How to Make a Cardboard Transformers Costume

Step 1: Gather your cardboard.

Step one is to gather your cardboard! The boxes you gather won’t be exactly the same as anyone else’s, so your creation will be unique to you. Keep that in mind as you build, and adjust these instructions around what you have.

Step 2: Cut holes for the arms and head.

Grab a large box and use your Safe-Saw to cut out a circle for your head and arms. Put it on for a test fit to ensure you have it right. You can make this (and any other) cut easier by making a guideline with your Fold-Roller first.

Step 3: Make the front of the truck.

For the front box, cut off all the flaps except one. Use that one flap to attach the front box over the head hole, so that the front box becomes hinged from your main box.

Use the removed flaps or some other spare cardboard to decorate the front with a bumper, headlights, and anything else you can think of!

Step 4: Make the wheels.

For the wheels, cut a long rectangle. The longer it is, the bigger your wheel.

(Pro tip: You can always remove extra, so start longer than you think you need and trim it down later).

Use your Fold-Roller to make two parallel lines down the whole length of your wheel streep, then draw ‘teeth’ on the outside parts, as shown. Remove every second tooth with your Safe-Saw, and fold the others over.

Cut a circle from another piece of cardboard for the outside of your wheel, and attach with the teeth, like shown.

Add a centre circle to the outside of the wheels for decoration.

For the back wheels, simply finish them with another circle on the inside. For the front wheels that you’ll hold in your hand, finish them with a handle piece and a hole for your wrist to pass through.

Step 5: Make the shoes.

The shoes for the costume are simple. Find a box roughly the right size, or create your own out of a larger piece with your Safe-Saw and Fold-Roller. You’ll need to saw a hole at the top for your leg to get through. Cardboard won’t last long if you walk on it, so you want an open bottom that lets your shoes reach the ground!

Depending on the length of this lower section, you may be able to attach the wheels directly. In this build, that would have made it difficult for the knees to bend, so a longer piece on the outside was needed to mount the wheels.

Step 6: Paint your transformer.

The last step is to paint your Transformer, and then your costume is ready to Roll Out!