How to Make DIY Miniature Nendoroid Boxes

Making your own miniature props doesn't need to be complicated. Some of the ones I've used in my toy photography have been made from little more than paper, card and glue - including these tiny DIY miniature Nendoroid boxes.

They're really simple to make, can be adapted to pretty much any figure you own, and are a fun way to add a few extra details to a scene. All you need are some images of the original box, a basic template and a little patience when it comes to cutting everything out.

What You'll Need

• Printer

• Plain paper or lightweight card

• Scissors or a craft knife

• Glue

• Images of the box you want to recreate

• The box template below

It's worth mentioning that card will produce a sturdier box, while paper is easier to fold.

Step One: Choose Your Nendoroid Box

First, decide which box you want to recreate. I've mainly made Nendoroid boxes because they're the figures I photographed most, but you can use the same idea for pretty much any miniature packaging.

If you own the original box, photograph each side as straight-on as possible so you have a clear image of every panel. If you don't have the box to hand, you'll need to find reference images showing the front, back and sides.

Try to avoid images taken at an angle where possible, as straight-on photographs will be much easier to line up when you start building your template.

Step Two: Create Your Template

Once you have an image of each side, it's time to put everything together. You don't need particularly fancy software for this - I originally made mine using Microsoft Word. I've included the blank template I use below, which you're welcome to use as a starting point for your own miniature boxes.

Before spending too much time adding all of your artwork, I'd recommend printing the blank template first and placing it next to your figure. This gives you a chance to adjust the size until the scale looks right. Once you're happy, add your images to the corresponding panels and make sure everything lines up before printing the final version.

Step Three: Print & Cut

Once you're happy with your template and everything is lined up, print it onto plain paper or lightweight card and carefully cut around the outside.

Just make sure you don't cut off the blank tabs around the edges - you'll need these to glue the box together in the next step.

Step Four: Fold & Glue

Next, fold the template along each of the edges, shown by the red lines in the image below, to start forming the shape of your box.

Add a small amount of glue to each of the tabs marked 'Glue', then tuck them underneath the neighbouring panels and stick everything together. Make sure the tabs sit behind the printed sections rather than overlapping them, so they're hidden once the box is assembled.

Step Five: Get Creative!

Once everything is dry, your miniature boxes are ready to use.

If you're making these to use as props, you can also have a look at my toy photography tips, where I cover locations, composition, depth of field, lighting and building scenes around your figures. If your miniature world still needs a few more things, I've also made guides for creating a miniature GameCube, miniature books and manga, and miniature trading cards.