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Crane with outstretched wings

A slender PLA display sculpture: approximately 28 cm wingspan, ribbed wings with dark flight feathers, an S-shaped neck and a red head accent. Two braced legs and a structural reed connect the body to an openwork base.

Age
8–12 years
Length
approx. 7.5 h
Level
Medium
Where you teach
Home
Purpose
Creative
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How to run this session

Stages and timing
  1. Lower base outline
  2. Grid, layers and anchors
  3. Two legs with paired rails: flat fabrication
  4. Two legs with paired rails: assembly
  5. Reed with a brace and leaves: flat fabrication
  6. Reed with a brace and leaves: assembly
  7. Five body ribs and four longitudinal rails: flat fabrication
  8. Five body ribs and four longitudinal rails: assembly
  9. Two neck profiles and cross-links: flat fabrication
  10. Two neck profiles and cross-links: assembly
  11. Nine head ovals: flat fabrication
  12. Nine head ovals: assembly
  13. Wing frame L: flat fabrication
  14. Wing frame L: assembly
  15. Wing frame R: flat fabrication
  16. Wing frame R: assembly
  17. Flight-feather outlines L
  18. Flight-feather filling L
  19. Flight-feather assembly L
  20. Fifteen coverts L
  21. Flight-feather outlines R
  22. Flight-feather filling R
  23. Flight-feather assembly R
  24. Fifteen coverts R
  25. Cover the lower body fields
  26. Close the sides and back
  27. Five tail feathers: flat fabrication
  28. Five tail feathers: assembly
  29. Long beak: flat fabrication
  30. Long beak: assembly
  31. Red crown
  32. Two dark eyes

What gets built

Create a slender display sculpture with outstretched wings.

What it practises
  • Building a spatial frame from flat components
  • Layering beads and checking the finished section
  • Assembling mirrored wings and supported welds

Success criteria
  • Once cool and no longer supported, the wings retain their shallow V and approximately 28 cm wingspan.
  • The neck retains its S profile and the figure stands on a level worktop. A gentle touch from each side does not detach the feet or reed from the base.
  • Both root nodes of each wing are connected to the frame. No welds are cracked or loose.

What you need
Filament
PLA
Colours
colour shown in the illustration, colour shown in the illustration, colour shown in the illustration, colour shown in the illustration, colour shown in the illustration, colour shown in the illustration
Also
PLA-compatible 3D pen: 1 item, Heat-resistant tracing mat: 1 item, Ruler: 1 item, A4 paper: 20 sheets

Files

The files for this plan are part of full access

Anyone can read the description. The slides, instructions and worksheet open with full access to the Creators Club. Choose a plan in the shop, then enter the code from the email in your account. Access starts when you enter the code.

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How did the session go?

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Version a18bbabc-95a9-4356-be44-201c25839ab0 Updated 2026-10-08

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