Since Mega/Mattel are not getting us figures in a timely manner and it's doubtful we'll get a lot of the 2nd or 3rd tier characters, anyway, I decided to start making my own. This will allow me to fill out my ranks and add custom characters without being limited to fodder I can obtain.
So far, I've designed a basic buck that can be further customized for various characters. It has all the same joints and connections as Mega figures, and as you will see in the pics, is even compatible with existing parts. I've had the buck done for a while and have been tweaking it but made my biggest breakthrough when I decided to take a chance on printing with TPU. I'd been doing my prints in ABS or resin -- the resin gave beautiful results but was too brittle for a figure with movement. ABS gives a strong figure but the stress at the joints can be too much, leading to cracking or breaking. Printing with TPU is a good compromise. Ultimately, I'll probably print the connectors (Ls for elbows and shoulders, T for waist, legs, and torso) and waist piece in ABS with the rest of the figure in TPU to give better structural integrity. I still have some dialing in of settings to do but results so far are very promising.
Initial results were okay but a little hairy. I did not have retraction set properly so too much excess material flowed out, leaving strings all over the poor guy. As you can see with the Mega parts used (head, waist, T-Bar), the figure is fully compatible:
The figure can be posed just like a Mega figure:
Printing the hands out of TPU gives them flexibility the Mega hands don't have, yet they're still rigid enough to hold weapons well. I just don't have to worry about cracking or stress marks from improperly sized handles:
Same torso after cleaning up, using all Mega everything else:
Maintains full range of motion:
Can even hold backpacks:
The TPU is supposed to be "Flesh" but I've never seen anyone that shade before. Luckily, it holds paint well:
Second attempt at printing. Still need to tweak some settings because now I have under extrusion, as seen a lot in the right arm and some in the torso:
Still posable, though!
Reply With Quote
