Ninjatoes.com from now on, ad-free and all! :o)

Today I:

1) Fixed all the broken image links on my main papercraft webpage (where you can download all the papercrafts I made myself for free!) 😊
2) Paid for a Wordpress.com subscription plan so that it doesn't show ads anymore (because that way it's even more fun to visit) 👍
3) Got a personal domain name so that it can also be reached using ninjatoes.com from now on! ✂️🎉

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out! 😀

Game Boy Advance IPS LCD, rechargeable battery pack mod and EZ-Flash Omega cartridge

And now, for something completely different! 😊

I didn't make a whole lot of progress on finishing up the release for my papercraft LEGO set 6592 Weekend Cottage, because 1) it's been a *very* busy week (as usual lately...) and 2) I spent yesterday building the Game Boy Advance I always wanted! :)

Now let's get one thing straight: I absolutely  LOVE 💝 my original GBA Glacier! And it has tons of awesome games! But man, that screen... (and man, that battery life... 🔋🔋)

I knew from the internet that people had been modding their GBAs with backlit LCD screens, new shells and rechargeable battery packs for exactly these reasons!

Now I didn't want to harm my original GBA Glacier, so I bought a different, second-hand GBA to serve as a donor for the motherboard that you need.

And being from the Netherlands, I was happy to finally find an EU store that had all the parts that I would in stock need (RetroReiZ in Germany, which started carrying all the products from RetroSix just in 2021! 😀)

• Backlit IPS LCD screen (FunnyPlaying V2 version)
• A new shell and buttons (a clear, pre-trimmed shell (if you use an original shell, you have to trim the inside a bit yourself to fit the new screen) with transparant black buttons and black rubber pads)
• A glass protective lens (instead of the original plastic one)
• A rechargeable battery pack (CleanJuice version, with a USB-C connection
• A replacement battery cover with pre-cut slot for the USB-C charging connection (clear to match the rest of the shell)

So yeah; this is not really an inexpensive mod to do... 💰 😅

But installation went alright I guess; soldering the three wires (to be able to adjust the brightness of the new LCD screen) was the trickiest part (well I don't have the best soldering iron to be honest... 😊).

With the special made, pre-trimmed shells, apparantly you don't need the plastic brackets you normally need to center the LCD screen anymore?

So I was expecting everything to fit perfectly, but for some reason I had to trim quite some of the doublesided tape that holds the screen in place...? It turned out fine with the screen perfectly centered though.

A tip too: the new small screws that are included seem easily stripped, but an easy way to prevent that is to use the CORRECT size screwdriver; I actually bought a new set that said specifically they were for Nintendo and / or GBA screws but they really seemed at least a size too small...?

It took longer than I anticipated (mainly because of the soldering) but I am very happy with it! And with the clear shell and transparant black buttons, I think my new GBA it looks pretty cool! 🎮😎

And man, that screen compared to the original one makes it really worth it! 😃

As an extra bonus for myself, I also decided to get an EZ-Flash Omega cartridge from the Dutch shop Rinku Retro. 🙂

This allows you to load all your Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance (and even NES!) games onto a micro SD card (get a fast one though!) which you can then place into the EZ Flash Omega to use in your real Game Boy Advance.

In fact, apparantly you can literally fit every GB, GBC, GBA and NES game ever made onto one 16 GB SD card for use with the EZ-Flash Omega! 😃

Then on startup, you can just select which of your games you want to play and you don't have to swap cartridges every time you want to play a different game! 🙂

Unfortunately, your computer probably doesn't have a GBA cartridge slot to transfer the games from the Game Boy cartridges to the micro SD card... But with the Retrode 2 cartridge dumper and its GBx plugin from the German online store DragonBox, you can do just that! (unfortunately, DragonBox undrstandably usually doesn't have a large stock of this specialized device and the Retrode 2 is often sold out, but every now and then they'll have a new batch made) 😊

At one point I was fortunate enough to snatch one of the Retrode 2 so I could dump my own ROMs, which I actually often played through an emulator instead of my GBA...

But now I can play them on my actual 'ultimate' Game Boy Advance without any hassle! 😊

Next week: papercraft again! 😁

Halloween spiderwebbing

🦇 Halloween is not really a traditional holiday in the Netherlands, but we do enjoy a fun, scary Halloween movie and more and more people just like the overall spooky atmosphere during these dark days. 🎃😊

So for some of the pictures of my 'special' Halloween papercraft this year (no, it's not the paper Jack-o'-lantern in the pictures 😉) I decided to get some typical Halloween decorations I always see in Halloween movies, including some of that stretchy spiderweb material.

It was my first time using it but it's really fun material! I only used like 1/4 to 1/3 of the 60 grams in the bag that I got and it stretched quite far; in fact I think it looks better the more you stretch it. 😊

It's a bit difficult to see against the white wall, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, especially the top bit; it was a bit difficult to use because I was only using a clothesline to attach it to and some tape to stick it to the floor, and I think it would look better against some bushes or fence or something outside, where you can attach and stretch it better.

