, that all the pieces fit together perfectly, I can dedicate myself to the next stage: preparing the final templates. I will organize the parts, make the last graphic adjustments and try to make everything as clear and simple as possible for assembly.

I still have a few ideas for small things that I might add to the model before the final version, but for now nothing has been decided. As often happens with my projects, some ideas appear just when I think everything is already finished.

As soon as everything is ready, I will publish the model here on the blog for everyone who wants to build their own Ammu-Nation Gun Shop.

Aos amigos de língua portuguesa: Para não deixar este post excessivamente longo e manter as fotos da montagem intercaladas com o texto, desta vez publiquei aqui a versão completa em inglês. O texto integral em português, acompanhado de todas as fotos, está disponível no meu blog secundário no link abaixo:

GTA V Ammu-Nation Gun Shop Papercraft Revisitada - Montagem de Teste Quase Concluída

If you would like to see how this project started and follow the Ammu-Nation rebuild from the beginning, take a look at the first two posts below.

GTA V - Ammu-Nation Gun Shop Papercraft Remastered - Work In Progress

GTA V Ammu-Nation Gun Shop Papercraft Revisited - First Test Build