and yes, the files are in “Letter Format” which is 8.5 X11 Sheets of CARDSTOCK paper. The only issue i can see with that are the overseas members because they have an “A4 Format” for their printers.
I may be misinformed about that, being that its another vague bit of information I pulled from Pepakura modelers.
Awesome!
You have a lot of free time on your hands =]
Quick explanation why you’ll see certain things one way, and done differently on another. I’m making two Proton Packs using my method. Originally the plan was to have my girlfriend build her own alongside me, so I could even better illustrate how simple Pepakura as a medium is easy to learn, and how accessible I made these for someone to build, but I was too anxious to get these files out to you. Not that I made any deadlines, but I know around Halloween there’s more traffic…
Anyway, sorry the first post is picking up sort of in the middle of a piece, when two of the easiest pieces are already finished.
I keep saying IONARM and PPDBOX2. I arranged these by their part name, and when I refer to the part…I’ll call it by it’s file name. Anyway, open up and print ION ARM and PPDBOX2 on CARDSTOCK. You’ll notice they’re all block shapes with no special detail. Just Perforate their tabs, fold the tabs under, Aluminum Air Conditioning Duct Tape them, and assemble with superglue. Don’t get the tape on the tabs, because they wont fold properly, which, I may have made this mistake on purpose in this update so i can illustrate how to fix it if you do. Dont worry about Resin yet, I’m going to complete the top half of the pack before I get into that.
Perforating, BEFORE you add tape is ESSENTIAL because it helps you refold the piece after tape is applied. I will have better pictures of this on the next pack component.
So for today’s physical update:
I’ll be working with this mess from the ADD TL:DR short version of making a Pepakura prop.?
It’s from the file called PPDBOX1
The first thing you should notice, is there’s a piece with out tape applied. I didnt apply it to that piece, because it’s a “tube” shaped piece and i wanted it to bend properly so, when assembled and resined, it’s the female end for a Booster Tube. The second should be the tab error in the top left where that tapeless piece attaches.
AND USING THESE TOOLS
Sharp objects are redundant, but helpful. The Magic Skewer agrees.
NOW TO THE ASSEMBLY!
To get this picture, I went through THREE CAMERAS because I wanted the ABSOLUTE BEST SHOT of everything im trying to tell you. Those little triangles, dont be discouraged by the amount and size, illustrate what you need to be mindful of when you pep. You need to glue those, and match the numbers to them on a piece that has those numbers. The other thing in this picture, is if you look at the top and left, you see a dark line. This is where what should be my dead ball point pen perforated the lines, but it decided to kick itself back to life briefly. There is no tape on them, and they fold easily. The Magic Skewer is showing you what kind of tab that is perfectly ok to send to “Tab Heaven” if you believe things like that have a place like that to go when they die.
Mine just go to the vacuum cleaner. See how thin that tab is? It’s gotta meet it’s maker or the hoover.
That handsome thumb is showing you exactly what you need to do. I KNOW gluing tabs isnt rocket science, but the #1 tab was matched to the #1 face and glued on the tab and held to back of the #1 face. You also see my tabs perforated and anxiously awaiting to meet their mates. ALSO, tab/face #1 in this picture was held flat, but because I perforated ahead of time, and minded where I applied the tape, they folded perfectly like they were supposed to.
This shows you where I put a sliver of masking tape to hold them together. It’s not necessary, but helpful. I’ll show you later in this build where it is. Masking tape, is your friend.
Now we’ll be putting together that complicated curve on the left of the PPDBOX1. This part of it is cake. Just be very careful to match the numbers up properly, and if you perforated your fold lines like I told you to, it should curve, and take that sharp bend at the top.
The Magic Skewer and his mirror friends are showing you where I’m going to dump a few drops of superglue to make that attachment there better. I’m not comfortable with it being so thin a piece, and not having a lot keeping it together.
Look at THAT JERK just laugh at me. Sitting there, so small of a piece, so difficult to glue and maybe he wont hold together. I’ll show him! AFTER** I showed it who’s boss and glued it together**, I assembled the rest of that side. I didnt even bat an eye to those two tabs that it was holding on with a thread taunting me, I RIPPED THOSE BUTTHEADS RIGHT OFF.
