How to Make a Paper Army Tank

Co-authored by Hunter Rising

Last Updated: December 8, 2021 References Tested

Origami is a cheap and easy way to make art just by folding a few pieces of paper. If you want to create a cool and unique design, try folding your paper into a tank. Even though making a paper tank can be a little more complex than other papercrafts, you can easily finish making one within a few minutes. Once you know how to turn a piece of paper into a tank, you can fold an entire army of them!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Folding the Base

1
Cut a piece of paper so it’s 4 in × 12 in (10 cm × 30 cm). Choose a piece of printer or construction paper to use for your tank. Use a ruler to measure the dimension you need to cut out and draw lines on the sheet. Carefully cut along your lines to trim your piece to size.^{[1]
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- If you don’t have a pair of scissors, carefully rip the piece to the correct size.
- You can make your tank as large or as small as you want as long as the paper has the same proportions.
2
Fold the bottom right corner so it touches the top edge. Set your piece of paper on a flat work surface so the long sides are on the top and bottom. Grab the corner on the bottom right side and bring it up and away from you. Line up the right side of the paper with the top edge so it looks like a rectangle with a triangle on the end. Crease the fold before opening it back up again.^{[2]
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- Always do your best to align the edges before you make your crease, or else the paper will have messy edges and may not fold properly.
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3
Bring the top right corner down to the bottom edge to form an X-shaped crease. Bring the top right corner down so the short edge of the paper aligns with the bottom. Press down on the fold with your knuckles to make a crease in the paper. Unfold the corner to reveal the X-shaped lines on your piece of paper.^{[3]
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4
Repeat the folds on the left side of the paper. Take the bottom left corner and fold it up toward the top edge of your sheet. Crease the fold with your finger before spreading the paper flat again. Then bring the top left corner to the bottom edge and make a crease. When you open the paper, you will have a long rectangle with an X-shaped crease on each end.^{[4]
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- If you can’t see the creases, try refolding the paper and pressing down harder along the folded edges.
5
Bend the left and right sides in to make vertical creases through the X-shapes. Look where the 2 creases intersect in the X-shape on the left side of your paper. Bring the left edge of the paper in toward the middle of the sheet so the folded edge also intersects the creases. Press down on the fold firmly to make your crease. Unfold the paper and smooth it out again. Then fold the right side of the paper so the crease goes through the second X-shape.^{[5]
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- Be careful not to make your folds crooked, or else your paper won’t align properly later on.
6
Squeeze the tops and bottoms of the X’s together so they fold in. Start on the left side of your paper, and pinch where the vertical crease touches the top and bottom edges. Squeeze the top and bottom edges together so the paper folds on top of itself and creates a triangular shape on the side. Press down firmly on top of the fold so it stays in place. Then pinch the top and bottom of the X-shape on the right side.^{[6]
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- When you’re finished, your paper will look like a square with 2 large triangles on the ends.
Tip: If you have trouble pinching the top and bottom edges in, flip your paper upside-down and fold along the creases running through the X-shapes again. Then flip your paper back so it’s right-side-up and try folding it again.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Constructing the Top of the Tank

