www.3ders.org

Nov 17, 2015 | By Kira

Gamers and makers, makers and gamers…there’s a strong relationship between the two. From creating full-blown 3D printed cosplay costumes, to collectible figurines, to 3D printed parts or modifications for consoles, gamers have found an excellent creative outlet in 3D printing, and a unique way to bring their favorite characters or avatars to life. Most recently, League of Legends fan Simone Fontana used his 3D printing skills to create a full-scale, light-up replica of Fiora’s Project Sword.

Fontana, a 3D designer and web developer from Italy based in London, is a bit of a League of Legends 3D printing legend himself. A few weeks ago, he 3D printed a ‘Fiora Baguette’ for the seasoned gamer sOAZ, paying a little tongue-in-cheek tribute to his French heritage, and was able to present it to the entire Origen team in London. Opting for a more authentic take, he has now designed a full-scale 1.3-meter-long replica, and made the 3D model available on MyMiniFactory so you can 3D print it at home.

Using an Ultimaker 2 3D printer, Fontana 3D printed the blade pieces with translucent filaments in order to make sure that the LED lights would shine brightly through. He also suggests that you could use a pink translucent filament rather than the clear one he used, so that even outdoors or with the LED lights turned off, it would be immediately recognizable.

The handle itself is also almost entirely 3D printed, with a hollow space inside for the LED lights and accompanying electronics. To reinforce the length of the sword, he also incorporated a few sturdy non-3D printed steel rods, two that measured 76 cm long, and two of 29 cm long.

After gluing together the pieces for the handle, inserting the steel rods and LED strip, and painting, it was just a matter of sliding in the blade. The handle includes an detachable cover that can be removed for easy-access to turn on or off the LED lights, or even to switch out the light strip for different colors.

According to Fontana, who has quite the social media following and has built himself a reputation on making fun, accessible, and gamer-related 3D prints, the Fiora sword was all-in-all an easy build, even considering that it was his first time ever incorporating LEDs inside a prop—something he plans to do more of in the future. The 3D model is available as a free download on MyMiniFactory.

Between the Fiora Baguette and the Fiora Project Sword, among his many other designs, Fontana’s work is a solid example of the bond between 3D printing and gaming culture. We’ve seen tons of other 3D printed video game weapons and props, including the 3D printed Zelda master sword, the 3D printed Bad juju rifle from Destiny, and this 3D printed Fallout 4 Pip-boy. I’m not much of a gamer myself, but when it comes to the League of 3D Printing Legends, I’ve got more than a few top picks.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

 

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