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!

Mario papercraft test build #1 !

And so Mario's first test build is a fact! ;o)

My test builds are always quite "quick 'n' dirty", but it's enough to see what it will look like when finished, and which parts prove troublesome and need to be changed.

I'm pretty happy with the basic shape of Mario's body and how it came together, but I do plan on changing some things a bit, most notably the shoes. ;o)

Next on the list to be test built is Mario's head, stay tuned!

Unfolding Mario's head & hat

Just like with the shoes, after having unfolded Mario's head, I'm already thinking of changing it a bit, especially around the cheeks and the upperlip; those shapes just don't look very logical the way they are now.

At first glance, Mario's hat will be okay, I think (although you can't really be sure until after testbuilding it of course ;o)

So now I only have to unfold Mario's hands yet (because they're so similar, I'm only going to test build one of them, though ;o) and then I can actually start test building the parts this weekend!

Stay tuned!

Paper(craft) Mario's body unfold

As you can see, I don't think Paper(craft) Mario will have many parts; the shapes that he's made from are pretty basic. ;o)

I haven't really started test building yet; I think I'll unfold all the separate parts first so I can test build them all in one go.

Mario's body looks okay so far I think, although I might still change the pose of his legs and feet a bit if needed of course. ;o)

Stay tuned!

976-SHOE

While I was unfolding Mario's shoes, I already got the idea to change them, making the soles part of the shoes rather than separate pieces.

For this test build, though, I will keep them like this, so I can see whether or not the pose is okay; if it's not, it would mean I'd have to change the shoes twice... ;o)

Stay tuned!

Paper(craft) Mario phase 2

Next step: unfolding the 3D model to do a test build!

Stay tuned! ;o)

Laboratory 424's paper Mario magnet board!

While I'm in a Mario mood:

The people at Laboratory 424 made a customizable papercraft Super Mario diorama using a D.I.Y. poster magnet board, a bunch of Cubeecrafts, magnets and their imagination:

See how they did it and how to create your own here: link

And it doesn't have to be Mario of course, the possibilities are literally endless!

Have fun crafting! ;o)

Hats off Mario! (well hats on, really...)

I didn't change a whole lot on Mario's hat, other than remove a thin rim around the visor, and the bit with the "M".

I'm not sure about giving the hat a closed bottom, or only a row of glueing tabs to glue it to the head, but a test build later on will undoubtedly reveal which method will work best for this model.

I also changed the texture for Mario's mouth, I think it's another one of those examples that shows that a very simple change can make a lot of difference!

Stay tuned!

Papercraft weight poll results + new poll!

This time, a hundred people voted on what kind of paper they like to use for papercrafting!

I was a bit surprised at how many people use the same, 180-200 gsm paper that I like to use, because usually, people tell me they use something a little thinner. ;o)

100-120 gsm seems to be a good runner up, but lots of people also seem to use regular printer paper, and although photo-/glossy paper may give a nice, shiny finish to your paper models, it doesn't seem to be very widely used amongst the people that voted...

You can still vote on the old polls if you haven't done so already, and if you did, here's a new question for you:

"What do you do with your paper models after making them?"

Don't hesitate to tell us a bit more about your choice in the comments!

Have fun voting!

Mario's head issues

Mario... doesn't really have a neck, so the usual way of attaching the head to the body isn't an option...

Instead, the head will glue directly to his shoulders. The white plane on top of his head will keep it into shape until you glue his trademark Mario hat on.

The white plane will have a hole so you will be able to reach inside; it's a simple but very effective way to make glueing it all together a lot faster and easier. ;o)

I'll also change the mouth texture so he'll have his mouth open like a happy, little paper Mario. ;o)

Stay tuned!

"Classic" Mario look

I really like the simple "classic" Mario colours (well, the real classic colours are red overalls on a blue shirt of course... ;o) as opposed to the new, more realistic denim look.

Still, to make Mario look even more "classic", he really needed to hike up his overalls a little higher, and to pull his sleeves down.

They're small changes, but I think they're worth it!

Stay tuned!

The Mario "Jump"

There's only one classic Mario pose of course, jumping in the air with his fist held high!

But for a papercraft model, he can't be floating in air, so I'll make him stand on the tip of his shoe, with his other one in the air (hence the stand; this time I can't cheat a bit like I did with Majora's Mask's Postman ;o)

I often keep playing with the pose until the 3D model is done, though; on the computer, it's easy to adjust the pose, but once it's unfolded, it will take a lot more time to change it... ;o)

#100: Paper(craft) Mario

Ever since I started making papercraft models from videogames, people have been jokingly asking me:

"When are you gonna
make a Paper Mario?" ;o)

Well, what better one-hundredth model? ;o)

Stay tuned for more updates!