This shows that side attached to the bottom of that curved piece, and The Magic Skewer (fondly referred to in the future as “TMS”) is showing you where an obvious gap is formed because of an error in the unfolding. There are a few of these floating around in this project, and I want to address how to fix them before someone barreling through with out looking where they’re going gets stuck and gums up the works. To fix this particular one, I took some small cuts of that Aluminum Air Conditioning Duct Tape, and taped over that edge/fold/corner/curve on the inside of the part until I was satisfied it was sealed.
After I did all the steps above for the “square” shaped pieces, this is where we’re at. so take a moment to breathe and take it all in.
Now, TO FIX MY BOO BOO
Here is the part in question, where I made two mistakes you will probably make at some point. It’s an honest mistake, and it just says you need to slow down and take your time. First was, I didnt cut my tabs. Second, I applied tape over that mistake. That meant i had to do the following;
TMS is pointing at the tabs covered in tape from the back. i have to remove the tape carefully.** If you make this mistake, DO NOT cut the tabs then remove the tape just cut the tabs and fold it as best as you absolutely possibly can. if you HAVENT you can salvage it, but it’s nerve wracking**
TMS is showing you where I CAREFULLY removed the tape with a guestimation of where the fold of the tab is. The tape will pull up some paper, so you have to be EXTRA careful at this part, because when you cut the tab, you may rip off more than just a single tab, and a tear in a pep is a fix, though simple, a fix you dont want to waste time and materials on. I just continued until i had all the tape taken off the tabs, and flipped it over to cut them CAREFULLY.
ANYWAY. BECAUSE I TOOK THE TAPE OFF THE BACK IT WAS THIN HERE. so I couldnt just hack these tabs out. I needed to hold my breath while I did it, so I didnt shake and cut more off than i needed. That’s a good thing to remember, very very fine detail work, hold your breath, it was a tip I learned from a professional miniature painter when I was younger and it’s never failed me.
TMS is showing you where I purposely didnt cut until that piece’s tabs were cut, lines were perforated and folded. Had I cut that piece there, it would have been weak and fallen off when I was perforating it. When I was finished perforating I cut that piece. ** DO NOT PUT ALUMINUM AIR CONDITIONING DUCTTAPE ON THIS PIECE. **
This shows that whole goofy piece together. The best way to do this, is to put it together, and as you put it together, you tape the bottom to the sides. Then super glue ON THE INSIDE. Later on in this build I plan on hacking the bottom off anyway, its really there so the Booster Tube can rest on the inside walls of it, and have something to mount to. I never liked eyeballing a cut to that angle, and you’ll be putting a fake weld over that later anyway. You’re welcome for keeping your fingers.
This picture shows that sleeve for the Booster Tube, being attached to the piece I had to cut the tabs out of because of my error. Remember earlier how I said “Masking tape is your friend”? I used it to line up my numbers and tabs from both of these pieces, made them as flat as I could make them, and then put a sliver of tape to keep them attached. **I DIDNT GLUE ANYTHING YET. **
Here, TMS is showing you where I AM GOING TO GLUE. The thing is, about pepakura, is you’re not limited to every tab and every face. But, I cant stress enough, that you MUST BE VERY MINDFUL OF THEM. TMS is pointing where I am gluing. and I did fold up some tabs to glue over. This may or may not make a better hold, but I’ve never had any issue when I deviate from tabs a little. Just hold the flat piece down flat, and glue until you’re completely around the piece with out tape, that you shouldnt have put tape on like I said not to do earlier.
Now, after all has been said and done with the PPDBOX1 file, this is all she wrote
More on those black circles later!
way later.
I actually had the idea for a paper proton pack for a while, but I didn’t make mine using peparkura. No one was really intresteded, it wasn’t as detailed but then again, I hate cutting all those little tabs lol.
http://80sguy.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=proton+pack#/d2l3y8f
It was also just an RGB toy pack…
The design was based on the movie, and there are packs people have made that aren’t 1/1 sized… :sigh:
There’s a fundamental and **obvious **difference between our packs, and “papercraft” and “pepakura”. I would appreciate you didnt respond about yours in my thread anymore.
Mine is 1:1 scale and accurate using recent prop plans and some new measurements not on Stefan’s plans from some respected members of the community that had some time with a screen used Proton Pack, 3 minutes looking into yours, yields another inaccurate pack that happens to be made out of paper(and not even card stock paper). I’ve already reported your first response and asked for it to be removed. Please show me some courtesy, and others following this build using my files and keep with the topic of this build.
