Your 3D Printed Spartan | What to expect
As part of the all-singing, all-dancing, Aceybongos and Julia Hardy-equipped Halo 5: Guardians launch, Xbox offers you the chance to ‘bring your Spartan to life.’
Through Halowaypoint.com you can customize your Spartan and order up a 3d printed model to display proudly alongside… well, a pile of other videogame paraphernalia, probably. Offered up in three sizes, small (4-4.5 inches), medium (5-5.5 inches) and large (6-7 inches) at price points between $29.99 and $89.99 (yes, colonial American dollars), the models are produced by 3d printing specialists Sandboxr.
Intrigued – and always aware that we could do with more videogame crap collectables to clutter decorate the For all the players Castle – we decided to order one up (a small one because, you know, money).
Customisation of armour is limited to the range that you have unlocked in game, but we decided to keep things simple and stick with an armour variant from early on – we went with the Hunter variant for both armour and helmet. You can choose from five poses – the pose dictates the weapon your Spartan will carry. We went with ‘At the Ready’, equipping the ever popular Assault Rifle.
Our 4.5 inch Spartan arrived packaged very securely, having made the trip from America-land in around 28 days. Inside a robust outer package rested a Sandboxr-branded box, suspended safely in a cocoon of foam blocks. Opening the inner box revealed a shrink-wrapped package consisting of a cardboard sleeve and layers of polystyrene foam.
Removing the shrink-wrapping and foam revealed our model. If you are familiar with 3d printing you will also be familiar with the potential – and limitations – of the product. That being said, our small-sized model is very detailed, with primary and secondary armour colours distinguishable, and armour variant recognizable.
Sandboxr’s printing technology utilises (we believe) full colour granular binding which produces vibrant full-colour models, and allows for more complex shapes, including models with overhangs, to be produced. At very small scales – such as with our model – a slight amount of detail can be lost. The finish is also slightly granular in nature and – as you can see from the photographs – produces a slightly ‘sparkly’ scattering of strong light sources. (click on the image above for a high-res version).
The model is pleasingly solid and weighty, and comes complete on its own base which includes the Halo 5: Guardians logo, and your Gamertag (or other custom text) if you wish.
Overall, we’re very pleased with our Spartan and she will take her place in our Cupboard of Halo, ready to defend it from Covenant and Promethean attack.