Halloween 2010 WarCraft III Undead Graveyard papercraft release

Happy Halloween!

download Undead Graveyard parts and instructions

...and have fun building!

greetz ninjatoes

Papercraft Warcraft III Undead Graveyard final build

With Halloween only 3 days away, the templates and the final build are done, so now all that's left to do before the release is to make the instructions.

Stay tuned!

Undead Graveyard test builds

After unfolding the seperate parts over the weekend, I already managed to test build them.

I didn't really run into any problems either, so making the templates, final build and instructions shouldn't take too long, and the model should be ready for download in plenty of time for Halloween!

Stay tuned!

Polycounts & collisions

The thing with making a paper model from videogames, is that videogames weren't actually designed to be made into papercraft models. ;o)

Parts that you don't really get to see in the game (like the side of the coffin against the tomb's wall) are often simply not drawn in the 3D model, but of course in a paper model, you'll want to make a whole coffin again! ;o)

Collisions* often occur with character models (especially around the shoulders and hips and/or elbows and knees) but they're no problem in the virtual world of a computer game.

In fact, it usually solves the problem of having to create an often difficult connection between the different parts!

These are things you have to be on the lookout for, though, because in a paper model, parts can't collide of course, and they certainly can't be left floating in thin air like the roof of the tomb!

In order to be able to glue the parts together on the paper model without problems later on, the parts need to be connected properly in the 3D model first.

Often remodelling the parts is actually easier than trying to fix what's already there, but like with so many things, everybody has their own ideas about that of course. ;o)

Stay tuned!

(*intersecting solids/shapes)

Graveyard obelisks & base

Although as you can see in this earlier blogpost, the "mound" for the Undead Graveyard is actually hidden underneath the ground in the game, I really kinda like it, so I will include it in the model as a sort of base.

The four obelisks that surround the tomb are all a bit crooked, but of course I will leave them like that, because that's what makes them fit so well with the theme! ;o)

I did change their base, though, because the old one just didn't look right in a static paper model...

Stay tuned!

Because sometimes you *want* the walls to be not straight!

I think the reason why the Warcraft III Undead Graveyard's looks so "Halloweeny", is because the tomb doesn't have the regular proportions of a building with straight, perpendicular walls and such, but instead looks very stretched out and distorted.

That way, it looks extra big and threatening, as if it were looming over your head as you approach the entrance, just like a haunted mansion in a cartoon...

It's not very difficult to create this effect in a 3D model, but don't treat the 3D software as a pencil!

Instead of drawing each slanted wall polygon by polygon, create a primitive* and simply stretch the walls inwards (I like to use the scaling tool for this, but everybody has their own preference ;o)

This way, once you break down more complex shapes into separate primitives, you can work fast and create any model you want by combining them! ;o)

Stay tuned!

(*primitives are the most basic of shapes, like spheres, cones, cylinders, cubes...)

I see undead people?!

If you're scared of ghosts, the graveyard is probably the last place where you'll want to be on Halloween...

And this particular graveyard is double scary, too, because this one, is for the undead...

"Graveyard" might actually be a big word for just this one tomb, but I've always liked the graphical style of Warcraft III (leave that to Blizzard Entertainment ;o)

And with its scary, distorted walls, pagan obelisks and skulls adorning the entrance, I thought this Undead Graveyard might make a nice papercraft model for this year's Halloween!

Stay tuned!

Advance Wars Green Earth papercraft Tank release

You didn't think I forgot about this one, did you? ;o)

• download Advance Wars Green Earth Tank papercraft unit

Have fun building!

Poll results + new poll !

The old poll is still open to new voters, but with over a hundred votes already, I think we can say that most people can balance papercraft with their other activities pretty well (except for maybe the one or two people that seem to papercraft even in their sleep... ;o)

So here's a new poll for you:
What kind of paper do you use for papercrafting?

Don't hesitate to tell us a bit more about your choice in the comments!

Have fun voting!

Green Earth Tank build

Just like its big brother, the Green Earth Tank doesn't have a rotating turret, but in the game Advance Wars, it's just as versatile to use as the other faction's Tanks! ;o)

Stay tuned for the release!

Copy+pasting in Photoshop

Even though my papercraft Advance Wars models are all drawn by hand, I always like to add part numbers, glueing guides and things like that to the templates in Photoshop.

