Build Your Own Cthulhu

One Monk Miniatures has an imposing papercraft Cthulhu available for downloading and assembling. Great Cthulhu, complete with a hieroglyphics laden "summoning pylon," comes in .PDF format with separate pages for each part of the trans-dimensional being. Best of all, it's free. The creature stands about 9'' tall with a 14'' wingspan when fully assembled. According to the website this model is suitable for display or miniature gaming of the sort supported by One Monk. With a little reinforcement, this paper Cthulhu could also make a great decoration for weird oriented gatherings.

The style selected for this representation of Cthulhu is intriguing in its own right. In addition to the small (and rather atrophied) wings long imagined since H.P. Lovecraft's descriptions of the thing, this Cthulhu sports a gaping set of leathery flaps truly capable of soaring into the cosmic aether. Further, it seems the wings are detailed with some kind of bright alien writing. Its bluish glow suggests similarities with the text on any modern digital device. This sci-fi like addition is a unique liberty usually not explored with Lovecraft's creations. This is strange when considering what most of them really are: terribly old, but extraterrestrial in origin. It's usually assumed (or just overlooked) that they're beyond using "technology" as we think of it.

The capabilities of the Great Old Ones will never be fully understood or universally accepted in weird art and literature--and that's more than half the fun. Kudos to the designers for giving Lovecraft fans a free quality Cthulhu, one that departs from the most common designs seen.

-Grim Blogger