Radio Gaga - The Papercraft Final

 For this project, I wanted to pick an object that stood out from my childhood, as well as something that would be more of a challenge to build. This radio is based off of an old one that my dad has always kept around; he's had it longer than I've been alive, and even though it's on its last legs he still hangs on to it. He used to use it to listen to the radio every morning before work while he had a shower, and I remember hearing the click and buzzing noise it made when he turned it on every day. As far as I know, it still sits on the window sill because that's the only place it can pick up a signal.

Render + Pattern Drawing:

First Prototype:

Basically the 3D form of a composition sketch, this was mainly so I could see all the parts put together to figure out what was working/what wasn't. This was also before I added paper tabs to the template, which made it almost impossible to build when coupled with the fact that I used printer paper.

Second Prototype:

This second prototype was my attempt at putting the radio together using cardstock, as well as adding a bit more detail (like the button on the side, the screen, and just generally using the colors I planned on). This was where I started to see that using the cardstock would kind of be a pain, but I definitely learned a lot from using it. I decided that instead of finding a new material, I'd work with this one because I thought I could make it work.

Third Prototype/Final:

For the final, I made sure to focus on the smaller details and put extra effort in to make it clean and well put together. I added the detail of the label on the back as I thought it was a nice detail that reflected the original radio. While this design was inspired by the original, it differs due to my only reference being my memory, as well as a color difference because of my limited access to a range of paper colors. The only other materials used were white gel pen for the small details on the knobs and back plate, as well as a black pen for the writing on the back label.

Conclusion:

For me the most difficult part of this project was trying to make the round pieces using cardstock. Due to the thickness of the paper, I was unable to make the knobs or antenna the way that I had wanted. I also wasn't able to figure out a way to make the knobs turn, and the only options I considered would have resulted in the paper ripping, or having to use material other than paper. I was, however, able to inset the screen/display through a really frustrating mixture of paper tabs and a ton of glue. If I did this project again I would try to find thinner cardstock (printer paper wasn't cutting it), but this was all I had available to me at the time.