Papercraft AWDS Megatank WIP

I'm just about ready to build the first Megatank for the instructions!

Most of my papercraft Advance Wars units fit on two sheets, but the Megatanks are so big, that they need 4 pages! ;o)

Stay tuned!

Papercraft Linebeck WIP

I'm still working on the Advance Wars Megatanks, but in the meantime I'll also post some updates on Linebeck.

I think I'll put him in his artwork pose (see here) but I'm still contemplating whether I'll make his hands a little bit more detailed, or whether I'll just leave them as "clumps" like they are in the game...?

Finally, LEGO M:Tron minifig papercraft model release!

The parts and instructions are done, go download them (after watching the video! ;o) from my papercraft webpage here:

• download papercraft M:Tron minifig

Have fun building!

Papercraft Advance Wars Megatank update

As promised, an Advance Wars Megatank update!

I hadn't shown you this picture yet, it's the test build with all the parts I wanted to test (the parts that aren't in the test build are just mirrored versions of the ones that are ;o)

I already fixed everything I wanted to fix and re-drew the parts with a black pen so I can colour and scan them.

Those that played the game, know that the Mega Tanks (like all new units in AW:Dual Strike) all look the same, except for the colours (and the tank drivers for Black Hole).

Stay tuned! ;o)

My next papercraft model

Now that I'm *almost* finished with my papercraft LEGO M:Tron astronaut (and the Advance Wars Megatank, but more on that later...) I can almost start with the next one again!

Well, to be honest I've already started it... ;o) It had been sitting in my "to do"-folder for ages already, like most of my papercraft models before I actually get around to finishing them...

I already revealed that it's a character from The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, but a lot of people have been asking me (and offering suggestions ;o) which one exactly...

I won't tell you flat out which one exactly it is just yet, but I think even like this, most people will recognize it. ;o)

But first, I'll finish the Lego M:Tron astronaut's instructions and the Advance Wars Megatank of course! ;o)

Stay tuned!

New webpoll: cut out all the parts at once or one at a time?

Like it says:

Cut out one part at a time or all at once?

Do you... cut out all the parts at once before you start glueing? cut out only a few parts at once while building? cut out only one part at a time when you need it as you go along? Current Results

Looking at the previous webpoll, I think it's not surprising that most votes went to video game models and cartoon/anime models:

I think a lot of papercrafters are originally gamers, and many of the best ones are heavily influenced by (Japanese) cartoons/anime so it's no surprise they like those too. ;o)

And of course, science fiction has always been a very popular papercraft subject! ;o)

What was a bit surprising (to me at least) is that the collectable/urban paper toys scored so low!

They actually seem to be very popular, but maybe with a different audience. Or maybe it's mostly the paper toys based on video games and cartoons or movies instead of the original ones that are the most popular, and people voted for them in the other categories?

Whatever it is, there are so many of them for a reason of course! ;o)

Have fun building!

Captain Redbeard + M:Tron joining forces...!

Yes yes, I know the M:Trons are supposed to be the good guys... ;o)

You can see the visor doesn't have the "neon-green" glow that the real LEGO version has (since my printer doesn't print in neon ink) and you can see the glueing tabs are showing of course (since the part is transparant ;o) but I really like the effect of the transparant visor!

I still have to make the instructions (I decided not to re-use some of Captain Redbeard's instructions, even though a lot of parts are the same) so the release will still have to wait a while.

Stay tuned!

LEGO minifig papercraft under way!

As you can see, building is going very well; so far I've done the head, the torso, the arms, the hands and the hips. And one leg. ;o)

Stay tuned!

Choosing the visor colours

I'm trying to match the colour of the transparant visor to the real thing as best I can, but even so, the printed version will always be a bit matte of course...

To really get the "neon-green" shine of the real LEGO M:Tron visors and cockpits, you'd need to find some neon-green transparancies and trace the parts outlines onto them instead of printing them.

Because you can't really pre-shape plastic like you can paper to get the tension out of the sheets, you'll need some good glue to keep all the curved parts of the transparant visor glued together, but I think the result will look very nice! ;o)

Stay tuned!

LEGO M:Tron minifig templates

Although at first glance the image above may look almost empty, it's actually full of parts!

The thing is, they're white. ;o)

That's great for your ink cartridge, but sometimes it can be hard to see which parts are actually parts, and which parts or glueing tabs, or even scrap paper, especially on smooth parts where there are no fold lines.

For this reason I decided to make the glueing tabs light grey, so it's easier to see the difference. Unfortunately, you can't do that in Pepakura Designer yet (hint hint, Tama Soft... ;o) so I'm using Photoshop for now. ;o)

Stay tuned!

LEGO M:Tron minifig airtanks test builds

The second, pink version held its shape much better than the first, green version, and for the third, white version, I also changed the neck bracket a bit.

I'm happy with the shape and how it goes together now, so now I can unfold them again for the final version, and then I can finalize the templates!

Stay tuned!

LEGO M:Tron minifig airtanks v.2

On the left the old airtanks, on the right the new ones that will hopefully look better when they're built out of paper! ;o)

This time, I made them out of seperate components, instead of one, big hollow shell.

It takes a lot more planning in the 3D stage and in the end, you'll need a little bit more paper, but if all goes well, it'll be a lot easier to build and will hold its shape much better! ;o)

Stay tuned!

LEGO M:Tron minifig airtanks test build

Oh noes...!

Even with pre-shaping, the cylinders of the airtanks won't hold their shape very well, because right now, it's all just one, big hollow shell...

I think it will be much better if I make them as two seperate cylinders that you then glue together, so I'll have to change that in the 3D model again first.

And while I'm at it, I'll also rework the neck bracket a bit, and I'll try to find a better way of glueing on the bridge between the two airtanks, because that wasn't a big success either the way it is now... ;o)

Stay tuned!

LEGO M:Tron minifig helmet+airtanks WIP

Ta-daa! Here's the 3D LEGO M:Tron minifig with his spacehelmet and airtanks!

I hope I can unfold it this weekend so I can quickly start the test build.

If all goes well, then (since I already know the other parts are okay from Captain Redbeard's build of course! ;o) I'll be able to start making the templates soon already!

Stay tuned!