Star Wars Episode 5 - 74Z Speeder Bike Paper Model

Beautifully detailed paper model of the speeder bike used on the moon of Endor in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back." This specimen is from Noturno Sukhoi's site which features models from the Star Wars universe.

Z74 Speeder Bike

Check out all his projects at: Sukhoi Night: Star Wars Papercraft. Look around: there are other sci fi features and all of them look great.

Educational Earthquake Paper Models

In the wake of today's unusual occurrence of a 5.9 earthquake across the northeast, I thought it might be of interest to children on the East Coast to discover how an earthquake happens. Educators (Hello, Carrie!) may find some great educational tools on the State of California Department of Conservation website. Explore them here: Educational Earthquake Paper Models

Paper Model of Plate Tectonics from Canon

Canon also has an animated model on their website, pictured above. Canon is a great source for many teaching aids, as well as craft projects.

Star Wars Episode 2 - Jango Fett w/ Jet Pack

Seeking models to fuel my Star Wars addiction, I recently found this incredible looking model of Jango Fett from the Episode Two film, "Attack of the Clones." Remember the fight scene on the planet of Kamino between Obi-Wan and Jango? This remarkable model depicts the bounty hunter using his jet pack to rise above his opponent and fire his pistols. It really looks great and is brought to us by the Print, Cut & Paste website. The PDF/PDO template can be downloaded for free.

Jango Fett

Space Shuttle Atlantis Trip

Well, I've returned from my Space Shuttle Trip to Florida. I'd like to say it was spectacular, but we didn't have the best viewing location. I was only able to shoot a few of photos. None of them were very good. But, here are couple anyway. We were on a boat in Port Canaveral in 4 foot swells about 7 miles NNE of Launch Pad 39A.

There are many great sites for quality video and pictures on the net. I'm going to include a few links to sites I've found since my return. There are some fabulous images here; many more can easily be found. Post some of you favorites in the comments. I'd love to see what you come up with.

Video:

360 Degree Video of Shuttle Vertical Assembly Building (VAB)

Pictures:

360 Degree View of Atlantis Flight Deck

Jeffery Ross Photography

The Last Shuttle

My last post included a site that specialized in Shuttle Models from every flight over the last 30 years. I'm planning to do a build in the near future to commemorate STS-135. I'll keep you updated. 

At least I can say that I saw the final space shuttle launch. Congratulations to the crew and all of NASA on a safe and productive journey, and for a successful end to the shuttle era. On to the future!

Space Shuttle Paper Card Models

On Friday, July 8th, at about 11:30 am EST, the final NASA Space Shuttle mission, STS-135, featuring shuttle Atlantis, is scheduled for launch. And I'm gonna be there! I've never been to a launch, so I'm very excited. This will be historic! In searching for information on past flights, I came across this little gem of a website: AXM Paper Space Scale Models: The Site for Space Shuttle Card Modelers.

This highly detailed site contains International Space Station models, international satellites, capsule models from Russia, America, and other countries, and of course, space shuttle models, including reference documents to individual missions. Models include different external tank configurations, crawler transporter and mobile launch pads, and even the 747 jumbo jet carrier shown below.

This site is great for everyone interested the shuttle program, with bits about the crews, histories, mission goals, and payloads from various missions, from test flights from the '70s to present. When I get back, I'm planning to build a model to commemorate my trip. Man, this should be fun! I'll post about the experience when I get back. Have a great Independence Day!

HP Blackbird 002 Paper Model

Hey. Guess what? I finished one. I finished a model. I know. Pretty hard for me to believe, too. It's a pretty simple one. But, alas,I made it harder than it had to be. This model was published as an advertisement on the back of one of my Maximum PC magazines. The paper wasn't the strongest, so I figured gluing it to a piece of card stock would shore it up a bit. Well, this was a rather foolish idea.

As I cut out the parts, each one wanted to curl, leading me place the pieces under a heavy book to flatten them out. This added about a week or so to the build time. Good thing I wasn't in a hurry. Also, I applied the adhesive unevenly, resulting in bubbling on the surface, and unsealed edges. Fixing these, of course, added time to the project as well. But, I persevered and the results are not great, but OK.

Fortunately, you are spared the toil of my past mistakes, thanks to a gracious individual who scanned the page into an Adobe PDF file and submitted it for download on Media Fire. Something I really should have thought of. The link has a different case design than mine. Too late now. Sorry for that. I blame the meds.

