Papercraft based on video game properties is a well-documented and long-running art. Chances are, if you’re reading this article, you’ve seen a little bit of the stuff before, and probably think you have a good idea what you’re in for.

You are wrong. Thanks to an embarrassing amount of help from Anthony, we’ve compiled an incredible list of some of the most obscure, bizarre, and interesting game-related papercraft on the internet. We’ve divided it up by characters, scenery, and in-game objects (people, places, and things!) for your convenience.

Characters

Mario’s Head

From: Super Mario 64 (Title Screen)

This is exactly what it looks like. Remember the minigame from the title screen of Super Mario 64 that allowed you to stretch, squish, and otherwise deform Mario’s excitingly-3D head? This is it, faithfully recreated in paperform. Sadly, this version retains none of the manipulable fun of the original, unless you make it out of Fruit Roll-Ups or something.

Source: http://www.nintendopapercraft.com/2009/05/super-mario-64-head.html

Snake in a Box

From: Metal Gear Solid 2

In what is perhaps the most clever workaround of papercraft difficulty you’ll ever see, this piece takes the iconic cardboard-box-sneaking of the MGS franchise and minimizes it perfectly. This one holds a special place in my heart, as I went as cardboard-box-Snake for Halloween when I was 14. I was way into MGS2, so it was  the “THE ORANGE” box and everything. There are pictures. Do not look for them.

Source: http://creativepaper.blogspot.com/2007/06/solid-snake-in-box-papercraft.html

Klonoa

From: Klonoa

If this piece seems particularly authentic, there’s a reason: this is one of the few pieces of papercraft on this list that is actually an official work provided by Bandai to promote the game. The page is at least worth visiting to peep the sick Rally-X favicon they’re rocking. That is adorable. Every reputable video website should aspire to have a favicon that sick.

Source: http://www.bandainamcogames.co.jp/cs/list/kloweb/papcra.html (WARNING: THIS WEBSITE IS MAD JAPANESE)

Castle Crashers

From: Castle Crashers

Love Castle Crashers? Reluctant to spend the $80 The Behemoth is asking for the (gorgeous) official Castle Crashers action figures? Maybe try making these custom Castle Crasher papercraft figurines, courtesy of unpronounceable DeviantArt user “crzisme”.

(Seriously, though, The Behemoth is rad. Support the F out of them.)

Source: http://crzisme.deviantart.com/art/Castle-Crashers-Papercraft-98644176

Team Fortress 2 Full Cast

From: Team Fortress 2

Some people might criticize the choice to chibify the cast of Valve’s popular multiplayer shooter as strange or bizarre. Those people clearly did not look at the above picture. Plus, the already-free set comes with an even freer Gordon Freeman papercraft figure! COME ON!!

Source: http://hellforge.gameriot.com/blogs/Hellforge/Team-Fortress-2-Papercraft

Captain Falcon / Falco Lombardi

From: Super Smash Bros Brawl

These two impressive (and likely impossible) figures are based on the Smash Bros character models of both characters. Would making a papercraft version Falco’s Star Fox 64 model or of Captain Falcon’s F-Zero ship, the Blue Falcon, be dramatically easier? Probably. But who would it impress?

Source (Falco): http://www.nintendopapercraft.com/2008/07/falco-lombardi.html
Source (Captain Falcon): http://www.papercraftmuseum.com/captain-falcon-3/

Manny Calavera

From: Grim Fandango

A papercraft version of cult classic adventure game hero Manny Calavera on a website about indie and downloadable games? I’m pretty sure the minute this article gets posted, Bytejacker is going to crash due to indie-cred overload.

Source: http://paperkraft.blogspot.com/2009/03/grim-fandango-papercraft-manny-calavera.html

Scenery

Green Hill Zone, Act 1

From: Sonic the Hedgehog

This gorgeous and authentic diorama of the first level of the first Sonic game (and the third-to-last good Sonic game) is possibly the most exciting thing on the list for me. It takes almost everything memorable about the original stage and consolidates it into a beautiful 3D desk toy. Simply spend 5 hours painstakingly assembling, and add Sonic sprites to taste.

