Is That a SUBUWU?

prusaprinters

owo, what's this? A joke became realty, and the SUBUWU is out on the road to the disgust and delight of many. Scaled 1:1 for a 2014-2018 Subaru Forester I dreaded the idea of aligning the letters, so when I developed the model in Fusion 360, I added runners and sprues to do the alignment for me. Just slide an old gift card under the sprue before the adhesive fully cures, and snip the sprues off with your favorite flush cutters without damaging the paint. I also included all of the loose letters if you're more bold than I, or just want to have a better time scaling the full model to exactly the size you need (just plug one dimension into the appropriate window in the size row of the object manipulation field in Prusa Slicer or Super Slicer, then carry the scale factors over to the full model). I tried paint, but I found the most satisfactory results with vinyl, since clear coating mirror paints typically dulls them.  I also used a highly permanent automotive adhesive, because I was tired of cutting films and didn't want to use molding tape. Slicing tip - use a 0.3mm first layer height with 30% gyroid infill, and 4 vertical perimeters or fewer with 0 bottom solid layers to get a first layer with a geometry similar to the factory emblems that'll help prevent oozing during application. Keep the adhesive layer very thin and away from the outside of the perimeters for best results. I chose PC-PBT as the filament not only for the cool factor, but also to put up with northern climates.  Nailing the runner down to a piece of wood (I used a pine 1x2) made it much easier to sand smooth, since whether you're using paint or vinyl, it'll need to be smooth for a good final product, so I used 320 grit to get the layer lines out, and 1500 grit wet/dry to make the surface sufficiently smooth. I also tried using 2000 grit, but it didn't make much difference. Even 1200 grit might work. A foam backed sanding block really helps maintain the curvature, but it can be done by hand. Links to the items I used:  Car Vinyl Wrap Chrome Mirror Silver Self Adhesive DIY Decals Decoration 12"x60"https://amzn.to/3whLlp8 (affiliate link)Rapid TAC Application Fluid for Vinyl Wraps Decals Stickers 4oz Sprayerhttps://amzn.to/3yJgsgj (affiliate link)3M Plastic and Emblem Adhesive, 08061, 5 oz Tube (1 oz would still be more than enough)https://amzn.to/3FNfDEJ (affiliate link)3M Performance Sandpaper, 03078, 3-2/3 in x 9 in, 320 grithttps://amzn.to/3N9xDLT (affiliate link)3M Auto Wet Or Dry Sandpaper 3 2/3 in x 9 in, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 Assorted Grit Pack, 5 Sheetshttps://amzn.to/3yJiPQf (affiliate link)PC-PBT 3D Printing Filamenthttps://www.ic3dprinters.com/shop/pc-pbt/