Sunday, May 31, 2009

Tron 2.0 Papercraft: Hog Goggles

As if I don't have enough works in progress already with Star Trek and comic book character mask projects, I have started working on some papercraft based on 3D models ripped from Tron 2.0. Tron 2.0 is a 2003 video game which should not to be confused with Tron 2 the movie sequel scheduled to be released in 2011. For those unfamiliar, the story lines of both the original 1982 movie and the video game involve humans who are transported to an electronic realm inside a computer where programs appear as living beings. This papercraft is of goggles worn by "Resource Hogs", typical enemy programs in the video game. Template info is as follows:

Scale: 1:1 (estimated)
Finished Size: roughly 8"(20.3 cm) long
Number of sheets: 1
Number of parts: 5
Difficulty: 1/5
Download:
Here

As with the Star Trek Elite Force papercraft I am doing, I will be starting simple with the Tron 2.0 models and working towards greater complexity. I think the more complex Tron models will be beautiful to behold with their brilliant colors and elaborate patterns. You can get a taste of what I am talking about from the image of the Hog above.
READ MORE - Tron 2.0 Papercraft: Hog Goggles

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Cat Illusion Papercraft

Just to give cat loving papercrafters equal opportunity with robot dog and dragon loving papercrafters, here is a cat illusion papercraft. ^_^ Just like the Super Robot Dog I posted yesterday, if constructed correctly this kitty's eyes and head will appear to follow you around the room as you move. I like to give credit where credit is due, but I was unable to find out who created this one. Perhaps the text at the bottom of the template would provide a clue if I could find someone to translate it for me. A copy of the template can be found at /po/ Archives Papercraft & Origami Database.
READ MORE - Cat Illusion Papercraft

Friday, May 29, 2009

Robot Dog Illusion Papercraft

This robot dog is a new take on the optical illusion dragon papercraft that you may have seen. Illusion papercraft such as this are constructed in such a way that as you move about the room the head and eyes appear to follow you. Entitled "Super Robot: Dog Version", this papercraft was designed by graphic designer Tanarat Ruamwang, Thailand, 2008. Both the template for the robot dog and a blank template to create your own illusion papercraft are available at Ruamwang's blog here.
READ MORE - Robot Dog Illusion Papercraft

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Foamcore Dice Tower

Well, it's not made out of paper, but it's close. At Instructables.com I found instructions on how to build a dice tower and decided to make one for myself. This particular tower is constructed using black foamcore, toothpicks, self-adhesive felt, and some glue. I didn't follow the instructions exactly. For one, I thought it looked nice enough without spray painting the whole thing as the original designer did. Also for quieter use, I applied felt to all the baffles inside the tower and not only to the tray at the bottom. Easy to follow instructions and a short video of the tower in action may be found here.
READ MORE - Foamcore Dice Tower

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Star Trek Papercraft - Borg Cube

As I mentioned in a earlier post, I have started working on some papercraft based on 3D models from the video game Star Trek Voyager Elite Force. Elite Force is based on the characters and settings of the Star Trek: Voyager television show. I am starting out simple and working my way toward more and more complex models. This Borg Cube papercraft is the first to be finished. The special stand with an indentation to hold the cube is my own design. The Cube is the typical starship of the Borg, a race of cybernetic beings whose goal is to "assimilate" all other races they encounter. Template information for the model is as follows:

Scale: approximately 1:53000
Finished Size: 3"(7.6 cm) high including base
Number of sheets: 2
Number of parts: 3
Difficulty: 1/5
Download:
Here

Other Cube Papercraft:
Allspark Cube
Horadric Cube
Lament Configuration
Business Card Cubes
READ MORE - Star Trek Papercraft - Borg Cube

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Marvel Papercraft - Silver Surfer Mask

Comic Book Character Mask Series - Part 4
Here is another Marvel Comics entry in my ongoing comic book mask series. I modeled the Silver Surfer texture for this one after Jack Kirby's artwork on the cover of Fantastic Four #50. Template information for the mask is as follows:

