2007 December « Paper Modeling With The Toy Shop

The Toy Shop – 20 Marvelous Mechanical Models that Really Work!

The Toy Shop was a wonderful computer program from the 80’s which allowed you to decorate and print twenty different paper models which actually move! It included all the dowels, wires, balloons, and so on which were required to create the models. I’ve enjoyed using this program on my Commodore 64 for many years, and now I am able to share these models with the paper modeling community so you can download and build your very own Toy Shop creations with any PC or Mac!
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Paper Modeling, Card Modeling, Paper Craft, Paper Automata: Creating three-dimensional objects from a flat piece of paper is a favorite hobby of mine. It can be challenging, educational, relaxing, and highly rewarding. Through the internet I have found that there’s a huge and growing network of people who share their modeling experiences, and I wanted to contribute a little something myself.

For several years I have been fascinated with a program I used on my Commodore 64 called “The Toy Shop.” It was my introduction to the world of paper modeling, and was released in the eighties for Apple II, Commodore, IBM PC, and Apple Macintosh computers. It included twenty customizable mechanical models on disk, as well as the supplies necessary to complete each project. The models were created by Jim Calhoun, Kyle Wickware, and Michelle McBride.

I searched for information about this collection of models and their creators, but found very little. (Kyle Wickware has published a couple of model books.) I thoroughly enjoyed the models, but I became disenchanted with the quality of my dot matrix printer and the hassle of my very old deskjet printer. I kept thinking, wouldn’t it be nice to capture the actual image data to bitmap format so I could print them on any computer? I could have scanned the printouts, but that would reproduce any dust or defects in the image. I wanted pure digital bitmaps straight from the program.

Finally, I decided to figure out a way to capture the images. I attempted to decipher the mysterious files on the disks, but that was far more work than I could muster. I tried copying the disks to a PC to use in a Commodore emulator, but they were copy-protected. I came up with a way to connect two Commodore computers together and have one pretend to be a printer, receiving the data and saving it to disk. It worked, but it took an entire day just to capture a single printout, which then had to be converted to bitmap format, involving arduous PC transfers. I had just about given up when I finally stumbled across working copies of the program on the internet for use with a Commodore emulator, which can be downloaded below. Within a couple days I was able to capture and convert each of the files in pristine bitmap format.

I am now presenting these bitmaps here for your enjoyment! “The Toy Shop” offered several types of customization, including decals, fill patterns, and personalized text, however the bitmaps preserved here are the default printouts created by the program. (All the decals are represented.) They can easily be altered, even colorized, in many image editing applications!

For anyone who wishes to experiment with The Toy Shop software in a Commodore emulator (or even a real Commodore) to personalize their models, the Commodore disks in .D64 format, as well as my data-to-bitmap conversion program, are here: (click here) (These disk images create small glitches in the model parts which are not present on real disks. The model part shared below have been corrected.)

The model parts are in bitmap format rather than jpeg format because I didn’t want to lose any detail, and bitmaps take up less space. If this is an issue, please let me know. Currently I’m using MediaFire.com to host the files because Flickr, Photobucket and other sites alter the size and quality of images.

Want to share?

If you’ve made some of these models and want to share your handiwork, please email me a photo and I’ll post them here! My email is gmontag451athotmaildotcom! (Obviously, change athotmaildotcom to @hotmail.com)

This site is a work in progress, so please bear with me as I add information in the future. If you have problems or suggestions about this site or the models, please email me (see above.) If you want to read or leave comments, (click here) and scroll to the bottom!

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Downloading Model Parts and Instructions:

To download the zipped parts and instruction pages for a model, click on the Model Parts or Assembly Instructions links. It will open a new MediaFire download window. Click the “Click here to start download” link. It may take a few seconds to appear, and it will be on the left side in a yellow box with a red border. Save the zip archive to your hard drive. (Zip archives can be easily unzipped in Windows XP or Vista by right-clicking and clicking “Extract all.” Macs should be equally easy but I don’t know the procedure.) A new window will open with an advertisement in it; since MediaFire is a free service, it relies on advertising, just close the ad window. If any pages do not work, please (let me know).

You may wish to download the general assembly techniques, which are geared towards people who are new to card model building. They are located here:

(Click for general Assembly Techniques)

Considerations for Regular Cardstock:

The original Toy Shop cardstock was twice as thick and stiffer than regular cardstock, and I have found that certain models need tweaking and reinforcement when made with regular cardstock. I am creating a text document of my own experiences as well as suggestions from others, which I will update from time to time. The document is located here:

(Click for Suggested Improvements) - Last updated 1/23/08

Coloring the Images:

To color these images on your computer, you’ll need an image editing application like PhotoShop which can change the image from Bitmap to Grayscale to CMYK Color. Then you can just use the paint bucket to pour color into areas. (For checkered areas, use a bounding marquee box to highlight only the area you want to fill. Use alt and shift to take away from and add to the bounding rectangle. Deselect “Contiguous” and then use the paint bucket.) Some areas may “spill out” into the background, simply use a bounding box to contain your paint bucket. When you’re finished painting, save the image as a high-quality jpeg or your preferred file format. (It sounds complicated, but it’s pretty simple.) Per request, I will add painted versions under each model’s heading as I complete each one. (This may take a long time however. If anyone wants to submit their color version, I’d be happy to host it!) Here’s an example; note that this is a large file:

Click here for -> zoetrope-painted.jpg

Printing Model Parts:

Note: For certain models, there are three “design options” for a single page. You don’t need to print all three versions, it just gives you a little variety to choose from.

Originally, the pages were intended to be printed on plain paper, and that paper would then be adhered to thick adhesive card stock. I have never been able to find adhesive cardstock similar to the sheets that came with The Toy Shop. Printing on regular card stock should work fine for these models, however some pages may need to be glued to another layer for reinforcement, or to thicker card stock. (See link above for “Suggested Improvements.”) Some pages are marked “Do not adhere to cardstock,” just print them on regular paper. There is at least one page where half of it is adhered and half is not. You’ll have to print these pages twice; once on cardstock, once on paper.

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The Models:

Antique Truck

“Circa 1910, this truck with movable wheels can be built in an open cargo bed or closed van version.”

Paper Modeling With The Toy Shop

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The Toy Shop – 20 Marvelous Mechanical Models that Really Work!

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