How to Make Cardboard Kia Stinger Inspired Model Car

My sister and I were trying to think of something to enter in a contest when she thought of the idea to make a cardboard car. We looked up some pictures of KIAs and decided to go with the KIA Stinger. Since we don’t own a KIA, this is our best attempt from just looking at pictures.

Also, make sure to check out my awesome sister! https://www.instructables.com/member/Hanako2007/

Supplies

Thick cardboard - we used a big box

Thin cardboard - we used the thick cardboard for the basic structure of the car, and the thin cardboard for the smaller cardboard details.

Black felt - for the inside of the car and for the trunk

White felt - for the headlights

Fake leather - for the seats

Hot glue - make sure to have a lot of extra glue sticks

Spray paint - this can be any color you want. We went with Rust-Oleum Cherry

Sliver paint - this is for the details

Clear plastic - we used the plastic from a Beretta case for the windows

Aleene's Jewelry Glaze - for the car headlights

Strong thin wire - for the door hinges

You will also need:

Scissors - some strong ones that cut through cardboard

An X-Acto knife - or something like that

Tape (blue tape) - the kind that’s easy to peel off

Paint brushes - we used a brush with an inch sized top, and a little brush for details

A pencil - for marking things out on the cardboard

A ruler - or some sort of measuring stick

Note:

Make sure to measure out all of your car seats, else you’ll end up like me and they’ll be different sized.

We also looked up pictures of the KIA Stinger, however we unknowingly pulled up pictures of the 2018 (or it was the 2020) and the 2022 KIA. If you want to be specific, you could go look up all the pictures from one model.

Also, we followed the pictures where we could, however it was hard since we didn’t get the X-Acto knife until we were far into the project. So we kinda improvised with some of it.

Also, keep in mind the sizes of everything so everything fits when you glue.

Step 1: Search for Pictures

First, we searched for pictures of the KIA. Above are the pictures we found. I am not fully sure which year these pictures are of so you might want to look up pictures from a certain year. However, since the car we made is somewhat different from the real thing on the inside, the fourth picture isn’t fully necessary.

(Images sourced from bing.)

Step 2: Sketch the Base of the Car and Cut It Out

Using a pencil, draw out an outline of the car base with places for the wheels.

A ruler might be helpful.

Then cut the car shape out of the cardboard.

Step 3: Make the Wheel Slots and Make Divide for the Car Hood

Using cardboard, box out the wheel areas.

Then place a piece of cardboard on the back of the front wheel boxes. (last photo)

Step 4: Add the Front to the Car Base

Next, you need to create the front and front sides of the car.

Start by, cutting your piece to wrap around the front.

Then cut out the places for the headlights.

Depending on your model, cut out the front grills and details. (referencing an image is helpful)

We boxed the the two side details.

For the grill, remove the top layer of the cardboard to reveal the crinkle inside. Glue the crinkle piece to the inside of the front.

Then, glue the finished front to the car base.

Cut pieces to cover the wheel boxes and glue them to the sides.

Step 5: Make the Car Hood

Cut pieces of cardboard to thickly line around the hood area of the car. This will make a place for the motor details.

Our motor details were very simple. But you can do what ever you would like.

To make motor details similar to ours, cut a piece of cardboard and bend it to form a little table for the inside of your motor area.

Peel back the top layer of a piece of cardboard and fold it into a tube shape. Glue on the inside of the fold to hold the tube in shape.

For the little box, form a strip of cardboard into a box and glue in the fold. Then cut a square the size of the box and glue it to the top of the box.

Cut a rectangle of cardboard, and fold it in half. Cut lines starting at the folds and ending a little before the edge. Crinkle the frayed side to look like wires.

Glue everything inside the motor box.

Next, cut a piece of cardboard for the top of the hood. Glue tiny rectangle tabs of cardboard near both ends of the hood where it will attach to the car. Then glue the other side of the tabs to the back where the dashboard would be.

Step 6: Build the Trunk

Cut a piece of cardboard the size of the middle between the hood and trunk. Glue it to the middle.

Then cut a piece to cover the boxes of the back wheels, while leaving some room for the trunk area. Glue it to the top.

Fill in the back of the trunk with a piece of cardboard folded at both sides to slide in. Like a vertical table shape.

Step 7: Create the Roof of the Car

Cut a piece of cardboard the length of the roof area of the car, considering how tall you want it to be. It should also be as wide as the car base.

