3D Printing for Fun: Hobby/DIY and Scale Models

With the advancement of 3D technology during the recent years, it is no surprise that it has invaded our day-to-day life, bringing new possibilities for 3D printing for fun of hobby and scale models. The inventiveness of 3D designers and simple enthusiasts is unlimited when it comes to using 3D technology to give shape to interesting and inventive objects.

From simple items, such as key chains, flash drive cases, smartphone cases, different house items and houseware, as cups, hangers, futuristic bowls and many more, to more complex objects, such as 3D print model of cities, cars and house sketches, 3D printing is the means that brings a new approach to creativity.

In this blog post we will focus on 2 directions that 3D printing is used successfully in, such as printing personalized and customized hobby/DIY items and scale models, which have increased in share in the recent months.

3D printable hobby/DIY models

Hobby/DIY models hold the biggest share in the 3D printing world. There is no limit to the imagination of people. And it seems that 3D printing responds to all their creative and inventive ideas. 3D printed key chains, phone cases, glass frames, toys, rings and homeware – 3D technology finds its application in human life, making it more enjoyable.

All these hobby items are great ideas of presents for close friends, decorating objects, with interesting shapes and patterns. And what is more important, they are cheaper than similar objects bought in souvenir or home design shops.

3D printed phone cases in different colors and ingenious pattern

3D printing video game characters

Although 3D printing different items might seem a great deal, printing 3D game models is the niche with a huge fan base, as it covers not only video and computer games, but also mobile games, films, TV series and cartoons.
With the huge popularity of video games and the boom of 3D printing, it was a matter of time until these two directions found they had a mission to accomplish: making 3D printable game characters available for the large community of enthusiasts.

Although these famous heroes have invaded all possible media, 3D printing gives them shape and form, enabling gamers all over the world to hold their favorite game character in hands. The physical recreation of game characters offers new possibilities to hobbyists: mounting the figures on their desktop, using them in board games, and interacting with them outside the video game. TV and computer screens are the barriers that are now demolished by the capabilities that the 3D printing technology brings in.

There is a wide area to get inspired from and 3D designers benefit from it to the maximum. Robot-themed, action-based, and war and battle-inspired games abound in interesting, courageous characters that, along the years, have managed to create a large fan base. This fan base makes up the target audience for such 3D printings.

There are numerous companies offering either 3D printed models or digital files of the printable models for fans to print on their own 3D printer.

Game 3D figures can be designed in different sizes, or often the size can be set and adjusted when sending the file to print. They can be either monochrome or multicolored – all this depending on the type of the printer the user possesses. The monochrome printed models can be painted to the user’s liking, leaving space for their own imagination.

The large availability of different 3D printing filaments allows printing in plastic, metal, ceramic and in other special effect build materials.

Read this: A Guide to Choosing the Right 3D Printing Filament: ABS vs PLA Part 1.

The most recent trend in 3D printing is having your face 3D printed and fit onto a Lego figure. Now you can be part of the adventures your favorite Lego character experiences.

The process is simple: all you have to do is to provide one front and one profile photo. They are further on 3D converted for print. The funny thing is that you can customize your 3D figures, using your friends’ photos and create your own game environment.

Front and profile picture 3D converted and fitted onto a Lego figure

Credits to distractify.com

Custom-Made Lego figures

Gambody prides itself for catering high detail fidelity 3D models to a niche-focused audience, i.e. that of gamers. It offers a multitude of digital files in STL format of the most popular and famous custom-made computer/video games characters, items and accessories.

It accepts and designs video/computer game models in STL file format that have high popularity among gamers. It is also the ideal place for those who want to buy and sell their own 3D printable files of high-detailed and accurately designed models, giving them the chance to join a community who appreciates the hard work that is being done for their own fun and entertainment.

Here are just a handful of awesome models Gambody has designed.

Axe 3D print model.

Barbarian 3D printable model.

Hobby-focused 3D printing offers unlimited possibilities. All it takes is a drop of imagination and a little bit of fun to make them real.

3D printed scale-models

Scale models have been widely used in architecture to produce sketches of houses, buildings, bridges and other facilities. Now, the demanding process of creating architectural sketches is facilitated by the 3D printing technology. No more fussing around with paper, which is prone to environmental damages.

The advantages of using 3D printing in architecture industry:

• sketches are produced from durable materials;
• models are longer lasting;
• allows to reproduce complex geometries;
• reduces time and expenses.

Although widely used for architectural designing purposes, such as approvals and displays, 3D printing of landmarks from metropolises gains popularity among collectors.

3D Printed London Tower Bridge

Credits to vertexmodelling.co.uk

Credits to gisforthought.com

The idea behind the practice of having a part of the city 3D printed is that there are people with precious memories linked to a particular region and they want to have it as a reminder of the beautiful moments associated with that place. This kind of models can be either mounted on the walls or displayed on the table as decoration.

Microscape, an architecture firm, has had the ambition to 3D print the entire Manhattan Island and to sell it to those who have emotional connection to the place.

The designers that are behind this project have included almost every building of the city, using photographs and scans of the area.

As with 3D printed landscapes scale models, there is also a large community of enthusiasts for 3D scale replica models of different vehicles, such as tanks, robots, aircrafts, cars and ships. These are complex objects consisting of parts that need to be joined together. They come in all shapes and sizes and replicate the details of the original objects, to the extent that intellectual property rights are not infringed.

These large-scale models appeal to the fans of the games they are inspired from and collectors in general. There is a fun part in their assembling, finishing and painting processes too.

With the advanced 3D printing capabilities, game enthusiasts and followers can either buy already 3D printed models or 3D printable files to print them out on their home 3D printer.

Gambody has a wide range of STL files for different high-fidelity scale models, from tanks to spaceships. We strive to please every true gamer with accurately designed and high-detailed figures, adhering to popular trends in the gaming industry.

Eve Rifter 3D print model is available as assembly kit.

Mammoth tank 3D printable model

Conclusion

Whether you enjoy static game figures and hobby/DIY items, or you are more passionate about complex scale models with multiple parts, there is a whole territory you can discover with the possibilities that 3D printing for fun unveils. 3D printing is constantly coming up with something new and appealing to its followers and we are eager to see what innovative and ingenious things this technology will bring for hobby/DIY and scale model target audience in the future.