What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Wars Origami: 36 Amazing Paper-folding Projects from a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
Kids love origami—and what could be cooler than transforming a piece of paper into Boba Fett, Princess Leia, Yoda, or R2-D2? And not just any paper, but custom-designed paper illustrated with art from the movies. Star Wars® Origami marries the fun of paper folding with the obsession of Star Wars. Like The Joy of Origami and Origami on the Go, this book puts an original spin on an ancient art. And like Star Wars® Scanimation® and Star Wars® Fandex®, it’s a fresh take on Star Wars mania.
Chris Alexander is a master folder and founder of the popular website StarWarsOrigami.com, and here are 36 models, clearly explained, that range in difficulty from Youngling (easy) to Padawan (medium), Jedi Knight (difficult), and Jedi Master (tricky!). A front section introduces origami definitions and basic folds. Bound in the back is the book’s unique folding paper, two sheets for each figure. Illustrated with original art, it makes each creation—the essential lightsabers, the Death Star, and much more—true to the movies.
Star Wars Origami includes a foreword by Tom Angleberger, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back, and is scheduled to be published at the same time as Angleberger’s upcoming book, The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee.
Chris Alexander is a master folder and founder of the popular website StarWarsOrigami.com, and here are 36 models, clearly explained, that range in difficulty from Youngling (easy) to Padawan (medium), Jedi Knight (difficult), and Jedi Master (tricky!). A front section introduces origami definitions and basic folds. Bound in the back is the book’s unique folding paper, two sheets for each figure. Illustrated with original art, it makes each creation—the essential lightsabers, the Death Star, and much more—true to the movies.
Star Wars Origami includes a foreword by Tom Angleberger, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back, and is scheduled to be published at the same time as Angleberger’s upcoming book, The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee.
259 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2012
16 people are currently reading
355 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 21, 2016
This book was awesome. I used a little bit of the birthday money daddy gave me to get it in November. I did a few of the projects, then did one a day through Christmas, and called it an advent calendar thing. I ended up hanging the projects on the Christmas Tree. And this way I can store them carefully in a box and use them as ornaments again next year. This way I don't have tons of origami projects just taking up space I can't spare on the desk and various shelves. Also, I have something else to look forward to for the holiday season.
Update: Here's the tree the following year. A couple of decades of collecting has left me with so many Star Wars ornaments that I can make an entire Star Wars Christmas tree, and the origami ornaments were almost too much.
I know there's an angel at the top, but a crocheted Princess Leia wig cap made her a Star Wars character, so it's technically a Star Wars tree, I tell you.
OK, back to the original review:
As for the book itself, I loved it. It had 36 projects, and included paper for them in the back of the books. Some of the projects had two sheets of paper, so that was cool too. I don't know what criteria they used for giving some projects two sheets and others just one, but I didn't need any of the second sheets. I'll make those for someone else, I reckon.
Each project was introduced with a paragraph relating to the character or ship in the project, and most were followed by a trivia quiz page relating to anything concerning Star Wars. That was also great fun.
I would like to be able to give this book five stars, but there was a problem with it. I'd say that the instructions were only 80% clear. As I went through the projects, I made some mistakes. I discovered a few of these were user errors as I went back to see where I had erred, however others were solid mistakes on the part of the instructions. Most of these related to how the paper should be oriented when starting. I'd fold nearly the entire project only to discover that I was folding the ass end of the paper when I should've been folding the hood. This meant unfolding the whole thing and starting over. I eventually learned to look ahead at the finished product, a picture of which was provided, peruse the instructions, then make my best guess as to where to start.
Another issue was that some of the terms were used interchangeably when they really shouldn't have been. They're minute differences, but still differences (i.e. sink-fold, reverse-fold, and pleat-fold were confused with each other, even with their own definitions). Sometimes the final result picture didn't match my final result, and sometimes I just had to make up a step or fold to make the model work.
Another thing: there were four difficulty levels for the projects, but I think there were mistakes. A couple of the third hardest were much easier to make than some in the easiest section. I'm not sure what criteria was used for those, either. All in all, though, the projects are quite awesome. The issue with the instructions almost makes me want to give this book three stars, but I won't because it's FRICKIN STAR WARS ORIGAMI!!!
