Lara Croft Tomb Raider Underworld wetsuit

This is it, no more models from me this year. See you in 2010!

• download Tomb Raider Underworld wetsuit Lara

Have fun building! (and careful with the fireworks, you need your fingers for papercrafting!)

No turning back now...

There's no turning back now; now that the date is on the model (you *were* looking at the date on the holster, right...?) I *have* to finish it this year!

It's kinda like a gun...

...but it shoots small spears!

Advance Wars Black Hole Rockets & Missiles

Although in the first Advance Wars, the Black Hole army was just an evil clone of Orange Star's forces, in Advance Wars 2 the units had their own distinctive look.

Most Black Hole units in Advance Wars 2 have kind of a "robot-army" look, and even the simple design of the Rocket and Missile units have something mysterious about them...

Anyway, if you want to build your own (out of paper that is...) then get the parts and instructions to do so from my papercraft webpage:

• Black Hole Rockets
• Black Hole Missiles

Have fun building, and happy holidays to you and your family!

It's that time again...!

...instructions time!

The Black Hole Rocket and Missile units are for a big part exactly the same, so I decided to make both of them at once.

They'll be up after I've made the instructions, so stay tuned!

Hero of Twilight release

Finally finished, the parts and instructions for my papercraft version of the Hero of Twilight:

• download them here

Have fun building!

Teeny-tiny Link by Amanda

While I'm finishing up the instructions for HoL, Amanda (whom you probably know better as "randomzeldafan") just couldn't wait and went ahead and printed the teeny-tiny preview version that I posted earlier.

As you can see, at just the size of a finger, some parts like the boots and arms just proved *too* small to build, and she had to replace the head with a bead, but even with the improvisations she had to make, you can still easily recognize that it's Link!

Must be the green outfit and Master Sword and Hylian Shield... ;o)

It's amazing how Amanda managed to build these tiny parts, but if you'd rather wait for the regular sized version, I should have it ready in a couple of days!

Stay tuned!

And now, for something completely different...!

Yeah, I know...

Don't worry though, I'm making good progress on HoL's final build and instructions, and he'll be ready for release by next weekend.

But I didn't think it would be very interesting to show almost the same pictures as during the test build again, so instead here's a sneak preview of a new side project that I also started.

Stay tuned!

Final build

So, these should be the final templates with all the fixes and finishing touches in Pepakura Designer and Photoshop.

As much as I would love to see a teeny-tiny Hero outfit Link, if you'd rather wait for the regular sized version, it will be released as soon as I'm done making instructions. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Sword and shield

Although usually the Hylian Shield is an upgrade from the Wooden Shield as normally it's much stronger and can't catch on fire, that is not true for the paper version, so don't think about trying it out...

The Master Sword has some small parts obviously, but I think they're worth it. All in all it went together pretty easily, but I think I will make the blade just a bit longer and give it a pointier tip.

Stay tuned!

Now if only I didn't mess up the scale of the legs...

The hardest part of the head were the ears, but with some extra care they look pretty good!

The head, hair and cap went together easily, using the same "slit and tab" method I used on some of my other models.

(but you'll see what I mean when I finish the model and the instructions ;o)

Stay tuned!

Alternatively

Sometimes you can use the paper to your advantage.

In this example, the corner of part B where the shoulder meets the torso is coming loose, because both the glueing tabs from part A and part C are underneath part B.

Because part B has to be curved, there is a lot of tension in it, causing the paper to rip itself loose (it wants to be flat again).

If you switch the glueing tab at the front so that the glueing tab is on part B and underneath part C, it will press against the backside of part C but will have nowhere to go, so it can't rip itself loose anymore.

Alternatively, you can also do a better job glueing the parts together. ;o)

"It's not a skirt...!"

It's just the bottom part of the tunic.
Some people wearing tunics can be a little sensitive about that distinction... ;o)

Stay tuned!

One-legged Link

The pants and the boots went together pretty quickly, and I'm sure
Link's man-skirt will as well. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Boot up!

Because I needed to know the exact height of the model in Pepakura Designer to make it in exactly the same scale as ZaL, I had to unfold the complete model once first (just the cap and the boots would have sufficed, but this was quicker than deleting the other parts first... ;o)

But to properly unfold the parts for the test build and final templates, I always make seperate files for the seperate (body)parts.

That way, it's much easier to see all the nooks and crannies of the 3D model, and you're not so overwhelmed by the work you have to do on one file. ;o)

Stay tuned!

