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Phil Warren runs his own industrial design and model workshop, ‘Fantasy Forge’ based in Maine, USA. He got in touch to tell us about what he’s been 3D printing recently!
Hello Phil! Tell us a bit about yourself
My background is in industrial design and model making for films, television, and commercials. Between 1983 – 1996 I started my own model workshop, ‘Eagle Models’. During this time, I worked on films such as Alien, Star Wars, Superman, Medusa Touch, Saturn 3, BullDance, James Bond, as well as more than 2500 TV commercials.
Eagle Models also completed many industrial design projects for companies like Avon Cosmetics, Phillips, British Airways (Concord), and IBM.
In 1996 I moved to California and opened a new shop, ‘Fantasy Forge’, where I produce industrial design models and prototypes. In 2010 I moved Fantasy Forge to Maine and continue to work on design projects to this day!
Phil has worked on worked on films such as Alien, Star Wars, Superman, and James Bond, plus more than 2500 TV commercials
How did you get into 3D printing?
After some extensive research, I purchased my first 3D printer in November 2018. I settled on the AnyCubic Chiron – this was the largest build area I could find at a cost-effective price.
I’d never touched a 3D printer before, so I learned everything I know through trial and error!
What tips would you give to someone getting into 3D printing?
I’ve come to realise like any machine, a 3D printer needs to be treated with respect and regularly maintained. Without maintenance inevitably you will have breakdowns and downtime, which is frustrating.
To anyone getting started, I’d say: get to know your machine before adding the myriad of mods and upgrades that are available. Look after your machine and it will continue to perform for many years.
I like to use 5kg spools, and I’ve swapped out all the HotEnd and bed wiring for silicon covered wires as these are way more flexible. I’ve also added some Z supports and taken the spool holder off the frame.
So what project would you like to tell us about today?
This beast took around 2000 hours of printing using 6 x 5kg spools of ZYLTech ceramic white PLA filament.
To make this, I spent more than 20 hours in MeshMixer and Cura sectioning the 3D model so it could fit on the build plate.
Some assembly required
The original STL file was cut into 20+ pieces using Meshmixer. She is 1/4 life size or 10 feet long and with all the Bondo (P38 equivalent) and steel studs used to join all the parts together she tips the scales at 35kg.
I added scars and cuts on the side and had a specially designed raptor that will go with two other raptors to complete the diorama. She is painted using a Devillbiss gun and cheap Amazon Chinese airbrushes.
You can see a video series on my YouTube channel. A link to the T-Rex by designer Kyokouyou can be found on CGTrader.
Amazing work! Tell us more about your dream printer set-up
I’d like to see a very sturdy 1000mm x 1000mm x 1200mm build volume printer at an affordable price.
At the moment I print at 50mm/s, but it would be great to print at 200mm/s+ with the same (if not better) quality!
What advances would you like to see in 3D printing over the next few years?
- Much faster print speed
- Better quality straight ACME thread Z axis
- Larger touch screens for us old guys
- Increased range of filaments
- Printers connected to the web for automatic firmware updates
Some of these things are already possible! What’s your next big project going to be?
- I have quite a few projects on the go at the moment, A life size model of ‘The Fly’ (Evangelina Lilly)
- A life size (6'-0"tall) female storm trooper
- 3 x 1/4 scale Velociraptors
- A 60" wingspan angel perched on a rock shelf
…and around a half dozen small projects like wall lights.
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A huge thanks to Phil for sharing his huge project.
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