3D Printed Spacemen and Neanderthals Take on Evil Robots in This New Stop Motion Video

Those pesky evil, caveperson-obsessed robots from the future are at it again in a new stop motion video from 3D printed toy maker Hauke Scheer. If you’ve never seen any of Scheer’s action figures, they’re always a lot of fun, and his latest designs are some of his best work.  Not only has he gotten new camera equipment to improve the quality of the stop motion action, but he’s also started using a new acetone smoothing process on his action figures to make them look better than ever. Scheer has made a stop motion video for his actions figures before, but he decided to make a new one to show off his latest figures.

By the time he discovered 3D printing in 2013, Scheer had already been designing and creating his own line of custom action figures and toys for years. He was making them using more traditional methods, like casting and sculpting, but his first 3D printer changed everything. Now not only does he design and sell his own toys, but also offers a service to produce functional action figure prototypes for anyone. He can either design the action figure from his clients ideas or sketches, or actually produce the entire figure himself.

Incredibly, none of Scheer’s figures are held together with glue, rubber bands or pins. Instead he has designed them to fit together with ball joints and pegs, so they can easily have their heads and limbs swapped out. In his new video, Scheer’s latest figure designs face off against each other to show off the wide range of movement that they are capable of. All of the poses and movements are achieved using the real figures joints and limbs, although he did use some Blu Tack on the figures feet to stabilize them during the flights, jumps and falls. However, other then that all of the action can actually be performed just with the joints of the figures.

Because his background is originally in animation, Scheer uses MODO to design all of his figures before he converts them into 3D printable models. It is an unconventional choice of 3D design software to use for 3D printing, but clearly it works for him. Once he’s designed the models he 3D prints the figures out using his Stratasys Mojo desktop 3D printer. The parts are printed in ABS, and for his latest figures Scheer has started using an acetone smoothing process to reduce and eliminate the striation marks on the parts. Then he hand paints all of the figures using acrylic modelling paints.

Here is the video of his new Cavewoman and Spaceman figures battling it out against his newest robot figure:

You can purchase any of Scheer’s action figures directly from him. He offers his action figures unassembled and unpainted, or fully painted and assembled. He is also available for commissions, or he can create a version of your own head to stick on top of any figure of your choice. You can find out more over on Scheer’s website, or over on Deep Fried Figures. Discuss this work further in the Scheer’s 3D Printed Action Figures forum over at 3DPB.com.