The model has three main parts; the body, the base and a removable side. If you're looking for a glossy finish like the magazine edition pictured above, I would try printing the template out on photo paper.

Blade Runner's Police Spinner by Daumier Smith

As a fan of this 1982 film, I've seen models of this flying car vehicle before, but this has to be the best one yet! Highly detailed, free download. Thank you, Mr. Smith!

Police Spinner by Daumier Smith.

And Now for Something Completely Different

Found this little gem of a blog this morning. No models here, but brilliantly crafted paperwork.

People as old as me will remember "back in the day" doing Shadow Portraits; you would set up a light by the side of your face to leave a shadow of your profile onto a piece of paper taped to the wall. Someone would trace the outline of the profile and then it could be cut out, pasted to a background, and framed. A famous example of this are the pair of portraits of President's Washington and Lincoln found in many classrooms.

This artist has taken this technique to the next level.

Visit "Paper Cuts" by Olly Moss for wonderful Profile Portraits of many pop culture icons and well known personalities.

Take a look at these two and I think you'll see what I mean:

Back to Work

Health issues have kept me away. For far too long. Longer than I care to think about. But I'm back at it, determined to make up the time I've missed. Here's what's cookin' on my workbench at the moment.

Click pic to enlarge

You may recognize one of them; I started the Ghost House over 2 years ago. There's also an 'N' scale train that I foolishly started about 3 months ago (more on that some other time). And a quick build HP PC Model from the back of Maximum PC Magazine. So I'm trying to catch up on old projects and finish what I started. I've also had some time to catch up on some Blog browsing. There's a lot more of you out there! Showcasing some great work, too. I'll point you to some of the more interesting projects I've seen lately; some are bound to familiar to you, but to me, they're brand new! So once again I ask you to bear with me. I really do have some neat things I'd like to try. So stay tuned!

Aries IB Lunar Shuttlecraft from 2001: A Space Odessey

This is an incredibly detailed model of the ship used to transport humans to and from the moon in the film. Be sure to inspect other models created by this very talented Japanese designer, Uhu2. I really like the fact that the interior can be exposed. Attention to detail is astounding.

Cylon Raider

Found this fantastic version of Battlestar Galactica's Cylon Raider by NinjaToes. Bravo!

NinjaToes BG Cylon Raider 

Sorry Gang!

I've been sick again. I hope to have new links and photos up during the upcoming weeks. Keep an eye out. And thanks for your patience!

Still Amazing ....

This is another quick post to show just how far this hobby can go. I've always admired this project and wanted to attempt it, but let's face it, my skills aren't there and the time investment would be incredible. Still, I like to come back to this one to see what can really be done, with effort, of course, with paper and a printer. You really should check it out. Click here -> Yamaha Motors Company

Quick Post

Hey Gang, just a quick post for this clever little toy from our friends from the east. It's a miniature, playable Foosball Table. It's bright and colorful. Would be fun to sit on a bar or kitchen table to play with friends. I'd like to take a stab at it, but I'm still finishing my Halloween project. (Been a bit under the weather.) As soon as I'm done though, look for a pretty detailed article on it's construction. 'Til then, keep on building.

Late, Late, Late ....

Sorry, folks, had a recent hospital stay that put me WAY behind in my newest build. I'm working on the Ghost House from Raven's Blight. I'd like to mention that this project is for at least an intermediate skill level. You can see how far I've gotten in the slide show and in the pic below. I documented this one pretty well, and plan to put the pics up during a future post. Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween. I'll be researching some Thanksgiving builds from around the web as well. So, look for that. Sorry again about the delays; I promise to make it up to you guys! Please comment! I'd love to hear what you have to say, as well as any links you may have found. Happy building gang!

Geeky Halloween Masks

These masks really cracked me up. They're from Forbes.com. I had to add them to the Halloween collection. The Gates and Jobs masks were particular favorites. For the haunted geek in all of us! Check 'em out.

Halloween Projects

Sorry I've been lax on my duties lately. Well, All Hallow's Eve. Halloween is upon us, which gives the kids (us) a chance to get all spooky. I've done a little cruising around the internets and came across a few cool builds for Paper Modelers. Check out some of these links. They range in skill level from childish to quite advanced. All of these links are free. A couple are the result of countless hours of work designing and engineering by individuals who do this stuff for the pure fun of it, and expect nothing in return. Let's Trick them with a Treat this Halloween and support these independent producers who keep us so entertained. Stuff to think about as you check out the following links: Happy Halloween, everybody!