All assembled...

...ready to be disassembled. Time for a test build, I guess...

Stay tuned!

By a hair...

Almost ready to start the unfolding for the test build. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Official Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers blockheads

A small interlude on my Hero outfit Link, because official papercraft models always are a little bit extra special I think! ;o)

They're blockheads of the main characters for the new Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles game Crystal Bearers!

You can find them on the japanese Crystal Chronicles news site.

Although it's a Japanese website, all the pictures are in English, so it's not hard to figure out where you need to click to download the templates:

Layle, Belle and Keiss

Althea, Jegran and Amidatelion

(okay, so those last three are all in the same post... ;o)

I looked through the backposts, but it seems we're still missing Cid and Vygari, so bookmark the site and check back regularly or subscribe to the newsfeed to see if they might get posted in the future! ;o)

Have fun building!

Let's face it

Faces are hard to make out of paper at a small scale, because they have so many small details, much more than any other part of the body...

If the cap fits...

This is a good example of the differences between making a 3D model for a game, and making one for papercraft I think.

The rim of the cap is a little bit wider than the cap itself, which creates a nice effect that I'd like to keep.

In a game, you can just suffice with a hollow shell, but if you would try to make it into a papercraft model like that, you would have to make a very thin strip of paper with a lot of awkward valley folds...

In this case, I think it would be better to close the "rim part" of the cap and make it into a flat, closed disc, so that you can simply glue the cap itself on top of the flat surface.

I often use this method and although it works pretty good in many situations, when making a papercraft model it's up to you to figure out what those situations are. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Evil's Bane

As you can see, I redid the base of the blade in this version of the Master Sword.

This way, it's much closer to the original version in Twilight Princess, but it does require some additional, small folds. The test build will decide whether or not it's worth the extra trouble. ;o)

I also played around a bit with the textures of the sheath, to make the golden decorations look more shiny.

And although I think I succeeded in that, I'll have to decide whether or not it fits the style of the Twilight Princess game, which is actually such a dark game...

Stay tuned!

Crossing swords

As you can see, I simplified the Master Sword quite a lot, although it might still prove pretty difficult to build in the end!

The length looks good, for those who would like to put it in the sheath.

Shee^Hath update

Like the shield, the sheath for the Master Sword had a lot of tiny details that would be too difficult to build in paper form in the scale I intend to.

I re-textured it to fit the (easier) shape I wanted it to have (still need to finetune the texture a bit more I think) but I'm also not quite sure about the hugeness of the sheath; it kinda looks way out of proportion!

Luckily it can easily be re-scaled, the next parts (the head and hair and the Master Sword's guard will be a lot more work than that...

Stay tuned!

It's no trick, here's a treat for you!

Halloween is almost upon us, and here's a treat from me for you:

• Nightmare Before Christmas / Kingdom Hearts Oogie Boogie papercraft model

Have fun building! (and don't eat too much candy!)

"To arms!!"

Another small update, this time it's the arms! (and the neck, but that really needs some extra work yet... ;o)

The "ZaL method" worked out well last time, so I will use the same method on Twilight Link I think (the only difference being an extra part for the chainmail that this model has.

Stay tuned for more!

Shields up!

After working on the character itself for a while already, I decided to do some work on the Hylian Shield now.

The Twilight Princess design looks great, but it's much too detailed for the scale the paper model will be in.

To make it much easier to build, I edited the texture so that all the little ridges and bumps don't have to be seperate parts anymore.

It's not 100% perfect, but I think it will look pretty good on the paper model. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Small update

I was able to find some time again to work on Twilight Link, so here's a small update (can you even see it...? ;o)

How Link's flat stomach makes him look uninteresting...

The latest update on my papercraft TP Link project; I think I managed to retexture the top part of the tunic quite nicely, so that everything doesn't have to be a seperate part (which will make building it much easier at this scale ;o) but I still have to remodel the neck as you can see.

And I'm not quite happy with Link's waist (where the tunic meets his belt). It just looks really flat and uninteresting like this, so I think I will change it, to give the impression that the tunic is kinda "overflowing" the belt, like it should be.

So stay tuned! ;o)

Dresscode: layers

Of course I'm still working on TP hero Link! ;o)

But with making the instructions and video for the Advance Wars Yellow Comet Artillery, not a whole lot since last time.

