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His Tractors Are Made From Paper
Matthew Jefson of Warrenton, Va., displayed paper farm toys at the Gathering of the Green in Davenport, Iowa, in March. Although he now lives in Virginia after retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 2024, Matthew still feels connected to his roots in Iowa. He grew up in Forest City, which is just two hours north of Des Mo
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His Tractors Are Made From Paper
Matthew Jefson of Warrenton, Va., displayed paper farm toys at the Gathering of the Green in Davenport, Iowa, in March. Although he now lives in Virginia after retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 2024, Matthew still feels connected to his roots in Iowa. He grew up in Forest City, which is just two hours north of Des Moines. This was his home until he joined the Air Force.
Matthew began making his model farm toys in 1994. It all started as a dare.
“My wife’s friend said, ‘I bet you can’t build a 3D tractor out of paper.’”
That was all it took to start his hobby. He displayed the first farm toy he made, a Farmall, at the Gathering. That tractor used to have a cab.
“A cat took it off,” he lamented about the structural change he didn’t initiate.
Matthew is skilled in CAD, which helps with his builds.
“I was an engineer in the Air Force, and doing this helped keep my skills sharp.”
He uses standard 8 1/2 by 11-in. paper for his projects. He builds his models step by step.
“I draw patterns, then I have to figure out what it looks like flat. Then I use sales literature, books or some drawings and geometry references to help.”
After these steps, he prints the parts using a basic Epson printer and uses self-healing cutting boards along with an X-ACTO knife to get clean edges. Then he folds and assembles. He calls his art “Jefson Agri-gami,” and it sounds much simpler than it actually is.
Looking at the wide array of models on display, when asked which one was the most challenging, Matthew said, “I wanted to replicate my grandpa’s Fox forage harvester. It was hard to find information to frame and build a pattern. It took me a year and a half.”
Over the years, he’s found that working with paper at 1/32 scale works best. He initially used 1/16 and 1/64, but they didn’t hold up as well.
“I settled on the 1/32; it’s my niche and shows the detail I want. I found it’s structurally better.”
Regarding brands, he says, “I build all colors, although lots are green. I left a third of my collection at home.”
The work is captivating, and it’s hard to believe this architectural art is made from paper. You can enjoy Matthew’s farm toys on display, but they’re not for sale.
“I build for myself,” he says.
His work has been recognized in Toy Farmer magazine and at several conferences.
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