No offense intended, though I am that you popped in with yours and took 4 posts from a progressing build discussion, and being that mine require moderator approval, but it makes all too much sense why there wasnt much interest in yours. It is in no way shape or form accurate, or in scale.
Whoever modeled the other pepakura proton pack has a apple in this basket, not you.
ProtonCharger, I thank you for all your hard work and dedication to this project. I am going to be using this method to build my first pack!
Awesome! Keep up with the build, and you’ll do a wonderful job!
I just watched this on Backyard FX, They where doing the same method while making Halo Armor. Came out great. Most of all, only cost 100 bucks…Looking forward for this to be completed.
Yeah that was the first time I ever saw something made out of paper on such a large scale. I love Backyard FX.
i love backyard fx too <3
What do you mean by this?
Also I tried to make the iron arm, I cut, folded, and taped it then I tried to glue it. And the glue didn’t stick. I used Caliber (CVS Brand) super glue gel. Should I use hot glue( as I already have a ton of it?) or go out and buy stronger super glue? And does it stick to the Aluminum? Thanks!
When you’re gluing to the Aluminum Air Conditioning Duct tape, SOMETIMES, it doesnt hold because of what looks like a rubber like membrane, I can superglue ALL DAY and ONE dickhole piece that was already giving me problems will do that (nothing is easy. ever.) NEVER FEAR, just pull off the infected area, and reapply the superglue. I use Loctite super glue, mostly because I can get .71 oz for 5 bucks, that means I dont have to go back and get more for atleast a few parts it’s also been proven time and time again to work really well.
Some people use hot glue, I dont see how it’s helpful because you want a very thin connection where the tabs meet, and hot glue cant do that (and they use a low temp melt DUMB), they also cake the inside of their Pepakura projects but I also dont see any benefits that can do, considering you’re also using the AAC duct tape for the same reason. Honestly, when it comes to hot glue, there reaches a certain point in your prop making career when it shouldnt be used for an adhesive as often. It’s great for welds, I’ll be using it for that when the time comes.
When it comes to hot glue, take this as a very strong note, ALWAYS use a very HIGH MELT temp hot glue. You want to leave whatever you make in your car, in the hottest part of Georgia and be able to pull it out and put it on with out parts melting off. If you go cheap, and scrimp on important items like that, it will show **and cost more to repair (being better materials and time, yes time is a cost.)
THIS is fiberglass Mat or Chop Mat - Its right above the fiberglass and Bondo in walmart and Home Depot, you dont want to get cloth, you need to get MAT. Cloth is good for doing complicated curves and shapes and making things smooth and pretty on the outside, this you’re using for strength, and its on the inside so it doesnt have to look pretty(even though it should anyway).
Amazon.com: 3M Fiberglass Mat, 00488 : Automotive < is that URL coming on to me?
**
Please, if you have any more questions about resin, hang tight, my plan is to complete the pack, and then apply resin. I’m mapping out how to go about doing that as we speak.**
but, give me atleast another week and a half on that.
As for an update: The site being down the other day(YOU ALL HATE GARRETT MILLER!!) got the ball rolling on a POWERCELL and a CRANK GEN BOX. I’ll have an update next week that will be very big, and will hopefully also include a PPD BOX2 because :
1, I messed up the one I had
2, I think I’m going for a different approach for when to apply resin
3, I want to share how one of the two easier parts is done.
So…
I lied. I finally figured out how to get my pictures from my phone to my computer(HELLO EFFICIENCY), so that got me pumped, and I made just enough progress on the POWERCELL to do a write up. Also, I’m including the CRANKGEN, and getting you started on the PPDBOX2 and ION ARM (these two, mostly because I didnt touch on them and want everyone to see all of the parts being put together so you’re not completely on your own with anything.)
You’re going to get sick of reading this:
So for today’s RIDICULOUSLY HUGE update:
I’ll be working on the POWERCELL NO RIBS, CRANK GEN NO RIBS, and get you started on the IONARM and PPDBOX2. So go ahead and OPEN THEM UP, and print them all out.** One thing I’ve neglected to tell you**, is leaving the files open while you’re working will aid you in putting these together. I caught myself making a huge mistake if I applied superglue, I was going to attach a piece backwards.
THAT IS A NO NO. Mistakes waste time that you can use doing it properly.
*Shut up Adam! *WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TODAY?
