3D Printing - Customizing to the Third Power!!

It is a technology in it's infancy, at least on the consumer level.  3D printing is finally becoming somewhat affordable to the average GI Joe fan.  Even though it has its limitations, it is something that every customizer should look into.

There are a billion different models out there to choose from.  Some you have to build yourself.  On Black Friday last year, amazon.com had on special the XYZprinting Da Vinci Jr 1.0 for a mere $250 (on sale from $349).  At that price, it was worth taking a chance on (considering it was less than a GI Joe Convention set)!

The Da Vinci Jr 1.0 is aimed at consumers, but I would recommend having some modicum of tech savvy to operate it.  After a few initial prints, I had to make some adjustments to the x and y axis.  It also has a habit of making some strange clicking sounds.  After reading online, this appears to be a shortcoming of this model having to do with the stepper motor that feeds the filament slipping.  I also had an issue with the printer not recognizing the black filament as a valid spool (it uses RFID to sense that you are using an official XYZprinting filament spool).  I simply returned it to amazon for a new spool, and that seems to work just fine now.  Each filament spool costs around $25-$30, and so far, I have not run out of filament.

While all this sounds kind of negative, once you get past the shortcomings, it is a great tool.  I have printed endless GI Joe scale weapons.  With a 3D program, you can design your own stuff to print.  I use Strata Design 3D SE 7, which is easy to use.  A free online 3D program called Blender is also useful, but definitely has a huge learning curve.  Some people use Google SketchUp, but I am not a fan of the interface.

So what have I printed so far?  Tons of GI Joe scale weapons, helmets, and diorama pieces for my collection.  Need a desk for General Hawk?  Design it and print it!  My Wayne Manor playset was missing a chair, so I took some measurements and printed one of those too.  The possibilities are endless.  I would love to scratch build a vehicle using exclusively 3D printed parts.

A sampling of some of the weapons I have 3D printed so far.  There are some resolution lines on the finished prints, which can be sanded, if you so choose.  It doesn't bother me that much.

Some of my designs are on Thingiverse, you can find them here.  Feel free to print them as much as you want.

Keep your eyes open!  Other printers will start to come down in price, and even some that can scan as well as print.