Knoest's leg (not the wooden one yet)

If you want to recreate an existing object in a 3D program, you can measure everything and then draw the object line by line using those measurements, but I find it much quicker and easier to just scan it from as many angles as possible, and use those images as reference.

By importing the scans into your 3D program, you can quickly trace the outline to get the basic 2D shape, and then extrude that to create a basic 3D shape.

Then, you can edit it and add the details. The outer side of a LEGO minifig's leg for instance is a little bit angled, and it has several holes in it. Using scans from the other sides, you can work out how big and where exactly those holes are.

The basic leg is pretty simple, although the top hole is a little bit more complicated, because it is intersected by the hole for the axle from the hips.

Of course it will be fun to make all the parts move just like a real LEGO minifig, so it will require a bit of testing to make the axles not too small and not too big, but just the right size. ;o)

And I think I will really recommend using thicker paper this time, because thinner paper might simply tear apart if you try to rotate the leg when it's a very tight fit...

Stay tuned!

Next up: LEGO pirate captain Knoest!

Inspired by other websites like Cut & Paste Sci-Fi, Piro model and PaperBotz, I decided to pick up a project that I've been wanting to do for a long, long time now (yeah I know, just like all my papercraft projects... ;o)

I love papercraft, and I love LEGO, so why not combine the two, and make a big, paper version of the coolest minifig that LEGO ever created!

Kapitein Knoest (called captain Redbeard or captain Roger in English speaking countries) was the leader of the LEGO pirates all through the '90s.

In contrast to the earlier, "merry-go- happy" minifigures that all had the same, non-offensive "standard grin" facial expression, Kapitein Knoest had a rugged red beard, an eyepatch, a wooden leg and a hook for a hand.

No wonder everybody loved him. ;o)

Paper Mario 3D release!

Who says a paper Mario has to be flat? ;o)

Get the parts and instructions to build your own 3D papercraft Mario here:
download

Have fun building!

Never enough room... ;o)

With Mario being my 100th papercraft model, I really needed some extra space to put them all, so I made these new shelves!

I couldn't get back far enough to capture them all in one photo (due to a wall being in my way... ;o) so I copy-pasted several pictures together (in case you were wondering why the shelves were looking so crooked... ;o)

There still isn't enough room for some of my bigger models and my Advance Wars models, though, so they will have to stay where they are I guess. ;o

Here are some more pictures of paper models I built so far:
King of Red Lions
Advance Wars models
Star Trek models
models made by others: picture 1 and picture 2

Well, time to finish Mario so I can make some more! ;o)

Have fun building!

Look who ate a red 'shroom!

This week I was able to build Mario, so hopefully next week I will be able to make the instructions! ;o)

As you can see, I made the final papercraft Mario a bit bigger than the test build, I think this is a nice size for him (about 20 cm).

At first I thought about making a warp pipe as a stand, but it was turning out bigger than I wanted, so I scratched that idea in favor of a simpler stand.

If you happen to have some green construction paper lying around though, you can easily make one tall cylinder and one bigger, flat one to make your own warp pipe of course!

Stay tuned!

New papercraft webpoll: which kind of papercraft builder are you?

I'll be building Mario this week, but in the meantime, I thought of a new webpoll question to bug you with:

Which kind are you?

Which kind of papercraft builder are you? A pastime builder (only builds quick and simple models when they're very bored) A casual builder (finds papercraft fun, just not all the time) A serious builder (always on the lookout for new, interesting models to build after this one) A diehard builder (spends all their time building paper models and preferably only the most complex ones) Current Results

As always, don't hesitate to tell a bit more about your choice in the comments after voting!

On the last poll, 133 papercrafters voted. By far most of them seem to have their paper models displayed on their desk or bookshelf, which is also the main reason why I make my own models. ;o)

A lot of people have also discovered that a paper model makes a nice gift to a friend as something tangible from their favourite videogame/television show/movie/whatever! ;o)

Keep on building! ;o)

Papercraft Mario final stage:

Templates are done! I always use the part numbers as the (recommended) build order, and I try to position the parts on the sheets in such a way that you can (kinda) see how they should be put together.

It may take an extra sheet, but I think it can help a lot when building a new paper model. Some additional arrows and markings offer some extra reference, but now it's time for the final build and full instructions!

Stay tuned!

Alright, one final test build then...

I hadn't shown you Mario's new boots yet: with the soles as part of the shoes themselves and with a small heel they just look a bit nicer I think. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Mario test build done!

As you can see, I've been working on the final part of Mario's test build, his hands.

After trying out several different hands, I also tried out different sizes, because the test build is quite small and I want to make him a bit bigger (about 20 cm).

So now I know everything I wanted to know, and I can change the last few things on the 3D model, unfold the new version, make the templates and build it for real, and make the instructions.

Stay tuned!

Mario papercraft testbuild #2.1

I didn't test build the hands yet, because after how Mario's head turned out like Luigi's, I had some good ideas on how to change it, so I wanted to do that first before I forgot them... (wouldn't be the first time... ;o)

Since it was such a big change, I did a second test build, and I'm much happier with the way it looks now! ;o)

Stay tuned!

Mario papercraft test build #2 ! (or is it Luigi...??)

As you can see, even though it's the same head as in the 3D model, the papercraft version sometimes ends up looking very different than what you see on your computer screen...

Sometimes that's a good thing, but in this case, it's a bad thing, because it makes Mario look like Luigi...! ;o)

I was going to change the head a bit around the cheeks anyway, but I think it will be easier to make a new head rather than trying to fix this one. ;o)

Stay tuned!