G1 Dinobot Papercraft: Grimlock

In the Transformers universe, there are the Dinobots who transform, not into cars and trucks, but into dinosaurs. The leader of the Dinobots is Grimlock who transforms into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This Grimlock papercraft by PJ Excelero Papercraft has templates available in both PDF and Pepakura PDO format, all of which is available for download here. The finished model stands about 12" (30 cm) tall.

Other G1 Transformers Papercraft:

Devastator
Bumblebee
Omega Supreme
Teletraan I Computer

Ichthyosaur Papercraft

Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic era. The largest of the ichthyosaurs were about 85' (26 m) long, the smallest were around 3' (1 m) long. This easy papercraft ichthyosaur was created by artist Helder da Rocha. The printable PDF template for the model may be downloaded at The Imaginary Pterosaur website.

Other Prehistoric Papercraft:

Plesiosaurus
Low Poly Triceratops Skull
Pterosaur Skeleton

Life Size Velociraptor Skeleton Papercraft

DeviantART member Gedelgo is a master at creating low poly papercraft. Completed in 2015, I consider this life size velociraptor skeleton to be his most ambitious project. From nose to tail, the model is 6.6' (2 M) in length. Constructing the model is a challenge. First, there are no instructions. Second, the model will not stand on its own and must be rigged with wire in order for it to hold together. Heavy cardstock or cardboard are recommended as the construction material. If you dare attempt build this model, the template is still available at Pepakura Gallery. The download includes both PDF and Pepakura PDO files.

Other Gedelgo Low Poly Models:

Flying Bird (Magpie)
Bison Skull
Nike of Samothrace
Deer Skull
Triceratops Skull

Plesiosaurus Papercraft

The plesiosaurus has always been in my "top ten list" of favorite dinosaurs. I think maybe the theory that the Loch Ness Monster could be a plesiosaur has something to do with that. :) The plesiosaurus was a large marine reptile that lived in the Early Jurassic period. This paper model of the dino created by Paper Lovers may be downloaded here. The printable template comes in both PDF and Pepakura PDO formats. The finished model is about 14" (35.5 cm) long.

Other Prehistoric Animals:
Trilobite
T-Rex Skeleton
Woolly Mammoth
Origami Dinosaurs
Triceratops Skull

Saber-toothed Tiger Paper Model

Here is another amazing papercraft animal from DeviantART member DrWheelieMobile. This time she has tried her hand at a prehistoric animal: the smilodon. In pop culture, the smilodon is better known as the saber-toothed tiger. The smilodon became extinct a mere 10,000 years ago (not that long ago in the natural history of things). More skeletons of the animal have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits near Los Angeles, California than any other location. The printable template for this paper tiger may be downloaded here.

Other Prehistoric Animal Papercraft:

Trilobite
Woolly Mammoth
2.5D Velocirapter
Origami Dinosaurs
Triceratops Skull

Faceted Papercraft Triceratops Skull

Here's one of those DIY, low-poly paper models like we all see for sale on the Internet these days. Only difference is... this one is free! This faceted papercraft triceratops skull was created by DeviantART member, Gedelgo. The finished model measures about 35 cm long. A printable template for the dino skull may be downloaded here. Triceratops are thought to have roamed the Earth about 68 million years ago.

Other Faceted Papercraft:
American Bison Skull
Easter Rabbit

Printable Full Head Tyrannosaurus Mask

Canon Creative Park has a nifty collection of free full head masks for the Halloween season. Pictured is my favorite from the group: a tyrannosaurus head! Masks also available for download include a triceratops, a pteranodon, a horse, a wolf, and an eagle.

Other 3D Papercraft Masks:
Snow White Magic Mirror
Avatar Amon Mask
Marvel Comics Doctor Doom
Dark Knight Rises Masks
Brad and Angelina

Scrat Paper Model

Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel, has appeared in every Ice Age movie and video game to date. As Scrat's name is never mentioned in the movies, his name is only known from the end credits. This paper model of Scrat was designed and built by DeviantARTist LordBruco. His template may be downloaded here. Looking for a more detailed Scrat papercraft? Take a look at this one by my friend Elso.

T-Rex Illusion Papercraft

Here is another twist on the ever-popular dragon illusion papercraft (you know, the one whose head appears to turn toward you as you move around the room?). This version is a tyrannosaurus rex. Not much different from the original dragon, but the thing that makes this one special is its size. Estimating by the television in the background, this baby appears to be at least 3' tall! As you will see in the video after the jump, an illusion this large requires cardboard construction rather than mere cardstock. The author offers downloads of the template for the t-rex (normal-sized) at his Youtube page here. There are three different colors available: green, red, and blue.