1
Fold the side corners of the upper triangle to the top point. Turn your paper so the long edges are on the sides. Grab the loose edge of the upper triangle’s left corner of the upper triangle. Fold the corner up so it touches the top point of the triangle. Press down along the fold to flatten it. Then take the triangle’s right corner and fold it up toward the top. The folds will form 2 smaller triangles.^{[7]
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- Only fold over the loose part of the upper triangle. Neither of the long edges should move when you make your folds.
2
Tuck the smaller triangles underneath to make a square-shaped fold. Unfold the smaller triangles so you can see the diagonal creases. Lift up the left corner and fold it along the crease so it goes underneath the triangle’s loose edge. Press along the crease so the triangle stays in place. Then tuck the right corner of the triangle underneath the edge. The top of your paper will look like a square in the middle of a triangle.^{[8]
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- The square will be the top of your tank’s turret.
3
Crease the lower triangle’s corners to the bottom point. Grab the lower triangle’s left corner by the loose edge. Make a diagonal fold to bring the corner to the bottom point on your piece of paper. Press down along the fold with your knuckle so it doesn’t come undone. Then take the right corner of the triangle and bring it down to the bottom. Your paper will look like a long hexagon with a raised square on top and 2 triangular flaps on the bottom.^{[9]
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4
Align the long edges in the center of the paper. Take the left edge of the paper and fold it in toward the middle of the sheet. Be careful not to overlap the square or your triangular flaps. When the edge lines up in the middle of your sheet, press down on the fold to flatten it. Then fold the right side of the paper in so the long edges touch in the center.^{[10]
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Tip: If you have trouble finding the center of the paper, fold it in half lengthwise to make a crease running through the middle.
5
Bring the loose flaps in the center back toward the folded edges on the sides. Grab the loose edge on the left that you just folded into the center of the paper. Fold the edge back until it aligns with the left side of the paper and makes a long trapezoid shape. Crease along the fold so it stays in place. Then bend the loose edge on the right side back toward the folded edge and make your crease.^{[11]
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- These folded edges will look like the tank’s treads when you’re finished.
6
Flip your piece of paper upside-down. Take your folded piece of paper and turn it over to the other side. Your paper will look like a long hexagon without any creases or folds running through it.^{[12]
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7
Bend the top and bottom edges around until they line up with each other. Grab the top and bottom points of your sheet of paper and loosely fold them over to reveal the square and the triangular flaps. Keep bending the paper into a loop until you can cover triangular flaps with the square fold. When you have them aligned, press down on the folds so it stays in place.^{[13]
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- Don’t press down on your folds until you perfectly align the square with the flaps, or else you’ll leave visible creases on the tank.
8
Slide the loose triangular flaps into the slots on the square fold. Squeeze the sides of the square flood so you can see the slots underneath it. Carefully push one of the triangular flaps into the slot as far as you can. Then slide the other flap into the second slot. The paper will have a raised square turret in the middle and appear to have treads along the long edges.^{[14]
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- It’s okay if the triangular flaps don’t fit perfectly inside of the square. Just try to slide them in as far as you can.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Adding the Gun Barrel

1
Cut another piece of paper to 4 in × 4 in (10 cm × 10 cm). You can use the same type of paper or a different color if you want the gun barrel to stand out. Use a pair of scissors to cut your paper into a 4 in × 4 in (10 cm × 10 cm) square. Make sure the edges are straight so your final design has a clean appearance.^{[15]
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- Draw designs on your paper to give it a more unique appearance when you fold it.
2
Roll the piece of paper around a pencil. Set your paper upside-down on your work surface and set a pencil down along one of the edges. Hold the edge of the paper tightly against the pencil and start rolling the pencil toward the other side. Stop when you reach the opposite edge and keep the paper rolled around the pencil.^{[16]
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3
Pull the pencil out and retighten the roll. Hold onto the loose edge of the paper so the rolled paper doesn’t come undone. Use your other hand to pull the pencil out from the middle. If the inner rolls of paper pull out with the pencil, carefully push them back in. Once you get the pencil out, pull the loose edge of the paper to keep the roll tight.^{[17]
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- If you accidentally let go of the paper, simply roll it up around the pencil again. You may even be able to roll it without a pencil.
4
Wrap clear tape around the ends of the rolled paper. Use clear tape so it’s not as visible on your design. Place your tape over the loose edge on one end of the roll. Wrap the tape all the way around the roll before pressing it down. Then wrap a second piece of tape around the other end of the roll. If you notice the paper’s loose edge bulging in the middle of the roll, you can add another piece of tape to secure it.^{[18]
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- You don’t need to use tape, but the roll of paper may come undone more easily.
- You can also glue the loose edge of the roll down and hold it closed until it’s dry.
5
Push the rolled paper into the hole between the triangular flaps. Find the slot where you inserted the triangular flaps on the square turret. Lift the square up and push the rolled paper into the slot so it goes in the middle of the flaps. Push the paper as far back as you can so it doesn’t fall out. Once you finish, your tank is complete!^{[19]
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- Use a pair of scissors to cut the barrel shorter if you don’t want it to extend as far.
Variation: If you don’t have a piece of paper, you can also use a straw for the barrel instead.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I make the small tube have a hole inside?

Community Answer

When you roll your paper up, if you start with a slightly bigger roll, then your tube at the end will have a hole inside as the roll will be quite loose.
Question

Does it have to be this size paper?

Community Answer

Nope. A bigger paper makes a bigger tank, and a smaller paper makes a smaller tank.
Question

Can I make a paper army tank with a paper plate?

Community Answer

If you cut the plate as shown in the article, there is not reason unless the plate is too stiff to fold.