The first model of 2021 is here! It took much longer than I had anticipated but it’s finally here!
I decided to go with something from my favourite game series: Metroid. At some point, I want to do a Samus model or a Metroid or a Ridley but I don’t feel my skills are quite there yet so I decided to settle on a zoomer. It’s not the most imposing or fearsome enemy but I figured if anyone has ever even tried Metroid or Super Metroid they should recognize what it is haha.
Overall I am quite happy with how this model turned out. I probably had the most fun during the initial design process because I took a little creative license with it. When playing the original Metroid I always pictured zoomers looking very bug and crab-like than anything else and I tried to work that into my interpretation. Because of that I probably drew the most inspiration from the Metroid Prime concept art because their renderings are more bug-like than the drawings of the original Metroid. The eyes were especially fun to play around with.
As mentioned before this model took a lot longer than I had intended. Some of it was because I had to go back and re-do somethings like the eyes; they were too complex initially. Mostly though it was because with over 600 parts the instructions became a bit of a nightmare haha. Almost every day I worked on them I ended up failing to meet the progress goals I set up for myself simply because of the sheer volume of work to be done.
Unfortunately, I don’t think there is too much I can do to refine the process with my current setup as when I made my first model I approached the process of making the instructions in so many ways that I am pretty sure the way I did it is the only way I can. This means I will probably be looking at expanding my software library here to try and find a more automated way of spitting out those instructions. Until then I think I am just going to have to try and scale back the complexity of my models while I look for a solution.
With that, I think I am going to get started on my next creation. If you’re curious about what I am working on and want more regular updates then consider joining my Patreon. I tend to post more regular updates over there and even show some behind-the-scenes photos of the design and construction process.
Thanks and happy crafting,
The Papercraftsman