May the 4th be with you. Whether you’re a Star Wars fan or not, chances are you’ve heard this dated pun before, but this year’s annual celebration brought at least one new thing to fanatics everywhere: the skulls of their favorite Star Wars characters.
Not literal skulls, of course. Most humans don’t have the nerve or steady fingers necessary to take down something like a full-grown Wookiee. According to 3DPrint.com, through the magic of 3D printing, there will be a much easier and diplomatic way to get a model skull of your favorite galactic creature this year.
The 3D-Printable Toys and 3D Printer test kits company 3DKitBash has announced they will embark on a Kickstarter-funded journey to make these miniature skull replications possible.
“Two years ago, we had a steel mold created and worked with a rotational-molding facility to have the figures produced,” Natalie Mathis, 3DKitbash co-founder, told 3DPrint.com. “It was a lot of up-front investment. It’s really only feasible if you’re selling hundreds-of-thousands of figures or more.”
Rotational molding is a unique four-stage process that involves molding plastic resin using heat instead of pressure, which is more traditional. This process can be extremely expensive and time-consuming though, which led Mathis and her team to work on something more attainable to the masses.
The Kickstarter campaign is currently offering one skull model for $15 or all 15 models for $250. What better way to say “I love you” than a unique desk-sized skull model of your significant other’s favorite character? The report states there are 15 models but does not identify all of them.
“3D printing through a service provider, like Shapeways, is definitely a new alternative that makes it possible for shops like ours to produce fun figures – it’s a really exciting time for toy developers,” said 3DKitbash co-founder Quincy Robinson told 3DPrint.com.
Check out the company’s site here for more details and to sign up for your very own skull here.