June 13, 2025
Description
This is a from-scratch re-creation of the 1980's toy. I did my best to stay faithful to how the original toy was built based on numerous photos from auctions (I've sadly not had my original childhood toy for decades).
This isn't the easiest model to print! There aren't any extremely difficult parts, or anything that requires a multi-color printer (although multi-color for the head/eyes is an option). The difficulty is around printing relatively small parts without warping, and the tolerances for pieces to fit together.
Printing:
Almost all parts were printed in 0.15mm layer height. Some of the hinge and weapon pegs can be printed in 0.20 or 0.25, but for the smoothest results I recommend 0.15mm wherever possible. The Left and Right Shell parts have a thin border at the bottom that might require a brim to properly stick to your print bed. I suggest printing these pieces at 50% normal speed, and with the nozzle fan facing the outside of the shell. This helps or entirely prevents visible layer shrinkage between the bottom few millimeters and the interior flat surface.
I've indicated in the comments with each file where supports are needed. You might want to experiment with added supports and/or brims on parts giving you trouble. I had great success with PLA and my Prusa XL's smooth build plate, but you might need a thin layer of glue or hairspray if you struggle with adhesion.
NOTE: For parts that need supports, but also have peg holes, I suggest using your slicing software to prevent supports in those holes. PrusaSlicer has a “paint-on supports” feature for this. It's frustrating to try to dig out supports from a 1.9mm hole!
Assembly:
The majority of the parts have small holes where filament should be used to align and attach various pieces. For example, two holes on each foot help align them with the bottom of the white base. Also used in the hinges for the back and top. I've found the best results using PETG for the filament pieces. The tolerances can be tight, especially when printing the holes vertically! The holes in the model are 1.9mm, but my prints frequently were 1.65mm and needed a small drill bit to open a bit more. Experiment with print settings to get the best sizes and minimize work after printing.
Parts that don't hinge should be glued together for best results. The filament holes are more for alignment than strength for holding pieces together. Hinges should have tight enough tolerances to hold themselves without glue.
Parts are split into folders below based on the color to print. There are two parts I suggest printing in PETG for flexibility, the neck and the cell bars. Everything else can be printed in PLA, although I'd suggest PLA Pro/+ for best durability.
For the beetle pincers you can use the spring from a ballpoint pen, cut down to fit into the slots provided in Pincer Right Hinge and Pincer Left Hinge, and glued into place with superglue or a UV cured glue. A dab of glue on the top and bottom of the piece of filament used to go through the Pincer Main Body will hold everything together and keep the pincers aligned.
If you have any assembly questions, post in the comments. I'll try to add anything that I missed.
Filament Colors:
I didn't quite get exact matches to the original toy, but if you like what's pictured you can get the same results with these:
Stickers:
I cut down photos of the stickers from online auctions and did some basic manipulation with a paint program to get the correct proportions. They're not high definition files, but at the scale here it really doesn't matter. Included is a .ZIP file with the images and a Silhouette Studio (which is free) project that includes the images at the correct sizes for the model. I printed these on silver sticker paper, but any decent inkjet printer paper should be good. Or even normal photo paper and some glue. I typically add a layer of glue stick to the back of my printed stickers anyway.
Battle Beast Figures:
None of the figures pictured are my models. Check out https://cults3d.com/en/users/KibzPrinting/3d-models for every one of the original lineup of 76 Battle Beasts figures! Some are free, others cost a bit. Most, but not all, have been split for separated arms. They don't have any of the weapons scanned (except for one figure). The details aren't quite as fine as the original figures (Killer Carp's scales aren't as well defined, for example), but they're definitely good quality. Resize the models to 55% original size for the best fit with this playset.
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial
Spradlinb
