Hyrule Warriors Sheik

Happy New Year! Today I'm happy to finally release my Sheik model from Hyrule Warriors on the Wii U! 

As my papercraft and gaming interests change, it's getting a bit harder for me to find Nintendo related projects to work on. But the characters of Hyrule Warriors generally look amazing and present some very interesting opportunities for model making! 

This model stands 45cm tall and consists of 280 pieces! The main shape of the body is not too complicated believe it or not, but there are many extra details that can be time consuming. Not to mention you can spend hours building the perfect face, only to have most of it covered in the end!

If you have ever built any of my other larger 40-50cm crafts then this is fairly similar. Areas of difficulty include the hands, hair braids and face.

Download Here

DeviantArt page: http://fav.me/d9m6afj

Difficulty: 8.5/10

3DS Deku Link

The Majora's Mask remake on the 3DS is brilliant. And with the models now available to work with, I set to making another 3DS based papercraft.

Upon entering Termina, Link is transformed into a deku scrub by the Skull Kid. In this form, he can hop across water, fly with deku flowers and shoot bubbles out of his snout.

This little fellow is better edited and thought out than my experimental 3DS Sheik model. For a start I have abandoned the idea that they need to be similar in size to my N64 models, so he is larger than usual, allowing more detail to be preserved. Ok larger than usual means only 17cm but Deku Link is small compared to most other characters.

Also I've decided to treat this a 'complex' craft and have built mine in the smooth method, where I've ignored most fold lines.

It is a mix of small and large parts. The hair is a bit awkward but most things should not be a problem for experienced builders.

Download Here

Difficulty: 7/10

3DS Sheik

Earlier this year an archive of models ripped from Ocarina of Time 3D on the 3DS was released on the internet. This of course caught my attention for papercraft purposes so today I am releasing my first 3DS model, Sheik.

As an adult in Ocarina of Time, Link receives help from this mysterious member of the Sheikah tribe. Sheik provides information about the state of the world under Ganondorf's rule and teaches Link the numerous warp songs to travel quickly across the land.

Although described as a young man in game, it is later revealed that Sheik is actually Princess Zelda in disguise. This alter-ego of hers has since been used in numerous spin-off titles from Smash Bros. to Hyrule Warriors.

Being a 3DS model it is more complex than the N64 equivalent. So she is not to scale with my other series of models, and stands at 24.5cm tall. Even with the increased level of detail, they modeled the 3DS versions very closely to the originals, so the style is still very angular and suited to be built with the usual score and fold method.

Since it is my first try at these new style of models, this one is slightly experimental. It shouldn't be too hard but there are some delicate bits to build (hair, face) and slotting the 2D strings into the harp is a bit awkward.

Difficulty: 7/10

Download Here!

Twili Midna

Released as a project for Nintendo Papercraft, I thought I could also put it on my own site since it's very relevant to Hyrule Papercraft too! This model has been a long time in the making, well in the papercrafting world that means a couple of months at least! Now 6 years on since Twilight Princess, I don't think this is as big a spoiler anymore!

Midna is Link's main companion during Twilight Princess and for most of the game is seen in her imp form due to the curse placed on her by the power hungry Zant. However once Ganondorf has been defeated the curse is finally broken and she is restored to her true Twili form. You can't blame Link for being surprised when the bossy little imp that's been skulking in his shadow turns out to be the towering ruler of the Twili! And a little easier on the eyes than Zant and his cronies!

This model is the result of a collaboration between me and Squeezycheesecake for Nintendo Papercraft. Throughout the years I've always dreamed of having this as a papercraft. It's been attempted in the past but to no avail. The original model files are easy to find on the internet- but everything is stuck in a T-pose, and the cloak would cause obvious headaches from day one. Thanks to some rigging by Squeezy we got it into a simple pose and set to work simplifying, editing and cleaning textures. Fast forward a bit and now it's finally complete, standing 48-49cm tall with 16 pages.

There's a lot I could talk about on construction but I'll keep it short since there's a lot of info in the notes and on PDO/PDF #1. This is a complex model, so make sure you have some experience and correct materials for crafting. The instructions are pretty detailed but use of the PDO is highly recommended. Finally, we really recommend colouring the back of the cloak a cyan colour to avoid a massive white surface (likewise, the hood and skirt insides benefit from colouring black). Some ideas on how to do this are written in the notes.

Download Here

By Squeezycheesecake and Xenon

Saria

The result of the mini poll was tied, so I ended up going with Saria, who I'd already started building when it was looking like she might win. Don't worry I have PDO files ready for almost all of the characters listed so you can expect to see the others eventually!

Saria is Link's best childhood friend who enjoys playing the ocarina in the Sacred Forest Meadow. Unlike most of the Kokiri she has an air of wisdom and maturity about her and indeed she is later revealed to be the Sage of Forest once Phantom Ganon is defeated. She's also known for teaching Link one of the most catchy tunes in the entire Zelda series!

