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How to fold an origami snowmobile

Fold a yellow strip into a sleek pointed hood, pleat a black track, bend one black strip into handlebar, steering and a ski with a curled tip, then add a seat and a windscreen.

You need: Yellow paper 27 × 10 cm, a black strip 17 × 12 cm, a black strip 20 × 1 cm, a black strip 8 × 3 cm, a light blue square, a pale blue strip and glue. Hard, 25 steps, about 35 minutes.

Steps

  1. Fold in half. Start white side up, long side across. Fold the top edge down to the bottom edge, so the strip is yellow on both sides with the fold along the top.
  2. Fold the hood. Fold the front top corner behind on a long slant, from the middle of the top down to a point at the front.
  3. Fold the chin. Fold the bottom front corner behind on a short slant up to the point, folding the hood flap that pokes out below with it.
  4. Tuck the point. A little point of that flap pokes up above the hood. Fold it behind along the hood edge.
  5. Round the tail. Fold both back corners behind a little, so the tail is rounded.
  6. Seat: new strip. Set the body aside. Take the black strip for the seat, white side up.
  7. Seat: in half. Fold it in half, top edge down to the bottom edge, so it is black on both sides.
  8. Seat: shape it. Fold the back top corner behind to round it, and the front end behind on a slant so the seat slopes down to the hood.
  9. Windscreen: new sheet. Set the seat aside. Take the light blue square, blue side up.
  10. Windscreen: lean it back. Fold the front top part behind on a long slant, so the screen leans back. Fold the back top corner behind a little to round it.
  11. Steering: new strip. Set the windscreen aside. Take the long black strip, white side up.
  12. Steering: in half. Fold it in half the long way, so it is a narrow black strip. The short end on the left is the handlebar grip.
  13. Steering: the handlebar. Fold the strip down 1.2 cm from the end, so it drops steeply. The short bit on top is the grip.
  14. Steering: the column. Fold it again 2.5 cm lower, so it slants forward. This part hides inside the body.
  15. Ski: the leg. Fold it again 4.5 cm on, so it points straight down. That is the ski leg.
  16. Ski: bend it. Fold the strip at a right angle 4.5 cm lower, so the rest points forward along the snow. That is the ski.
  17. Ski: curl the tip. Fold the last 2 cm of the ski up on a slant, so the tip curls up and can glide over the snow.
  18. Track: new sheet. Set the ski aside. Take the black strip, black side up, long side across.
  19. Track: in half. Fold the bottom half behind, the long way.
  20. Track: pleat. Fold each end in on an upright crease 5 cm from it, so the ends lie over the middle.
  21. Track: pleat back. Fold each end back out on a crease 8 mm nearer the end. The pleats leave ridges across the track, like the bumps of a real snow track.
  22. Track: shape it. Fold the front bottom corner behind on a long slant, so the track rises at the front. Fold both back corners behind to round them.
  23. Snow: new sheet. Set the track aside. Take the long pale blue strip, blue side up.
  24. Snow: drifts. Fold both top corners behind on slants, so the snow looks like a soft drift.
  25. Build the snowmobile. Glue the windscreen, ski leg and track behind the body, and the seat on top. Stand it on the snow, ski and track resting on the drift.

Off through the snow!

Draw a black stripe, a headlight and white wheels in the track. Zoom it across a snowy windowsill!

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