--FULL INSTRUCTIONS-------

TAKE YOUR TIME. Save this, print this, come to it later. Also, SEE ATTACHED PDF MANUAL.

1. Who's this model?
This is Samus, the intergalactic heroine. This particular model is based on her appearance in "Other M" and the recent Super Smash Bros. series. It is a more simple and elegant armor, which I chose for her first figure. In the future we can do other bulkier versions like the Prime and other variants like Dark Samus.

2. What's inside?
You'll see folders with the body parts, named as clearly as possible. Both limbs are provided and labeled "L" or "R" for your convenience. Most parts have been split so they can be printed without supports.

Additionally, there is a folder with Palette / MMU version & a folder with all body parts as whole (not split), in case you want to try using supports instead of gluing halves.

3. What's NEW or Improved since the last figure?
The biggest improvements are in movement range and ease of printing / assembly.
- Body parts are offered split for easier and cleaner printing, without supports. Glue is necessary to put halves together. The splitting is also strategic, as it makes the joints strong along the layer lines, instead of weak against them.
- Both limbs are provided, so no more mirroring and losing track.
- Parts that need it are labeled L or R
- ALL parts are rotated to appear flat on the bed in your slicer, so no more manual rotating with odd angles.
- The legs have significant more movement at the hips.

4. Printing Recommendations
4.1 Scale. It's a little larger than a regular action figure so that joints are decently sized. 1:1 should be fine, but scaling up might be better. It would be much easier to work with, and stronger. We don't recommend going smaller unless it's resin.

4.2 Few parts need supports. The rest are split and print flat on the bed. The only ones that need support are listed now:
- Head (the supports version works better than the halves, but feel free to use whichever)
- Shoulders (even though they are split, they still need supports).
- Cannon (the top needs supports where the green glow would go).
- Foot heel (the heel ball joint is strongest if rotated almost 90 degs. and printed standing up, with the back of the heel touching the bed. The foot tip can be printed regularly, sole on the bed).
- Hand (position the palm as flat as possible on the print bed).

4.3 Orientation on the print bed matters a lot, especially for strength of articulation parts, like ball joints. In general, they tend to break along the layer lines, so try to print perpendicular to them: for example, print sockets and ball joints horizontally so the layers run along it. Because most parts are split this is already taken care of. The aesthetics sacrifice of having the layers and partition lines being very noticeable is well worth the strength of the joints.

4.4 General recommendations

• • It is suggested to print without brims, except for really small parts. Using brims fuses everything together in the first layer and makes removal much more difficult.
• • 50mm/s speed, 20 for outer perimeter.
• • Use at least 2 perimeters, and about 15 to 20% infill.
• • It might help to make the legs and hips denser for stability to stand, like 50% infill.

Feel free to try different supports, orientation, and settings in general if you find they work better for you.

5. Post-print
5.1 Cleanup. Removing supports, brims, and any debris or imperfections that may cause interference between parts is crucial.

5.2 Tolerances. We found the best is to have 0 tolerance between touching parts. This is because it's easier to adjust manually with a knife or sanding until fit is perfect. Sometimes it fits nicely right off the printer. There is wild variation between printers, qualities, filaments, etc. The problem to avoid is making a joint too loose, which makes the figure like a rag doll. If this happens to you, you can: a) reprint the part, b) use a tiny piece of thick plastic bag between the parts to fill the gap and make it tight, c) use nail polish (acetone) if using ABS.

5.3 Fractures. If a joint breaks, thankfully you just need to reprint that part and not the whole thing. None of the ball joints broke when printed in the halves orientation, as layer lines run along it. They always snap if the layer lines run horizontally.

5.4 Assembly. It's a pretty straight-forward puzzle, you can see the photos or attached PDF if you have doubts. Be kind but firm. Insert small parts to larger ones first, before doing larger ones to each other.

5.5 Paint. Feel free to paint the figure, or print it in colors. It could benefit from applying a dark wash to darken the simulated gaps and part crevasses. You can print the "green" parts like the helmet visor in glow-in-the-dark filament.