My Little Pony: Action figure (fully articulated) Princess Luna 3D printed

HaVoC373

Active Member
Hi,
I've been somewhat of a lurker here for many years. i tried my hands at making a replica of the Normandy from mass effect a few years back but that was a little ambitious for my budget at the time.

Now I've started work on something a little more attainable. myself and several of my friends have been enjoying the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic cartoon for a few years now and we wanted something to put on our desk at work. That said I've been rather disappointed by the official toy line from Hasbro because of it's lack of screen accuracy. and lack of functionality apart from the occasional head swivel joint. I realise i am not the intended audience for these figures hence why i a making my own. for which i am the intended audience :D

In any case this means i'm going to make something that fits my quality standards and actually has some function to it beyond the head swivel on the official toys. So that means a fully articulated action figure of the character Princess Luna. The figure will be around 25 cm tall or roughly 10 inches from hoof to horn. Once I 3d print the master I intend to cast it in resin so it is a bit stronger than 3d print plastic. This will also be the first time I have ever created a mold and casted something. So that will be an interesting experience which i would love to get advice on when i get to that stage.

I started with a Base model With the Intent to get it as close to the show as possible. referencing the character from all the angles available in the few episodes she appears in.

Reference:
14 - 3.png

Base model:
MdCRkYS.png
I started out with the intention of making it a statue but later decided i wanted it to be pose able hence why there is an elaborate Base in the "basemodel". I might do something with this towards the end of the project but i'm not sure yet.

Next we have, Figuring out the articulation. Which is the stage i'm currently in. The intent is to make it as pose able as possible without sacrificing the look of the model. i realize this is not always possible because breaking the model apart in order to add joints is kind of unavoidable but i'm going to try to hide it where ever possible.
anyway here is what I have so far.

tCp0Ey8.jpg

Exploded view of the finished components

SlRPoGN.jpg

Side view of the front leg

1xPWI1m.jpg

Leg articulation:
(Note the leg can also twist at the shoulder below the balljoint it can also twist in the middle part of the leg just above the knee. and it can twist at the foot)

zWjNF3Z.jpg

And my Current problem: The neck articulation. Specifically the part where the head meets the neck. as you can see in the picture the hair clips through the neck if it stays attached like this. I'm looking at ways to solve this problem and i'd love to know if anyone wants to weight in and has idea's.

The neck can swivel at its base a full 360 degrees and also rotate forward 96 degrees and backwards 20 degrees. The head itself is on a ball joint. the angle in the picture is as far as the head can tilt back

R123YSm.jpg

I'm considering putting the big part of the head hair on a hinge so it wont hinder the head much. But I also have to be careful that the hair doesn't become too heavy or else the head ball joint and the bottom neck joint might not be able to keep it upright

I hope you'll enjoy my process as I continue with this project and if you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know. While I have experience making table top miniatures this is my first "action figure" with articulation.
 
I'm working on the neck pieces now.

The neck is attached to the torso with a half ring that's locked into a rail. however i also want the neck to be able to yaw and twist left and right. so rather than putting the yaw motion exclusively in the head I've attached the neck piece to a swivel joint that is in turn connected to the chest half ring. there is also a groove cut out of the bottom of the neck piece that will allow the neck to move left and right by about 11 degrees in either direction.

In addition the character also has this regalia across the chest. I'm thinking of attaching this piece on a hinge joint at the back of the neck. This will allow it to rotate upward on its own axis when the neck moves forward. Without the hinge the neck can only move 56 degrees forward because the regalia would be hitting the front legs but with the hinge it can go up to 96 degrees.

I'd like to ask anyone who is familiar with the use of ball joints in action figures if i can leave the neck open and hollow like this or whether it might be too weak a construction like this. I'm obviously trying to save on material costs when it comes to printing but at the end of the day i'd rather have a good figure and spend a little extra. note the walls of the neck piece are roughly 1.5mm thick

07Qsp8I.jpg
 
I'm enjoying this thread. I'm very interested in action figure design for 3D printing and this looks amazing. Are there online tutorials or references of the process and software you are using?
 
I'm enjoying this thread. I'm very interested in action figure design for 3D printing and this looks amazing. Are there online tutorials or references of the process and software you are using?

