Introduction: Build Ironman Mark VI Out of Makedo and Cardboard Paper

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The idea of making an ironman simply came from my 3 kids... I wanted to make them a toy suit for roleplay and halloween, but ended up making my own size model.  In any case, they had fun during the month long period I spent making this model.  If it were not for the daily 'Daddy, where is the ironman?', I would not have been able to finish it!

The goal of this project is to use 100% makedo, nothing else, to make an Ironman robot (not suit) out of 100% cardboard paper (with exception of the electronic part).

To totally make use of the benefit and concept of makedo, I have decided NOT to design on paper at all.  I started by collecting ironman images of every angle possible online and sketch the pattern shape on cardboard based on what I see from the images.  The best part of usining the combination of cardboard and makedo is that I get to connect parts together and still be able to take them apart for modification (trimming, re-shape...etc), and connect back again.  There's a extremely high degree of freedom in the making/designing/re-designing process.

I also found that this works best when I need to 'copy' and 'paste' any part, like an arm or a leg... I can simply take the arm apart and copy the pattern, then connect them back again.

I'm 183 cm, so I thought it would be quite right to use my size for scaling purpose... The ironman should turn out to be around 210 cm tall.

Below is a 2 min movie showing some of the building process and assembly.

Step 1: Make Helmet

First try with ironman, though not a perfect look, but I'm satisfied when my daughter found so much fun putting it on :)

this took me around 5 hours... If I have had a designed pattern, it could have been done much faster.

Step 2: Make Chest Armor

I made use A LOT of the makedo hinges to create the shape of the armor.

Step 3: Make Arms

this is when I wish I could simply type 'ctrl C, 'ctrl V'... duplicating in real life is no fun...

I made the fingers into 3 parts and connected them with a strip, this way, every finger is movable.

Step 4: Make Body Framework & Abs

this is the 'skeleton' of the ironman.  The center pole had to be this large to hold up the weight, however, it's too large and takes up space for the legs, so at later steps, I cut off the lower part and used a flag pole to hold it in place instead.

Step 5: Make Legs & Back

I'm more experienced at this stage and took a few more step by step pictures.

As you can see, I have actually cut off the lower part of the 'skeleton', and it can still stand still on it's own legs!

Step 6: Group Shot!

Step 7: Outdoor Shooting

I bought some LED lights and tracing paper, and added the final touch to the ironman.

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