Truncated Great Icosahedron

 

Truncated Great Icosahedron

To see the full-sized template click on this image:   truncated great icoshaedron template

This is the polyhedron that would result from slicing off (truncating) each of the star based vertices of the Great Icosahedron.

great icosahedron      Great Icosahedron

My student used her own creativity to assign the colors to this polyhedron. Father Wenninger has a totally different method. I like my student's interpretation best.

Make this polyhedron in 6 colors. Just as in the decahedron, opposite pentagrams (instead of pentagons) will use the same color.

In order to describe this construction, I will give names to this polyhedron's structure. The star-shaped face will be the pentagram. The vertical walls that descend from each pentagram will be referred to as side walls. The raised star face (with its side walls) is enclosed in a saucer-like, recessed pentagon which I will call the pentagonal dish.

Because the star (pentagram) faces are flexible, it might help the rigidity of your construction if you use a heavier paper for the star faces.

piece number
pentagram color
side-wall color
dish color
1
W
  
Y
B
2
B
R
Y
3
Y
G
B
4
O
W
R
5
G
O
W
6
R
B
O

Construct piece number 1 by attaching the same color side walls between each arm of your pentagram. Create the dish by attaching the isosceles triangle pieces to the bottom of your sidewalls. These first 6 pieces can be attached to each other in any order that you find pleasing. There will be 5 pieces surrounding one piece.

These first 6 pieces represent only ½ of your finished polyhedron. The other half of your polyhedron should be assembled by first creating the same six pieces again. Placing each of those next 6 pieces directly opposite the like-colored piece in your polyhedron.