The 3D printing community is terrific. Not only are there people from every walk of life ready to help anyone get better at the hobby, but there are also talented designers churning out inspired models for us to print. One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to look around the web and find some of the best models that people have printed and ask them how they managed such beautiful work.
I think this kind of talent needs showcasing, so each month I will be showing off some of the best prints I've seen from around the 'net. Each entry will have a link to the person who printed the model, and, where possible, the person who designed it and the printer they printed it on. Hopefully, these designs will inspire you to push yourself, and maybe seek these community members out.
This month is all about Halloween and all the incredibly 3D models that have been designed and printed this month!
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Model of the month
This section is dedicated to the very best model that I have seen in the community for this month. The winner can revel in the knowledge that they are Windows Central's Model of the month!
Model by Jan Šístek
Wednesday Adams, printed by Jan Šístek
Source: Jan Šístek Twitter
The Adams family is one of the best TV-to-film adaptations ever made, and both the show and the movies are a lot of fun. This model and the diorama that go with it capture the essence of Wednesday Adams in fantastic detail.
Jan Šístek is a car mechanic by day and maker of beautiful things at night! Not only did he design this model, but he also painted it, and has made other Adams family characters too. I suggest you follow his Twitter for more amazing models.
Jan uploads most of his models to Prusa Printers for you to download, and he uses the ever-reliable Prusa Mk3 to print them out, before getting to work painting them up.
The Prusa Mk3s is fantastic. I could go on and on about it but I won't. Suffice to say it is our pick of the best 3D printer under $1000 for a reason.
More fantastic models
There are so many great models out there we couldn't just stop at one. Let's celebrate some of the very best models and printing people around!
Model by Tanya Wiesner
Deadly Roses, printed by Tanya Wiesner
This print caught my eye because it is so subtle. These are the kind of spooky things you can leave around the place, and people might not notice straight away. I enjoy the paintwork here too as it has an eerie, dead feel.
You can print stems with these models as well, or if you are looking to make them look more realistic, using flower arrangement wire and fake leaves will add to the realism. You could even drop a little clear resin on them to add a dewdrop or two.
I would likely use an Elegoo MARS to make the deadly Roses. You can create multiple of them; at the same speed as you would print one, and the smoothness of the print would make them look beautiful. You could even print them in clear resin, so they look like crystal and then add an LED to make them glow.
The Elegoo Mars is a fantastic first 3D printer for anyone looking to get into resin printing. You can search, but you won't find anything that beats the value to quality ratio of this printer.
Model by Nick Dimelow
Spider Column, printed by Flemming Pedersen
Source: Flemming Pederson, Twitter and Nick Dimelow, Twitter
This fantastic model shows that you don't have to paint models to make something extraordinary. The spider column is a great looking spooky model, and this print by Flemming Pederson shows off the beautiful details.
The pictures show the two different prints from Flemming, using some amazing looking filament from Filamentive. Nick himself supplied the, somewhat blurry, middle picture, that has a bell jar around the outside he picked up from Ikea. Nick printed his on his trusty Creality CR10 S, a workhorse of a machine with a huge print area. The print had a little bit of stringing, but instead of removing it, Nick kept it, so it looks like a spider web!
Creality makes some of the community's most popular printers and the CR10s is no exception. The 300 x 300 x 400mm print bed is enormous and allows you to get some fantastic models.
Model by Wekster
Pumpkin Queen, printed by Wekster
As far as weird, twisted models go, Wekster's Pumpkin Queen is likely one of the best in this collection. This is a companion print to his previous pumpkin monster that we featured last month and amazingly, can be printed entirely without support. The model itself is excellent and shows a lot of arrested motion. You can almost feel the struggle.
This model is printed using a Prusa MK3 and Palette 2 Pro from Mosaic. The Palette is an ingenious machine that lets you use multiple colors of filament on a single extruder head. This enables you to create some fantastic looking models as well.
The Palette 2 Pro lets you create amazing multi-colored models, without the need to swap filament all the time. It's like real magic.
Model by The 3D Printing
Frankenstein Diorama, printed by The 3D Printing
Source: @3dprintingmagic, Twitter
I enjoy it when a maker takes something that someone else has created and elevates it with designs of their own. This diorama is designed to house one of Wekster's excellent minis, this time his Frankenstein's monster. You can see the thought that has gone into it. From the lighting switch on the wall to the small wheels that would move the table, this model is artfully made.
These diorama's — there are lots more you should check out — are often extremely simple, yet have incredible details that bring the mini to life in a purposeful way. It's easy to print the minis and never have anywhere to put them, but these diorama's give you a lot more options.
The Prusa Mk3s is fantastic. I could go on and on about it but I won't. Suffice to say it is our pick of the best 3D printer under $1000 for a reason.
Creator of the month
Instead of having a manufacturer of the month each month, we will try to highlight creators as a whole. So it may be a company that creates impressive printers or filaments, or maybe it's a YouTube creator that inspires us. We will showcase the best right here.
Fotis Mint
Source: @Grafitomi, Twitter, Windows Central, and My Mini Factory
A lot of the creators out there are amazing, but Fotis Mint is taking everything a step further. Living out in the paradise that is Greece, Fotis is churning out beautiful models by the truckload, and each one is just a little better than the next. His Patreon offers several new models a month, including some beautiful busts that print support free.
People like Fotis make the 3D community better in many ways. Not only do they create amazing models — I use several of them to review printers — but they inspire people to try these things themselves, and that's pretty special. You can find Fotis over on Twitter, and if you want to support him and get some of the best models around, check out his Patreon.
Be a part of the action
This entire article is to showcase what is great about the 3D printing community, but I can't do it without your help. If you see terrific prints anywhere on the web, or you have made something magical yourself, drop a link in the comments below or tag either @windowscentral or @keridel on Twitter, and we will check them out.
I also think we need a Hashtag. #WCModelOfTheMonth might work, although that's a little wordy. Help me out in the comments.