If you want to see what my Halloween papercraft will be this year be sure to check back next week, for now I just wanted to share how much fun making a scary spiderweb for Halloween is. 🕸😉

LEGO Tomb Raider II Brick Lara statuette MOC

Yes yes, this is a papercraft weblog... But you already know I love LEGO too. 🧱😇 I came across a LEGO Lara made by vir-a-cocha, and I got inspired to make my own LEGO Lara statuette!

(check out vir-a-cocha's version on their Flickr page:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vir-a-cocha/albums/72157644048286796 )

Vir-a-cocha made their LEGO Lara in her classic adventurer's outfit, so I decided to make her in the Tomb Raider II SOLA wetsuit version (I made a papercraft vignette of it as well: link 😉).

I think you can a lot of similarities in construction, and also some differences. My Brick Lara has a different pose, and to be honest it's not very stable: I guess she's made to look at, and not play with... 😋

Some notes:

• Lara's waist is supported by two only studs, so it's not very strong... Handle her with care!
• Lara's upper legs kept popping loose, so I inserted two 3L bars into her thighs to prevent that from happening.
• Because of the running pose, Lara wants to fall backwards, breaking apart her right leg, so I added that Weird Rock Piece to support her left leg. 😉
• I used Technic 1/2 pins to attach Lara's backpack and holsters, and to prevent them from rotating, I inserted small strips of paper for a tighter fit.
• Lara's backpack is in the way of her ponytail, but there is enough play in the round bricks to angle them a little bit to clear it. 😉

I made a parts list (be sure to check it thoroughly yourself to make sure I didn't make a mistake!)  and building instructions if you want to make your own Brick Lara exactly the same way as I did (you can get all the bricks from the wonderful BrickLink website).

But don't forget it's LEGO, so you can also just make a different version your own way of course! 😀

Download Brick Lara building instructions

Download Brick Lara parts list

Have fun building!

 

See more pictures: link 📷

Why I had to redirect the about 560 download links on my papercraft webpage (or: please let me know if you find any broken or faulty links ;o)

Above are just some of the 196 free papercrafts that I have for download on my papercraft webpage so far:

https://ninjatoes.wordpress.com/

Most of them have:

• A finished picture,
• A parts file
• An instructions file

(Except for my early ones, that don't have separate instructions, and some that have extra alternative or optional parts, and some featured models like repaints done by others).

So when my internet provider announced a while back that they will be closing the free webspace for their customers on April 1st (I don't think it's an April Fool's joke...? 😁) that meant I had to spend the last few days transferring the files that were on there to my Google Drive, and redirect the about 560 download links on my papercraft webpage...

So... although I did my best, you can imagine that I could have made some mistakes, so please:
let me know on ninjatoes@home.nl if you find any broken or faulty links! 😊

https://ninjatoes.wordpress.com/

Have fun building!

LEGO Fire Copter MOC

That's right! Not a Papercraft Pokémon Sunday (on purpose this time, I might add 😉) because it's a special day! It's the last day of the year, and I wanted to show my new LEGO MOC: a compact but fully equipped Fire Copter with a careless cook as the victim...🔥🚁

Three Shades of Grey: Revell Horten Go 229 flying wing plastic model kit

Papercraft is a much less expensive hobby than building plastic model kits, but those really are a lot of fun too. 😉

I showed you my Revell SR-71 Blackbird before, and also the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which I'm sure has at least some inspiration to thank on this World War II jetpowered Horten Go 229.🛫

(the B-2 should actually be twice as big to be in the same scale!)

I really like these 'extreme designs', if we're still amazed at the B-2 stealth bomber nowadays, imagine what it must have been like for soldiers finding the experimental Horten Go 229 in World War 2! I like the kinda 'chibi' look of this early 'flying wing' too, just look at the 'chubby' look and the size of that front wheel compared to the rest of the plane!

That front wheel almost takes up most of the plane!? ;o)

The SR-71 and B-2 were black, but for the Horten, I used Three Shades of Grey* (some pun intended...) and a yellow accent, which turned out really neat I think! There was some bleeding from the camouflage masking, and some dark speckles over the lighter areas because I didn't work very cleanly, but I'm quite happy with another cool plane again! ;o)

I hoped you liked the pictures (and don't worry, I'm still papercrafting ;o) Stay tuned!

P.S.: there are papercrafts of the Horten Go 229 too of course, like this one from Fiddlers Green: link (from the top of my head, I don't know if you can any free ones though but have a look around online! ;o)

*Spray colours used:
   Revell Spray 34371 Light grey (for the bottom, dries up almost white ;o)
   Humbrol Spray Paint 64 Grey (light grey base colour for the top)
   Humbrol Spray Paint 67 Tank grey (dark grey colour for the camouflage)

   (and Tamiya Spray TS-13 Clear for the finish)

Haal je eigen kartonnen RoboPak op bij de Volkswagen dealer!

