Optimus Prime!

I made my husband this paper Optimus Prime for VDay. It took an incredibly long time to make - I'm a little embarassed to say that it took me almost 4 hours. And I even neglected to attach his thighs, two wheels and smokestacks. And I just realized that his torso is upside down. The way he's sitting makes me think he needs a little paper lazy-boy to recline in (or maybe a lawn chair!) and a beer can. I think that's just part of his charm.

He's supposed to actually be able to transform, but I am too afraid to try. I think I tied his limbs together too tightly to transform him into a semi without crushing him. If you want to make him, I would suggest using a blunt sewing needle (like one used for plastic canvas crafts or to weave in ends on a knitting project) to score the back of the cardstock for the folds. I have a bone folder, but it's not very accurate. Tiny projects like this call for something more precise. I used three strands of embroidery floss and a teeny tiny sewing needle to attach his limbs.



Here you can see just how tiny he is - only about 5 inches tall! And totally defenseless against kitties...