Adam: Childish that never faded

Being born in the 80s is something Adam is quite proud of. Because in that classic role frequently, known as the golden age of action figures, he witnessed so many iconic toys being released and loved by people fanatically. Until now in the 1920s, Adam rightfully became a vintage toy collector, for the childhood dream, for more than 30 years, this hobby has not been extinguished.

The key word in vintage toys is 'vintage'. Adam never takes it as a serious problem. On the contrary, he gets excited when he sees the damage: using various methods and tools to restore them and make them look as good as possible as they did more than a decade ago. For Adam, a collector is not enough, the title of vintage toy lifeguard may be more appropriate.

Adventurer 3：Continue  the Classic 

With 3D printing technology spreading, more people are taking notice of its customization. Many friends have suggested to Adam why he doesn't try using a 3D printer to restore these vintage toys. Adam was so honest that he told Flashforge that he actually thought 3D printers were very high-tech when he first heard about them, like something out of reach. When he first heard about 3D printers, he thought they were so far that he would need a degree to hold them. This was something that Adam struggled with for a long time, but eventually took a step forward: he purchased Flashforge Adventurer 3 as his first 3D printer.

Adam chose Adventurer 3 because all the reviews point to the same three things, which are exactly what Adam is seeking for: affordable, reliable, and easy to use. 

Since then, the myth of the 3D printer has been completely broken by Adam's hands-on work, and Adam was amazed at how easy it was to use not only for making but even designing, and how easy it was to use.  This new way of working almost immediately changed Adam's previous approach to restoration. 3D printing made the final product incredibly high quality, and the restoration process was surprisingly fun and creative.

This backpack and weapons were original creations I made in flash print as I didn’t like the original design

The first application of 3D printing to restore a toy was a bunch of Kenner's real Ghostbusters figures without their backpacks. These figures were fairly common, but due to their age and the size and fragility of the Proton Pack accessories, they were often broken or lost. Adam immediately set to work designing the Proton Pack, and when it was finally produced through 3D printing, Adam found that the result looked better than before.  

These are two guns I recently built for some transformers for an upcoming episode

Small Printing Tips from Adam 

3D printing has not only helped Adam restore many toys and get them back on the shelves as valuable items that can bring joy again. It also gave Adam himself abundant design fun and brought satisfaction to those who could be helped.

All of the brims of these hats were printed flat and then shaped in hot water

First, Adam uses a few photos as a reference and reverses missing or damaged parts by building the shapes one by one. Then slicing them in FlashPrint. When it fits, he creates new parts and pieces from his own mind, completing a total upgrade of the toy parts.

Second, Adam notes that one of the things he has found in 3D printing is that curved prints tend to be the most fragile. So, when printing something with a natural curve, he prefers to print it flat. After that, the print is placed in hot water and shaping it again. It makes the appearance more natural and also improves the physical properties, making the part stronger.

Step1: Design the accessories 

Step2: Adjust the detail on FlashPrint

Step3: After the print finished, place it ithe nto water to re-shape 

Step4: Fix the soft print it on the toy until the print cools down.  

Step5: Bingo! Got the final project 

In the End

Flashforge is proud to have users like Adam. However, it is undeniable that there are thousands of our users Adam is  doing wonders with the Adventurer 3, one of Flashforge best-selling machines, which has sold over 100,000 units worldwide.

We have written a story of his own and thousands of users for this small, but an outstanding machine. If you want to know more about the Flashforge Adventurer 3 story, please visit.
https://www.flashforge.com/news-detail/over-one-hundred-thousand-adventurer-3-light-up-100-countries-worldwide