DIY projects often lead us into a sea of electronics with Arduinos, Raspberry Pis and a lot of 3D printing, but that doesn't have to be the case. If you're looking for a project to get through quarantine, we have something here that will only ask for a printer, a good pair of scissors or a precision cutter, and a bit of glue. I'm referring to papercraft, a practice we have already enjoyed in the past, but this time we offer models focused on retro computing, courtesy of artist and designer Rocky Bergen.
Personally, I don't have good memories of papercraft. Every time my teachers asked for a cardboard cube or dodecahedron as homework, the weekend would end covered in screams, tears, dozens of failed models, and glue everywhere... but when it's used in a much more reasonable way, papercraft deserves our attention. For example, an old 1984 book called Inside The Personal Computers used 3D models that took shape as you turned the pages. And with the help of the Web, today we can access fabulous models, much more interesting than a simple polyhedron.
A quick visit to the artist and designer Rocky Bergen's site will allow you to download several models of retro computers, some consoles, and even an audio system. The list includes Commodore with its classic 64 and Amiga 500, the Apple Lisa and Apple II, the Atari 520ST, the ZX Spectrum, the unforgettable IMSAI 8080 (the same one that appears in WarGames), and of course, the IBM 5150, better known as the IBM PC. Among the consoles, the Nintendo AVS prototype (a step before the NES), the Sega Master System, and the Nintendo GameCube stand out. If you're not that interested in retro computers, those consoles will definitely keep you busy.
Each model comes with a small article, and in some cases we find different screens to place on the televisions. For example, if you download the Master System model, you can use a screen with Hang-On or Safari Hunt, two titles that originally came with the console. The rest is a matter of getting the PDFs, printing on quality paper, and starting to cut. Enjoy!
Official site and downloads: Click here
