Poseable Army Men

I grew up playing with little plastic green army men. They were okay, but they couldn't really do much. They were either shooting guns, throwing grenades, or using binoculars. That was about it.

So I made some poseable paracord army men, and these guys can do all sorts of cool stuff. They're not just limited to war-type activities anymore; they can dance, scrapbook, chase butterflies... anything is possible.

Step 1: Woven paracord

They are made out of woven paracord. 

Comments

[amoriak]

Please do a full tutorial on these they are so cool!!!

[phallstrom]

I really like it but i would like a full tutorial so i can see how the weave is done

[trisomy21]

This is hilariously awesome, going to try it right now. Thanks!

[seamster]

Thanks! I loved this project, so it's nice to see it still get noticed every once in a while.

[Paracord dude]

Where did you get the stand. I made a army guy but need a stand
Thanks

[seamster]

See the last step. I made mine out of cardboard, the kind from cereal boxes and such. I'm glad you made one.. you should post a photo here to show it off. I'd love to see it!

[ArizonaSRMC]

Awesome project! Took a bit and didn't have any green, so I used some black and made a ninja! but I used scrap 550 cord and melted him to the stand, the nun-chucks were tricky but made it work! I am currently deployed and this helped me kill dome down time, Thanks!!

[seamster]

Thanks! I'd love to see a photo. Got a camera nearby?

[ArizonaSRMC]

I got it!! here is my ninja!

[seamster]

Nice! I love the nunchucks. It looks awesome. Thanks for the photo!

[cryptex]

sweet i agree with saturn v when in doubt ebay
paracord is awesome

[aseaheru]

where do you get and how much is paracord?

[That One Eegit]

I get my paracord from CampingSurvival.com

[flarebill]

its easy to get it. ebay sells it for cheap...you can get it on such sights as goingear.com or countycomm.com, as for the price it usually runs about 10$ per 100 feet.

[aseaheru]

thx

[seamster]

Hi, you can get it at military surplus stores or online. I'm sure there are other places as well. The cost depends on where you get it, and how much you get. Generally, the more you buy, the cheaper per foot it costs. I got 100 feet for about 10 USD.

[aseaheru]

ok, thx for the info

[baneat]

For projects like this use cheaper stuff, with one fuzzy internal strand

If you want survival-gear, always go for the 550Lb break-weight paracord.

[aseaheru]

thanks

[Tommi Potx]

Oh, yeah, gotta make tan ones too!!!
I Love this kind of stuff!

[Win Guy]

5/5! I just picked up some paracord JUST FOR THIS! Love it!

[seamster]

Nice! Good luck, I'd love to see a picture or two when you're done!

[Win Guy]

I promise I will, but I seem to have misplaced my camera... As soon as I find it, I'll show you my Army Men! ;)

[Win Guy]

Oh my gosh, I'm sorry I forgot to post pics! The paracord contest reminded me ;) Here they are! (I used red fluff from chenille sticks for the last picture.)
Cheers,
Win Guy

[baneat]

This is a great win and would make for some super-fun toys

Where would you say the best place to get a hold of a large quantity of that thin wire you use is? Enough for at least a squadron of cord-troopers

[seamster]

I'm bet you could find something similar at Home Depot or possibly Radio Shack.

[baneat]

UK :(

Maybe it's some gauge of wire or something?

[nikoj]

Here it is!

[seamster]

That took me a while, but I found it!

Great job, thanks for the photo!

[nikoj]

Look i made one, I mean two!There's the one of them with my other soldiers!

[seamster]

Photo?

[cratosian]

do you think you can make an instructable of different accessories for these little guys? like swords, guns, and all that?

[thomasthetankengine]

How thick was †he wire that you used? I am really excited to get this done but the wire I have is way to thick :( I will take a trip to the hardware store as soon as I know the thickness!

[seamster]

To tell the truth, I'm not sure, but it's very similar to the individual strands in telephone wire. I hope that helps. Good luck!

[ChrisDaniell]

Brilliant! will try when I get my next lot of paracord

[rbeforee]

Brilliant. I feel the need to create an army :) They look like they would be fantastic thinking aids (like stress squeezies) and I love your scenes to whet our appetites. Very cool.

I agree with others, you could easily sell these on Etsy and make many happy people (for those who lack the Instructable courage.)

You are so creative. 'Love your work!

[seamster]

Thanks! I've been considering doing the Etsy thing for years. Just never made the effort to do it.

And yes, they are great distraction devices/stress relievers!

[rbeforee]

The other cool thing about Etsy is, as you have seen here, people are a bit hesitant about whether they can find the correct materials... not grasping the flexibility (pun intended) your cool project allows.

Many Etsy sellers offer both completed items AND kits. It would be a very low-effort addition to your shop to offer the various bits, uncut, unmelted (except on the two raw edges, which would also serve to demonstrate the desired effect) with instructions. (now if only you had time to put together instructions.... heehee)

[cratosian]

can't you just put a circular cardboard piece on each foot? would it be easier?

[hawkfrost64]

this looks awesome!!
does anyone know where i can buy some paracord for cheap?