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!

Elegy of Emptiness Goron

In early 2010 I was looking around for obscure content from Majora's Mask and ended up making the now infamous Elegy of Emptiness of Link. The prospect of making a set of all four statues came up and shortly after I made the cute but sad looking Elegy Deku. Later in summer I did the Elegy Zora too (though that one was pretty hard) and had only one model remaining: the Elegy Goron. But interest faded and I never began work on it...until now.

Three years later the Elegy of Emptiness set is finally completed!

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 Goron mask, the statue produced is the Goron Hero Darmani, the soul from which the mask was derived.

This statue makes a large boxy model at ~28cm tall. The feet are small and must be built neatly and weighed down strongly, but from the waist up it becomes much easier with mostly large parts. You must cut out the shape of the scar from the large brown piece (a reference is provided). Take care with closing the head and some important shapes around the face and hands.

Difficulty: 5.5/10

Download Here!

Anju's Grandmother

Goodness me, my first N64 Zelda model for almost a year and a half! I had this template lying around since spring 2012 but with focus on my other more complex projects I just couldn't be bothered to start it. Finally however here's Anju' Grandmother, the forgetful storyteller from Majora's Mask.

Anju's Grandmother is confined to her wheelchair and spends her days in the back room of the Stock Pot Inn in Clock Town. She enjoys telling stories from Termina's history, though they are quite long and end up putting people to sleep! At the very least this can help Link pass large amounts of time in the three day system but if he wants to stay awake he'll need the All-Night Mask. She seems to be losing her memory as she mistakes Link and Anju for Tortus, her deceased son and appears oblivious to the events in Termina. Although reading her diary reveals this senility is likely just a ruse to avoid eating Anju's terrible cooking and be left alone!

As for the model, the chair and most of the body is simple and boxy. Only the small hands and odd shape of the head could be awkward.

Difficulty: 5.75/10

Height is approximately 17cm, including the upper hair strand.

Download Here!

Compared to what I've been building recently, this was very easy for me (I almost gave it a low difficulty score before checking what I've given models in the past!). Yet I was pretty damn rusty at building with the score and fold technique so it's not the neatest model I've ever built!

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)

Download Here!

Poe Collector 2

I've remade the Poe Collector, who was my very first papercraft design though required a lot of improvisation to build. This new version starts from the beginning, with much more extensive editing to make it look better and to improve construction. Arguably it is a bit more difficult due to the specific order of construction and some fiddling around with the inner robes, but it all fits together and ought to need far less manual adjustments/improvisation.

The Poe Collector is a mysterious hooded figure who lives in the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town and pays good money for any Poes that Link brings him, especially for rare specimens. He's a rather strange and unwholesome character, preferring life under Ganondorf's evil reign as it creates ideal conditions for his business!

List of improvements/changes:

• Hood, cowl and eye geometry now fully shaped, no more hanging eye piece or surface contact gluing
• Robes shaped into right-angle for ledge sitting
• Bottom piece added to semi-close the model
• Ocarina of Time textures and better texturing overall
• Inner surfaces for arm gluing added
• Better unfold in general
• Better scaling compared to the other models though not strictly 100% accurate
• Optional crate to sit him on

The template is numbered to help with build order. This is important for the hood and body but less so for the limbs which can be built at any time really. All limbs glue via surface contact in the folds of the robes or behind the tunic- apply glue to the upper faces and hold in place until secure. He will need to be weighed down  in his robe trails at the back to perch safely. Measures ~19cm from top to toe depending on how the legs are glued on.

Difficulty: 5.75/10

Download Here!

[The old Poe Collector with Majora's Mask textures will be left as a showcase but the link will no longer be available.]

Aveil

I'm trying to produce a few more models for this site before summer's up so here's Aveil from Majora's Mask. As I like to say, the more obscure the better!

Aveil is the stern leader of the Gerudo Pirates in Great Bay, who cause mayhem along the Terminian coastline from their base nestled in the northern cliffs. Always on the lookout for new loot to plunder, she becomes obsessed with the Skull Kid's claims of treasure within the Great Bay Temple. In the events of the game, Link must rescue the stolen Zora eggs from their fortress as the hatched baby Zora are the key to accessing the temple. Though Link is more interested in saving the world than looking for non-existent treasure!

In 2009 I was working on the Gerudo Thief model from Ocarina of Time in a cool combat stance. But it proved too problematic to make and I shelved the project. The game essentially uses the same model for Aveil, scaled better (the OoT one was huge compared to Link!) and in a more suitable pose. Lessons learned from the gerudo have helped to improve this model greatly!

This model is medium difficulty with more detail than usual on the face, and some small or narrow parts on the legs and body. The head, hands and feet all glue on to the body by surface contact with marked tabs. This allows some manual adjustments to the pose in case she doesn't stand straight or her hands aren't initially in the right position. Stands around 22.6cm depending how how the hair is glued on.

