Make Minecraft tree ornaments from action figures

By | December 6, 2016

This is a simple project to turn Minecraft action figures into fun Christmas tree ornaments. They look like this:

Creeper and TNT action figure ornaments

Creeper and TNT action figure ornaments

You need to get:

Parts required for Minecraft figure ornaments

You will also need some tools:

  • A sharp pencil. A mechanical pencil with thin lead is probably the best, but use what you have.
  • Something with a straight edge like a ruler or a business card.
  • A drill of some kind. The plastic is soft so it doesn’t have to be big or powerful, just something you can comfortably control. A pin vise like this Army Painter Miniature and Model Drill would work great.
  • A small drill bit. It should be smaller than the threads of the screw portion of the eye hook, but not smaller than the solid middle shaft of the screw. Smaller is better to give the threads as much plastic as possible to bite into.

Step By Step

      1. Mark the center of the top of each figure. Since everythng in minecraft is square this can be done simply by placing your straight edge across diagonal corners and marking crossed lines with your pencil. The crossed lines will indicate the center. If you look closely at the pictures (click to see larger) you can see the light pencil marks. I didn’t draw the lines all the way across, just enough to mark the center.

        Marking the center of TNT block

        Pencil mark on Minecraft TNT figure.

        Pencil mark on Minecraft TNT figure.

        Minecraft creeper figure with center mark

      2. Use the pointy tip of one of the eye hooks or another sharp, pointy object to carefully dimple the center point. This dimple will help keep the drill bit from wandering off the center.
      3. Slowly and carefully drill a hole at the center point. Keep the drill bit as close as possible to perpendicular with the surface of the figure. Drill slowly. The plastic is very soft so be careful not to wobble the drill side-to-side as this will widen the hole, possibly making it too large for the screw to grab onto the plastic. Drill a little deeper than the length of the screw.
        Drilling into Minecraft TNT block.

        Drilling into Minecraft TNT block.

        Creeper with drilled hole

      4. Carefully turn the eye hook into the hole. You should be able to do this by hand. Be careful not to over-tighten the screw as the plastic is very soft and you can very easily strip the plastic. Turn the screw in just far enough to hide the threads. Orient the eye so the figure will hang facing in the direction you want it to face when you install the hook or string. Again, it is important not to over-tighten the screw.

        Minecraft creeper with eye hook

        Minecraft TNT with eye hook

        Minecraft TNT with eye hook

      5. Add your hooks or string and hang up for Christmas (or your preferred holiday or decorating scenario).

        Minecraft Creeper and TNT ornaments

        Minecraft Creeper and TNT ornaments

      6. Decorate. Yay!!

        Creeper and TNT ornaments on the tree.

        Creeper and TNT ornaments on the tree.

If you do this, let me know how it went @jasondoolittle on Twitter or in the comments of this post.