For the bottom part of the tunic, I want to try to use a similar layered technique as on ZaL. Even though they're a little bit different, it should work nicely as well on TP hero Link I think.

Stay tuned!

Advance Wars Yellow Comet training video

I know, I know; I'm supposed to be working on TP hero Link... ;o)

And I am, but after already starting this Yellow Comet Artillery unit when I was making the instructions for Lulu's Moomba doll, I just had to finish it first:

• download parts and instructions for the Yellow Comet Artillery

Have fun building!

Star Trek U.S.S. Defiant NX-74205

Although this is a picture of my original hand drawn version of the U.S.S. Defiant, this post is actually about a retexture done by a certain person calling himself Bones McCoy.

A couple of years back, Bill Perry already did a redraw on my Defiant model, and now Bones has taken that version and edited the textures again!

I'm afraid I don't have a finished picture of it for you (hence the old one ;o) but here's the link if you want to check it out:

• U.S.S. Defiant + redraw by Bill Perry + retexture by Bones McCoy

Have fun building!

Don't ask me what it is about Link's legs...?

Progress is slow as usual during the week, but there is progress!

And because many female papercrafters have told me there's "just something about Link's legs" (don't ask me what though... ;o) I felt obligated to show it. ;o)

Twilight Princess hero boots

In the 3D editing stage, it doesn't really matter which part you do first (in reality, I just jump back and forth whenever a particular part is getting frustrating to work on ;o)

When building the final papercraft model though, it's best to start with the feet and legs first so you can work out the balance in as early a stage as possible.

So I guess I'm just used to working from the bottom up. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Sometimes simpler is better

You know, with all the possible poses I've been thinking about for hero Link, I guess sometimes simpler is better. ;o)

Stay tuned!

It's not a lion!! >:3

If you didn't know about my lame sense of humor yet, you do now. ;o)

But don't let that stop you from downloading and building Lulu's Moomba doll:

• download the parts + instructions

Have fun building!

Probably not what you think

It's (probably) not what you think... ;o)

As you can see, I finished my build of the Moomba doll, so once the instructions are done (hopefully tomorrow) I can release it on my website.

Stay tuned!

Who needs a head anyway?

Of course I did find *some* time to work on the Moomba doll during work, and because it's quite a simple model to build, it's already half finished. ;o)

With only the head left to build, I should be able to make the instructions and get it ready for release this weekend.

Stay tuned!

Basic tools and techniques

I usually start my instructions with the basic tools you need to build a papercraft model. And that's really not a whole lot!

All you really need, are the parts, a sharp knife and glue, and if you don't want to ruin your desktop, a rubber cutting mat.

Besides these basic tools, you can really use anything you happen to have handy: I often use a toothpick for those hard to reach places (or to pre-shape small fingers ;o)

Because toothpicks are quite small though, I also sometimes use a thin metal rod, which is a bit longer (and stronger... ;o)

I always print the parts on 200 gsm paper, which is about 2.5 times as thick as regular paper. Other people use 160 gsm, or 120 gsm paper though, or just plain printer paper. And some people even use different thicknesses for different parts on the same model!

The knife I use is an X-Acto knife with a #11 blade, but really any (hobby)knife will do, as long as it's very sharp! ;o)

The glue I use is called "Tesa hobbyglue", but they don't seem to sell it in a lot of other countries. But they're bound to sell other hobbyglues suited for papercraft!

Like I said, these are just the tools that work for me and you will figure out your own preferences soon enough after building a few models. Yamaha has some very nice video tutorials explaining several basic papercraft techniques, so be sure to check it out!

Have fun building!

Déjà vu?

Déjà vu? Or can you spot the differences? ;o)

Finished test build is finished

Here's the other half of the Moomba's test build. ;o)

Of course I finished it at the same scale, so I wouldn't have to do the first part all over again; besides the scale, I will change the way the neck attaches to the body, and some other small things, and then I can re-unfold the (hopefully) final version!

Stay tuned!

"Small doll is small"

So far so good, the idea to stick the legs through the hips and paws works out well, and the "smooth build" body is a nice contrast with the "edgy" paws and tail.

The only thing is, that I think it needs to be a bit bigger; my test build is will only be about 14 cm tall (including the spiked hair) and now that it's being assembled it just looks so... small. ;o)

Let's see if it works this way...

I was finally able to do some work again on Lulu's Moomba doll, as you can see I've unfolded it for the test build.