Some final notes: I will say that this is not for beginner origami people. Some of these are pretty difficult, and even the easy ones are a step above beginner level, in my opinion. A couple of these took a good two hours or so to complete. Also, you'll get plenty of practice doing sink-folds with this book as the creator loves to use them.
Here are a few of my advent masterpieces, starting with Boba Fett's flying shoe, aka the Slave I:
Luke in his Red Five helmet:
The Imperial Shuttle:
Han frozen in carbonite, and getting ready to get shot by Moe and his bass fiddle:
R2-D2, the real man behind the curtain:
A Star Destroyer getting ready to be overtaken by the Fisher Price Chatter Phone:
A TIE fighter which needed a paperclip to keep the wings closed:
If you love origami, have a bit of experience with it, and like Star Wars, then you can't go wrong with this book.
Update: Here's the tree the following year. A couple of decades of collecting has left me with so many Star Wars ornaments that I can make an entire Star Wars Christmas tree, and the origami ornaments were almost too much.
I know there's an angel at the top, but a crocheted Princess Leia wig cap made her a Star Wars character, so it's technically a Star Wars tree, I tell you.
OK, back to the original review:
As for the book itself, I loved it. It had 36 projects, and included paper for them in the back of the books. Some of the projects had two sheets of paper, so that was cool too. I don't know what criteria they used for giving some projects two sheets and others just one, but I didn't need any of the second sheets. I'll make those for someone else, I reckon.
Each project was introduced with a paragraph relating to the character or ship in the project, and most were followed by a trivia quiz page relating to anything concerning Star Wars. That was also great fun.
I would like to be able to give this book five stars, but there was a problem with it. I'd say that the instructions were only 80% clear. As I went through the projects, I made some mistakes. I discovered a few of these were user errors as I went back to see where I had erred, however others were solid mistakes on the part of the instructions. Most of these related to how the paper should be oriented when starting. I'd fold nearly the entire project only to discover that I was folding the ass end of the paper when I should've been folding the hood. This meant unfolding the whole thing and starting over. I eventually learned to look ahead at the finished product, a picture of which was provided, peruse the instructions, then make my best guess as to where to start.
Another issue was that some of the terms were used interchangeably when they really shouldn't have been. They're minute differences, but still differences (i.e. sink-fold, reverse-fold, and pleat-fold were confused with each other, even with their own definitions). Sometimes the final result picture didn't match my final result, and sometimes I just had to make up a step or fold to make the model work.
Another thing: there were four difficulty levels for the projects, but I think there were mistakes. A couple of the third hardest were much easier to make than some in the easiest section. I'm not sure what criteria was used for those, either. All in all, though, the projects are quite awesome. The issue with the instructions almost makes me want to give this book three stars, but I won't because it's FRICKIN STAR WARS ORIGAMI!!!
Some final notes: I will say that this is not for beginner origami people. Some of these are pretty difficult, and even the easy ones are a step above beginner level, in my opinion. A couple of these took a good two hours or so to complete. Also, you'll get plenty of practice doing sink-folds with this book as the creator loves to use them.
Here are a few of my advent masterpieces, starting with Boba Fett's flying shoe, aka the Slave I:
Luke in his Red Five helmet:
The Imperial Shuttle:
Han frozen in carbonite, and getting ready to get shot by Moe and his bass fiddle:
R2-D2, the real man behind the curtain:
A Star Destroyer getting ready to be overtaken by the Fisher Price Chatter Phone:
A TIE fighter which needed a paperclip to keep the wings closed:
If you love origami, have a bit of experience with it, and like Star Wars, then you can't go wrong with this book.
August 13, 2012
My students are going to flip for this book. Let the folding begin.
August 9, 2012
It's a folding frenzy in my house!!
My two young Jedis are already pros at folding an Origami Yoda and Origami Vader, thanks to Tom Angleberger's books, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. In fact there is a foreward by Tom Angelberger in which refers to himself as a Padawan, and Chris Alexander as the Jedi Master of Star Wars Origami.
