Gru Minions Chess Set

prusaprinters

<p>This is my remix of <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1872984">Thingiverse thing#1872984</a>, which is itself a remix of some original work by <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/stevehaines/designs">Steve Haines</a>. &nbsp;My respect and thanks for their foundational work.</p><ul><li>I further tweaked the King's crown and the Queen's crown, to strengthen the knobs</li><li>I further tweaked the Knight's sword and the King's staff and platform, to strengthen the parts and improve their printability</li><li>I finally fixed the Knight's right arm (it was partially hollow)</li><li>I resized the heights of some pieces, to follow the usual chess piece height-differential profile</li><li>I added a hollowed-out area inside the base of each piece, into which additional weight could be added. (I tried using fishing weights, but BBs worked best.)</li><li>I created a small base piece to glue over that hollowed space.</li><li>I reduced their size to 85% of the remixed set, to better fit the 45mm x 45mm squares of <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/130010-sectioned-magnetic-chessboard-box-with-chess-notat">my chess board and box</a></li><li>I “forked“ the Grus and modded them into a set of <a href="https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/144765-macho-minions-chess-set">Macho minions</a>.</li><li>I found a way to model Stuart! (or is that Steve?) (See One-Eyed Pawn file)</li><li>I added a bonus alternative one-eyed QUEEN, modelled on Donny.&nbsp;</li></ul><p>NOTE: These pieces still have a couple of weak spots, which can be problematic when printing and cleaning away support.&nbsp;</p><ul><li>I direct my slicer (Cura) to use 100% infill from the feet to the waist on all except the pawns. I also use 100% infill for the knobs on the crowns. &nbsp;The rest of the character can be as little as 20% infill (though I personally find that heavier chess pieces feel like better-quality pieces.)&nbsp;</li><li>I block infill from forming under the character, between their legs, around their head-pieces and in their eyes. &nbsp;I also prevent support from enclosing the bottom end of the King's staff, because that is still very thin and prone to breaking when clearing support away. &nbsp;</li><li>I prefer to use support under raised arms and under their hands and their goggles</li><li>The under-sides of minions are a major challenge to the overhang-printing capability of you, your filament and your system. &nbsp;I favour using a dense roof on my support, to help curtail sagging as the printer circles their butts. &nbsp;It can be a challenge to remove dense support, though, especially with softer filaments. &nbsp;Printing in Silky PLA tended to help a little with the support removal, but highlighted every little zit and blob and made sanding problematic. &nbsp;This is the kind of print that makes me wish I had a multi-material setup and some dissolvable filament to work with…</li><li>You may want to experiment with support type and placement, for the filament that you choose.</li></ul><p><strong>Post-Processing</strong></p><p>After printing the piece and base:</p><ul><li>Invert the piece and insert some lead weight (e.g. BB's).</li><li>Pour in a couple of drops of superglue (enough to stop the weights from rattling)</li><li>Spread a little glue around the hole and glue on the small base plate.</li><li>(Optionally) cut a small round of felt in a matching or complementary colour and glue that to the base (or use double-sided tape, to avoid glue stiffening the felt).&nbsp;</li><li>Let the glue set, before standing the piece on its base</li></ul><p>I find that having some weight to each piece makes the set “feel” better, and that the pieces are easier to slide around a board when they have felted bottoms.</p><p><strong>CAUTION:</strong> Superglue leaves a very stubborn white stain on PLA board squares, if you put the piece down on the board before the glue holding the felt has fully dried. &nbsp;I recommend leaving the pieces aside on something sacrificial for a couple of hours, before risking your board.</p>