15 October 2011

Sydney Opera House Paper Craft

This is my second paper craft model, and before I start, I need to disclaim that the parts were not my own creation. I found the parts and instruction in Canon Creative Park. I just downloaded these parts, printed them and constructed the model my own way.

Initially, I thought this paper craft would be much easier than Yamaha YZR model I had done before, but I was simply wrong. This model might looked easier, but there was a part which required me to "think out of the box". Hmmm... strong words, eh? Anyway, the trickiest part was to stick the protruding buildings, i.e. the white-shells-like parts, to the highest platform where the shells would stand. These shells had a very small and vulnerable feet, and it was extremely difficult to stick them to the platform. Using glue was proven to be inadequate as it would took times to fully dry up. Also, the glue could wet the paper parts and tore them apart. I knew it because I had tried it :-)

So, I finally came with the idea to stick them (the white-shells) with staples. This was done by piercing the  staples through the platform, and pinched the feet of the buildings to the platform so they would have a tight grip there. Alternate way would be to stitch the feet with needle and threads, but it would be nearly impossible to retrieve the needle back once it got through the platform without spoiling the shells.

Another tricky part, which wasn't as difficult as the part mentioned above, was to build steady, solid foundations beneath each tiers. I had to construct many small carton boxes to put beneath the highest platform. For the platform above the sea, I used cardboard as it fitted just right. The lowest foundation (beneath the sea level) was the merriest. As this part would sustain the heaviest weight of the model, I had to construct the steadiest foundation, which turned out to be heavier than the rest of the model. I used cardboard, jewel CD case, chocolate box and cellophane tape rim to construct a "long-lasting foundation", so to speak. The finished foundation was then wrapped with frames, and then the upper parts of the model was put carefully on it. Well, it's all set.

I finished this model by June for about a month. Um, actually it was not supposed to take that long, but... hey, I got life! Watching TV, sports, playing video games, internet, and so on. If you noticed that I got a lot of leisure times there, it was merely because I was in a holiday :-)

Anyway, this was what I came up with:





If you want to try constructing your own model, just download the full parts and instruction at Canon Creative Park - Sydney Opera House Paper Craft.

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