Haruhi build

[rockpaperscissor]

After checking out Mark_1984's Aru build thread, I was inspired to try to build one of these little anime girls myself. In another thread, Nezard provided a link http://mizuirogakuen.hp.infoseek.co.jp/ to a newly designed anime girl named Haruhi, so I figured I'd give her a shot. The free download comes on 3 sheets of A4 card. Rather than do a full blown build thread, I thought I'd just do a short pictorial post upon the completion of each page build, and relate any difficulties that I come across. Then I'll do a final assembly post to close the thread out.

This is what Haruhi is supposed to look like

What she'll look like when I get done with her I have no idea :grin:

Regards,
Don

 

[Plastic Bonsai]

I have had a go at this one as Aru is just plain scary.

I managed this a lot better that I deserved.

I printed out the files as is with ink jet pinter on very ordinary A4 paper. I got the crotch slightly wrong ( a general lack of experiance there) miss-matching the front part to the top of the thighs but I think I got away with it. I tried using the supplied tabs and butt joining but at my level of skill neither made a difference - I need to learn to hide joins next!

Looking at the starting picture the model would definately look better being built with no lines. I see some models are available with and without lines. I imagine the crafty thing to do is print out both sets, maybe emphasis the folds on the lined version and use a light box to trace the folds on to the unlined version. With this version a little time with paint or photoshop would help to remove the dark edges as well. If someone did this would the designer mind and maybe host both sets?

A smoothed version (don't fold every line) would look better still.

 

[Lex]

Haruhi............ Hey I was just about to start on that... What a coincidence. I'm very keen to see how this model comes out~ Maybe we could share our experiences.

And don't worry Plastic Bonsai, your build looks great.

 

[rockpaperscissor]

Nezard, sheet 1 all built - photos and build report coming tomorrow (Monday). Plastic bonzai, thanks for the photo of your Haruhi - it came out very nice I think, and thanks to your heads up, I'll be taking extra care as I build her "nether regions".
Regards,
Don

 

[rockpaperscissor]

Haruhi sheet 1

So far, so good, amigos. I built page one first, which I thought would be the most difficult part of the build - sink or swim kid! The face came out pretty nice I think. I cut off the glue tabs and used joining strips glued to the back for a smoother look. To assemble the hair I formed each piece first and then made use of the photos from the download page to figure out how they all went together. It was quite a puzzle. I painted the underside of the hair dark grey for a better look and then glued her face to the completed hair assembly. Her skirt is made up of 3 pieces, which went together easily. I painted the underside in a light blue color. The last piece on sheet one was a long, thin white rectangle. I couldn't find anything that looked like it in the pictures of the finished model. Then I noticed that it fit perfectly inside the assembled head, so I made a leap of faith and guessed that it was an inside suupport to stiffen up the head assembly. It goes, I believe, from the crown of the head to the underside of the jaw - that's where mine is glued anyway. Is that correct plasticbonsai? So far, so good. I am very impressed with how well everything is designed and fits together.

Page 1 parts all assembled

I've got a 60 hr work week going on, so the next page build post might not be 'till the weekend. I hate it when my job interferes with my leisure time.

Regards,
Don

 

[Plastic Bonsai]

Support?

I missed the supports out, there's one through the elbow and I didn't use the head one either; the under chin sat on the neck tabs folded inwards. You've made a better job of the ears and tongue than I did. I left them till last and they were very fiddly as a result. You have the same lines on the face as I did - I wish designers didn't delineate the edges with dark lines - this model could really do with a no-lines version.

The trickiest fit of all was the lower torso into the base for the skirt. I just glued and held and hoped for the best. There's probably an alignment somewhere but as I got the front wrong it wasn't obvious at all.

Oh and don't add cuffs and hands after you've attached the arms to the torso, the cuffs are very tricky. Yeah I am a twit.

But I am going back and trying to paint the back- sides (in all senses:twisted: ) Better late than never!

