Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper into ornate and intricate designs. You may have seen the functional paper V8 model of Aliaksei Zholner but now he has brought the craft back to it’s engineering roots — and what better powerplant to model from the land of the rising sun than the rotary. Despite the German origination of the Wankel design, Mazda has made their name in performance engines with the rotary. With the RX7, 323, RX8 and others, these screaming engines have a true cult following.

Examining Zholner’s latest sculpture we can deduce that it is about two inches in length and is constructed entirely from thin paper with exclusion of a plastic cover for viewing sake. Everything from the gears, rotor, and housing are constructed from paper — an effort requiring this kind of delicacy must demand the touch of a jeweler and the care of a surgeon.

As we watch Zholner assemble the engine model the meshing gears look frighteningly fragile, and we are anticipating the tiniest crumple to ruin the engagement — but he successfully buttons-up the case. After a quick turn over to establish oil pressure, oh wait this is paper… Zholner applies some compressed air to the induction system and the rotor makes it’s orbital motion just like the original.

It’s amazing what can be made from such simple materials, and how much enjoyment we find in seeing miniatures of our favorite engine designs. What would we like to see next? Perhaps something from the skies, a Merlin, or radial?