Leica I Camera Kaleidoscope

thingiverse

## What is it? I created this model of a Leica I as a unique wedding gift for a friend who's passionate about vintage cameras and optics. The camera features a hidden kaleidoscope, which can be viewed through the lens from the back. To design the camera, I used images of the Leica I as references and freehand-drew the proportions. A large lens was necessary to accommodate the kaleidoscope. ## What is a Kaleidoscope? A kaleidoscope is essentially a tube filled with three mirrors that reflect each other's reflections in an endless pattern. At the end of the tube, colorful glass pearls or marbles create a dynamic, mandala-like design that changes when you shake it. I used the Betzold 52120 kaleidoscope, which can be purchased on Amazon. ## Important: The model is specifically designed to fit this particular kaleidoscope, so it won't work with others. The Betzold 52120 image can be found on Amazon at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XYHPVZ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ## How do you make it? I posted images of my buildplate to showcase how I printed the model. To minimize support material and ensure a clean finish, I split the lens in the slicer before printing. After gluing together the lens, the kaleidoscope can be inserted from the front, and then the entire lens can be attached to the camera. ## Why is the main camera model not given as .stl file? The camera body is actually provided as a .stl file, but it's compressed in a .zip file. The leather structure of the camera looks amazing, but it requires a high-resolution mesh that results in a 281MB stl file. Thingiverse doesn't allow such large files, so I compressed it to 191MB. ## How was the model painted? I hand-painted the camera using Vallejo Game Colors from the "Vallejo color case 72172," particularly the "Brassy Brass" and "Charred Brown." To give the camera a slightly dirtier look, I used washes from Army Painter's "Warpaints: Quickshade Wäschen Set." ## Why are the files named incorrectly? When I started the project, I thought the camera was a Leica II, not a Leica I. I also had trouble spelling Leica correctly. Since then, I haven't changed the filenames, and I don't feel like reuploading them. ## Can I have the blender file? Of course! Just leave a comment, and I'll upload it. The blender file contains all individual components and the final mesh that was assembled together. It's quite large – about 1GB in size – but I'm happy to share it with anyone interested.