Modular Miniature Display Tower & Carrier | Upcycled Prusa Filament Spool

Upcycle your empty Prusa filament spools into a D&D miniature display stand and carrier.

Features:

• No hardware required. 100% printable parts.

• Expandable. Add additional spools and parts to increase the tower height.

• Rotating display base for easy spinning and access to your miniatures.

• Accommodates a variety of miniature figure sizes and shapes.

• Not all figures require a base to be held securely (see image with mimic miniature).

• When properly secured, figures will not fall off. The tower can even be held sideways or upside down!

• Extra hold-down studs and other small items can be stored inside by untwisting the handle.

• PLA compatible and structurally solid!

• Images #4 & #5 are raw, unedited photos with no image enhancements.

Print and Assembly Notes by Part:

The image below depicts an exploded assembly view.

Rotating Base:

• Use fine print settings when possible (0.15mm layer height or thinner, with a 0.4mm nozzle or smaller).

• Light sanding and deburring of all rotating components is recommended to reduce friction and improve spin quality (primarily the cylinders and race).

• Press the small tapered cylinders into the larger slots of the race with the narrow end pointing toward the center of the ring (the thin part with slots).

• A total of 38 cylinders are required (4x cylinder bundles. Print extras in case any are dropped).

• Place the race with cylinders installed into the bottom of the base (the smaller part with no threads).

• Lightly grease the race and cylinders before assembly. (Note: The example was assembled without grease and still spins well.)

• Press the top piece onto the bottom, sandwiching the race and cylinders in between. It will snap into place and may require more force than expected. (The top part is the larger piece with threads.)

Parts with Threads:

• Use a 0.15mm layer height or thinner to ensure thread quality.

• Default Prusa PLA settings used.

• In the example build, the threads printed sharper than expected. Sanding and finishing with a Scotch-Brite pad is recommended.

• Work any two mating parts back and forth a few times to help smooth the threading action.

Hold-Down Studs:

• Scaling may be required to fit your specific Prusa spool.

• If needed, all spool hexagon openings can be cleared with an 8mm (5/16") drill bit. The hexagon openings on the example spool were inconsistent in depth and size, so drilling may be necessary.

Handle:

• Print with supports enabled. The example was printed using organic supports.

• To reduce print time, supports on the threads can be blocked. They are not strictly necessary, though they do slightly improve thread quality.

Tower Build:

Refer to the images below to determine the number of parts needed for your specific tower configuration. A single full-spool tower requires the following:

• 1x Spinner Base Bottom

• 1x Spinner Base Race

• 4x Spinner Base Cylinders (there should be extras)

• 1x Mini Tower Nut

• 1x Mini Tower Shaft

• 1x Mini Tower Handle

• Qty. TBD. Mini Tower Studs (3 per miniature figure recommended)

For a 3-level tower, add:

• 1 additional shaft (2 total)

• 1 additional nut (2 total)

To build higher, simply continue adding shafts and nuts!

Please share your makes! How high can we go? How many minis do you need? I ran out quickly of empty spools and minis to test how high we can go.

Future Plans:

• More hold down stud verity, including studs designed to accept magnets.

• Lighting

• Exoskeleton to help protect minis while traveling.

• Please send suggestions and requests!

Updates:

4/30/26 - Added "Prusa Spool Lazy Susan Nut v1.0" to be used by itself to create a single level Lazy Susan or mini display. (Red center)

Credit:

Thanks @Logicalplanet for the bearing design! I incorporated this design into my spinning base.

Products:

• PrusaCore One +

• PrusaCore One+ Ultimate

• Prusa MK4

• Prusament PLA

Mini Figure Sources: 

Note: Some figures were heavily modified to enhance printability and may not be exact matches to my examples. Below are some of my favorites that also have high printability.

Disclaimer:

• Links may take you to Amazon or Prusa.com for products I endorse and use on a regular basis.

• JD3D is not responsible for any damage or harm caused by improper production, assembly and use.