Difficulty: 6.5/10

Download Here!

Anju

It's been a while since I've worked on a character model, with holidays, other important matters and this project taking up time instead. But I can't neglect this site, so here's a model of Anju!

Anju makes a minor appearance in Ocarina of Time as the "Cucco Lady" in Kakariko village, but receives much more character development in Majora's Mask where she works in Clock Town's Stock Pot Inn. She has a poor memory for reservations, allowing Link to obtain a room key in a case of mistaken identity. Her main role in the game is as part of the long and detailed Kafei-Anju sidequest in which Link must work over all three days to reunite the couple before the moon crashes.

There have been a few versions of Anju released already I believe, all seeming to have her holding an umbrella! Well mine is much more plain haha with, just her in her standing pose at the Stock Pot Inn's desk.

The model is average difficulty, with some small parts on the hands but fairly straightforwards construction elsewhere. The head and hair should be built and closed in a certain order though, so take a look at the instructions. Of course the PDO file with Pepakura Designer/Viewer is a handy resource too! Scaled to everyone else as usual, standing quite tall at about 22.1cm.

Difficulty: 6/10

Download Here!

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!

Rauru

It's been a while since I've done a Zelda character model after being tied up with another more complex non-Zelda craft, so here's the ever wise, serious and slightly mysterious Rauru from Ocarina of Time.

Rauru is the Sage of Light and the first person Link meets after being revealed as the Hero of Time. He explains the events of the last seven years and the effects of Ganondorf's evil reign. Things look bad at first but he starts Link off on his quest to awaken and unite the five other Sages to gain their power to save Hyrule!

This model is easy to medium. The body and arms are large and blocky and should be simple so long as you assemble them in a suitable order. He has no visible legs or hands, which gets rid of a few tricky parts! The head has more detail, and although the parts are moderately big, there's some important folds around the face, moustache and chin which must be done cleanly. Eventually the head glues via surface contact into the inner hood, and the arms attach in the same way underneath the shoulder arches.

Scaled to my other characters as usual and stands ~25cm tall. After some infuriating balance problems with my recent non-Zelda crafts it's a great relief to build something that is completely stable!

Difficulty: 5/10

Download Here!

Mirror Shield

A quick craft made in one evening, as an experiment for my standard scale of Zelda models. I wanted to see what a few items might look like scaled to my character crafts, so here we have the Mirror Shield from Ocarina of Time.

The Mirror Shield is one of the treasures of the Spirit Temple within the Desert Colossus. Its highly polished surface and magical properties allow Link to reflect, or absorb and re-emit the fire and ice beam attacks of Twinrova. Unsurprisingly it reflects sunlight quite well too, which is handy for some puzzles in the temple! Apart from these special abilities, it functions exactly the same as the Hylian Shield, so whether you equip it after the Spirit Temple is simply a matter of preference! I for one think it looks quite striking with the red Goron Tunic. ;)

As for the papercraft it's about ~10.4cm from top to bottom, very easy and should give no real problems. The Handles are optional- leave them out if you want a plain back to the shield. I've included them because who knows...I may eventually make someone to hold it!

Difficulty: 2/10

Download Here!

Toto

Zoras are one of my favourite races in the Zelda series. Elegant, sleek and...oh wait nevermind it's Toto...

Toto is the stout manager of the Indigo-Go's band in Majora's Mask, and travels to Clock Town ahead of the carnival to arrange their upcoming performance. Unfortunately with the Moon about to fall, the event is cancelled at short notice. He can be found at the Milk Bar at night, disappointed over the cancellation, though Link can offer to give him a sound check by playing his instruments on stage. 

As for the model, the body is very easy to build being very blocky. Though the small hands and feet add to the difficulty and stop it from being an easy build overall. He's very unstable unless you balance him on his tail fin or cane. You could try and weigh him down a bit but it might not make that much difference with the small feet.

Difficulty: 5.75/10

Download Here!

Lake Scientist

Time for an update! I haven't worked on anything Zelda related for a while because I had a bigger non-Zelda project that you can have a look at here.

The elderly Lake Scientist was first seen in Ocarina of Time, working in his laboratory perched on the edges of Lake Hylia. He is a researcher, using the lake's water with other chemical compounds to create potent medicines, such as eyedrops for Biggoron. In Majora's Mask, his alter-ego has set up a lab in Great Bay, and studies the marine organisms and climate. He also owns a carefully controlled water tank perfect for hatching Zora eggs!

In the Manga, he appears in one of the short stories and is referred to as Dr. Mizumi, though technically this is not considered to be canon, so I prefer to call him the Lake Scientist instead (as the Manga is less well known).

