The four legs extend from the corners of the main body grid. Compress the grid into tight steps to form the claws.
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The remains the benchmark for origami dragons. While the design is decades old, the "updated" way to fold it emphasizes pre-creasing the scales and grid-based alignment rather than fumbling with loose reference points. With the right paper and a steady hand, you can bring this Eastern Dragon to life.
Because this model is so complex, video tutorials are often more helpful than diagrams alone.
The head incorporates asymmetrical folds to form the eyes, jaws, and long flowing whiskers.
The model is broken down into distinct sections that should be practiced individually on smaller test sheets before the final fold.
A few dedicated folders have created video tutorials that can help you overcome specific obstacles. The most notable is , who created a popular video on how to fold the thousands of scales that cover the Ryujin's body. This is perhaps the most tedious and repetitive part of the model, and having a visual guide is invaluable. There are also video tutorials on platforms like YouTube that focus on specific components, such as "Ryujin 3.5 Partial folding Tail" [17†L18-L19] or on collapsing the CP base. Searching on YouTube for specific tasks like "Ryujin 3.5 grid" or "Ryujin 3.5 scales" will yield the most useful results.
A successfully collapsed Ryujin 3.5 looks like a thick, blocky accordian. The magic happens during the shaping process, which utilizes a technique called wet-shaping.
Search YouTube for multi-part video series by expert folders like FearlessFlourish . These videos offer hundreds of hours of step-by-step visual guidance through the trickiest collapses.
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Have a mechanical pencil or toothpick for precise small creases, clips to hold thick layers, and heavy objects to keep the large sheet flat during pre-creasing. 2. Core Folding Modules
Extremely thin and durable.
The Ryujin 3.5, designed by master origami artist Satoshi Kamiya, represents the absolute pinnacle of modern origami engineering. This mythical Eastern dragon—complete with individual scales, claws, whiskers, and a fully articulated head—is widely considered one of the most challenging paper models in existence.
The journey doesn't stop at video playlists. Here are other resources that can help you master specific steps and overcome the toughest challenges.
Pre-crease the complex sink folds required for the digits before collapsing the main body.
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