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How to fold an origami seaplane

Fold a yellow body in half, cut its belly slim and pull the tail fin up with an outside reverse fold. Add a wing on the roof, black struts, two red floats, a propeller and a strip of blue water.

You need: Yellow: 9 x 18 cm and 7 x 1.7 cm. Red: two 10.5 x 1.8 cm strips. Black: 0.5 x 9.5 cm and 0.5 x 4 cm. Blue: 21 x 3 cm. Scissors, glue. Hard, 22 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Body: edges to the middle. Start with the big yellow strip, white side up. Fold the top and bottom edges in to meet along the middle.
  2. Body: in half. Fold it in half lengthwise, top half down onto the bottom half. It's yellow on both sides.
  3. Body: shape it. Cut the belly off on a long slant up towards the tail. Round the nose's bottom corner and snip its top corner.
  4. Body: tail fin. Outside-reverse-fold the tail end straight up on a 45 degree line from the top edge, 3 cm from the end, wrapping it round the outside.
  5. Body: shape the fin. Cut the fin's front edge back on a long slant and round its top back corner.
  6. Water: new strip. Set the body aside. Take the long blue strip, white side up.
  7. Water: in half. Fold it in half lengthwise, top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  8. Struts: new strip. Set the water aside. Take the long black strip, white side up.
  9. Struts: in half. Fold it in half lengthwise, so it's black on both sides.
  10. Struts: fold up the posts. Fold both ends straight up, 4.5 cm apart, so the strip makes a U with two short posts.
  11. Near float: new strip. Set it aside. Take a red strip for the near float, white side up.
  12. Near float: in half. Fold it in half lengthwise, top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  13. Near float: shape it. Cut a long slant off the bottom right corner for the bow, round its tip, and cut a long slant off the bottom left corner for the stern.
  14. Wing: new strip. Set the float aside. Take the short yellow strip, white side up.
  15. Wing: in half. Fold it in half lengthwise, top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  16. Wing: shape it. Round the two right corners, the wing's front. Cut a long slant off the top left, so the back edge is thin.
  17. Propeller: new strip. Set the wing aside. Take the short black strip, white side up, standing upright.
  18. Propeller: in half. Fold the right edge over onto the left edge.
  19. Far float: new strip. Set it aside. Take a red strip for the far float, white side up.
  20. Far float: in half. Fold it in half lengthwise, top edge down onto the bottom edge.
  21. Far float: shape it. Cut a long slant off the bottom right corner for the bow, round its tip, and cut a long slant off the bottom left corner for the stern.
  22. Glue it together. Lay the water down, the far float on it and the body above. Glue the struts under the body, the near float over them, the wing and propeller on.

Ready for the lake!

Draw white windows on the cabin, a black strut from the body up to the wing, a spinner on the propeller and white ripples on the water.

How to fly it

  1. Slide it along the water strip as if it's racing for take-off.
  2. Lift it off and swoop it round the room, then splash it down gently.
  3. Make a little paper dock and park it at the end of the day.

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