Transformers Unicron Vertical Stand

The Transformers Armada Unicron toy was designed to sit horizontally on a table, but can't stand on its own vertically. I designed this stand to allow it to both display in the vertical profile, and be tall enough to tower over top of smaller toys. I also designed a shorter display.

Most of this stand can be printed, but it does require a 5/16 steel rod for the central support. It was designed to work with a 5.75" to 6.5" rod length without becoming too top heavy. Anything shorter will bring Unicron's ring too close to the brace arms of the base. Steel rod can be purchased for a few dollars at most home improvement stores, such as Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc.

I printed this with 15% infill, and it's working fine, but increasing the infill will also increase the rigidity of the arms and the holder that Unicron rests on. The holder must be printed using support. Printing the holder in the orientation provided will leave the less smooth side with the supports hidden on the top, where the figure rests. You can also rotate the holder 90 degrees, onto its side, where the support will only appear along one edge. This makes the support look clean on both top and bottom, but takes twice as long to print.

The arms fit very tightly into the t-slots of the arm connector. If your printer over-extrudes, it may be difficult to fit them together without a bit of sanding. I was able to press-fit them together by hand, but I designed them with tight tolerances to maintain a good brace with the central rod of the stand.

I printed the object pictured in PLA Plus. PLA is the recommended material for the rigidity it gives to the holder, where most of the figure's weight is balanced. PETG might work, but would also have slightly more flexibility.