As the Master will probably tell you, in order to make one of the 36 - yes, 36 - Star Wars origami figures in the book, you need to go over some of the basics. My young Jedis thought they could skip over this training chapter and jump right into folding the Millenium Falcon. Ten minutes later two very frustrated boys came up to me begging for my help. It takes more than the force to make a good paper light saber!
A fun book for the whole family, there are different levels of difficulty in the book. In the Index, there is a list of project separated by level of difficulty - starting with Han Solo, moving to Chewbacca, and eventually working toward a Naboo Starfighter.
One thing that makes STAR WARS ORIGAMI so special - aside from the obvious Star Wars connection - is the paper. In the back of the book, there are specially designed paper to use along with each folding project. There are two sheets of paper to go with each project. See the Boba Fetts up there? If they were folded with just white paper they would still be neat, no doubt, but how cool are they with their special paper?? Awesome, right?
Needless to say, we love this book.
Many thanks to Workman for sending us this book!!
May 4, 2013
I love Star Wars! And this book is full of classic characters and ships, and even the newer ones! I have yet to master any of these projects, due to my lack of folding skills, but this is so much fun to do! Especially with my 7 year old son, who is a huge fan too!
Always looking for some crafts to do, this one is right up my little boys alley. Not only is it a great idea for him to do and learn, it's a great family project as well! The instructions are clear, and while you might need to practice the folds on a blank piece of paper before you start, it's fairly easy once you understand how to fold them.
They come with all the paper you need to make them look real too. It's all in the back of the book! I thought this was awesome, I hadn't realized until I was thumbing through that all the paper needed was already there.
***reviewed by Steph for New Age Mama - free copy received in exchange for an honest review***
Always looking for some crafts to do, this one is right up my little boys alley. Not only is it a great idea for him to do and learn, it's a great family project as well! The instructions are clear, and while you might need to practice the folds on a blank piece of paper before you start, it's fairly easy once you understand how to fold them.
They come with all the paper you need to make them look real too. It's all in the back of the book! I thought this was awesome, I hadn't realized until I was thumbing through that all the paper needed was already there.
***reviewed by Steph for New Age Mama - free copy received in exchange for an honest review***
November 10, 2013
Whoever set the difficulty ratings in this book should be taped to a wall and set upon by rabid badgers. I have now attempted to "Padawan" level models - aka "medium". The Vulture Droid Starfighter involves a TRIPLE SINK FOLD. This is medium difficult in the same way that a tsunami is a medium sized wave. I've folded a fair bit of origami, and I've never even heard of a triple sink fold until this "medium" difficulty model. I shudder to think about the "Jedi Master" aka "very tricky" models. They probably involve breaking the laws of physics and sending matter through whites holes in space. ARG!!!
September 7, 2012
For fans of star wars, this is a fun activity book. I decided against adding it to my media center because the origami paper at the end of the book will disappear and a big portion of the book will be missing and would end up needing repair. It would be great for an individual who would be able to keep it safe.
August 6, 2013
I love Star Wars. I loved origami when I was a kid, still enjoy it today. Out of all the origami books I have, this one is simply the coolest! My 7-year-old couldn't wait to start folding the Padwan level projects.
August 30, 2012
Awesomeness abounds with printed papers, detailed instructions and Star Wars tidbits. Perfect for your origami folding Star Wars fan!
November 8, 2012
The diagrams and instructions were confusing and frustrating. There are better demonstrations online.
December 20, 2012
Notes:
projects are on four levels, but all are advanced origami
9yo son with experience is struggling to fold some
end results are fantastic though
projects are on four levels, but all are advanced origami
9yo son with experience is struggling to fold some
end results are fantastic though
February 24, 2019
Some of the explanations and demonstrating figures are not as clear as they could be but on the whole this is a fab collection, with a mixture of difficulty levels and some really fun Star Wars projects!
November 15, 2020
A bit of fun.
Read
October 22, 2021lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2025
you can't fucking read didital
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2018
The idea is appealing, but 1) it's not origami sensu stricto; 2) a lot of the projects are ugly; 3) instructions are detailed, but not clear; 4) the book is for ages 9 and up, but a 9 year old would need help, which is a consequence of 3. Overall, not something I'd buy.
February 23, 2014
So many folds, so little time.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews