Asian Giant Hornet Papercraft

The actual size of an Asian giant hornet is about 2 inches (5 cm) long. It is the largest hornet in the world. This papercraft replica of the hornet is about 9.5 inches (24 cm) long, so you might call it a giant Asian giant hornet. :) The original Japanese website that offered this papercraft is long gone. However, the JPG template sheets for the hornet (along with instructions) are still available at this Internet archive. The giant Asian hornet is a serious threat to honey bees in the United States.

Other Papercraft Bugs:

Glue-less Cicada
Arabian Fat-tailed Scorpion
Japanese Emperor Butterfly
Yamaha Beetles

3D Papercraft Cicada Shell

Across the world, there are more than 3000 species of the insect known as the "cicada". Each of the species has a common feature: the nymphs shed their skins to emerge as winged adults. At the right time of the year you can find hundreds of their empty shells clinging to plants and trees. Just the thing for scaring your little sister! ;) This 3D papercraft cicada shell was created by a Japanese papercraft designer in 2008. The template for the model consists of 7 JPG images which may be downloaded here. There is a link on the download page to photo instructions showing how to build the model. The estimated length of the model is 12" (30 cm).

Other Papercraft Bugs:

Mexican Tarantula
Emporer Butterfly
Arabian Fat-tailed Scorpion
Rhinoceros Beetle
Swallowtail Butterfly Origami

Papercraft Cicada

While this papercraft cicada may look like origami at first glance, it is actually a glue-less paper model (i.e. cutting is employed, in addition to folding). What is amazing about this model is its template contains just one piece. This single piece is cut out and then carefully folded to give the result in the photo. The printable template for the model was created by Fumito Nozaki and is available at the website located here. After following the link, click on the blue text under the photo to download the PDF. The template is black and white, so printing on color paper is required for the best results. The cicada in the photo was printed on metallic paper.

Other Papercraft Bugs:

Tarantula

Beetles

Scorpion

Butterfly

Papercraft Beetles from Yamaha

The Yamaha Motor Company quit posting free paper models on their website in 2018. However, earlier this year, they began offering again (for a limited time) a selection of their old models. This was done to give families something to do during the coronavirus quarantine. Pictured are two of my favorites from the collection: a Japanese rhinoceros beetle and a stag beetle. Printable PDF templates for the beetles may be downloaded here. Instructions are included in separate PDFs. In addition to the beetles, there twenty-plus models of various animals and objects available. Sadly, none of Yamaha's old motorcycle models are included in the collection. :(

Previous Papercraft Bugs:

Mexican Tarantula
Arabian Scorpion
Emperor Butterfly

Origami Butterflies

It has been a while since I posted any origami. Time to remedy the origami drought. ;) Here are some origami butterflies I thought were really nice. A couple of different types are pictured, but the one that interested me the most was the swallowtail butterfly. Detailed video instructions for the swallowtail may be found here. The original folding pattern was created by origami designer Michael LaFosse.

Previous Origami:

Koi
Swallows
Long Stem Rose
Royal Crown
Penguin

Japanese Emperor Butterfly Papercraft

The Japanese Emperor butterfly is found in every part of the main island of Japan. It is easily identified by its distinctive purple color. This paper model of the butterfly is offered by the Konica Minolta company on their website. Judging by the size of the template, it appears the finished model is slightly larger than life. The scientific name of the Japanese Emperor is "Sasakia Charonda".

Other Papercraft Insects:

LotR Spider: Shelob
Arabian Fat-tailed Scorpion
Mexican Tarantula

Papercraft Scorpion

I think scorpions are one of the creepiest animals on the planet, so you will never find me building this paper model. ^^ This papercraft was created by a Japanese designer. The template for the model (which consists of four A4 size JPGs) may be downloaded here. The exact species of scorpion this papercraft depicts is the Arabian fat-tailed scorpion which is found primarily in North Africa and the Middle East.

Other Papercraft Animals:
Mexican Tarantula
Rainforest Animal Collection
Printable 3D Wetland Creatures
Rockhopper Penguins

Papercraft Mexican Tarantula

The Mexican red-kneed tarantula is native to the deciduous forests of southwestern Mexico. Red knees live in burrows in the soil for protection.  Their burrows also provide a hiding place for them to ambush prey. This papercraft tarantula was created by illustrator Patrick Pasques who recolored a paper model of an Indian sapphire tarantula he produced for a papercraft book featuring endangered animals. A free download of the template for the spider in the photo may be found here.

Lord of the Rings Papercraft: Shelob

For whatever the reason, Lord of the Rings papercraft is a rare thing. This Shelob paper model is one of the few examples around. Shelob is described by author J. R. R. Tolkien as being an "evil thing in spider form" whose food was "all living things". In the books, Shelob first appears in the second book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, however in the movie trilogy her appearance is delayed until the The Return of the King, the third book in the series. This papercraft was created by "Kangu" and the Pepakura PDO template is available here. When building this model it should be noted that the gluing tabs for the legs may need to be trimmed down some in order to get the legs to fit together properly.