Scissors
Utility Knife
Ruler
My Trusty Dead Pen
Aluminum Air Conditioning Duct Tape - further known as AACDTape because* I’m sick of writing “Aluminum Air Conditioning Duct Tape”*
Pushpin - because inevitably, your superglue will cake at the top and make your life difficult so you need to poke a hole in that reservoir and show it who’s boss. I am the boss, YA GEDDIT SUPERGLUE?
Just a note, that neat plastic container behind the tools of the day was from a recent dumpster dive romp, and it’s where I’ve been storing pieces after I’m finished putting them together, and another Pep project I’m supposed to be working on (IM SO SORRY ZACH I SWEAR IM DOING IT.). Dont run out and get one, but you know, it’s helpful. Keep your eye out for one.
FOR CRYIN OUT LOUD MAN, WILL YOU GET STARTED ALREADY?!
Now pop open POWERCELL NO RIBS (Listen, modeling it with ribs easier than Pep’ing the model with ribs.) You will be adding the ribs MUCH LATER NOT RIGHT NOW. The lighting in this pic was atrocious. but if you can tell, that’s what it looks like printed out.
I’m going to warn you ahead of time, this particular couple days of assembly gave me all kinds of headaches. Some stupid mistakes on my part in assembly. Ok, mostly stupid mistakes on my part during assembly.
Here it is cut from the paper, waiting for all it’s folds to be perforated. The front of the powercell, where the lense goes was kind of a butt clencher, but I made it through ok. You’ll be fine, just take a breath and watch where you cut with your xacto or utility knife.
This is what me dropping the ball looks like. The whole point of this particular picture was to show the process of perforating your piece, and then flipping it over with the tabs folded under and applying the AACDTape. but we dont get that, I DID however do it for the CRANK GEN NO RIBS, which the same concept for all the pieces. For this picture, this piece says “Hey Adam, take your time and mind your folds, because I know you’re going to fold me backwards and wonder what went wrong.”
and I did exactly the opposite of what it asked of me to do.
This is what it looks like when you dont pay attention. I had to flip everything back around, and glue it again. Not all of the glue would remove, and it had some of that rubber membrane I mentioned in the post above this one, so now this POWERCELL NO RIBS has a stupid looking bubble on it. THIS ONE’S GOIN TO MY GIRLFRIEND’S PACK! WINNING
Can you feel how unhappy I am with this piece? It’s even frowning.
On the inside it looks pretty, the bottom part, you can KIND OF see where you will later be filling with alot of resin goo or RONDO. Yep kids, We’re going to play with RONDO. I’m just as excited as you are. I’m not happy that the Magic Skewer was taking a break, and refused to point at that section for us. Skewers are unionizing now. Look out Shishkabobs!
Here we are after I attached the “wall” where the powercell lense goes. Can you tell what I did wrong? I made the part too large. So, to rectify this, assemble it, and cut it down from the back to about an inch. That way it still keeps that shape strong, and you can get behind it and resin.
Also, You will be dremelling alot of this off after sanding. I marked it on the back before I applied, but then 1/8" was covered by the tabs. since the tabs are 1/8" just cut to the tabs when it comes time to that. BUT THATS NOT HAPPENING YET.
“PC why doesn’t my POWERCELL sit right?” That skewer is pointing at the reason why. There IS an angle there on the screen used packs. I bothered everyone I know that would know for what seemed like days to get that measurement. Suck it up, I think that’s why that bottom looks like poop on that one, but it’ll get covered up by a rib anyway when we put them on later. MUCH LATER DONT GET AHEAD OF ME PLEASE.
Stick a fork in it.
On to the CRANK GEN NO RIBS.
“Oh yeah, I’m supposed to take a photo of what it looks like printed out.”
This is an example how tedious this component is. There are ALOT of tiny tabs, and ALOT of curves. Curves my friend, are a bitch. Tiny tabs, are also, a bitch. Here and ONLY here, is where I’ll say, It’s perfectly fine for you to cut a few tabs. I just made some snips at this corner and folded them.
I KNEW that skewer was going to come in handy when I didnt need it to point at something! it’s the perfect circumference for these tediously ■■■■ curves on this component. Seriously, right here it’s also perfectly fine for you not to perforate, but please, this is prefolding and you should already be doing it for me.
Here I actually did perforate, because the lines were spaced enough to do that. I think I rolled it over the Dead pen, but it’s ok if you dont.
In this one, you see how these tabs can get really small, i just made them all into one big tab. Honestly, I dont even think I glued them when the time came. MOSTLY because an important tab there, wasnt there in the unfold. I’ll clean that mess up in a bit.
