I have found a site which has a link to a free uv mapper / unwrapper or whatever u like to call them. You can use it to plot your models surface on a 2d dimension, save the model with its new uv co ords and save a bitmap to produce a skin on your object. The key to making low polygon models look brilliant.
http://www.designaline.co.za/3DGSUV/3dgsuv_pages/3dgsVoice_programs_skinning.html
Remember it claims to be free and it is worth every penny. My brief experiments seem to show it works. However there is no support - I dont think...