In the roof piece, cut windows for the front and back of the car.

Cut a piece of plastic a little bigger for each window. Then glue it on the back side of the roof.

Glue this entire roof to the car. One end on the hood and one end on the trunk.

Step 8: Finishing the Trunk

To finish the trunk,

You may want to shape the trunk opening a bit more, before moving on.

Cover pieces of cardboard with black felt. In picture four, I attached a little support piece onto the cardboard that was the floor of the trunk. Fit the pieces into the trunk.

Cut a door for the trunk and glue tabs near both ends. Then glue the door in.

Cut out fenders as in picture thirteen, and two triangles (look at picture fifteen, the triangle goes above the fender). Then glue the fenders to the wheel spots, like picture fourteen, and the triangles.

Also, add strips of cardboard to the middle of the car on both sides.

Step 9: Make the Doors

Cut four doors for your car, the shape of the middle arch.

Then cut a window out of each door.

Glue a piece of plastic to each window, removing any overhang.

Tape the windows with blue tape so paint won't get on them.

Step 10: Paint the Car Body and Doors

Prepare an area to spray paint. We laid down a few cut-open paper bags and taped them together with blue tape.

Then, using spray paint we did one major coat, then went back to get any missed areas or areas we thought needed a second coat.

Also, spray paint your doors on the front side.

We painted the inside hood and motor area too.

Step 11: Make the Steering Wheel

Cut out a circle, and then cut out the inside of the circle to look like a steering wheel. Ours ended up looking like a smiley face. You might want to look up a picture if you're unsure.

Next, glue the wheel onto some felt. Bend the sides up in such a way that barely any cardboard shows.

Add a little stub of cardboard wrapped with felt to the back of the wheel.

Step 12: Cover the Inside of the Car and Doors

Using a piece of felt cover the inside of the car with felt up to where the dashboard would be.

The felt for our car didn't completely cover the back, so we cut a rectangle piece of felt and placed it in the back.

For the car doors, pull the blue tape of the windows. Then cut a piece of felt to match each door shape. Glue it to the back of the door.

Step 13: Make the Seats

For the back and front seats, cut some cardboard squares and rectangles as the base of the seats and the back of the seatS. Then cut your leather bigger than each of the squares and wrap it around the cardboard. Glue the seats together as in picture three. (Sorry, I don't have all the pictures of the whole process...)

Create cardboard boxes and wrap them with felt as in pictures four to seven. Then glue the seat to the box as in picture eight.

Starting with the back seat,

Cut a strip of cardboard to box in the area for the back seat. Cover the strip with felt and glue it to the back of the car middle.

Glue your leather back seats to the back seat area and to the back of the car.

Step 14: Attaching the Doors

For the doors closest to the front window,

We used wires and hot glue to attach the door, by gluing the edge of the door and stabbing the wires into the door and car body.

Repeat above for the other front door.

We needed to cut a little from where the window and side meet. (pic 1)

For the doors in the back, we needed a support beam in the middle.

1. Cut two strips of card board the length of the roof to the floor.
2. Cover both strips in black felt.
3. Run a wire through both strips.
4. Glue one strip at the middle of the car on both sides.
5. Then to attach the doors, cut two little rectangles of cardboard for the hinges. Run a wire through them so they will bend well. Glue them to both ends of the door.
6. Glue the other side of the hinges to the door,

repeat steps: 1 - 6 for the other back door.

Step 15: Adding the Details

On the front,

Place piece of cardboard on the inside of the headlights.

Then stuff white felt in the same places as the cardboard.

Cover all of this with a heavy layer of Aleene's Jewelry Glaze.

On the back,

Cut out the places where the back lights go.

Then cover the inside with black felt. We had to remove the top coverings to do this. If you had to too, make sure to glue them back on.

We added lights on the inside. But that's not required.

Step 16: Making the Wheels

Cut out the shape of your wheels and a strip to go around them. Cut 8 circles and 4 strips.

1. Glue around one circle and mold the strip around, cut any excess off and seal where the ends meet with hot glue. Glue another circle on top.
2. Trace a design for your rim on one side and cut it out.
3. Paint the outside and a little bit around the top with black paint.
4. Then paint the inside rim with silver paint.

Repeat steps 1 - 4 for all wheels.

Step 17: And Your Done!

Thanks for viewing this instructable! There are a lot of improvements that could be made to this model. We learned a lot while making this model and were sometimes frustrated at the process, but nevertheless it was fun.