Petersdom in Rom

As you know, this model is Schreiber's biggest architecture subject. It is possible that it is the best as well! I bought it some years ago, to start building only now. The 60 A4 pages with over 2000 parts, as well as the huge size (114cm...) were certainly a factor for the delay...
I started with the more repetitive work - the square's columns. 288 of the circular cross-section type, to be precise

@ Yu - spectacular, maybe; huge, surely
@ Waltair - I see that you like Schreiber's models! You are not alone ;)There is one in your collection that I have waiting - it is the Escorial. Very pretty, too!
@ Ernst - I bet we agree that having something inside is always a plus in architecture paper models It is interesting (or frightening ) to compare the size of this model with the Ulm cathedral that appears on your third picture...
@ Xeno06 - well, moving on with that part 94 (94,001 to 94,288 so far :D) I choose to put a cylinder of rolled paper inside. Hopefully, it will be easier to glue, latter on...

@ John and Norman - Not just rolling, it is rocking as well A bit of smooth jazz is helpful, too :rotwerd:
@ Friedulin - well, no. I'm not a smoker, I'm not heavy and certainly not a heavy smoker. It doesn't really matter if the cigarettes are small, cheap and holy
The rectangular based columns are 'just' 40. I 'processed' them before completing the circular based ones. The proposed gluing tabs were triangular. As I don't like sharp pointed tabs (you either, John ) I opted for more manageable shapes...

The only problem with the column bases is their number. No, I'm not referring to the '94a'...

The columns tops are very much like the columns bases. Easy, but there are a lot of them...

@ Ernst - glad you like the pictures They will keep coming
The 'inside' has not many parts but the colours are very nice!

The kit is designed in several platforms. The first one has several big parts, reinforced with card.

The main stairs have three levels and each of them is supported by a card grid. I opted not to make the cuts in the tabs at the grid junctions. That is visible on the second picture. Continuous, bended, tabs are always helpful to help keep a line straight.

Decorating the big, flat walls takes up a lot of parts. Let's start with part 24...

@Yu - the bowl is neither Chinese nor Japanese but plainly Portuguese. The green and red colours mean something, here
The wall bases have many parts to give thickness. What I show today is only the first set of parts

Thanks for the comment, modellschiff
The second set of parts has some cases where two columns are bridged. To put the top of the 'bridge' in place, I used the well known shelf method.

Some more columns and the parts for the top of the first level. There is no need to paint the upper edges of these parts because they will be covered.

@ Yu - Putting aside your proverbial sense of humour in what regards your skills, I remember that John has already illustrated the shelf method some time ago. It is both simple and effective: it involves replacing a gluing tab on a part by a bit of card (or something appropriate) previously glued onto the receiving part, forming a shelf above which the tab-less part will lie down. It is very useful in many architecture subjects. Just imagine gluing the floor of an inside yard to the surrounding walls. With tabs all around that part, it would be a nightmare. Putting shelves all around the walls, at the correct level, allows you to remove the tabs, adjust the floor (trimming is sometimes useful, if not necessary) and simply drop it over the shelves. Much easier and less risky!

@ John - You raise a very interesting question, regarding those cuts and the little scissor icon It might be a little confusing to the novice, as you say, but I like the method. Having a cut means that you have to fold a single thickness paper, instead of double. A cleaner fold is much easier to achieve. For the inside corners, a simple cut on the back paper will do the trick. For the outside corners, I made two closely spaced cuts (around half a mm) and removed the narrow strip of paper. That avoids overstretching the outward (painted) face when folding.
So far, Im pleased with just about everything on this model, including the number of parts

Getting back to the construction, the top of the first level is a large set of four parts reinforced with 1mm card. It is surrounded by many slim parts with hundreds of fold lines. Fortunately, those lines are marked in the parts, which was not the case in a similar assembly on Schreibers Hamburger Michel. They usually fit well but, sometimes, trimming is necessary.

That's it, John - the wall with 3 double thickness strips in front: a real bunker!!!
Time to move into the next level. As you see, some card formers are useful to put things in place, waiting for this level's top parts...

You are welcome, Yu
There is not a lot to say about the walls for the upper level. As for the lower one, some card bits are useful to shape the curved sections.

The parts 56 and 57 are the last ones of the second level...

Thanks, Hagen, but I bet your bitts and ventilators are a lot smaller and harder to build than these columns
The top of the second floor is made of 4 big paper parts, reinforced with 1mm card. The railings are double faced, with one face 1mm taller in order to glue on the card.

@ Ernst Thanks for the comment and I can assure you of something: your English is muuuuch better than my German :rotwerd:
@ Royaloakmin well, hopefully youll like todays pictures They depict the various levels between the upper main roof part and moveable dome. There is a lot of card cutting here

The trick is to use as few glue as possible, Wolfgang. It comes out both cleaner and cheaper
Using no glue at all is, perhaps, pushing the theory a bit too far
I use several types of glue, Royaloakmin. UHU, for all of them. Mostly all-purpose (cellulosic) and white, sometimes cianoacrilate and sometimes all-purpose-power or stick, to reinforce large parts on card. I have no particular tool to apply the glue but Im always careful to keep the tubes clean.

There are a lot of small constructions over the terrace. Not too many of each type and varied in shape, they make up some interesting work.

@ Yu - I don't know if you can make a real profit out of this method. You build a lot of models (that's a point in favour ) but I'm unable to spot excess glue on any of them (that's a point against )

@ Jens - nice to here from you I know what you mean, regarding the dormer windows on the Escorial. If I'm not mistaken, the model has a full page crammed with those tiny parts and there are a lot more in other pages as well. In Rome, there are two sets of 'terrible' parts - the columns (I started there) and the statues. They will come latter...