For the model itself, the body is quite easy because he doesn't have any legs and just a flat base to his robes. The head is more detailed though, especially around the mouth and eyes, so make sure you score the lines to get a neat shape. At many points in the construction you can use holes in the model to secure tabs from the inside, but finally closing the whole thing might be a bit tricky depending on what order you make it in.

Scaled to my other characters as usual, and stands about 17.7cm tall. Sounds small but remember he is very hunched over and actually has a large head.

Difficulty: 6.25/10

Download Here!

The Postman

It's about time I did a proper Zelda character that people are more likely to recognise so here's the Postman from Majora's Mask. Now the timing of this is awkward because Ninjatoes has released his own version, though in a different pose and with props for a diorama. Different versions of the same characters are always welcome, though I recommend you check his version out, as his models are consistently high quality. With some hindsight I can say his template and instructions are better than my Postman, although mine has a PDO file, and a 'true' lineless template.

The Postman is a dilligent worker in Clock Town, obsessively sticking to his schedule, even though it soon conflicts with his urge to flee as the moon threatens to annihilate Termina. Eventually Link can earn the Postman's Hat off him, which allows him to check the mail boxes around the town. His strange attitude and voice sound effects ("Ya!") always made him one of my favourites, plus he's a very good example of how the time system of Majora's Mask really adds depth to the game. Like many characters he had an alter ego in Ocarina of Time, the unbeatable Running Man who you could 'race' as adult Link.

I'd like my next model to be free of problems in testbuilding. This one set me back a few times, but I feel I've fixed the major issues I encountered the first time(s) around. For whatever reason I've built his head three times and his body twice now! (Also his pose, though not complex is tricky to get a decent photo that shows him best.)

Parts of the head and body are quite detailed, but in my scale, he's actually quite tall, with a large head and hands which makes things not as bad as they had potential to be. Still experience is probably needed, and I always stress that Pepakura Viewer helps a lot too!

Stands ~24.0cm which is tall for my standards!

Difficulty: 6.5/10

Download here!

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!

Elegy of Emptiness Deku

This is the second model from the Elegy of Emptiness series. 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. The image created depends on what form Link is in at the time. Wearing the Deku mask the statue produced is a small sad looking Scrub.

Since the Zora and Goron statues appear as Mikau and Darmani (the souls which reside in those masks), it is believed that the Deku mask was derived from the Deku Butler's missing son. This is hinted at during serveral scenes in the game.

Oddly enough, the Deku statue is too light to press floor switches down, so has no real use in the game.



~15.4cm tall without the stand, which adds another ~7mm, though the height will strongly be influenced by how straight the leaves are. It's very top heavy so weighing it down inside the little legs is required else he'll tip over backwards. Fairly large pieces, so nothing too complicated. You must cut the eyes and leaf shapes out yourself.

Difficulty: 4.5/10

Download Here!

As usual thick paper or thin card should be used, plus the PDO file with Pepakura Designer or Viewer (see links section).

Elegy of Emptiness Link

I return from elsewhere with a new craft! Now I've not actually given up, just in the last months I've had a bunch of models which just never made it to the building stage.

Elegy of Emptiness Link is here (though you may wish he wasn't)! 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. The image created depends on what form Link is in at the time. As a Hylian (not wearing a transformation mask) the statue produced is a surreal, rather warped parody of Link. I always found the statues quite disturbing and an obscure piece of the darker world of Termina. (No wonder they used him for that fake haunted game story recently! Granted, I made this before his bizarre popularity spike)



15.7cm tall without the stand, which adds another ~7mm. The large head makes it top heavy so weighing it down inside, or even glueing to the stand is necessary. Other than closing the hood and some important valley folds, it's a simple model.

Difficulty: 4.75/10

Download Here!

As usual thick paper or thin card should be used, plus the PDO file helps a lot!

(Wryly smiling at folks here because of that haunted game stuff. People'll believe anything huh?)

Grog

Obscure Zelda NPCs are one of my favourite categories for ripping. Grog is no exception and after some messing about in the last fortnight he's now available in papercraft form!

Grog is an idle and depressed young man who can be found under a tree in Kakariko village at night. He readily shares his views on people and his parents, all of which are "disgusting" to him, and even suggests that Link is too! His father is Mutoh, the boss of the carpenters and from their dialogue, the two don't seem to get along very well. In Majora's Mask, his alter ego looks after the Cuccos in Romani Ranch and sports a new spiky haircut. (Though this model doesn't include that)



He sits on a box at 16.1cm and has an optional bag for a mini diorama feel. Technically in game he has three bags so you can go nuts and print more if you want.

The model is very average in terms of construction, the only hard parts being the hands, which are very thin and flat near the thumbs. Also there are many important valley folds on the body that should be done cleanly.

Difficulty: 6/10

Download Here!

The tension of the paper at the joints means his pose could vary and be more 'open' than what you see in Pepakura. That said, I still recommend you use thin card/thick paper, otherwise he might be a saggy mess (even more so!).