This almost-flat 3D print turns into a little Jeep. Another turns into a tank. And once the Jeep is assembled, there is one completely unnecessary question we have to answer: can it tow a field cannon?
Yes. Yes, it can.
That little test is part of what makes kit cards so much fun. You get a 3D printing project and a model-building project in the same package.
Watch the transformation
From a frame of parts to a miniature vehicle
Kit cards print the model’s parts together inside a frame, a lot like an old-school plastic model kit. Once the print is finished, you break the pieces out and start putting them together.
That is also the moment when confidence can turn into regret pretty quickly. Getting the pieces free is part of the build, especially when you are working with small details.
In this Short, that little frame of parts becomes an actual Jeep. The tank shows another example of the same idea: a compact print that becomes a three-dimensional model through assembly.
Matte olive green fits the project
For these models, we used matte olive-green PLA. The color and finish give the little military vehicles a look that suits them right away.
Then came the Jeep’s towing test. Connecting it to the field cannon made the finished model even more entertaining than the pile of parts suggested.
What should we print next?
Military vehicles are just one corner of the kit-card world. In the video, we talk about airplanes, NASA models, Star Wars designs, and even D&D dice.
The appeal is the same: the fun continues after the printer finishes. You still get to build something with your hands and watch those separate pieces become a model.
Now we have a decision to make. Do we print an entire miniature army, or start building the Rebel Alliance one kit card at a time?
For a longer look at the project, read our full guide to 3D printed kit cards.