Lucario -SSBB version-

From my experiences playing Super Smash Bros Brawl, Lucario made me think that PokeMon were "okay". I am accepting them in the begrudging way an old man accepts ideas much younger than him. They still need to keep off my lawn, but Lucario's okay. I guess.

While the 3D model is simplified enough for papercraft and competently unfolded (except the collar, it's a needless design for an ornamental piece), it suffers from the same problem that Samus does -- namely that using the stock photo pose does not work in real life. His legs are attached to his thighs by optimism; a hope that asks if his chicken legs will be able to support the body. In short, no, no it does not. Although I didn't catch a lie in a picture like I did with Samus (her feet being taped down to keep her standing), I find it hard to believe that Lucario stands up freely in the designer's picture of his completed model without some kind of crutch, like weights in the feet.

If you were the designer and that happened, wouldn't that make you rethink the design? I was able to balance him somewhat by changing the position of his feet from the model and the instructions, but if I were the designer I would probably change the shape and position of the tail so it touched the ground. If that's too iconic to modify, have him face forward and fold his arms. That's a "serious" looking pose that would not detract from the model, while adding much needed weight to the front of it.

Speaking of arms, why do so many designers insist that you attach arms (and legs) by reaching inside the model to try to manipulate tabs? I'm not just criticizing him; this is more of a general gripe. I think a better idea would be to either a) join with two shaped faces, one on the body and one on the arm that "interlock" or b) use the hole like a socket; a portion of the arm would go inside the body. To glue it in place, a simple ring on the inside border of the hole would suffice.

In Lucario's case, the arms could join in the center for stability since his chest is so small. All a builder would have had to do is slip the shoulder rings on his arms and then slip the arms into body, instead of trying to thread the tabs from the arms into the rings and then the rings into the holes so they catch the edges. The tail uses very tiny tabs to attach, and you really have to wonder how the they can be expected to hold it up. Once again, have a part of the tail go into the body; extend it all the way to the front of the model and glue it there for stability.

But maybe it was just me, maybe I didn't build it properly. The one in the instructions looks like it stands just fine. I really don't know. But once again, I think a much better model could have come out of thinking outside of the Pepakura box, spending a little more time on the 3D model posing and paying more attention to issues raised by the test build.