10 awesome 3D printed Pokémon creations to celebrate Pokémon's 20th anniversary

Feb 27, 2016 | By Benedict

Today, February 27, marks a special day in the Pokémon calendar: 20 years ago today, Nintendo released Pokémon Red and Green in Japan, the first Pokémon games made for the immensely popular handheld Gameboy console. These games, later reprogrammed as Pokémon Red and Blue for the international market, would go on to spawn a worldwide gaming phenomenon like no other. Looking back, it’s not hard to see why: The beloved franchise, created by video game designer Satoshi Tajiri, had cuteness, coolness, and above all, collectability. As soon as Professor Oak had you choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, you knew that you couldn’t rest until you had, as they say, “caught ‘em all”. To celebrate the game’s enduring legacy, we’ve compiled 151 10 awesome Pokémon 3D prints to purchase or put together at home. In no particular order, here they are:

1. 3D printed Bulbasaur planter

What better way to kick off a list of 3D printed Pokémon than with Pokémon #001? Bulbasaur, a Seed Pokémon, can evolve into Ivysaur, which in turn can evolve into Venusaur. With this brilliant 3D printed Bulbasaur planter, you could witness a different kind of biological development, right on your windowsill—just pop a tiny plant into the starter Pokémon’s back and watch it grow.

There are a few of these 3D printed Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur planters floating around the web, but with Claudio Ng’s original encountering copyright issues, we’re sure that this new version will do just fine. Hitsman, creator of the derivative, 3D printed his version at a scale of 2.5 with 3 walls and 10% infill, with the resulting ABS print weighing 135g. For a different aesthetic, try this high poly version instead.

Once you’ve got your planter 3D printed, try experimenting with plants to get the perfect Bulbasaur look: Reddit user GradeSwag found that an Astrophytum Myriostigma cactus looked a lot like Bulbasaur’s own vegetal growth, but there’s a lot of room for creativity here.

Designer Anqi Chen of PrintAWorld has made a very cute line of mini planters in the shape of Bulbasaur. Each figure is 3D printed using ABS plastic and available in a variety of colors. You can now hold your favourite plant at the back of the Pokémon and have these cute planters sitting right on your desk.

2. 3D printed Onix and Geodude

Here’s a 3D printed Pokémon that really rocks: a 24” flexible 3D printed Onix. Expertly designed by Etsy shop Amphygory Design, the 3D printed Pokémon’s chain-like structure made it easy to manipulate and display on tables, mantlepieces, and such like. Unfortunately, Amphygory’s beautiful 3D printed rock snake faced some copyright issues of its own, but there are other 3D printable alternatives to hand.

ClassyGoat uploaded this cool (inflexible) 3D printed Onix to Thingiverse, printing his own on a FlashForge Creator 1. The maker used gray ABS with a 3 layer thick raft, 10% infill, 0.2mm layer height, and 3 shells. If Onix isn’t the right rock Pokémon for you, you might prefer this 3D printable Geodude, also made by ClassGoat and requiring similar 3D printer settings.

3. 3D printed Low Poly Pokémon by Agustin Flowalistik, inspired by Gameboy graphics

Do you prefer the rudimental graphical renderings of Pokémon found in the original games to the detailed artistic drawings in the TV show and playing cards? If so, 3D designer Agustin Flowalistik has the perfect Pokémon 3D prints for you. His Low Poly 3D printed Pokémon, printed in single bright colors, make for fantastic retro trinkets.

“The Low Poly Pokémon project started as a challenge,” said Flowalistik. “I wanted to try to transform the low-quality graphics the first Pokémon video games had into a 3D model. I focused this project on 3D printing, as the low poly style allows 3d printers to create high-quality models and avoid many of the limitations associated with 3D printing.”

Flowalistik, whose 3D printable Pokémon are available to order through 3DHubs or as freely downloadable files, was nominated in the Artist of the Year category at the 2014 London 3D Print Show.

4. 3D printed Pokémon Russian dolls

The second of three ClassyGoat creations to feature on this list, these 3D printed Pokémon Russian dolls combine traditional folk design with everybody’s favorite family of turtle Pokémon. That’s right, ClassyGoat’s 3D printed matryoshka dolls consist of a 3D printed Squirtle inside a 3D printed Wartortle inside a 3D printed Blastoise—or, under their new Russian identities, Comrade Squirtov inside Leytenant Vartortal inside Kapral Blastarsky.

Classygoat 3D printed his Pokédolls with full supports but without rafts, at a 0.2mm layer height and 10% infill. The maker has admitted that his paint job wasn’t first class, but who could resist this adorable 3D printed design?

5. 3D printed Team Rocket Pokéball with magnetic clasp

Prepare for trouble! Make it double! To protect the world from devastation! To unite all peoples within our nation! Jesse, James, and Meowth, the hapless money-driven schemers who comprise Team Rocket, are some of the most recognizable faces within the Pokémon universe.

