Hero Complex Props 3D Prints an Amazing Compound Bow from the ‘Thief’ Video Game Series

There are very few video game series that can stand the test of time. For example, Pac-Man and Super Mario Brothers have been able to do this. There are other games which are hyped up, released, and then they just flop when it comes to attracting sales. It has to be every video game developer’s goal to create a game that will spawn an entire series of future games. This certainly was the case for a game originally developed by Looking Glass Studios in 1998, called ‘Thief’.

Since the released of ‘Thief: The Dark Project’ in 1998, three other Thief games have also been developed; ‘Thief II: The Metal Age’ in 2000, ‘Thief: Deadly Shadows’ in 2004, and just recently, the latest in the series, ‘Thief’ in 2014. The latest version of the game was developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix; two of the bigger names within the video game industry.

The game, which features a protagonist named Garrett, focuses on a young man who has made quite a habit of stealing from the rich. Living in a fantasy world which features various steampunk and gothic elements, Garrett must be stealth in order to make his way through large mansions to steal his victims’ wealth. He prefers not to hurt or harm his victims or their guards, but in some cases he must act to kill as a last resort. In doing so, he has several weapons and tools to choose from. These include a blackjack, a claw, and a very unique collapsible compound bow.

For one 3D designer who we have covered in the past, named Michael Ruddy, he has a knack for 3D printing movie and video game props. Back in May, we reported on an amazing 3D printed ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ mask that he had created. Soon after it’s release, photos of the mask went viral across various social media platforms, thus fueling Ruddy to even work harder on his future creations.

Ruddy, who works with Hero Complex Props, decided to 3D print a replica of the compound bow found in the aforementioned video game, Thief. Modeled by one of the company’s designers, named Kevin Lunt, the project was not a simple one by any means, but the team was able to create the bow, entirely of 3D printed parts.

“The entire print is with FormFutura PLA filament,” Ruddy tells 3DPrint.com “Even the bow string is just a strand of their flexifil filament right off the spool!”

The bow, which was 3D printed on Ruddy’s GMAX 1.5 XT 3D printer, took about 50 hours to complete. Lunt designed and modeled it using Blender, before Ruddy took over during the fabrication process. He 3D printed the 16 individual pieces at a layer height of 0.15mm, and then proceeded to assemble all of the parts to create quite the amazing work of art.

As you can see, the end results were quite amazing. While this bow isn’t actually intended to be functional, Ruddy tells us that he could have just as easily created one that was.

What do you think about this amazing 3D printed compound bow? Is this something you would like hanging on your wall? Discuss in the 3D Printed ‘Thief’ Bow forum thread on 3DPB.com.