It also gives me the opportunity to properly rotate and align all the parts, so that I can place them next to each other as much as possible;

In the hand drawn version, I always leave plenty of room between the parts just to be sure, because I often don't know exactly how big the parts will be, and you don't want to have the parts end up overlapping each other of course! ;o)

Another bonus of using a computer program to lay out the final templates properly, is that you don't have to draw symmetrical parts twice: you can simply copy and mirror them, which is a lot faster! ;o)

Black Bird & Green Tank

The semi-glossy black spray paint turned out very nice on the plastic Revell SR-71A "Blackbird" model kit I think!

After that, it was just a matter of painting and glueing on the landing gears and putting on the decals, before giving the model a double coat of clear finish.

It isn't a very difficult model, but personally I think the SR-71 is a very smexy-looking plane...! ;o)

So with that project pretty much done, I also made good progress on my new papercraft Advance Wars Green Earth Tank:

After drawing all the parts with a pencil first and making sure they fit properly, I traced the parts with a black pen, and after that, I coloured the parts with markers so I can scan them to make the templates.

Stay tuned!

Plastic plane & paper tank

Like I said, the "Blackbird" doesn't really have many parts, so after glueing the cockpit and hull parts together, pretty much all that's left are the landing gears.

But as you can see, the black colour of the plastic parts is pretty scruffy looking, so before I glue on those, I will first spray paint the hull a nice, glossy black (using a spray can will give a much better looking effect than using a brush).

Because I already painted the inside of the wheel bays a nice, iron metallic colour (91) and the cockpit windows need to stay transparant of course, I carefully taped up these parts before spray painting the model.

Why the thing isn't finished already?

Well, because I've also been busy with other things. ;o)

That's not paper?!

No, it's not. ;o)

It's a plastic model kit that I've been wanting to make for ages now already (I don't think Revell even makes it anymore... ;o)

It doesn't have too many pieces, though, and not a lot of painting (the thing is called "Blackbird" for a reason) so I'll be back to doing paper models in no time! ;o)

Stay tuned!

Clocktown Postman release: Myth Busted!

Majora's Mask Clocktown Postman: does he really always ring twice?

You can get the parts and instructions for the Postman (leave out the backpack and hat to build the Running Man from Ocarina of Time) and the mailbox from: www.kickme.to/ninjatoes

(in the Zelda section, obviously ;o)

Have fun building!

Laying out a papercraft template

Personally, I like to position the parts so that they are right next to the edges that they connect to (although that isn't always possible of course... ;o)

You can usually get more parts on one page if you don't do that, but I always think it can offer a lot of help to build the model.

Sometimes I want to give a little extra help, though, so I add little arrows or markings to show which glueing tab should connect to which edge.

If you make sure not to mix up any mountain and valley folds, and know which glueing tab goes where, pre-shaping it to glue it to the rest of the model will be much easier. ;o)

In this particular case, because the Postman's clothes are already white, I decided to give the glueing tabs on those parts a light, blueish colour.

That way it's much easier to see which parts are glueing tabs, and which pieces are actually part of the clothes. ;o)

The part numbers do more than tell you how much parts you have left. They're also there to show you the recommended build order.

For a lot of parts, it doesn't really matter, but sometimes it makes things a lot easier if you build them in a specific order, especially if it means you can still reach inside the model. ;o)

Everybody has their own personal preference on how to lay out the part templates of course, and I think you will find out which you like best easy enough just by playing around with it yourself. ;o)

Have fun!

Almost done!

Well, the Postman is pretty much finished.

As you can see, he is actually pretty well balanced, but the mailbox is also pretty much done, so I will release them together later this week, once I'm done with the instructions.

Stay tuned!

Are you a papercraft addict?

Papercraft can be a very time consuming hobby, but exactly *how* time consuming is it for you? Click the link and tell us!

Are you a papercraft addict?

Special delivery!

At first, I wanted to recreate the same "old school" shadow that the Postman (and all the other characters...) have in Majora's Mask, but in paper... it didn't look so good unfortunately... ;o)

So I don't think it will be on the final templates (you can always just cut out a triangle out of some black paper if you want to make your own of course ;o)

Some things that *will* be on the final templates, are Anju's letter to Kafei and Kafei's express mail to Mama: now that there's a mailbox, we also need some letters for the Postman to deliver of course! ;o)

Stay tuned!

Exactly how much mail do the people in Clocktown get every day?!

As you can see, the Clocktown mailbox will be so big, that many of the parts won't even fit on a regular sheet of A4 paper!

The test build of the Postman revealed that he can stand just fine on his own, though, so you won't absolutely have to build the huge mailbox if you don't want to. ;o)

Stay tuned!