Scales: 1:1 & 1:2 (approximately)
Finished Sizes:
Full Size - 6"(15.2 cm) x 9.75"(24.8 cm) x 1.5"(3.8 cm)
Half Size - 3"(7.6 cm) x 4.9"(12.4 cm) x 0.75"(1.9 cm)
Number of sheets: 3 or 2 depending on size
Number of parts: 14
Difficulty: 3/5
Download:
Here

One thing I did different with this mask compared to previous masks is that I put the texture of the mask on the optional back cover of the mask rather than leaving the back cover blank. That way the back cover of the full size mask is almost large enough to be used as a flat mask by itself.

Previous comic book character masks:
Spider-Man
Carnage
Deadpool
READ MORE - Marvel Papercraft - Silver Surfer Mask

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Harry Potter Papercraft - Golden Snitch

As any Harry Potter fan knows, the Golden Snitch is magical winged orb used in the flying broomstick game of Quidditch. In the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry wins a Quidditch match by catching the Golden Snitch in his mouth. This papercraft version of the Snitch was designed by UK papercrafter Mark Green (a.k.a. paperart) as a gift for his nephew. The template, which includes a display stand, is available here.
READ MORE - Harry Potter Papercraft - Golden Snitch

Monday, May 18, 2009

Star Trek Papercraft - Mini Phaser Rifle

For being Jonathan Sheppard's first attempt at papercraft design, I think he did an excellent job. This 8" (20 cm) long papercraft phaser rifle was modeled after the version of the weapon that appears in the video game Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force and the movie Star Trek: First Contact. A PDF template of the rifle is available from Sheppard's deviantArt page here.

I have been itching to try my hand at creating some papercraft from 3D models ripped from video games and since I do have a copy of Elite Force... be on the lookout for some Star Trek papercraft of my own in coming weeks.
READ MORE - Star Trek Papercraft - Mini Phaser Rifle

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Japanese Telescope Paper Models

These detailed papercraft telescopes were designed and built by staff at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. The models in the front row are radio telescopes. In the second row are infrared and optical telescope models. Templates for each of these along with a couple of satellite templates are available at the NAOJ's ALMA website.

READ MORE - Japanese Telescope Paper Models

Friday, May 15, 2009

Marvel Papercraft - Deadpool Mask

Comic Book Character Mask Series - Part 3
Here is my latest entry in the ongoing comic book character mask series. Deadpool is a Marvel Comics character who is a high tech mercenary implanted with a healing factor extracted from the X-Men's Wolverine. Deadpool has appeared as a character in two recent movies from Marvel Entertainment: X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the straight to video, Hulk Vs. Marvel is also currently offering on their website a free digital comic book titled Deadpool Saga which outlines the history of the character. Template information for the mask is as follows:

Scales: 1:1 & 1:2 (approximately)
Finished Sizes:
Full Size - 6"(15.2 cm) x 9.75"(24.8 cm) x 1.5"(3.8 cm)
Half Size - 3"(7.6 cm) x 4.9"(12.4 cm) x 0.75"(1.9 cm)
Number of sheets: 3 or 2 depending on size
Number of parts: 14
Difficulty: 3/5
Other: templates with both lines and no lines are included in the zip file.
Download: Here

Previous comic book character masks:
Spider-Man
Carnage
READ MORE - Marvel Papercraft - Deadpool Mask

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Doctor Who Papercraft - K9 Robot

The template for this K9 robot dog paper model originally appeared in issue #3 of Doctor Who Adventures Magazine. I built the above K9 from a template scan by UK Doctor Who fan, Sean Huxter. In order to create a cleaner looking finished model, Huxter modified the original magazine template by erasing the dashed fold lines. A JPG image of the modified template is available on Huxter's website here.
READ MORE - Doctor Who Papercraft - K9 Robot

