I am happy to present the second edition of my Collapsible Animal Series, the Donkey.

Printed in multiple parts, connected with a string, this Donkey collapses when the bottom of the base is pressed, powered either by a spring  or rubber bands (40mm diameter). Assembly is straight forward, but quite finicky where an extra hand might be required at some points. Please have a look at the assembly instructions before printing to make sure you are up for the task. Failure to create the right tension might require you take the model apart and try again. From my experience, the rubber band mechanism works better than the spring. Please let me know how the build worked out for you!

Please also have a look at the first animal in this series: The Collapsible Zebra.

Collapsible Zebra - Free 3D Print Model - MakerWorld

Printing

For printing the part of the Donkey, one head, one upper neck, one lower neck, 4 foot, 8 leg, one body and one tail is required. These files are available for download as .stl. 

Alternatively, just use the provided .3mf file where Plate 1 includes the parts required for the Donkey and the rubber band base, while plate 2 includes the Donkey and the spring based base.

Importantly, if printing the Donkey in multicolour, make sure to include flush object to minimize waste. Suitable objects could be DESIGN BAG CLIP or Infinity Cube - Flush Object or anything else you need. The model can be printed in single colour and will be fun to paint with some acrylics. The model is textured and it will be easy to know where to paint. 

Assembly

To assemble the toy, you need to first understand how to guide the string. The figure below shows how to lay out the parts and how the 3 different strings will run through the parts.

In the figure below individual steps are shown

1. Start by taking a short piece of string and make a double knot (Figure 1 A). 
2. Thread the tail piece on top of the knot (Figure 1 B). 
3. Insert the thread through the body leaving a loop out for the tail (figure 1 C). 
4. Attach the tail to the loop as shown in the picture (Figure 1 D). 
5. Now thread the leg and foot pieces to assemble both back legs (Figure 1 E).
6. It is now a good idea to secure the back legs by using some kind of clamp (Figure 1 F).
7. To assemble the front legs/head, start by threading a string through the head part (Figure 1 G)
8. Follow by adding both strings through the upper neck and lower neck parts (Figure 1 H)
9. Finally, after threading the string through the front of the body piece, assemble the front legs (Figure 1 I)

Assemble Donkey with spring base

In the figure below the individual steps are shown to assemble the Donkey with the spring based base.

1. Collect the required parts and push the spring into the base plate (Figure 3 A).
2. Thread the strings of the back legs and front legs through the base and push plate (Figure 3 B).
3. Push the push plate onto the spring and secure the threads with a clamp (Figure 3 C).
4. Attach the tool to create some force onto the spring and tie a single knot (Figure 3 D).
5. Add CA glue to the first knot making it secure (maybe only needed when using nylon thread) (Figure 3 E)
6. Make a double knot by making one more knot, and add CA glue again. (Figure 3 F).
7. Cut the excess string with scissors (Figure 3 G).
8. Push the push plate cover onto the push plate while aligning the 4 pegs (Figure 4 H)

9. You should now have a fun toy that collapses when you press the base plate from the bottom (Figure 4 I).

    

Assemble Donkey with rubber band base

In the figure below the individual steps are shown to assemble the Zebra with the rubber band based base.

1. Start by threading two rubber bands through the push plate as shown (Figure 2 A-B).
2. Thread the strings from the front legs through the two holes of the base plate with a wider distance and the same strings through the push plate. Repeat for the strings of the back legs so that all 4 strings now go through both the base and push plate (Figure 2 C).
3. Secure all strings with a clamp and attach the rubber bands to the side of the base plate (Figure 2 D)
4. Keeping some pressure on the plate, now make a knot tying together the two strings of the front legs and back legs following step 4-7 above.
5. The rubber bands can now be adjusted (moved to a higher position) to change the tension of the mechanism.

You should now have created a lovely toy Donkey either with a spring or rubber band mechanism. Please remember that this toy contains small parts and is therefore not suited for small children.

Please Enjoy!

If you like this model Please have a look at the other models in my Articulated Animals series.

Animal Series by kida | Collection - MakerWorld