Time for some real papercrafting!

Although it takes up a lot of time, it's a lot of fun to make Kapitein Knoest's 3D model in SketchUp! ;o)

But still, I also like to do some actual papercrafting of course!

So when I didn't feel like sitting behind a computer screen again, I started a new Advance Wars unit by hand: the Orange Star Fighter (obviously based on an super deformed McDonell Douglas F-15 Eagle, like many if not all Advance Wars units are based on real-life counterparts ;o)

I don't know when I'll release it (before or after Kapitein Knoest), but here's just so you know I'm not just making SketchUp models now... ;o)

Pirate captains need broad shoulders

Kapitein Knoest's epaulettes (that's the brown, ornamental shoulder piece that goes around his neck) has some very small details, that at first looked to be very difficult to make out of paper...

But I think that by just simplifying the ornamental sides a little bit, and exaggerating the rings on top a bit, one of Knoest's key features (the LEGO Pirates line was the first theme to introduce the epaulettes part after all! ;o) will look great in paper too!

Stay tuned!

Captain Hook

Knoest's normal hand wasn't very difficult (basically just a C-shape with one corner cut off) but it took a little longer before I got the hook right... ;o)

I'm pretty satisfied with it now, though, and I think it will be fun to build out of paper like this!

Stay tuned!

Now, was that really so difficult?? ;o)

It took me a few tries before I was satisfied with the basic shapes, angles and proportions of the arm, but this one is good to be test built I think. ;o)

The inside of the upperarm is flat now, just like the real LEGO minifig arms, and you can also see the simple "pin" that will connect the arm to the torso so it can still rotate.

When you look at it now, one wonders why it was so much work?? ;o)

Stay tuned!

New papercraft webpoll: what got you started papercrafting?

Like it says: what got you started on papercraft? ;o)

What got you started?

How did you get into papercrafting? I read about it in a magazine. A friend told me about it. I read about it on an online forum. I found out about it by accident when looking for something completely different. Current Results

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

Concerning the last poll, I think the results speak for themselves! ;o)

With 187 votes, a lot of people like papercraft as a new hobby, but very big and time consuming models are only for the really diehard builders. ;o)

But that's very understandable, I think; most people seem to get drawn into papercraft by making paper models of their favourite game/TV/movie series and so on, so with all their other hobbies, they simply don't have the time to be papercrafting all their spare time! ;o)

Keep on building!

arming Kapitein Knoest

The arms of a LEGO minifig are pretty difficult to model, because of all the curved surfaces that need to be joined together at different angles and the connection to the torso...

I always like to break more complex shapes down into primitives (especially when I'm going to make a paper model out of it ;o) and then edit those into the more exact shapes of the arms.

That way, you can see how all the different curves interconnect, making it easier to "see" how you can make them into one, smooth arm-shape.

But still, this is going to be a difficult piece to model, so I'll probably need a few tries before I get an arm that is satisfactory... ;o)

Stay tuned!

Clothes make the pirate

Kapitein Knoest is from before LEGO started to print the backside of torsos too, so there's only the front of the torso to texturize. ;o)

Creating a texture is actually very simple: a texture is nothing more than a 2D image that gets pasted onto the 3D model, so you can use any image editor you like to create one.

When re-creating an existing object, just like with the 3D model, you can scan the original, and use it as an underlying layer so you have a good guide to create all the shapes you need for Knoest's shirt.

After saving the image, you can load it into the 3D program, and apply it as a texture.

SketchUp has the Paint Bucket tool for this, which works very simple, but you usually have to position and scale it a bit to make it fit the 3D model properly (using the context menu after right-clicking on the texture).

I've always thought Knoest's shirt looks rather smart on him, doesn't it? ;o)

Stay tuned!

LEGO minifigs put their pants on two legs at a time

The basic shape of a LEGO minifig's torso is very simple, with 4 "ribs" inside which fit around the pins of the hips, a hole on each side to connect the arms, and a simple cylinder on top as the neck.

Now that I've come this far, I think before I start working on the rest, I will make the texture for Knoest's shirt first; it'll be a nice break from SketchUp. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Swivel me timbers!

Like everything LEGO, minifigs can be taken apart into separate pieces, and when put together, all these parts can move separately so you can put your minifig into different positions.

To be able to move and take apart all the pieces of my papercraft Knoest the same way, the paper parts will have pins too, like the LEGO parts.

When you build a paper model in real life though, the measurements aren't as exact as in the 3D model of course, so it's important to make the pins a little bit smaller than the holes themselves.

That way, there's some room for imperfections during the build, but the holes shouldn't be too big either of course, because the friction of the pins will have to keep the parts together. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Knoest's other leg (yes, the wooden one)

For pretty much any other LEGO minifig, I could have just mirrored one leg in Photoshop when making the final templates, but not for Kapitein Knoest: he also has a wooden leg. ;o)

The wooden leg has a lot of round parts, and normally, if you were just making a 3D model, you could just trace half the outline and then instead of extruding it, rotate it along the vertical axle (SketchUp has the "Follow me" tool for this) and you would have a perfect round, wooden leg.

But this way, it would just be a hollow shell, and if you look closely at the wooden leg, I think you can see how it makes much more sense to break it up in seperate parts, that are stacked on top of each other.

So even at this early stage, you already have to imagine how you will build the final paper model, because the 3D parts can't be changed anymore of course after unfolding them in a much later stage...! ;o)

Stay tuned!