Front Mission Evolved Papercraft: Zephyr Wanzer

Late last year Square Enix celebrated the release of its Front Mission Evolved video game. This Zephyr mech paper model was released as part of the celebration. Standing at a height of 12.5" (31.8 cm), the model can be posed with 40 different joints. Various accessories come with the Zephyr template including a machine gun, shot gun, a grenade and a shield. The photo above is from the designers of the papercraft, 3Dpaper. A download of the template is available at the Square Enix website here. Look for the link labeled "fully colored model" near the bottom of the page. Sorry, the contest to color your own Zephyr mech mentioned on the page is over, but a blank template is still available if you want to give it a try.

BattleTech Papercraft: Awesome Mech

Here is a great papercraft mech by Cantaris at the Mech3.org forum. I believe this papercraft was based on a 3D model from a video game, although I am not sure which one.(Anyone care to enlighten me? ^^) This mech's model type is called an "Awesome". It comes from the BattleTech universe which got its start in miniature gaming in the 80's and later came to include video games and an animated series. A download of the Pepakura PDO template (which includes a whopping 121 different skins!) is available here.

Mechcommander 2 Papercraft: Raven

If you are in the mood to build a mecha papercraft but don't want to spend a lot of time, this Raven mecha may be just the thing for you. The Raven comes from Microsoft's 2001 game, Mechcommander 2. VLMarshall at the Mech3.org forum created the Raven's papercraft template which includes four different colored skins. Pictured is the red skin. A download of the template in Pepakura PDO format may be found here.

Front Mission 4 Mecha Paper Models

The Front Mission 4 video game was released in Japan by Square Enix in 2003. As part of a publicity campaign, free official papercraft models of two of the mechas from the game were offered. On the left is a Zenith mecha and the right is a Blizzaia L mecha. Although hard to locate on Square Enix's website, the templates for these mechas are still available. The build photos and the links below are both via studionebula.com. From experience, it appears that right clicking and doing the "save target as" option on the links works better than left clicking to download the templates.

Zenith template

Zenith weapons

Zenith instructions

Blizzaia L template

Blizzaia instructions

Stalwart Robotic Missile Tank Papercraft

DeviantART artist "Technoscream" specializes in 3D renderings and animations of mechas. This Stalwart Robotic Missile Tank paper model is his first venture into papercraft design. The description of this mecha indicates it is encased in thick armor plating and armed with two missile pods and a hull mounted minigun. The finished papercraft is only around 2 3/4" (7 cm) tall. The template contains five different colored tanks and may downloaded here.

MechWarrior 4 Zeus Papercraft

Here's another 1:40 scale MechWarrior 4 paper model by Shiftdel at the Mech3.org forum. This particular model is of the Zeus, known in the MechWarrior world for it's excellent long range sniper capabilities. A download of the template (Pepakura PDO format only) is available here. The original model comes in a snow camouflage color scheme, but MechWarrior fan, CMOSturm, has created twelve additional skins for the model, one of which is shown on the right. Sturm's skins are available here.

Related Papercraft:

MechWarrior 4 Vulture

MechWarrior 4 Cargo Truck

MechWarrior 3 Shadow Cat

MechWarrior 4 Vulture Papercraft

Here is another fine MechWarrior 4 papercraft from the folks at the Mech3.org forum. In the MW4 universe this battle mech got tagged with the name "Vulture" due to its hunched shoulders and protruding head which are reminiscent of its namesake. This 1:40 scale papercraft is the work of forum member, Shiftdel and may be downloaded here. The template is available in Pepakura PDO format only.

MechWarrior 4 Cargo Truck Papercraft

Here's another papercraft from the guys at the Mech3.org forum. This MechWarrior 4 cargo truck was 3D modeled, texture mapped, and unfolded by forum member "SHIFTDEL". Available in Pepakura PDO format only, the template may be downloaded here. Building this 1:40 scale model looks to be relatively simple as there are only 14 parts contained on 4 pages. Just the thing for a beginning papercrafter!

MechWarrior 3 Papercraft: Shadow Cat

The Shadow Cat is one of the more popular medium class mechs available in the MechWarrior 3 video game. Weighing in at 45 tons, it is fast, has jump jets, and is capable of carrying a wide range of weapons. This papercraft version of the Shadow Cat is the creation of "MadCatManiac" and "Cantaris" at the Mech3.org forum. Pictured above is the desert camouflage color scheme which is my favorite out of the eight color schemes available. A download of the eight templates may be found here. The templates are available in Pepakura PDO format only.

Update 2/14/2010:

I received an e-mail from MadCatManiac who filled me on the details of the creation of this model. The following Mech3 forum members were involved in the project: Eaterofpies (ripped the 3D model from the video game), MadCatManiac (created the template from the 3D model) and Cantaris (applied textures to the model).

Walking MechWarrior Automata

Here is one of the best paper automata I have come across in ages. The creator of the automata, J. Hodgie of Ontario, Canada, claims that this is his first attempt at paper automation, but he has done an excellent job. The model is specifically the Madcat/Timberwolf type battlemech from the MechWarrior video game series. To view a video of the model in action check out the post here on Instructables.com. Along with the video you will find a PDF download of the template and detailed instructions illustrated with photographs. There is a color-it-yourself blank template available for download as well if you are in the mood to customize.