 

[Lex]

Actually, if you have the pdo files, you can let the newest version of Pepakura print the fold/cut lines at any transparency. I did 90% transparent and they are simply invisible on the assembled model.

 

[Plastic Bonsai]

You can do what?

Actually, if you have the pdo files, you can let the newest version of Pepakura print the fold/cut lines at any transparency. I did 90% transparent and they are simply invisible on the assembled model.

Doh!

I've actually moved on to do Aru as I had printed her out first and then went all wobbly. Now I'm feeling far too confident but I haven't reached the hands yet - and not doing as much folding and butt fitting much as I can. If I survive that I might come back and have another go at this with sans lines. As Rockpaperscissors says it goes together very satisfyingly and there are more models like this in the pipeline judging by the website.

 

[rockpaperscissor]

Nezard, are you talking about Pepakura viewer or designer? I have viewer only(perhaps an older version), and I know how to make the lines thinner with that, but not more transparent. If I could get rid of the lines, that would eliminate my major gripe with Pepakura designed models.

 

[Lex]

I'm talking about the newest version of viewer. That function is really handy.

 

[rockpaperscissor]

That's great news Nezard - I will definitely be visiting the Pepakura site for the newest version.
Regards,
Don

 

[Peter the Ingrate]

Go to the download page from
http://mizuirogakuen.hp.infoseek.co.jp/


DOWNLOAD

|PDOÜ‚è–ÚƒAƒŠ(827KB)|
PDO with lines

|PDOÜ‚è–ÚƒiƒV(827KB)|
PDO without lines

|JPGÜ‚è–ÚƒAƒŠ(511KB)|
JPG with lines

|JPGÜ‚è–ÚƒiƒV(457KB)|
JPG without lines

|JPGÜ‚è–Ú‚Ì‚Ý•\Ž¦(385KB)|
Lines only no textures

 

[rockpaperscissor]

I wondered what those extra files were for. I didn't realize that the unlined version was there all along. How stupid of me. Well, I'll be sure to look at more than one file before I save from here on in. Too late for Haruhi though, I'm not going to start all over again now - the head and skirt are done, and the legs are @ 90% finished - and I tend not to build the same subject more than once, althoug I am kinda liking her, so you never know.
Regards,
Don

 

[Lex]

The "n" is no lines, "a" is with lines, and "p" is pdo file, if there is a "m" file, that's the instructions.

 

[rockpaperscissor]

Haruhi Sheet 3

Omigod, she's got no knickers on! :-o If I knew anime models were like this I would have started building them sooner. :twisted: I built sheet 3 before sheet 2 because, like sheet 1, it will fit on letter sized card stock. Sheet 2 needs full A4 length paper, so I'll have to find a piece of legal sized card stock, or tape 3/8 inch strips onto both ends of a piece of letter sized stock in order to print it - I'm just too lazy to deal with that right now.
There were no big surprises on this sheet of parts which makes up the lower half of her body. I started with her shoes which went together without a hitch. In hindsight (no pun intended) I wish I had taken a little more time with her buttocks parts - these would definitely have looked smoother if they were assembled using glue strips from the backside (hee hee, sorry, I just can't seem to help myself).
I had a lot of trouble getting the legs to fit well into their corresponding openings in the assembled pelvic girdle. To solve this, I cut the upper glue joints of the assembled girdle apart, and began gluing in a leg one tab at a time. When each of the glue tabs was affixed I rejoined the upper pelvic girdle glue joint that I had cut free earlier. The second leg was done in the same way. Finally the waist piece was glued into the top of the joined legs. This part completes the lower torso, and serves as the alignment/glue points for the skirt. I continue to be impressed with the design and fit of all the parts - this is a really, really well executed model.

Page 3 parts all assembled front view

And from the back

Photos are a little dark - it is a very rainy dreary day.
Regards,
Don

 

[Lex]

Wow, great work! Only sheet 2 is left now. Keep up!

