Toy building guide

Each Deadly Furry Cute toy comes complete with a short set of build instructions. While the printed information will get your toys built, the information in this guide will help you become a toy building master.

Use this guide -along with your printed instructions, to give you tips on building better toys.

You will need the following to build each toy:

a. a Deadly Furry Cute toy downloaded and printed,
b. a pair of scissors,
c. a stick of paper glue (UHU, Prittstick or similar),
d. a cutting board (Memory-board, Kitchen or similar),
e. a craft knife (optional, knife work can be done with scissors),
f. a roll of sticky tape (optional, to help with cutting accidents).

1. Cut around toy and any marked areas

Make sure you don’t forget to cut out the head slot before you glue the head together. The head slot is how a toys head attaches to its body and is marked with ‘Cutout’.

2. Cut slits for toy parts

To make sure your parts fit first time you may want to run the knife or scissor edge down the slit a number of times. You may also want to see if the folded parts fit before gluing.

3. Score or fold along dotted lines and flaps

Flaps are lighter colored tabs with slopped sides, found at the edges of the toy head and body parts.

You will find you need to press gently for lighter paper types -such as plain inkjet paper, or you’ll run the risk of cutting through the toy or cutting a flap off. With paper it is recommended that you just move the knife or scissor edge lightly across the paper surface.

TIP: If you find yourself cutting through your chosen paper type move to folding along the dotted lines and flaps instead. Should you accidentally cut a flap off you can reattach it from the backside with sticky tape.

4. Glue flaps into position

For best final results ensure that the flaps are positioned so each side fits flushly to the other, no gaps should be showing.

TIP: In some cases you may find it easier to apply glue to all flap surfaces before attempting to stick that particular head or body part together.

5. Glue any double-sided parts together

Double-sided parts include but are not limited to: ears, arms, tails, wings, teeth and tentacles.

TIP: Once a double-sided part has been glued you can correct any mistakes you made while cutting that part out. Lightly cut off any extra material showing, you can usually see extra material standing out in white (or the paper color of your choice).

Be sure to make a note which is the back and front of the double-sided part, you’ll need to remember for final assembly.

6. Slot head onto body

TIP: Sometimes -even when you’ve cut around the lines perfectly, you’ll need to open the head cutout slot a little to get a nice fit. Follow these steps if you find your head doesn’t fit, your body is deforming once the head is fitted, or you just want a lower fitting head:
a. run your craft knife or scissor edge along the inside edges of your head slot, gently scrape away a thin layer of paper, opening the slot.
b. if you have troublesome areas use your craft knife to cut a small piece or sliver away from any blocked or not properly cutout section.
c. in the worst case you can cut diagonally a short distance into the corners of the head slot and fold up the slot edges.

WARNING: Be extra careful when opening the head slot for any toy, take your time as it’s easy to destroy a toy being overzealous.

7. Slide any parts into slits

It’s time to put it all together, your toys head is on and now it just awaits it’s final pieces.

Each different part of a toy that needs slotting together is a difference size, so there can be no confusion where it goes. Some parts have dual pieces, two identical ears or similar arms for instance; In these cases make a note of which sides should face the front.

Some parts require that you slide them down or up as well as into the toy.

TIP: Should you need to widen or lengthen an individual parts slit, you can do so by using either a craft knife or scissor edge.

Problems building your toy?

Should you have any problems building your toys please leave a comment on this page.

Tags: build, building, deadlyfurrycute, guide, Help, information, paper, Toys Thursday, January 28th, 2010