After posting the Mech Hen project, I had a few messages and comments from people wondering how the model could be adapted to feel more “hen” and less “robo‑chicken.”
So I thought I’d try shifting all the gear parts to the back, hiding them behind the body.
A lot of the gearing in the Mech Hen project is more ornamental than functional. There are teeth almost all the way around the leg simply because I think gears look interesting, but in the Peck Hen project they’ll be hidden, so maybe I didn’t need to spend time cutting them out.
With the model pinned together, I used a pencil to mark which of the gear teeth were actually doing the work. Then I went back to the original file, removed the redundant teeth, and saved the updated version under a new name
I ended up with far fewer teeth in the finished design, making it quicker and easier to put together. There are still a couple of teeth visible at the extremes of movement, but overall the shape feels much more natural.
I’ve put together a new set of parts and instructions as a downloadable PDF, which I’ve added to the website here. If you’ve already downloaded the Mech Hen from the website, you should be able to revisit the download section in your account to find the Peck Hen file waiting for you.
As always, if you’re a premium subscriber to this newsletter, you can download the PDF at the foot of this page. Thank you so much for your support, it genuinely makes a difference. If you’re not a subscriber yet, you can sign up here, or you can download the project from my website.
Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this little cardboard adventure. Wishing you a calm, creative week ahead, and if you haven’t subscribed yet, do consider signing up to keep the projects coming.