I already tried to find a nice lay-out for the parts (I always like to keep the parts together the way they should go together as much as possible) but it might change a bit when I have to fit them on seperate sheets... ;o)

I'm also testing the colour of the fold lines, but not on the body yet, because I don't know if I'll make the body a smooth build or a polygonal build yet, or something in between.

That's what the test build is for of course (and to see if it's not too difficult to build this way of course... ;o)

Stay tuned!

Stella's Tomb Raider weblog feature

I'm a big Tomb Raider fan. (surprise surprise...)

Anyone who is too, will probably know Stella's Definitive Tomb Raider Site.

It's famous for its detailed walkthroughs of all the Tomb Raider games and for many gamers, it's the place to go to for tips and tricks or general tech help if they're stuck on one of Lara's adventures.

It's been one of my favourite Tomb Raider sites for many years now as well. I visit it often for detailed ingame info on particular events during Lara's adventures, and for savegames if I just want to replay a particular part of one of the games, rather than start from the beginning.

So I was pretty psyched when it turned out that Stella in turn liked my own little website as well, especially the Tomb Raider section of course. ;o)

Thinking that other Tomb Raiders might like my Tomb Raider models as well, she asked me if I could write a little piece about it for on her weblog to introduce her readers to the world of (Tomb Raider) papercraft as well.

After much negotiation (well, in reality I immediately said yes... ;o) here it is:

• Tomb Raider papercraft on Stella's Tomb Raider weblog

Have fun reading!

Legs like a stickman...

Although the 3D models for these dolls are already a lot less complex than the main character of course, I still like to simplify them a bit further to (hopefully ;o) make them even more fun to build. That's just personal preference I guess.

And then there are the things that I think will really make it a better construction, I think. It's probably immediately apparant on this particular doll, that its arms, legs and tail look pretty fragile.

But because of the way the doll is built (the legs are basically pieces of strings between the body and the paws, and don't really "grow" out of the body and paws) I think it would look pretty good if you'd emphasize that and use it to your advantage.

By making a hole in the paws and body, you can push the "legs" into the paws and probably get a stronger joint as well, instead of just glueing them on top of the paws with the little surface/contact area there is, or using "hard-to-reach-inside" valley folds.

With good glue and some patience, the other methods would probably work as well, but it's something I'd like to try out and like I said, this one is perfect for it. ;o)

Down Under Doll

It's a tough choice, because all the dolls look like they will be a lot of fun to make, but since I'll have to make them one at a time, I think I'll start with the Moomba.

"They're papercraft dolls, not models!"

While searching around in my "ideas" folder, I came across these guys. I want to make the whole set of course, but rather not all at once.

When I decide which one will be first, I'll let you know. ;o)

Ninjatoes?

People sometimes ask me how I got the nickname "ninjatoes", but the story is not very exciting I'm afraid.

The truth is, I just made up a crazy word that I thought people would easily remember! ;o)

Tomb Raider 1-3 T-Rexes

I finally figured out why Tomb Raiders 1 through 3 are still the bests in the series: they have T-Rexes!

And now you can make your own:

• download Tomb Raider 1-3 T-Rexes

Have fun building!

Giant Alice in Barcelona

A couple of weeks ago, Victor Abad from Barcelona sent me a couple of "work in progress" pictures of a giant cardboard Alice based on my American McGee's Alice templates that he and his friends were making as part of the street decorations for the Festa Major de Gràcia.

The festival should be well underway by now (August 15-21) and now that it's finished, you can see they gave Alice the more classic look from Alice in Wonderland.

This way, she fits better with the lots and lots of other decorations the people from Carrer de Bruniquer made for the festival: slideshow

Like I said, the festival should still be underway, so if you happen to be in the neigbourhood... ;o)

...and now it's brown.

I have been thinking about possible poses for Twilight Princess Link, but I always do that for possible future projects, and I haven't started working on him yet.

In fact, I have been making some simple display stands for my green papercraft. ;o)

Hunchback Link?

While I was working on another project, my Oni Link caught my eye.

I kinda like the pose he has, I think it could really work on TP Link too; although like this, I would lower the arms a little, and maybe make the stance not *that* wide... ;o)

And make him lean forward a bit less (so he looks less like a hunchback... ;o)

And the Master Sword kinda looks a bit big like this, but overall, it's a nice tense pose that would capture the warrior Link quite nicely!

My newest model...

...is green.