In terms of action figure design i'm not following any tutorials. What i'm doing is looking at existing action figures. ones I own and those I can find pictures of. and looking at the joints. how do they work. why did they choose this kind of joint over another? I've taken some figures apart looked at how they work etc. Also reference like this can be very useful
dcc_anatomy_action_figure_final_1200_538fb543239df5.58762717.jpg

Since there isn't an action figure of a horse that has the kind of articulation that I am looking for that I've been able to find.(Most just allow the legs to bend in 1 way and that's it). So I have to look at things like. What kind of poses do these characters make in the show. For example the front legs are used as arms in the show, so in order to accommodate that I looked at how most action figures do their arms. I want it to move a certain way and then I look for what joint allows that kind of motion. If this we're a human figure it would be much easier since there are thousands of examples. But this since it is a horse that can move certain parts of it body like a human I have to pick and choose what kind of joints I use, and then make a consideration as to how obvious will this joint be and will it detract from the overall visual aesthetic.

In the case of the front legs. I had to cut these rather big alcoves for the ball joints because if i didnt the figure wouldn't be able to move its arms/legs forward very far, even though in the show they do that motion quite frequently.

But I like I said in my first post I am by no means a professional or an experienced toy designer. This is simply how I think the process works and thus far it's been working for me. although i have heard that in many cases the functionality of the figure takes precedent over the visual aesthetic. something which i have the exact opposite opinion of.

As for 3d printing. I make tabletop figures as a freelancer and those have their masters 3d printed en then molds are made of of those. So I have a fair amount of experience with how that process is supposed to work. Although I have never actually cast something myself. my part of the job usually ends when I deliver the 3d model.
 
You should talk to our member TheSt.LouisKid, he has been working for action figure manufacturers for several years as a developer.

That's great i'd love to pick his brain, thank you.

Thanks for taking the time and providing the reference Havoc373. Which modeling software would you recommend?

I use Autodesk Maya for my modeling work. But basically any 3d modeling programs will work. it's more a matter of personal preference. Any 3d modeling software can export to 3d print formats nowadays. If you're not proficient with any modeling software yet i recommend you try Blender 3d, its Free and a great starting point for anyone who wants to give 3d modeling a go. Maya costs around 4000 dollars and is more intended for high end 3d modeling and animation for visual effects and videogames so I wouldn't recommend starting out with that.
 
I finished the neck Pieces. the regalia "ring" is attached via a hing joint at the back of the neck that's wedged and held in place between the two halves. the opening at the back of the neck allows the piece to rotate up 20 degrees and down by 10.

SWBwpCq.jpg

Next up i'm going to focus on the stomach and the bits behind the chest joint.

Right now the way i've designed the chest joint is by holding the two halves in place with the use of a thick elastic band (its actually a hair scrunchy)
however i've only designed the chest. the rear of the figure is still just an empty base model shell.

as for the back not looking at the legs yet. i'm thinking the tail is going to be on a hinge joint to allow for up and down movement.. this will allow it to act as a stand for when the figure is standing on its hind legs. and i need to start taking a look at the hip joint. these i suspect will be tough to design seeing as they will need to have a similar but more limited range of motion as the shoulder joints. but i dont want the figure to have massive gaps when the limbs are moved outward.

I'll post some of my design drawings later when i think i've come up with a good solution. or if anyone has any idea's please feel free to share.
 
I pretty much finished the hip. sadly the design won't allow for massive amounts of movement. It will rotate forward just fine at about 50 degrees and backwards it can go 160 degrees. but the cone in which the ball joint is attached will only allow the hip to move outward a maximum of 18.5 degrees. Now i intend to make the ankle joint something akin to a ball joint so if more outward motion is required you could get it from there. but this is the only way to get a fairly strong rear hip joint and still allow a bit of outward movement. rather than just lock it to one axis on a hinge joint.

Balljoint inside of the leg

BLPAHLv.jpg

Body baljoint socket

ZwDpia6.jpg


This is about as far as the legs can move outward.

g56atGZ.jpg

If anyone has any idea to make the leg move even further outwards i'm all ears.

BLPAHLv.jpg


ZwDpia6.jpg


g56atGZ.jpg
 
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The only thing I can think of for better hind-leg mobility is something that allows the ball joint to extend out away from the leg a little, but I have no idea how, if at all, feasible that is.
 
