Heavy Gear-esque Miniature

thingiverse

I was absolutely obsessed with Heavy Gear as a kid, and I even managed to get my hands on some official die-cast miniatures when I got a bit older. This past Memorial Day weekend, I decided it was time for me to take on a project of my own and design a miniature that was reminiscent of the Heavy Gears, thanks in large part to dutchmogul's influence - I've been on a serious miniature kick lately! I based this guy off the standard Hunter type, but I didn't just copy it exactly; instead, I gave it my own unique flair and made it entirely from scratch. It was also my first time working with so many complex parts and details. When it comes to size, this miniature is a bit over 150mm tall in its full-size form, which means that when I printed it at 33% scale, it came out right around 50mm. That's still a pretty impressive size for a mini! There are three STL files available for download: one for the full-size model, another for the 33% scale version, and a third with the pieces split up to make the overall design look even more awesome. Keep in mind that you'll still need to print supports for the legs and chest/arms if you want to get the best results. Here are some tips for printing this mini: I've been doing most of my miniature prints at 0.10mm resolution, which I think strikes a great balance between detail and print time. Some folks like to go even lower for an extra level of quality, but I find that 0.10 is perfect for me. As for supports, they're pretty much essential when printing miniatures - this guy is no exception! Just be prepared for the possibility that they might be a bit tricky to remove. I learned that the hard way on my first print, which I did all in one go. Unfortunately, it ended up breaking on the autocannon magazine clip and one of his legs, so I had to glue him back together again. Lesson learned!