Now this model has a bit of a history. In February 2010 I was working on her but ran into difficulties because of the size. When I upgraded computers I thought I lost the template, but found her again this year. With improved skills I edited the 3D model into a better form for papercrafting, resulting in the craft you see here. Thank goodness I never released the first version as the editing was pretty shoddy compared to this one.

The size is still an issue, even after enlarging her slightly. Saria is actually a very small character in game (a child after all) so in my scale she is tiny compared to everyone else, at only 16cm. However because of the small size and difficulty, admittedly close to my own limits for size versus detail, I decided to create a bigger 22cm version that you can build instead. Though I'll respect you more if you manage the small one! ;p

Regardless of size, the hands, legs and shorts are quite tricky. Also the side hair strands ought to be built in a certain way to prevent difficulty closing the model, so please check the instructions.

Difficulty: 7.5/10 (16cm)
                  ~6/10? (22cm)

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Red 'Endgame' Link

I wanted to design a model of Link in my own scale, but to make him a bit more unique I decided to make him with some different equipment. Red or Endgame Link as I call this incorporates several late game or obscure items not normally depicted.

So he carries the huge Biggoron's Sword, Silver Gauntlets, Hover Boots, Goron Tunic and Mirror Shield. With these items he will be able to smash through the toughest foes, endure blistering heat, lift boulders and walk in thin air temporarily. Actually as stylish as this configuration is, it's not very practical since he can't defend himself and will be sliding all over the place with those tractionless boots! In fact it's not what you might want to use at the end of the game after all. But y'know let's ignore all that for now!

The model is medium-hard. The legs, arms and most of the items aren't very hard, but there are some small parts and tricky folds and joins around the face, ears and hood. I recommend scoring the lines so it will all fit neatly together.

Note that most of the equipment doesn't have to be attached permanently. You can just rest his feet into the snug Hover Boots, and attach the shield to the sheath using blu-tack/putty or a pin. I'm saying this because it's likely I'll be putting together a pack of scaled interchangeable equipment, and possibly some alternate versions of Link in the future.

Stands ~21.6cm tall, not including the sword.

Difficulty: 7/10

Download Here!

Lucia

At last, Lucia, my third Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn model is finished! Originally she was set for a summer release and I built everything except the hands and sword. However I gradually realised the editing was incomplete; she was far too detailed for her scale, resulting in an ugly build. After some simplification, shortening of the hair, reworking of the face, and a rebuild over December-January she's ready for release.

Lucia acts as an aide and bodyguard to her adoptive sister, Queen Elincia of Crimea. While her brother Geoffrey commands the Royal Knights, she is head of the country's spy and intelligence network. In the events of Radiant Dawn, she is responsible for unearthing the leader of the Crimean rebels. Later she joins Ike and the Laguz to fight against the corrupt Begnion senators.

(Not as useful of a character as my good man Haar, but I really like her design!)

She's a swift and skilled Swordmaster, able to deal out frequent critical hits, however may have trouble with heavier classes who can withstand her strikes. A low defense and average resistance means she should be carefully supported and avoid being caught in heavy combat with classes she can't counter effectively.

This model is of her Swordmaster long hair variant, wielding a Silver Sword. The template is complex but slightly easier than my previous FE models because of a lack of armour layers. Still, parts like the hands, collar and attaching the chest skin could cause difficulty. 18 pages split across 2 PDO files: please use these for references- they're extremely useful (You'd be silly not to if you can run Pepakura Viewer). Part numbers reflect my rough order of building but don't be restricted by them.

Download Here!

Difficulty: 8.25/10

Best built in the smooth method, with a few exceptions mentioned in the instructions. Use of thicker cardstock is essential. Printer paper will not work!

Who knows, eventually you might see some Zelda models here again! :p

Elegy of Emptiness Zora

It's been a while, due to problems in testbuilding, plus I'm working on another big Fire Emblem craft but here is the Elegy of Emptiness Zora! (For lack of a better name)

In Majora's Mask by playing the song, Elegy of Emptiness inside Stone Tower, Link can 'shed a shell' of himself to create a statue of his current form. Described as a souless image, these are used to solve a variety of puzzles later on. Wearing the Zora mask the statue produced is a ghastly white eyed Mikau, the soul from which the mask was derived.

The Zora statue I think is the most creepy (tough competition if you look at the Link one) due to his blank eyes and shouting expression. In the age of N64 graphics and blurry CRT televisions, it was difficult to discern all the detail, and for some reason when I was younger I thought that the neck tattoos were actually a stitched up wound on his throat. :S (though neither sound pleasant!)


This is a harder model than some of my others because of the way the limbs tend to merge into the body. The legs for example are merged down to the knees and again at the feet. So some experience and use of the PDO is recommended.

He stands quite stable at ~22.0cm (not including ~7mm stand) and has quite a lot of detail, especially if you build the fish guitar.

Difficulty: 7/10

Download Here!

