SnipFold

Channel-feather peacock

Original dimensional peacock with a raised body, hollow neck, three-stalk crest and eleven channel-folded fan feathers carrying separate layered eyes; a rear paper mast supports the fan.

Materials

  • 220-250 gsm cardstock for base, tubes, hub and feathers
  • 160 gsm paper for eye patches
  • PVA craft glue
  • Scissors or craft knife
  • Ruler and blunt scoring tool

Finished size: Approximately 236 wide x 90 deep x 160 high mm; base 120 x 90 mm

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. Prepare the plinth

    Print at 100%; check the 50 mm ruler. Cut each numbered piece once. Score all fold lines before cutting small parts. BASE is 120 x 90 mm; its front edge is y=-45. Use 220-250 gsm card for structural parts and 160 gsm for patches. Coordinates below are measured from the base centre, with front negative y.

  2. Make two load-bearing legs

    Fold each 10 x 14 x 18 mm leg tube through 90 degrees at its three wall scores. Glue the 4 mm terminal seam inside the first wall. Fold bottom feet outward 90 degrees, top ledges inward 90 degrees. Glue feet to BASE: left tube x=-14..-4, right x=4..14, both y=-12..2. Hold square and let dry.

  3. Close the body shell

    BODY forms a 36 wide x 50 deep x 30 high rectangular shell. Fold walls 90 degrees, glue the 4 mm seam inside, and turn all end ledges inward 90 degrees. Glue BELLY beneath the lower ledges and BACK above the upper ledges. Glue BELLY onto both leg top ledges, centred at x=0, spanning y=-25..25, bottom z=18. Dry before adding the neck.

  4. Build the upright neck and head

    NECK is 12 x 14 x 45 mm: close its seam, fold bottom feet outward and top ledges inward 90 degrees. Glue feet to BACK at x=-6..6, y=-24..-10, and cap with NECK_CAP at z=93. HEAD is 18 x 22 x 16 mm: turn both end ledges inward, close seam and cap with CROWN. Glue its bottom ledges to the neck cap; head spans x=-9..9, y=-32..-10, z=93..109. The rear bottom ledge and side ledges overlap the cap. Let set upright.

  5. Raise the three crest stalks

    Fold each CREST at 5 mm through 90 degrees. Glue its 3 x 5 mm foot to CROWN, centred at x=-5, 0, +5 and spanning y=-20..-15. Stalks rise 17 mm above the crown; keep upright while glue sets.

  6. Attach the face

    Fold BEAK root 90 degrees and glue its 10 x 4 mm root to the front head wall, x=-5..5, z=96..100. The triangular bill projects 12 mm forward horizontally. Glue the two 4.4 mm eye discs to the side walls, each 5 mm behind the front edge and 10 mm above the head bottom.

  7. Install the independent fan support

    Form MAST as a 14 x 14 x 55 mm tube with 4 mm seam; bottom feet outward and top ledges inward at 90 degrees. Glue feet to BASE at x=-7..7, y=26..40; leave 1 mm behind the body rear wall. Glue HUB to the mast front wall at y=26, centre x=0,z=40. The 14 mm wide mast-to-hub contact extends from z=15 to55. Hold the hub vertical until fully dry. This rear mast carries the fan directly to the base.

  8. Fold eleven structural feathers

    F01-F11 each have a 120 mm centre spine and two 7 mm wide tapered side flanges. Fold both side flanges backward 90 degrees along the scores from 60 to110 mm; leave the first 60 mm flat so adjacent feather roots can overlap without colliding flanges. The result is an open channel at the eye-bearing end, not a flat printed feather. Do not crease the centre spine. Keep all flanges on the rear side.

  9. Laminate the feather eyes

    On every feather glue its matching G gold oval (12 x 20 mm), then T turquoise oval (8.6 x 14 mm), then P navy oval (4.8 x 9 mm), concentrically on the FRONT of the centre spine. Each eye centre lies 94 mm from the root and on the spine centreline. Apply a thin full-area glue film; dry flat before mounting.

  10. Spread the fan on the hub

    Viewed from the front, mount F01 through F11 from left to right at -75,-60,-45,-30,-15,0,15,30,45,60,75 degrees from vertical. All root midpoints meet the hub centre (z=40); tips lie 120 mm radially outward. Glue only the marked first 20 mm of each spine to the front of HUB, overlapping successive roots. Keep side flanges behind, unglued and clear of neighbouring feathers. Lay the hub-supported assembly face-up while these roots dry, then return the base upright.

  11. Clamp the roots and finish

    Glue BOSS over the fan roots, concentric with HUB, using a thin glue layer across the root stack. Its 44 mm diameter sandwiches the overlapping flat roots without reaching the folded flanges. Lower portion sits behind the body. Press the joint gently from front and rear, then let all seams dry overnight on a level surface. Finished envelope is about 236 x 90 x 160 mm, on a 120 x 90 mm footprint. This is a static display; physical stability and assembly remain to be tested.

Notes

The 3D model shows each piece in its finished, idealized shape; the exploded view only spreads the pieces apart. It is not a paper-physics simulation: curved shapes are forming guides, not exact physical folding or proof of developability, and intermediate fold shapes are not supplied.