About

The design progressed over the years to include back detail, articulated elbows and feet. Clear contact paper was used to make the paper durable and stain resistant. Folds were made at the limbs and waist for more articulation. Display stands were originally made from cardboard, black electrical tape, wire, and silver marker for the name. The stands changed to silver duct tape since it was wider and then no cardboard at all.

Super heroes needed more muscle so the template was updated and then each character became a unique design. Starman in the late ‘80s was the first DC comic I collected as a Marvel fan and the first superhero made in the newer style as an experiment. 

The cardboard Spider-Man was able to contort his body more than any toy could and fit the style of Todd McFarlane’s comic artwork at the time. Velcro on his arms gave him the ability to hang on things. Captain America was also made in the same art style. 

Each X-MEN figure took a few days to make over the summer when school was out. The prototyping of how their specific powers worked hidden under the paper was always a unique challenge. All of the X-Men were based off of Jim Lee’s artwork. The other figures without powers took 1-2 days each to complete. 

Image Comics started with most of the top Marvel artists who created their own characters. Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood and Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.s were my favorites. The art was amazing but the storytelling was puzzling. Shaft had a red rubberband stapled to the inside of his wrist so he could really shoot arrows.

The ROBOTECH mecha took the longest to make since they were much larger and due to the complexity of the transformation design. The mecha were the most fun to make since they were huge at almost 3 feet tall and unique. I wish I had made some more of the main characters like Captain Gloval, Minmei, Lancer, Rook, Lunk, Ariel, Corg, and Dana Sterling with her hover tank. There may be a possibility of making some new characters in the old colored pencil style to show how they were originally made since 2025 is ROBOTECH’s 40th Anniversary. The scale of the Robotech figures are smaller at about 8 inches rather than 12 which was harder to work with but necessary for them to fit inside the mecha.

The STAR WARS collection was the last of my work on cardboard action figures. I had a renewed interest in Star Wars from the Timothy Zahn trilogy novels that were released in the early '90s. The Power of the Force action figures were released during that time and they looked like pro wrestlers with big chests which disappointed me. I had sketches for Leia and Boba Fett but never completed them as life turned in other directions. 

Acid-free paper and 3M Scotch non-yellowing transparent tape were used on the later designs which helped them stay in excellent condition all these years. Clear Con-Tact vinyl covering kept the paper from rips or stains. The black marker has bled on some figures and the purples of the colored pencils have really faded but most colors are still bright. 

These 2D CardFigures are fond memories of a time when I dreamed about becoming a toymaker. Being flat had the advantage of displaying more of them on a shelf. It was an inexpensive way to make my own collection as a broke college student. They were much more than just static art in a notebook. To me, they were drawings made into highly detailed toys.

I still love toys to this day with a collection that includes TRANSFORMERS, X-MEN Marvel Legends, STAR WARS Black Series, ROBOTECH, GI JOE Classified Series, VOLTRON, and Valaverse ACTION FORCE. 

My current project is RomantiCraft.com to help you express your love creatively with free printable crafts, meaningful gifts, and fun date ideas that make romance simple. Your relationship is what you make it.