Tabless Construction

When you think of card stock models, the image that jumps into your mind are the white-colored glue-tabs that stick out from the parts' edges.

Largely, these glue-tabs do not appear on the parts for the rebuilt Krakus. Here is the explanation why.

Cylinder Glue-Tabs

The problem with glue-tabs on cylinders is that they leave an exposed edge:

If instead, you cut out a piece of scrap cardstock and use it as a Detached Glue-Tab, the circumference of the cylinder is smooth. If the cylinder is made from thin (1/10mm) paper, the exposed edge is not very noticeable, so I generally use an attached glue-tab for that case.

Glue-Tabs in Box-Construction

The other main structural element used in Cardstock model construction is the "box" and we usually see tabs here also. But there is a tabless way to build "boxes" that is much easier to build and I think it is stronger as well. I was introduced to this technique by building Roman Detyna's fine Digital Navy ships. Take a look at the following diagram:

The "inside form" method uses an extra part, the "inside form" that is thickened to 1mm. The four walls are glued around the four edges of the inside-form. The corner where the first and fourth walls meet is glued edge-to-edge. The roof is glued onto the top edges of the four walls. This construction is very strong and inherently generates accurate right angles. And to me, there is no doubt that it is easier to cut out, score and glue.

For the above pilothouse, the inside-form is glued at the bottom portion of the "box". In the Krakus re-design, the inside-form is many times used at the top of the box instead.