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By fun4joe in Craft>Paper
Text-Only Tutorial copyright 2026 by Lindy van der Merwe
Paper to be used: 12 squares, smaller sized squares will be easier to assemble.
Thick paper or thin cardstock is strongly recommended for this spinner.
Steps: 21
Folding level: Intermediate
Description:
This 3D modular, also sometimes called a regular octahedron, uses six Waterbomb and six Square Bases, which are then combined together to make six units.
The octahedron is one of the five Platonic solids with 8 equilateral triangular faces, 12 edges, and 6 vertices.
Although the characteristics of the octahedron may be similar, keep in mind that this construction looks very different from e.g. the solid octahedron constructed from Sonobe units.
This model makes a beautiful decoration, but it is also a super spinner action model.
You could think of the finished shape as having a flat part, like a square table with a pyramid on top and another pyramid at the bottom.
The point of the top pyramid faces the ceiling and the point of the bottom pyramid faces the floor.
The table, which is the flat, widest part of the model will be like a square frame with an open space at the very center of the structure, hence the addition of the word "windowed" to this specific model.
This octahedron is also different in the sense that it uses what we may call "combined" units; in this case, 6 Waterbomb and 6 Square Bases are combined into the 6 units needed for the model.
Instructions
Part 1 - Folding the units
You can either fold 12 Waterbomb Base units and then turn six of them into Square Bases, or you can just fold six Waterbomb and six Square Bases from the start.
For info on how to fold both bases, visit the following link:
Part 2 - Combining the Bases to Form 6 Units
to make your first combined unit, do the following:
Step 1
Make sure you have one Waterbomb and one Square Base.
Step 2
Pick up one Waterbomb Base and hold it so the closed point is facing up, towards the ceiling.
Step 3
With your other hand, pick up a Square Base unit and hold it, also with its closed point facing the ceiling.
Important: Both units should have their open sides facing the floor and their closed, pointy ends, facing the ceiling.
Step 4
To join the two units, place the Square Base over the Waterbomb Base in such a way that the 4 flaps of the Square Base will cover most of the 4 flaps of the Waterbomb Base.
You will have to open the flaps of the Square Base for the insertion. When the flaps of the two units match up, the Waterbomb Base will slide into the Square Base, almost disappearing.
Put in another way, insert the Waterbomb Base into the Square Base as far as it will go; then arrange the flaps so that they correspond. Each flap of the Waterbomb Base should be covered by a flap of the Square Base.
Step 5
Once you have arranged and matched the flaps, place the combined unit down on the table so it is laying on one of its sides, with its open side towards you.
Step 6
To secure the two units together, the 4 points of the Square Base should be folded upwards and inwards, using mountain folds. The edge of the Waterbomb Base will be used as the guide for these horizontal folds.
To do the first side, lift up the point of the Square Base nearest you and tuck it around the edge of the Waterbomb Base unit, so it disappears to the inside, locking the first side of the combined unit.
Step 7
Flip the unit over and repeat on the other side.
Step 8
Flip the back and front flaps of the unit like the page of a book and then repeat Steps 6 and 7 on the two remaining sides.
Result: Once all 4 points of the Square Base have been folded inwards and strong creases have been made, the two units will be joined securely. The Square Base will cover the Waterbomb Base for the most part, except for fairly small points that will be peeking out from underneath the flaps of the Square Base on all 4 sides.
Part 3 - Folding More Units
Repeat the steps above until you have 6 combined units.
Part 4 - Assembly
Step 9
Explanation:
After folding, place each base on the table again, with the 4 arms spread out at 90 degree angles, with the open side of the unit facing the table and the closed point facing the ceiling.
If you look closely at the arms of the combined units, they have pointy ends, like hands that are sticking out, which is actually the Waterbomb Base poking out from underneath the Square Base. At the same time, the edges of the Square Bases have formed pockets, which you will find as you move from the point towards the center of the unit.
There will be one pocket at the front and another at the back of each arm.
So, to join two units, we have to bring their arms together so the points just slightly overlap. Then, slip the point at the back into the pocket just next to it. Similarly, do the same in the front, but in the opposite direction.
You could do the insertion in two steps, but it is sometimes easier to open both the pockets on the front and the back with a fingernail and then to slide in the points in one motion so they will be joined at the same time.
Step 10
To start our assembly, we are going to take unit 1 in our left hand and unit 2 in our right hand. Bring the right arm of unit 1 to the left arm of unit 2 and join them as described in the explanation in Step 9 above.
Slide the points of both units into their corresponding pockets all the way. The points should no longer be visible since they will be hidden inside the pockets of the neighboring units.
Once the first two units are joined, there will be various arms that are hanging around. Simply ignore these arms for now.
Tips:
Take care to work gently since the joints may be dislodged easily at this stage. If you find that, during the assembly, you become frustrated by the small points that either won't join easily or that become dislodged repeatedly, consider the following:
* Use larger and/or thicker paper for the model;
* If preferred, you could use a paperclip or a dab of glue if assembling the model for the first time.
* It may also help to let the assembly rest on the table as you work, especially as the weight of the model increases.
* Replace a unit if its points have become bent or crumpled;
* Before adding a unit, open each pocket on all the arms with a fingernail;
* Have patience - as you develop muscle memory and dexterity, frustration will become less and you will start to enjoy the intricate process of constructing this model.
Step 11
You will notice that the arms will join at a 90 degree angle. This will mean that, each time you add a new unit, you have to gently rotate the assembly 90 degrees to the left, bringing the right arm of a new unit in front of you so you can join it with the next.
Step 12
So, after rotating the assembly, hold the right arm of unit 2 in your left hand and bring the left arm of unit 3 to join it.
Step 13
Repeat rotating and inserting unit 4 in the same way.
You will find you are working in a circular manner, or more precisely, in a square manner.
Step 14
We now need to join the right arm of unit 4 with the left arm of unit 1, completing the square formation.
The first 4 units will now be joined into the central part of our octahedron.
Step 15
Hold your assembly so the square formation you have formed is like a table top. You will have 4 loose arms hanging down and 4 arms sticking upwards from the square formation.
Step 16
Let the assembly rest on the table, balancing on the 4 arms that will be underneath the table top formation while you work with the 4 arms that are pointing towards the ceiling.
Step 17
Take unit 5 and hold it with its closed point towards the ceiling.
Start by joining one of the 4 arms from the table top formation with one of the arms of unit 5.
Step 18
Rotate the assembly if necessary and repeat the previous step with the remaining arms of the table top formation and unit 5.
Step 19
Now, flip the entire assembly upside down so unit 5 is now touching the table.
You will once again have the table top formation with 4 loose arms sticking up.
Step 20
Repeat joining the 4 arms of the main assembly with the arms of unit 6.
Step 21
Inspect your octahedron to check for any joins that may have come undone or may have loosened during the assembly process.
Reinforce all the links and try to make the arms as straight as possible.
Marvel at the delicate appearance and beautiful symmetry of your creation, which will be hollow at its center. If you rotate the model, you will find that there are fairly small, six-sided openings or windows on all sides.
To make it spin, hold it in one hand with your fingers only touching the pointy ends. Blow forcefully from the side or hold it in front of a fan or in the wind.
Making origami accessible through text-only tutorials.
For non-commercial use only.
Compiled by Lindy van der Merwe - January 2026
This text copyright 2026 by and the author.
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