Monday, May 11, 2009

Custom Star Wars Cubee Papertoys

DeviantART user "Cyberdrone" has taken the free blank Cubeecraft template and created a collection of 30 custom Star Wars papercraft toys. As far as I know, each of these is an original creation which has not been posted in the official Cubeecraft gallery. Some of the other characters available but not pictured above include Count Dooku, Ashoka Tano, Kit Fisto, IG-88, Jango Fett, Mace Windu, Darth Nihilus, a Jawa, and a gonk droid. Templates for these and many more can be found here.
READ MORE - Custom Star Wars Cubee Papertoys

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Transformers Papercraft - Allspark Cubes

These are two papercraft versions of the Allspark, the powerful technological object that is capable of giving life to inanimate machines in the 2007 Transformers movie. The template for the cube on the left was created by T. Birge in 2008 and may be found in his Flickr gallery here (be sure to check out his large collection of miniature papercraft Transformers toy boxes while you are there). The template for the cube on the right is my modification of a texture created by Cody2003 at the TFW2005 forum. A download of this template is available on my DeviantArt page here. If you like cubes, these two look nice sitting next to a couple of other cube papercraft I have posted. ;)
READ MORE - Transformers Papercraft - Allspark Cubes

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Iconic Video Game Cube Paper Toys

Recognize these? Each one of these paper toy characters is based on a different cube seen in video games. From left to right, we have the Question Box from Mario games, the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal and finally the Sascha Nein Mind from Psychonauts. These paper toys are the creation of art student Heinze Havinga, Netherlands, 2007 in celebration of the great outcome of his exams that year. The templates for the toys may be downloaded here.
READ MORE - Iconic Video Game Cube Paper Toys

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Marvel Papercraft - Carnage Mask

Comic Book Character Mask Series - Part 2
As I mentioned last week in my Spider-Man mask post, I have decided to attempt a series of comic book character masks based on re-colors of my Kaonashi Mask template. I am considering the Spider-Man mask to be the first in the series. This mask of Spidey's enemy, Carnage, is part two. Carnage, in a nutshell, is a human serial killer who is symbiotically bonded to a malevolent alien entity. Back in the day, Carnage was popular enough to have starred in his own video game, Maximum Carnage. Template information for the mask is as follows:

Template Info
Scales: 1:1 & 1:2 (approximately)
Finished Sizes:
Full Size - 6"(15.2 cm) x 9.75"(24.8 cm) x 1.5"(3.8 cm)
Half Size - 3"(7.6 cm) x 4.9"(12.4 cm) x 0.75"(1.9 cm)
Number of sheets: 3 or 2 depending on size
Number of parts: 14
Difficulty: 3/5
Download: Here

I am not sure how far I will be able to take this mask series as not just any character will look right with the shape of the mask, but I have at least four more characters in mind that I think will work. I also originally thought I would do only Marvel Comics characters, but have since thought of a couple of non-Marvel characters I would like to try as well.

Update 7/23/09
Other comic book character masks are available:
Human Torch
Carnage
Deadpool
Silver Surfer

READ MORE - Marvel Papercraft - Carnage Mask

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Amazing Origami Trilobite

A couple of weeks ago I did a post on a papercraft trilobite. However, I am much more impressed with this origami trilobite designed and folded by Sipho Mabona in 2008. The trilobite was wet folded from a single 24.4" (62 cm) square of paper. The level of detail of the legs on the underside is truly amazing. I don't think I have the time or the patience to attempt one of these myself, but if you would like to try, Mabona has provided a folding template here. Mabona also has done some other incredible origami animals as well which can be seen in his flickr gallery here.
READ MORE - Amazing Origami Trilobite

Friday, May 1, 2009

Cute Monster Papercraft

These fanciful monsters are what UK illustrator Jennifer Bryan calls "Creaturekebabs". On her website, Jennifer offers a unique line of artwork and products based on her Creaturekebab characters. These four papercraft versions of her monsters are available as free downloads. There are no instructions included with the .jpg templates, but hey, figuring out how to build them is half the fun. Send Jennifer a build photo of one of these and you just might win a prize. You can grab the templates at the bottom of the page here.
READ MORE - Cute Monster Papercraft