The Postman and old young Link

The backpack and the Postman's hat transform the Running Man from Ocarina of Time into the Postman from Majora's Mask.

When I started the test build, I noticed that the parts were turning out much larger than I expected, and indeed I seem to have messed up the scale... ;o)

The Postman is supposed to be larger than young Link, but this really is too much...! ;o) I also started unfolding the mailbox, though, and even with the new, smaller scale, those parts will still be huge...!

Stay tuned!

Ocarina of Time Running Man

As you can see, I made some pretty good progress on the Postman! The head went together very well, and the body shouldn't really a problem either if you take it one step at a time (which you should always do anyway ;o)

Because this is only a test, I didn't bother with both arms, because they are very similar. The same could be said for the legs of course, but I had to build both of them to test the balance of the model.

At this stage, the Running Man from Ocarina of Time is pretty much tested and ready for fixing. To turn him into the Postman from Majora's Mask, I still need to do the Postman's hat and backpack, so stay tuned!

These legs are made for running

And this is what the Postman's legs look like in paper!

If you look closely, you can see some of the markings I made of things to fix. Not too many really, the legs are quite easy to make.

The biggest problem seems to be that I managed to mess up the scale, and right now it looks like the Postman will be *way* too big to be in the same scale as young Link...

Luckily, that will be a very easy fix. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Break a leg?

I always like to unfold the model in a way that is more or less intuitive to assemble (well, in my sometimes warped mind anyway ;o)

For the same reason, I also try to keep parts that are supposed to be glued together, close together on the template, so you can usually easily see which parts belong together.

This will make it much easier for others to build, and it's well worth the not 100% efficient use of the sheets I think. ;o)

Because this will be a test build, besides seeing if everything fits together properly without too much trouble and looks good, it's also a good opportunity to play around with glueing tab placement, fold line colours... stuff like that.

Stay tuned!

The Postman's Hat

While Link never takes off his trademark green cap in Majora's Mask, the Postman doesn't wear his Postman's Hat when he's off-duty.

So while Link's cap is basically fused with his head (maybe that's the reason why Link cuts off the tip to stick his own, green cap through the hole? He simply can't take it off after all those adventures...! ;o) it makes sense that the Postman's Hat is removable.

I think I will leave it that way in the paper model. That way, by not building the backpack and the hat, you can also build the Running Man from Ocarina of Time. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Double jointed...?

Some of the things that you often need to fix when making a papercraft model of a videogame character, are the joints, like in the case of the Postman, the shoulders and the elbows.

In videogames, polygons often simply pass through eachother when the arm bends, but when those polygons will be made out of paper, they can't do that anymore of course.

This usually means you have to remodel these parts a bit, to create a more natural looking elbow and shoulder (well, for as far that's possible on a N64 era videogame character of course ;o)

Stay tuned for more updates!

Sashy sandals

If you're gonna be running runs around town all day delivering mail, you need good shoes of course.

So what the Postman is doing with these sandals, is quite a mystery... ;o)

But he's got them, and I wanted to get rid of the small polygons around the ankles, to prevent unnecessary small parts on the paper model.

Stay tuned for more updates on my papercrafting process!

Postman's hopscotch

Before I unfold a model in Pepakura Designer, I always try to imagine how you would build it afterwards out of paper.

That way, you can already spot a lot of things that simply won't work in paper, but a lot of things are also simply personal preference (there is no set guide of rules for making a paper model the way you want to of course! ;o)

Because Pepakura Designer can only unfold what you feed it, if you want to change anything, you should do so in the 3D model first.

This was one obvious fix on the Postman, for example: although in a virtual game world, it's okay to have his legs dangle underneath his pants like this, in a paper model, they can't be floating in air (on young Link, I actually had to give him boxershorts to have something to attach his legs to... ;o)

There are many more things that need a look at of course, so stay tuned!

Where else is he gonna deliver the mail?

The Postman is famous for being the fastest man in Clocktown, always on schedule delivering the mail, so I felt his running pose would look very nice for his paper model.

But as you can probably imagine, a paper model balancing on one foot like that, is sure to tumble over... A stand is the obvious solution, and what better one for a Postman than a mailbox? ;o) I hope you like it!

Stay tuned!

Still a bit freaky, I guess

After fixing the textures, the Postman looks much better already (his "underwear-look" was actually caused by the messed up clothing texture ;o)

So now I can start looking more closely to the model, to see which parts need fixing before you can make it out of paper, and which parts could simply be done a little easier.

Stay tuned!