What do you believe is the most impressive model?

[Drgn]

Reading each reply has definitly shown me a new perspective on models and their creators. Originally I thought SK's models were the picture of perfection when it comes to origami, but some have shown a few flaws in his models. Nonetheless, I would still have to agree with Jeoss and Origamimaster. In my opinion SK has created some of the most impressive animals or monsters of this generation.

I've never heard of "Kawamura's Cosmosphere", but now that you two have mentioned it, I'll definitly have to look into it!

It's very interesting and fun to hear other origamist's opinion of this topic

[JeossMayhem]

The thing that amazes me most about the cosmosphere is the fact it actually holds together (maybe only if you have the right paper). I wonder how many people have folded almost two-thousand units only to assemble a sagging dome. Now that I think of it, conventions should have every entrant make units and raffle them off (higher chances for larger contributors) or assemble them. Then maybe there'd be more photos of the model online.

[angrydemon]

Don't get me wrong, all of Kamiya's models including the T-Rex, look great. But something so elegant shouldn't have to be so complicated. The cp looks simple enough, then you look at the diagrams. Then your head explodes.

[araknoid]

any thoughts about takashi? tech aside i'm (almost) always in awe of the character, the seriousness, the overall atmosphere of his models

[origami_8]

conventions should have every entrant make units and raffle them off ... or assemble them.

At the BOS 40th convention every participant had to make at least one unit for a big picture.
Being a very accurate folder I think I would get a crisis if I would have to combine a lot of units made by participants that aren't as accurate as I am. Sometimes while teaching on a convention or smaller Origami meeting it hits me really hard how imprecise some people are and I wonder how they even can fold something until the end.

About models that are impressing me I think I can second Mark's opinion that models that are hard to unfold in my head have a special flair. On the other hand there are also some simple models that impress me just because they have some sort of ingenuity. An example for such easy yet impressive models is for example some of Katsuhisa Yamada's work.

[steingar]

I have to give a huge vote to John Montroll. I feel it is not all that intellectually difficult to decide what something should look like, input coordinates into a computer, and let it spit out something that could be ridiculously complicated. John doesn't do any of that. he gets the most out of paper, making doing what others do with complex designs, only his are intermediate. I feel John is the real artist, with an intuitive grasp of what can come out of a piece of paper.

[Jonnycakes]

Nearly all complex designing is not done with a computer. While Treemaker can help with the general arrangement of flaps, the designer is the one who arranges all of the creases on the paper. And that is where the challenge is: design a complex figure so that it makes good use of the paper, is foldable, and looks good when it is finished. While technical complexity in itself does not make a model look good, the more complex something is, the harder it is to design well (perhaps very simple models are also very hard to design well, too).

[bethnor]

For instance, his Ancient Dragon and Bahamut need to be made from huge paper, but you still get a huge piece. Check out the length on the Barosaurus. It's one of my less favorite works (along with the blue whale), but look at how long it is.

it depends on what you mean by "huge." the unsculpted tail of the ancient dragon is longer than the main body. and a komatsu tiger folded from a 35 cm square has a body almost the length of the body of an ancient dragon (excluding the tail) folded from 70 cm square. i don't think paper wasting is a problem in general with kamiya models, but i do think it is with the ancient dragon. in fact, the hardest thing about this model is getting the right paper and manhandling it to a manageable base.

And I LOVE the Tyrannosaurus.

this is one of his models, imho, where the work involved exceeds the final product, mainly because it too, has very particular paper demands--if it's not foil or wet-folded, it WILL splay. i'd rather spend the same effort/paper on a kawahata tyrannosaur, which actually holds together surprisingly well with plain kami.

this is rather specifically from the angle of someone who likes folding stuff from kami and giving it away in the end, so i understand i'm not quite up to par with those of you who regularly use tissue-foil and double tissue methylcellulose. i love wet-folding, too, but you can't do the ancient dragon from ordinary canson watercolor paper, either.

[perrosaurio]

I love to fold in regular kami or wrapping paper and gifting away the figures.

The beauty of a model doesn't come from its complexity but from its aesthetic balance, cleanliness, details and life breath. Many of these characteristics are in Komatsu's models, like the horse, the Japanese Macaque, the Horned Owl... I agree when you see the Ryu Zin or Lang's Koi in all its splendour you get shocked, but doesn´t mean you get impressed by its technique or folding sequence, I get much more fun folding Komatsu's models than Kamiya's. But again, non-folders can't appreciate that in the first sight. The usage of metallic or MC helps a lot for a fine result, but for me that is not precisely a compliment to the model.

Well, though I agree with you in many points, bethnor, Ancient Dragon's base can be folded in any paper, and in many different sizes. It's true that the results are not the same (like the double sinks in the horns and the head in general) but the model stands well (I've made it in light wrapping paper from a square of 14x14 cm, it is hard, but not that hard ).

[bethnor]

Well, though I agree with you in many points, bethnor, Ancient Dragon's base can be folded in any paper, and in many different sizes. It's true that the results are not the same (like the double sinks in the horns and the head in general) but the model stands well (I've made it in light wrapping paper from a square of 14x14 cm, it is hard, but not that hard ).

i've never tried the ancient dragon from canson, but the only reason i say so is that, with ordinary kami, the forelegs are already unbearably thick. that would only get worse with ordinary watercolor paper.

[Trekker_1983]

Horse models are my favorite for their elegant looks. And I think the best horse models out there are Stephen Weiss' Horse, Quentin Trollip's Unicorn and Hojyo Takashi's Pegasus.

And from all simple models, Peterpaul Forcher's Fox impressed me the most. Simple, fun folding and elegant result. Placed the model on my computer desk and can't stop admiring it. Everyone should fold this model atleast once.

[gordigami]

trekker_1983 :
You are absolutely right about Paul Forcher's fox , there's some discussion regarding it under topic of " fox diagrams" .
He also has some nifty dog diagrams on the site, that are appealing as well as fairly easy to do.

[Trekker_1983]

aah yes.
Agree with you, gordigami. Perfect for quick requests.. as it could easily impress people.
I've folded Forcher's Scottish terrier and German Shepherd. They're all great.
I just wish origami experts like dr. Lang, Kamiya, Komatsu and others to design and publish some great simple models like that too. But I guess it comes back to their design styles.
So far I've found Peterpaul Forcher and Katsuhisa Yamada designed this kind of models.

[kabuto82]

I have seen Lang fold at a demonstration before, it is not as impressive as many. His Tarantula really stands out to me though.

I am a big fan of Hojyo Takashi's work, as it is generally smooth yet very detiled and precise. Joisel's masks are also exquisite, but I find wet-folding nearly impossible

[Drgn]

Trekker_1983: I can't believe I haven't see this model before, but thank you for showing it to me and also linking back to the diagrams! This fox model is quite simple, but very unique in the manner in which it is folded (in my opinion.) Not only that, but the final result is also, like you mentioned, very elegant. I haven't found many models of dogs, cats, fox or other smaller animals like that that I truely enjoyed, but I absolutely love this one!

kabuto82: I love a large majority of Robert Lang's creations (and my first origami book was by him, so I would have to say he was my first introduction to complex models) but like you said, his tarantulas definitly stand out the most. The final result he produces as well is shocking (could be because he uses special origamido paper, or because of his great talent in this art, but the final model is very smooth and life-like.

Eric Joisel's models are also great, but all my attemps at wet-folding have turned out quite badly so far. So I definitly agree that attempting his mask models is a difficult task (or for me, any wet-folding in general .)