What image comes to mind first when you hear the word "computer"? In the past, if a convex monitor or a computer body with a plastic body came to mind, now a sophisticated design with thinner bezels and thickness will come to mind first. As technology advances, computers have evolved to higher specifications and more compact designs.
A Winnipeg, Canada based artist named Rocky Bergen released a free collection of miniature papercraft computer models that hobbyists can assemble for fun. They are available from The Internet Archive in a pack of 24 PDF files that you can print on letter-size paper.
Among Bergen’s paper models, you’ll find representations of classic computers that originally hit the market in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Apple II, IBM PC 5150, Commodore 64, Apple Macintosh, and even the rare Apple Lisa 1. You’ll find them also paper models of some classic game consoles such as the Sega Master System and the Nintendo GameCube.
Bergen began creating the papercraft models in the summer of 2016, starting with an Amstrad CPC 464 that he designed for a CPC fanzine. “Growing up with a Commodore 64, I’ve always been a fan of old computers and their industrial design,” Bergen told Ars Technica. “I’d like to have a huge collection of these, but it’s not always practical when people carry a huge amount of hardware with them at all times.”
Many of Bergen’s papercraft models include additional variations with different software or games on the monitors, which can be interchanged by inserting folded screen images into the slots on the units. Many models also contain attractive details, such as matching accessories for scale models: drives, mice, floppy disks, software boxes and even modems.
If you want to try making a classic computer model out of papercraft, check out the designer's YouTube video below. Bergen can be seen assembling an Apple II papercraft pattern of his design.
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