Source: http://www.papermodelz.info/2009/05/21/sonic%E2%80%99s-greenhill-zone-papercraft/
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeromus/sets/72157601307734897/

Mega Man vs Cut Man

From: Mega Man

Depicting the memorable boss fight between Mega Man and Cut Man in the original NES game, this diorama from Deviant “ryo007″ is full of nice touches, such as Mega Man’s life bar and…Cut Man’s life bar. Simpler times.

Source: http://ryo007.deviantart.com/art/Megaman-Vs-Cutman-Papercraft-87481020

Ninja Gaiden Scene

From: Ninja Gaiden

Like the above entry, this follows the pattern of excellent-papercraft-NES-era-sidescroller-slash-action-game-diorama-created-by-Spanish-speaking-artist, providing me with an excellent segue and you with another unbelievably impressive 3D-ification of a notoriously difficult game.

Source: http://thepapercity.blogspot.com/2009/06/ninja-gaiden-diorama.html

Liberty City

From: Grand Theft Auto IV

This diorama accomplishes the impossible (and maybe inadvisable) task of taking the grim, dark Liberty City and making it kinda cute. The directions you print out are almost as cute as the little Niko Bellic/Cubivore character hybrid you get to assemble!

Source: http://tubbypaws.blogspot.com/2008/05/presenting-new-happy-3d-papercraft.html

Assorted buildings

From: Sim City 3000

The website for this one is almost as entertaining as the models themselves. This seemingly-Nordic Sim City 3000 fan has loaded his website not only with incredibly detailed buildings, but some equally-impressive Engrish, including this memorable line: “In these times you’re next thought is always: Internet, let’s just pick up what I need from internet.”

Source: http://members.chello.nl/a.wijers/paperbuildings/download.htm#SC3000LightHouse

In-Game Objects

Sledgehammer

From: Red Faction: Guerrilla

Far and away the most modern game represented on this list, this guide enables you to build a life-sized version of the all-powerful sledgehammer that you carry with you at every moment in Red Faction: Guerrilla. If the prospect of having Alec Mason’s default weapon on your cubicle desk doesn’t excite you, you obviously haven’t played Guerrilla yet.  This thing can literally tear down buildings. Again, this suffers from the same “false expectations” problem that the Mario head does, but like the Mario head, this can be remedied by simply building mass accelerators into the head of the model. And also by making it out of metal.

Source: http://community.redfaction.com/content/create-your-own-paper-sledgehammer

Lancer

From: Gears of War

Even if many don’t know it by name, anyone who’s played Gears of War for any amount of time is probably intimately familiar with the Lancer, the game’s chainsaw gun.

The game’s chainsaw gun.

Source: http://fxconsole.blogspot.com/2008/06/diy-gears-of-war-lancer-paper-model.html

Starships?

From: Wing Commander

I don’t know what these are. I was literally 0 years old when this game came out. Ask Anthony or someone equally old.

Source: http://papercommander.solsector.net/index.htm

Lion Sword

From: Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

This sword is the fifth main weapon that you acquire in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. You use it to fight it with Kaileena, but she curses it with unluck, so it breaks. If you think I knew any of that without looking it up, you are a crazy person.

While Warrior Within is generally considered the Spider-Man 3 of the Prince of Persia series, it’s hard to deny that this sword is seriously badass-looking.

Source: http://icthus7-papercraft.blogspot.com/2008/11/espada-len-del-juego-prince-of-persia.html

As someone who freely admits to having neither the patience nor the coordination to assemble any serious papercraft, I’m curious how talented the Bytejacker readers are. Have you guys ever built any papercraft? Did any of these make you want to assemble them, or did the Captain Falcon scare you off? Let us know in the comments!