Ravens' Blight
Ravensblight has several Haunted Mansion models for free download. Cool looking site. Many models are highly detailed.

FrankenPaper
Five creations of Frankenstein. Also a couple Dracula projects. Kid-friendly non-scary toys, masks and busts.

Chamoo Papercraft - The Nightmare Before Christmas
Three characters from the Tim Burton film "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Jack Skellington is my favorite.

Skeleton's Hand
An unusual model of a skeleton's hand with simple folds. Very creative.

Haunted Dimensions
Creator/designer Ray Keim has developed a beautifully designed site with wonderful detailed models. "Haunted Dimensions" has help and instructions available on the site. He also has pictures and short videos of how he created these projects and the process of 3D Paper Model Creation. It's facinating to learn how much work goes into these models. Many of the files are large (over 5mb downloads). All the author askes for in return is to keep the credit for the models and your promise that you will keep the files free. Please visit this site and support Mr. Keim and his efforts!

Pumpkins & Witches
Yamaha Motor Company? Strange place to find Halloween Papercraft, but here they are: Several paper pumpkins and a cute 3d witch on a broom.

Tabletop Graveyard
Tabletop Graveyard Compilation by Tektonten Papercraft. Pulled from several sites, these various models come together into a creepy scene.

Haunted Mansion Board Game
A paper model version of the Haunted Mansion Board game from Disney. Be prepared to work for your play, though. The model is 59 pages!

Haunted Mansion Mod Pics by Fan
This is a completed project by a fan of the Haunted Mansion Paper Model by Ray Keim. While not a download, the article is interesting and the extra work put in by the fan (foliage, lighting, and more) makes the model that much more realistic. The pictures are beautiful.

Canon's Halloween Papercrafts
Canon's contribution to All Hallows' Eve. Simple, whimisical constructions that are great for children.

If any of you have any other cool or interesting links to downloadable Halloween content please post it in the comments!

Have a really fun and safe Halloween kids.

Latest Build

Sorry, I haven't posted for while. Here's a photo of my latest project. It'll be a gift for a drummer buddy of mine.

Essential Tools

Heres the short list of tools you will need to begin paper model building. These tools are common: most of you will have these items laying about the house.

The one thing you will probably need to purchase is probably your most important:

Get a good cutting mat.
These can be found in any office store, local superstore, even drug stores. They run about $15 bucks for a 11 by 18 inch mat. Do NOT skip this step. You can work on your models on just about any flat stable surface. Make sure this mat is underneath it. This is for your own safety. The cutting mat is designed to be cut and then reseal. So you can cut on it again and again. Its made to prevent sharp cutting blades from skipping across the work surface and cutting your hand. Get one of these. I cannot stress this enough. I will not be responsible for someone trying to cut on a piece cardboard on a shaky coffee table. That's on you. I've warned you; it's the best I can do.

The next items are all common.

1: A sharp knife or cutting blade.

Best choice is a hobby knife. But even one of those disposible breakaway knives are acceptable (and cheap.) Just make sure it's sharp. For the same reasons as I mentioned above with the cutting mat. It's a safety thing. A sharp blade is always safer than a dull one. You can get by with scissors (and they are very handy sometimes) but much if the cutting is detailed and scissors can bend the cardstock while trying to make a cut. But still, it can be done, and you should have a pair in your arsenal anyway.

2: A Straight Edge for Cutting.

A metal edge is best here, but a good plastic one can suffice. You will be making many straight cuts, and having a stable edge to draw your blade next to will ease your work and reduce hand fatigue.

3: Adhesives.

Common white glue is always a good choice. It is also useful to keep one of those glue sticks around as well. Both are cheap, and will come in hand in different ways.

Here's a great link to more tools tips : http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/n/8/n8hfi/card-faq/tips.html#s3.1

Later, I'll discuss some more useful, but not necessary, tools that will make paper construction easier, and more fun.

But, don't wait; go ahead and get started!

Update:

Heres another link to tool tips and advice: http://members.shaw.ca/billjones/PAPER_MACHINES.html

Temporary Setback

Sorry I haven't posted lately, my friends, but I required a brief hospital stay. I'll be home the rest of the week, and have a couple of interesting posts planned, including my latest project and a post on "Tools of the Trade," which I plan to break down into essentials and extras that are just nice to have around to make construction easier. So stay tuned!