The only thing I can think of for better hind-leg mobility is something that allows the ball joint to extend out away from the leg a little, but I have no idea how, if at all, feasible that is.

Thank you for the suggestion. That is certainly possible but the problem with that is it would create a very big gap between the body and the legs. en destroy part of the aesthetic. another way i thought of solving this problem is making the legs attach to double ball joints one at the hip on the body and one on the leg itself. but that introduces a whole new problem where the figure might not be able to stand on its hind legs without the body sagging down.
 
fast approaching the 3d printing stage.

main parts that still require quite a bit of work are:
wings - need to be seperated and put on individual ball joints mounted on the left and right chest pieces.
Tail - middle part needs to be seperated into two halves for casting and weight saving purposes and a socket for a ball joint at the base needs to be attached.
Mane - needs to be detachable and needs to be modified so the head can move freely without intersecting the neck. male also needs the same treatment as the tail to save on weight.
Folded pair of wings - need to be modeled that attach to the same ball joints as the extended wings
2 alternate heads - head needs to be posed in angry and laughing expressions for the swap able heads.

nhjEsLA.jpg

Looks like the figure is reaching the final stages of design. i hope to have it sent off to the printer next week.
it looks like the entire figure in the end will consist of about 70 individual parts.
 
Alright final stretch before it hits the printer. everything except the head and hair is ready to go. the wings have been attached to the same ball joints as the front legs. it has full 360 degrees of rotational freedom at both the base of the wing and on the wing itself, it can bend 90 degrees. but can be twisted so it can be posed in pretty much every position imaginable.

Now comes the tricky part. How to make the head tilt back without having the back of the hair in the way.

I'm thinking of cutting the hair into the shape of the opening i cut in the back of the head and then transplanting some of the piece of hair is is cut away onto the back of the neck. thus creating the illusion that it's still there. that said there would still be a fairly large gap there.

does anyone have any suggestions?

RExuadl.jpg

Back of the head without the hair.

6PNCTGR.jpg

any help you're willing to give is much appreciated.
 
Tbh I love the way the hair looks right now. Its simply perfect to the model base u had in mind. I do have one question. When u send the file to be printed do u send it in pieces so u can put it together later? All in one file or each piece in different files?
 
Tbh I love the way the hair looks right now. Its simply perfect to the model base u had in mind. I do have one question. When u send the file to be printed do u send it in pieces so u can put it together later? All in one file or each piece in different files?

Thank you,
Well if i leave the hair like this that means that the head has very little room to move. and thus making the big bottom of the neck articulation system a little bit redundant. i've have found a way to make the head move now. by separating the hair into 3 main pieces. the big side piece, the bit of hair ontop of the head and a seperate flap thats on a hinge on the back of the head that covers the hole for the ball joint. this flap can move along one axis allowing the flap to move outward so the head can move back.

I could sent it off to print as one piece however that means some of the components become permanently locked together. And thus I wont be able to make resin copies. so i am ordering it in pieces and putting it together myself. Maybe i'll offer up a few kits and a few assembled and painted ones for those interested.
Also some of the joints are test pieces and I am not 100% they will work and if they don't, then i don't want to have to re-order the entire model for the full price. it's much cheaper to just re-design that one component and order just that.
however i will be putting all the separate meshes into a single file and having those printed all in one go.
 
Luna is finished!

she has been sent off to the printer and i will be getting the figure in a few days. I fixed the hair by simply opening up that part of the hair and making it hair flow around the hole a little.

In total she has 67 parts 53 of which are unique. once i have the figure and everything works as intended i will be making 2 addition heads and a pair of folded wings for additional posing options. The figure stands 25 cm (10 inches) from hoof to the top of the horn, and 20 cm (8 inches) to the top of the head which puts it around 1/7th scale

Here are screenshots of the finished 3d figure and some exploded views.

WO0RXsO.jpg

PHRHmCD.jpg

SCqHJ9Z.jpg

MzQZivk.jpg

kXKN9kk.jpg

Ni8BxkJ.jpg

Once the figure arrives and everything works as intended I am going to prep the master for resin casting and hopefully i can make a somewhat stronger version then.

Enjoy and let me know what you think so far, or if you see any obvious flaws I might have missed.

Cheers,
 
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