Haar

The second of my Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn models, Haar is available for your scrutiny! Being more complex, these take a longer time to edit than N64 content. Hey isn't this called Hyrule Papercraft, like Zelda stuff? Well...yeah but I have a great passion for FE games too! :p




















Haar is a veteran Wyvern rider who has served many nations in Tellius. In the events of Radiant Dawn he joins up with Queen Elincia to halt the Crimean rebels, and later follows Ike in the fight against Begnion, possibly with his own desires to bring down his corrupt former commanders and senators. His trademarks are an eyepatch, perpetual tiredness and a no-nonsense attitude.

As a Dragonmaster he combines high hit points, strength and defence with impressive maneuverability for such a heavy unit. Equipped with axes he can smash through most enemies and withstand heavy combat with ease. His low resistance makes him vulnerable to magic, especially Thunder Mages which do double damage to Wyvern units.

(One of my favourite and most useful characters too!)

This is a hard model, no doubts about it, experience in papercrafting is a must. It is quite tall but has 21 pages and many small parts. Elements of the face and hands are particularly tricky. Use of the PDO is a must to see where parts go. Please look at the Read Me, template info and instructions, though don't be restricted by my order of building, as everyone's method varies.

Download Here!

Difficulty: 8.5/10

Best built in the smooth method, with a few exceptions mentioned in the instructions. Use of thicker cardstock is essential. Printer paper will not work!

He doesn't have as many accessories as Nephenee, but he's still a detailed model that looks great when done. My hat's off to Fire Emblem RD's character designers!

Nephenee

A long term model I built in September-October but needed to edit the template and spend ages re-unfolding. So eventually she is available for release and your scrutiny: Nephenee in her halberdier appearance from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn!

Nephenee is a young girl from the Crimean countryside and in the events of RD, joins up with fellow villager Brom to suppress a local rebellion. After the Crimean rebels against Queen Elincia are defeated, she travels with Ike and the Greil Mercenaries to assist the Laguz Alliance against the Begnion Empire.

As a halberdier, she is a very well balanced unit with good strength, skill, speed and defence. This allows her to perform well in sustained combat due to having few real weaknesses. Though her individual stats will likely be exceeded by those of specialist units later on. Other classes may be better at specific jobs, but she remains a flexible and very useful all-purpose unit throughout the game.

This model is not for beginners! It's the most complex one I've edited yet with 28 pages and quite a few small parts. Use of the PDO file will be a great help as my photos of the first version are slightly out of date. The legs, body and head can be built in any order since they are all self contained pieces, though the part numbering reflects my rough order of building from the bottom up.

When complete she has an awesome amount of detail and will look impressive standing guard with shield and Steel Greatlance in hand.

Difficulty: 8.5/10

Best built in the smooth method, except for a few places mentioned in the instructions.

Download Here!

Master Sword in Pedestal

[Attention, this template is more difficult than it looks due to small parts and some tricky placement. Your best best is to score all lines and consult the PDO where required]

[Addendum: If you want to build this model but are finding it difficult or the instructions inadequate, I suggest looking at the Master Sword included in my Adult Link Equipment Pack. It is a bit easier and still of equivalent size to the small version of this template]

The Master Sword is perhaps Link's most important weapon in his various quests to save Hyrule. In it's Ocarina of Time incarnation, the sword rests in a pedestal inside the Temple of Time, where only a true hero has the ability to remove and wield it. Link uses it as his primary adult weapon and also by placing the sword back in the pedestal, can travel back in time seven years to re-visit (or pre-visit!) areas as a child.



Download Here! (Updated Mediafire link)

I've made two templates, one a hard 13.7cm tall version which matches my standard Zelda scale, and an easier 16.5cm version for those who don't fancy messing around with some small parts.

The sword can indeed be removed and is a full model, though I don't recommend you keep doing it repeatedly as you might damage it.

It's not as easy as it looks and requires some patience with small pieces and accuracy when assembling the internal sheath- otherwise you'll have a wobbly sword that doesn't stand up straight. Hardly the blade of Evil's Bane!

Difficulty:
13.7cm - 5-7/10 depending on experience with small parts, not very beginner friendly!
16.5cm - 5/10 (not personally built but I can only assume it is easier because of the size!)

N64 Zora (v2)

It's late night blogpost time! So before I go to bed, here is a Zora model from Majora's Mask, though the same version also exists in the earlier Ocarina of Time.


The Zora's are an aquatic race in Hyrule and Termina. They are often found living near bodies of water such as Zora's River and the Great Bay. Hyrulean Zoras have strong ties with the royal family and guard the land's water supply at Zora's Fountain. In Termina, they live as fishermen and are famous for their rock band, the Indigo-Gos.

Download Here!

The model is better designed than the Poe Collector but has a few tricky parts. You have to squash the upper arm insides a bit to get them to fit in the shoulder properly, and attaching the legs is a little difficult. The model is unstable when the fins are added so you must weigh the feet down if you want it to stand!

It stands 22.5cm tall and looks great with any Zelda collection, especially if you take the time to double side the fins!

I've recently edited it to make it easier to build and with full instructions!

Difficulty: 6.5/10