I don't if it's run in other countries, but in The Netherlands, the creative agency ACHTUNG! mcgarrybowen created a cool tv commercial for Volkswagen, featuring a young boy that steals the show at a cute girl's birthday party as a transforming car!

And what's more, if you live in the Netherlands, you can get the boy's RoboPak costume from your local Volkswagen dealer! ;o)

What kind of printer do you use for papercrafting?

Here's a question (well, 2 actually) that I would like to ask all papercrafters:

1. Which brand and model printer do you use?
2. Are you able to use thicker* paper / cardstock with that printer?

* Have you only tried regular printer paper (thin 75-80 gsm paper) or are you able to use thicker 120-160 gsm, or 200-220 gsm paper as well without your printer complaining?

Myself, I have an HP Photosmart D7160 (like the one in the picture above);

It's an inkjet printer and I always use 200 gsm paper for making papercrafts. That's 2.5 times as thick as regular printer paper, but it feeds through without problems, and makes my papercrafts very sturdy. ;o)

I hope many papercrafters will share their experiences with printers for papercraft, you can do by leaving a comment below please.

Thank you in advance! ;o)

(and you can stay anonymous if you want to of course; you don't need to have a Blogger account or log in to leave a comment on my papercraft weblog! ;o)

Now you can Like me! ;o)

Ninjatoes Papercraft

So today, my personal Facebook Profile became unaccessable and I received a message that it needed to be converted to a Facebook Page, the new URL is...:

https://www.facebook.com/ninjatoespapercraft/

If you were a Facebook Friend of mine before, you've automatically become a Follower now;

All the posts from the last seven years or so weren't carried over though, so those are gone... (well, most of them were reposts from my weblog, and you can read those here of course ;o)

But now that my personal Profile is converted into a Page, you don't need to be logged in or be a Friend to view the content (so people without a Facebook account can see it now too! ;o)

And, of course now that I'm a Page, you can Like me now! ;o)

Vraag de gratis Irado strooiwagen bouwplaat (en andere ;o) aan!

Het afvalinzamelingsbedrijf Irado uit Schiedam heeft een nieuwe bouwplaat (ook weer gemaakt door Cees Oosterom van YorLogo), deze keer is het (heel toepasselijk nu de winter voor de deur staat ;o) een leuke strooiwagen!

(de oude bouwplaten van de vuilniswagen, veegmachine en kolkenzuiger zijn ook nog beschikbaar ;o)

Papercraft Nestlé Japan "Adult Sweetness" D51 498 steam locomotive mini Kit Kat dispenser

I have no idea if the Glico candy snacks Kancolle papercraft promotion is still in effect, but as you can see, I really don't think we'll ever have to worry about Japanese candy lovers not having any neat promotions with their candy... ;o)

The picture above is from a special version of Nestlé Japan's "Adult Sweets" Kit Kat package, which has a cool, no-glue-needed/tab-and-slot papercraft D51 class steam locomotive mini Kit Kat dispenser included! ;o)

LEGO Classic Coast Guard Powerboat MOC

After the Digger and the Traffic Police car, this Classic Coast Guard Powerboat is the third LEGO MOC ("My Own Creation") that I made instructions for!

Papercraft Glico Cratz and Almond candy snacks Kantai Fleet Collection promotion

As if people needed extra incentive to buy candy, the Glico company is promoting the start of the Kancolle (Kantai Collection) anime series in January 2015 by putting papercraft models of the ships in the boxes of their Cratz and Almond (アーモンドグリコ) candy snacks! ;o)

Core-Design.com classic Tomb Raider fansite featuring my papercraft Tomb Raider models

Tomb Raider fans will know no doubt the name "Core Design", the studio that developed the classic Tomb Raider games for Eidos Interactive!

LEGO Digger MOC

Usually I'll post some updates as I'm working on a new papercraft model, but this time I'm keeping it a secret. ;o) But in the meantime, here's a new simple little LEGO "MOC" ("My Own Creation") I made!

Help expand the Papercraft Wiki

This Papercraft Wiki is a project started by Nintendo Papercraft to help people "learn all the secrets about mastering papercraft!" ;o)

Revell 1:144 B-2 Stealth Bomber model kit

I posted this in my DeviantArt gallery already, but I like to have it on my weblog too (like the SR-71A "Blackbird" I built too): a plastic B-2 Stealth Bomber model kit from Revell!

LEGO Traffic Police car MOC

If you know my papercraft LEGO minifigs, you know that I'm also a big LEGO fan - and here's more proof! ;o)

Charles won second prize in the Lotus F1/Burn Energy Drink papercraft #MyKimiRobot contest!

Those who think you never win in a contest, guess again; Charles won 2nd prize in the Lotus F1/Burn Energy Drink #MyKimiRobot contest ! ;o)

The prize was a real, signed Formula 1 helmet, and it took a while before it finally arrived, but as you can see, now it has!