 

[Plastic Bonsai]

I too was taken aback - if there ever there was a need for a touch up then this is it. The girdle joint is best done one at a time - probably with just the top of the thighs as it is very narrow in the crotch. The legs do go together well... I can't help it the entendres just keep comming...er I'm shutting up now.

When you are in a hole:

Stop digging!

 

[rockpaperscissor]

Haruhi sheet 2

Sheet 2 requires full A4 dimensions, so I printed it out on two pieces of card stock. I opened the jpeg file with Photoshop, wiped out the bottom half and printed what was left. Then I reopened the file, rotated the image 180 degrees, wiped out the other half and printed the remainder. Sheet 2 contains the upper half of her body. I really like the way the parts are laid out - in order, oriented the way they are to be assembled, and grouped together. Every sheet has been this way, and it really helps when there are no directions to go by. I found the shirt cuffs to be a bit fiddly, but with careful dry fitting I was able to get them oriented properly before gluing. I painted the inside of the cuffs blue as well as the backside of that big lapel/collar/backflap thing. I have no idea what it is called, but I'm sure there is a name for it. I anticipated that her arms would be just as difficult to get into position as her legs, so I went about it in a similar fashion. For the time being I left out the chest/neck piece, and did not join the top of the shoulders - this gave me some room to work. Then I glued in each arm one flap at a time starting with the lowest one. I worked my way around, gluing all of the flaps except for the one at the top of the shoulder. After attaching both arms I glued the chest/neck piece to the front of her blouse, and then to her back. Finally, I closed up the shoulder joints - done! I then attached the lapel/collar/backflap thing. I cut the tabs off of it and glued it directly to the front of her blouse. I left off the big red bow as well as her hands until final assembly - the bow is too delicate to survive the rigors of assembly, and I wanted to make sure her hands would be placed correctly when everything comes together at the end. All that's left now is putting the major subassemblies together. I'm really liking this model and I can't say enough about how well it is designed.

Page 2 parts all assembled

I'm working 12 hrs each day Fri, Sat, Sun and probably Monday or Tuesday as well, but I still hope to have the final installment of this thread posted on Monday, but if not, it'll be Wed/Thu for sure.

Regards,
Don

 

[Lex]

You're nearly finished already. Great work!

 

[rockpaperscissor]

Haruhi final assembly/comments

Well, I googled Haruhi, and it turns out she is the lead character in a hugely successful series of light novels, manga, and anime cartoons. I had no clue. I just gotta get out more. The series has a monster worldwide fanbase, particularly in Japan where anime rules, and the craze is known to devotees as Haruhiism. If you want to know more about Haruhi, google her and check out wikipedia. There are even some Haruhi videos on youtube.

This was a fun build for me, and the subject was, for an anime figure, relatively easy. The fit was excellent throughout, and using the photos of the finished figure as an instructional guide, assembly wasn't too hard to figure out. My only gripe is the score lines, and it turns out there are no-line PDO and jpeg versions available too, but I overlooked them. My bad.

Anyway, after joining the subassemblies, (no difficulties to note - she went together very easily) I wanted to put her on a suitable base as is my usual custom. I decided to use Haruhi's "SOS Brigade" Logo for the base - it's very colorful, and will definitely have meaning to Haruhiists. I sized the logo, printed it out on card, and laminated it to mat board. Then I made a wedge of doubled mat board, and glued it on the back of the logo to give it some height. I made an @ 2.5" x 5.25" black mat board base for the model and glued Haruhi and the logo to it. I'm pretty happy with overall presentation, she looks pretty sharp I think.

Front view

¾ view

She's a cheeky lass!

I have other anime kits, but as much fun as I had with this one, I think I'm going to do something from a totally different genre for my next model. Got something already printed out, and I'm excited to start on it. I should be able to begin a new thread on Friday.

Regards,
Don