All of those little jerks became one tab. WINNING. The piece to the next of it, didnt have a much needed tab. LOSING.
So I fumbled. This is from the POWERCELL NO RIBS, but, it helps this next picture pick up the ball, and make a kick off. What you see here, is a piece with its tabs folded onto the face and turned so the white part (or inside) of the piece is facing up, and the face(outside) and tabs are folded and facing down
Here we’re looking at what was the last photo, but with tape and for the actual component we’re working on. Be careful and take your time when you pull it up. If you dont…
THIS HAPPENS.
Now, you can do one of a few things.
1.5 Blacked out.
3. Print it out and do it again. - What I did.
This is where we left off.
I like writing myself little notes. It helps me remember things. If you’re making the same mistakes I’m making, take heed to that. I swear, this is where I make alot of my mistakes. I NEED to sit back some times and screw around. Mistakes waste alot of time, and alot of material, and I hate them.
Now we’re on to the sides of the CRANK GEN NO RIBS.
Now, I could have folded the tabs under and taped the inside white side like usual, but for some reason I didnt. Dont do it this way, get into the habit of doing it properly. I found myself lining up the tape sides to the perforations, and I did more work on it this way than I should have. Another mistake, another waste of time. ANYWAY the best part of this picture is, next to the skewer is a 90 degree piece that isnt a tab. It’s actually a piece that you need to attach tape on the inside to later to connect another piece to, because either the unfolded tab was too small, or it did a cut there instead. < you know…remember that.
Here we are, finally I’m doing something right.
Here I thought it would be a good idea to attach these parts laying down. It helped me match up the numbers, see where everything fit and then glue. It was a good idea.
I hate tabs like this. see how it gets REALLY thin where the skewer’s pointing? There’s nothing to grab. So glue what you can, and tape on the inside.
Remember earlier when I said :
This area is a whole nasty Fiasco of fun and games. WHERE THE HELL ARE MY TABS!?
More couch kicking. More spitting on the carpet.
oh. Scotch Tape. So, what I did, was I taped where they would connect if there was a tab with scotch tape. Then I went on the inside…
like this. You can see where the AACDTape is curved round, and meets every where that there’s that dickhole small curve and places with out a stupid tab. I’m not angry.
After I AACDTaped the inside. I went back to the face, removed the scotch tape, and superglued where they’re supposed to meet. I had to finagle it a little to meet because I pushed too hard, but everything turned out ok
This complicated curve had a tab. Thank you complicated curve!
STICKA FORK INNIT.
extra credit
IONARM. This guy is easier to do in two pieces, one, being that if you see most kits, they’re done this way. folded over and glued then given the fake weld. It’s a no brainer after you get it cut out, perforated, folded and glued.
You’ll see I made some notes, I wrote them during the first 2 tries to this project. You dont necessarily need a skeleton for the IONARM. It didnt help the way I was doing it and those pieces are in the landfill.
PPDBOX2 assembled the same way as the IONARM.
Next week, I’ll assemble them with more pictures, and do the GUNMOUNTBOX (more curves and missing tabs!). HOPEFULLY, I’ll get around to the COSMETIC PLATING. So, hopefully looking at these, the process of DOING them, you can see it’s alot of work and can understand that me working through them for you, saves you all kinds of questions when making your own.
I think the idea of using tape on the inside is interesting. When I built my Master Chief armor, I tried just applying fiberglass resin on the outside to stiffen the the models up, but as you mentioned it’s pretty much an unmitigated disaster.
Not saying this is better or anything, but the method that worked best for me was to cut the pieces out of cardstock, assemble using hot glue. After I had usable shapes, I essentially rotocast the inside of the pieces using Smooth-On casting resin. I picked this technique up from the 405th http://www.405th.com/forum.php. Additionally, others have found success with a similar method but using “Rondo” which is a combination of fiberglass resin & Bondo.
There are TONS of Pepakura-related threads at the 405th, it’s a fantastic resource for papercraft projects.
Just reading your posts makes me cross-eyed. The idea of actually going this route causes nightmares. That said, great job so far -keep it coming.
PC, you have the patience of a pedo outside a school zone.
I commend you on your solid efforts, but like mr kansas above me stated… “this is making me cross eyed” I cant fathom going this route, but you get 2 crunch bars so far… and another after I get that sandwich.