Hi I’m Paul, and you’re watching That’s PS – Nerdcrafting. This episode I’m going to show you how to put together a flying dragon wooden puzzle

This has been one of the more complicated video’s I’ve ever put together. There were hundreds of cuts, zooms and overlays. I hope the work shows through.

I got this kit for valentines from my girlfriend Annie. She’s super awesome. Her daughter helped pick it out for me. I had a great time making it, and thoroughly enjoyed putting this video together to show it off.

Script

You’ll need the kit, a sheet of sandpaper and some glue.

When unpacking all of the pieces, take lots of time and be gentle. This is only balsa wood, so it breaks really easily. Make sure to sand any rough edges on the pieces as you go.
This is going to move pretty fast, since there’s 121 pieces to show you. So if you’re following along with the kit, I apologize in advance. If you’re just watching, enjoy the show!
I’d also like to say a big thanks to Annie and Noemie for hooking me up with this puzzle!

First, I’m going to find the center of the dragon and put all of his chest scales on. If you do this with glue, and I recommend you do, make sure that you finish the sides of the body at the same time so the glue doesn’t have a chance to dry. You’ll need to tweak the placement of scales as you go.

Once you’ve got the scales on, it’s time to put the cross braces in.
Followed by the side pieces

The third side piece will probably go on wrong. There’s a couple of skinnier scales that you’ll need to move around so that it will fit flush against the rest of the body.
Next up are the leg pieces. They’re pretty straight forward to put on. The last piece for each leg should be glued on so that it stays together permanently.
Then repeat the same steps for the other side of the dragon.

Don’t forget the cheek pieces. I forgot the cheek pieces, but thanks to some clever editing, you don’t have to!

Even being super careful, I still broke a piece. Make sure to take lots of time when you’re punching them out.

This is the knight. I originally put him on main body before I put the chest and spine pieces on. I would definitely not do this. It makes it impossible to get them in.
If I were to do this again, i’d put the chest and spine on first, followed by the arms, and then after attaching that whole piece to the legs, I’d put the thigh and face pieces in.
Next up, is to build the wings. We’re just going to glue some pieces together now, and let them dry so they’ll be ready for later.

Take the batman piece, and put the small end into the dragon’s butt. Then attache all of the tail pieces. Once they’re in, glue them all together.
Once your wings are dry, you can put them into the piece at the back, joining them with some glue and the last couple connecting pieces.
And voila! One completed flying dragon puzzle. Challenge complete!