Back when I designed and modeled this Rapid Recon Walker for SWTOR, I had always wanted a physical model of it, and now in the age of 3D printers, that is a possibility. However, I couldn't just print the model from the game as it was, I had to model in surface detail that I had faked with normal maps and painting, so it was a bit of a process to go back to my original model and prep it for 3D Printing by adding detail like panel lines and smoother curves.

The first version of this wasn't printed very well, immediately I could see I needed to go back to the model and smooth out many surfaces.

The legs were also printed as one unit, and you can definitely see the facets on the cylindrical shapes in the leg joints.

Technically, it worked, but it wasn't pretty. And it didn't articulate, which my Daughter pointed out. So back to 3D I went to begin smoothing out detail and modeling articulated joints.

Much more promising, these leg bits would see many further iterations, but I got very close here.

At this point it was moveable, and would stand under its own weight, which I liked. I also modeled a double neck joint and articulated feet so they would tilt as the legs spread or moved forward and back.

Here, further refinement on the model, and added the side gun placements...

A little test video showing the movement in the legs

At this point I wanted to try painting it. I began with surface putty, sanding and filing, and getting it ready for spray primer and paint, then a drybrushing session with silver to show some edge wear, then a grime/dirt wash at the end.

After a lot of experimenting, I found that I got a better print result if I tilted my models in the slicer so they had a steeper angle on "flat"surfaces, so they wouldn't get as much banding as the print went up. I also split the head in half to eliminate some supports, and stored the head cap and other elements underneath the main head section to save time and space.

This was especially true for the feet, and ankle pivot pins, as I got a better print result by rotating them.

Happy with the current print, I went to paint. Which included filler putty, sanding, filing, prime and paint, with a weathering pass.

The model now is ready to replicate, and I am happy with the results, and how sturdy it is for display and movement.

Since this photo the rest of the leg has been painted, I assure you. And I may offer this as a kit on the store if there is interest.

This site is part of the nonentity network. Not associated with LUCASFILM LTD.™ or any LFL Ltd.™ Film or Franchise.