Previous Illusion Papercraft:
Horse
Dog
Cat
Robot Dog

Ice Age Papercraft: Scrat

My buddy Elso has created yet another papercraft masterpiece: Scrat! In the Ice Age series of movies, Scrat is the familiar saber-toothed squirrel who is seen continually pursuing an elusive acorn. The height of the finished model is 15.75" (40 cm) which I would consider somewhat "larger than life". The template is available in Pepakura PDO format only and may be downloaded here.

Origami Dinosaurs

Here is a sampling of some of the wonderful origami dinosaurs at Stephen O'Hanlon's website, fishgoth.com. Pictured (from the upper left and going clockwise) are an allosaurus, a tyrannosaurus, a triceratops and a coelophysis. Sixteen different dinosaurs are available in all. Once at fishgoth.com, click on the photos of the dinosaurs to download the folding diagrams.

Velociraptor Paper Toys

These velociraptors are much more cuddly than the ones in Jurassic Park. ^^ Included in the assortment are racing velociraptors, a Herbie the Lovebug velociraptor, a Kill Bill bride velociraptor, and my personal favorite, the gentleman velociraptor, complete with monocle and top hat. The creator of these humor laden dinosaur paper toys is Markus at Digiprop.com.

2.5D Velociraptor Paper Model

Paper models show up in the oddest of places! This 2.5D velociraptor papercraft is a free download at the Spanish language paleontology illustration blog "Las conicas de Pabluratops". The velociraptor (or "raptor" for short) depicted by the paper model is specifically Velociraptor mongoliensis, named for the fact that several fossils of the creature have been found in Mongolia. In the 1993 movie Jurassic Park, raptors are portrayed as cunning and ruthless killers. A printable template for the dinosaur is available here.

Woolly Mammoth Papercraft

Woolly mammoths are thought to have become extinct around 10,000 years ago, however from time to time, frozen remains of the creatures are discovered in Siberia. This easy-to-build mammoth paper model is offered by the Mochizuki Printing Co as a free download. The printable template has a total of twelve parts.

Pterosaur Skeleton Papercraft

Pterosaurs are the earliest known vertebrates to have the ability of powered flight. The word "pterosaur" literally means "winged lizard". This papercraft version of a pterosaur skeleton was created by Italian papercrafter Emiliano Capuzzo. The template for this papercraft was based on a 3D plywood puzzle. A PDF file of the template may be downloaded here by clicking on the word "Pterosauro" just above the first photo on the page.

Tyrannosaurus Skeleton Papercraft

The tyrannosaurus rex is in the top ten of most everyone's list of favorite dinosaurs, so it is no surprise that natural history museums like to have fossilized t-rex skeletons as a draw. Now thanks to the Paper Museum website operated by the Sanwa Paper Company you can have your own miniature tyrannosaurus skeleton at home. Look for the download at the bottom of the page here. (After following the link, click on the pink bars near bottom of the page for the PDF template and instructions)

Loch Ness Monster Papercraft

When I first came across this papercraft I thought it might be a dinosaur, but after I translated the Japanese I found instead it was a papercraft of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster! Now we just need some paper models of Bigfoot and a chupacabra to make the set complete. ^^ The template for Nessie is offered by the Mochizuki Printing Company.

Amazing Origami Trilobite

A couple of weeks ago I did a post on a papercraft trilobite. However, I am much more impressed with this origami trilobite designed and folded by Sipho Mabona in 2008. The trilobite was wet folded from a single 24.4" (62 cm) square of paper. The level of detail of the legs on the underside is truly amazing. I don't think I have the time or the patience to attempt one of these myself, but if you would like to try, Mabona has provided a folding template here. Mabona also has done some other incredible origami animals as well which can be seen in his flickr gallery here.

Prehistoric Trilobite Papercraft

While it may look like some kind of science fiction cockroach, this papercraft is of an actual animal that lived on Earth millions of years ago. Trilobites were a group of marine animals that according to scientists became extinct around 250 million years ago. This paper model trilobite was originally created by the Australian Geological Survey Organisation to teach children about fossils. The one page, hand drawn template for the trilobite may be downloaded from the Houston Gem and Mineral Society website here.