Give Your Tablet Some Galactic Flair with This DIY Datapad Case

This tablet case craft has all the Star Wars style you need.

August 27, 2019

There’s one piece of technology we happily share with Star Wars: handheld datapads that put a galaxy of information in the palm of your hand. Our real-world tablets might not give us technical readouts of battle stations, but they can still look like they came straight from a galaxy far, far away.

Here’s the how-to to turn your tablet into a Resistance MDS-440 Datapad from Star Wars: The Last Jedi!

What You’ll Need*

Datapad template
Black plastic tablet case
Cream, silver, gold, and black adhesive vinyl sheets
Grey and black enamel dot stickers
Blue, bronze, and red permanent markers (thin tip)
Standard paper hole punch
5/8” paper hole punch
Scissors
Small roll of tape (to trace)
Pencil

*The activities in this article should only be done with adult supervision.

Get Started!

Step 1: Begin by downloading and printing the datapad template sheet. Cut out each shape on the template.

Step 2: Place, trace, and cut out the thin, long blue-green strips out of the silver vinyl sheet. (Place the template colorful side down on the back of the adhesive vinyl.)

Step 3: Place the large angled shape colorful side down on the cream acrylic vinyl. Trace and cut it out.

Step 4: With a ruler and permanent markers, carefully make the readout on the datapad “screen.” Red lines are dotted and run parallel, and the bronze lines intersect them. See the images below for the complete design.

Tip: Gently pick the ruler up in one motion when you’re using the marker, rather than sliding it, or the wet ink may smear.

Step 5: Place the small roll of tape on the top right side and gently trace the inside of the roll with the pencil. Use the blue permanent marker to go over the circle with dotted lines. Draw a blue dot in the middle of the circle.

Step 6: Repeat at the top of the shape to make another dotted circle. Use the blue marker to connect the two dots with a line.

Step 7: Arrange the silver pieces in a rectangle shape, lining up the angles, on the right side of the tablet case. Place the cream readout piece in the center of the rectangle. Peel the backings and attach the pieces as straight and symmetrically as possible.

Step 8: Trace and cut out the small purple trapezoid template shapes from the black vinyl sheet. Stick them in the center of the matching long silver shapes.

Step 9: Trace the long green rectangle from the template on the silver vinyl sheet and cut out. Gently round the corners with the scissors.

Step 10: Trace the small green rectangle from the template on the black vinyl sheet, cut it out, and gently round the corners.

Step 11: On the back of the long silver rectangle piece, from the bottom up, make five marks in the center, evenly spaced (about an inch apart). Leave some room at the top of the strip. Use the standard paper hole punch and use the marks to cut five holes in the center of the strip.

Tip: If you’re having trouble punching the holes in a straight line or the silver strip keeps wrinkling, you can also use the hole punch to cut five small circles from the black vinyl and stick them on top of the silver piece for the same effect.

Step 12: Stick the silver rectangle parallel and to the left of the silver strips you already attached to the tablet case. Attach the black rectangle piece just below it.

Step 13: Punch one circle from the silver vinyl, gold vinyl, and black vinyl sheets with the 5/8” paper hole punch. Cut a piece of the silver vinyl slightly larger than the silver circle you just punched out.

Step 14: Stick a large grey enamel dot in the center of the 5/8” silver circle, and then make several dots around it with the black permanent marker. Attach it to the top of the rectangular silver strip.

Step 15: Stick two small grey enamel dots on the top and bottom of the black rectangle strip.

Step 16: Peel the backing of the black 5/8” circle and stick it to the center of the larger silver circle you just cut out. Stick it to the case in the area just below the readout piece.

Step 17: Stick a small black enamel dot in the center of the gold vinyl circle. Make three dots around it with the black permanent marker and stick it to the case just below the silver and black circle.