How to Fold, Cut & Assemble a Paperboard Diorama

Assembling a 1:64 Scale Diorama from Paperboard

These 1:64 scale dioramas are printed on high-quality 230gsm hobby-grade cardstock — a rigid, lightweight material that sits somewhere between heavy paper and thin cardboard. It’s strong enough to hold its shape, easy to work with, and when assembled correctly, delivers a clean, realistic finish without glare or unwanted reflections.

Adding any sort of display, scale-friendly scene or full diorama is one of the best ways to bring your model cars to life. And yes — even a flat-packed “paper” diorama can look incredible when built properly.

These 1:64 scale dioramas are printed onto high quality hobby grade 230gsm paper which, according to Google is paper that feels rigid and stiff like cardboard and is generally called heavyweight cardstock, cover stock, or lightweight paperboard. Because 230gsm is dense enough to maintain its shape, it falls into the category of “light cardstock” or “cardboard,” depending on its density.

Not only that, the matte or low-gloss coating ensures the surface does not reflect light so when you take photos or video of your diecast cars in their new display environment, the scenes and buildings behind them look authentic – as the images below demonstrate

Our 230gsm hobby grade cardstock dioramas are a great – and budget friendly way to get started and give your Hot Wheels and other 1:64 diecast cars that background or environment they deserve. Whether you’re building one of our relatively straight forward pit tent and race canopy scenes or a more complex Workshop & Garage diorama display, the right tools and techniques can make the difference between ‘wow – I just made cut and folded that from a flat stack of card’ and ‘meh – that’ll do’

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the full process step-by-step, including the tools and materials you’ll need, how long it takes, and a few tips I’ve picked up along the way to make the process easier and more realistic. Because “Oh yeahhhhh” is a lot more satisfying than “oh… meh.”

If you’re just getting started or looking to level up your builds, this tutorial will give you everything you need to properly cut, fold and assemble a clean, detailed diorama from scratch.

Tools Required

Before you begin building your diorama you will need the following tools & equipment:

*We recommend UHU Brand All Purpose Adhesive. (despite inclusion of glue stick above, this is NOT the type of UHU glue we want to use)

Time Required:

Putting these dioramas together can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours depending on a number of factors, namely – how confident you are at cutting and folding and gluing – and how large the diorama is, with the Revo Garage for example containing a multi level complex workshop, race tent canopies and an external office. But if you are a true enthusiast like I am then trust me, you’ll have so much fun with the process that you won’t even think about the time :)

Step 1: Cutting your Paperboard Diorama

Cut the 230gsm card using a an X-acto blade, sharp hobby knife or a pair of scissors if you are more comfortable using them –

…but as I update this tutorial in 2026, I take that back — DO NOT use scissors. If you want clean folds and sharp edges, you need straight cuts. Scissors make that a lot harder than it should be — and that’s where builds start to look a bit off.

Step 2: Folding your Paperboard Diorama

When folding it is important to lightly score the paper first – we recommend using a nailfile (from nail clippers) or something with a sharp tip that won’t actually cut the paper. If you do choose to use your blade here be very careful not to push too hard or you will cut where you should have folded!

Step 3: Glue it all together

The final step is the adhesive process. This cardstock is low sheen 230gsm paper and as such will not stick with general purpose grade glue simply because there is too much tension on the card trying to unfold itself – which is a good thing because its that kind of firm tension that will ensure your cardstock diorama remains standing firm and strong for as long as you need it to. Use the recommended UHU All Purpose Adhesive glue, Apply it lightly, press firmly and be patient – they are your best weapons for a well made 1:64 scale diorama.

*Remember that you want all your joins to be as square as possible (where applicable) so your building ends up standing up straight and true. If you manage that then your diorama should end up looking like the dioramas in the photos and my Ferrari Race Canopy below

The Greatest Glue & a Video Too

If you have not used the recommended UHU All Purpose Adhesive glue before then boy are you in for a treat! I had personally not used this before and if I ever needed a glue that was super strong and bonded relatively quickly I always turned to superglue – which as you probably knows is horrible to work with, dries too fast and leaves a nasty white residue. UHU is like a  cross between your normal glue and superglue – it sticks anything to anything else, dries relatively quickly (not superglue quickly but will bond within a minutes) and leaves no residue whatsoever – oh and it washes off your skin without any issue.

I know I promised a video but I lied – I just wanted to sound like Dr Suess is all. But seriously, our previous partners at Speed Star no longer have the video tutorial available but I will make sure to upload a more extensive video guide letting you join me as I put one of our larger more premium workshop garage dioramas together – stay tuned and watch this space…. well don’t because that would be super boring.

In the meantime, check out our full range of paperboard diorama displays and start building your own setup.