Unlike many other human characters within the game, Team Rocket also has a strong personal brand, exemplified by its iconic “R” logo. This logo features on their Pokéballs—devices used by all trainers to catch and store their Pokémon. Now, thanks to a lovely Thingiverse project, you can 3D print your own. CarryTheWhat’s spring-loaded 3D printable design even features a magnetic clasp, making it highly useable for storage of small objects—if not for standard Pokéball purposes!

Makers will need a 3D printer, superglue, two magnets, and gloves to make their own 3D printed Team Rocket Pokéball. Let the villainy commence.

6. 3D printed Cubone Skull

Pokémon enthusiasts are sure to remember Cubone, one of the franchise’s most mysterious creatures, as his face is never revealed from behind his protective skull helmet. The skull helmet is Cubone’s most recognizable feature, and can now be additively manufactured and added to your 3D printed Pokémon collection thanks to Thingiverse user Bluebie’s non-commercial 3D model of the skull.

The 3D model of Cubone’s skull helmet was based off of Pokémon X/Y. As the maker explains, the “mesh is taken from Pokemon X/Y cartridge, converted back to quads by hand, subsurfaced with some edges creased to match Nintendo illustrations.” Though the pictured 3D printed Cubone skull helmet is quite small, it could be a great accessory to print in a large scale and wear as part of a Cubone cosplay.

7. 3D printed high poly Charmander

ClassyGoat’s final contribution to our list is a 3D printed Charmander, one which packs some sass: Its pose suggests that any utterances of “char, char, char” could be roughly translated to “talk to the hand”, though its smile remains as lovable as ever.

This 3D printed Charmander was initially ripped from Pokémon X/Y by Random Talking Bush, with ClassyGoat adjusting the model to its current pose, increasing its poly-count and optimizing it for 3D printing. The maker 3D printed his model at a 0.2mm layer height, with a 10% infill and 2 shells.

Charmander, another member of Professor Oak’s litter in the original Red and Blue games, was always a popular choice with gamers. This was partly thanks to its evolutionary potential: The temperamental Charizard, Charmander’s final form, was one of the best fighters of the original 151.

8. 3D printed Charizard

Speak of the devil! 3D printed Charmander not tough enough for you? Here are two different, equally cool 3D printable Charizard models, one by Thingiverse user Lukaey; another by a middle school student named Santiago.

Lukaey’s Charizard, printed by the maker in an appropriate shade of orange, was downloaded from this huge library of Nintendo-approved Pokémon 3D prints at Root of Evil Studios. Lukaey emphasizes the importance of support structures to ensure that the fragile hands and wings do not break during printing.

Santiago’s 3D printed model features Charizard in a different pose—one which, as his teacher remarks, is a little Fonzie-like. The uploader recommends printing at 10% infill, with 3 shells.

9. 3D printed Pokémon board game counters

We’re totally happy to make hundreds of 3D printed Pokémon models just to look at, but it’s even better when a maker finds a good practical use for the models. An Instructables user operating under the vague handle “3dprinter123” has 3D printed a Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Chikorita, perfect for Snakes and Ladders and other board games. Next time you play Monopoly, why not replace your Broadway-running boot with a 3D printed Chikorita?

The maker recommends using just a little acetone to secure Chikorita’s head to its body, since the substance melts the 3D printed polymer and can produce unwanted blotchiness on the model.

If these 3D printed Pokémon seem familiar, that’s because the maker has used Flowalistik’s Low Poly designs. Credit to the designer for the beautiful models, but all credit to 3dprinter123 for giving us the board game idea!

10. 3D printed Poké Ball trading card holder

If you happen to collect Pokémon cards in addition to playing the game, why not ditch the binder of cards and make your own Poké Ball-shaped 3D printed card holder. This Thingiverse maker has created and uploaded the .STL files for a hinged 3D printed Poké Ball card holder, which can hold up to 60 cards, making for a practical and Poké-specific way to transport your deck.

For a slightly larger 3D printed card holder—which can hold up to 100 sleeved cards—there is also this popular 3D model uploaded by Thingiverse user Intentional 3D. Though designed for Magic cards, this 3D printed card holder with a geared opening system can easily be used for your Pokémon collection. The print does require some assembly, but the end result is sure to impress.

We hope you enjoy these Pokémon 3D prints. Celebrate 20 years of Pokémon gaming by firing up your 3D printer and joining in the fun. Be sure to print ‘em all!

While you’re here, why not take a look at some of our other 3D printing roundups:

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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josiah bostic wrote at 12/31/2018 5:09:07 PM:

18

macgaiver wrote at 6/1/2016 7:40:39 PM:

how old are you?

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