The Octavirate Forge Shapeways Botcon Laser Rod Electrons/Electro 4.5mm Sword The Octavirate Forge, 2016
Day #1,597: December 16, 2016
Botcon Laser Rod Electrons/Electro 4.5mm Sword Fracas & Botcon Laser Rod Electrons/Electro 4.5mm Sword
The Octavirate Forge 3-D Printed Accessory
Item No.: No. n/a Manufacturer: The Octavirate Forge Includes:Sword, color made to order Action Feature:n/a Retail:$7.00 ($7-$13) Availability: September 2013 Other: Red
I've long resisted third-party add-ons or upgrades, especially 3-D printed ones on demand, because I wasn't particularly enthused about the quality or the finality of the expression. Creator Trent Troop whipped up a lot of great designs, and when he made some recent Legends guns I grabbed them as well as a Botcon Laser Rod Electrons/Electro 4.5mm Sword. Botcon's release had a gun, but no sword - so it's sort of a missing element. I went with red, because the original Generation 2 Electro toy had a clear plastic sword with a red LED under it to cause it to glow red. So red works.
This 4-inch sword is a perfect display accessory for the figure - this is next-level garage kit stuff. The quality is what it is - acceptable - and it's definitely, absolutely, I-can't-stress-this-enough not a toy. Do not play with it. It's not that durable.
From a distance it looks pretty good - as you get closer, you'll notice the detail is soft thanks to the machine's output. The render is good, but we're still in the early phases of what a 3-D printed object can deliver. The human eye at a distance will see this as a pretty good accessory that could probably benefit from sanding or painting. The macro lens of a camera is unforgiving and sees what looks not unlike a peeled carrot.
The hilt is a good fit for the fists of the Sgt. Kup mold - my Electrons grips it just fine, a smidgen loose so it won't scrape or stress either the weapon or the figure. The shape is good, with extra struts reaching from the crossguard to the blade to presumably keep it from snapping. There are a couple of small holes in it which mimic the look of Kup's laser musket, plus it has a swell pointy tip.
Shapeways regularly does coupons or free shipping codes, plus they're experimenting with new output devices to make better products as time goes on - which is why I waited until now to even try these. It's a perfectly nice display piece for those needing one, and it's better than anything I could ever hope to make on my own. It's also not as good as the BMOG line from the same designer, and I repeatedly nag him to crank out more products in China using ABS plastic on runners that we trim out and use due to the durability of the material. For customizers and display fanatics, these weapons and accessories from Shapeways are a godsend that will give you the long-missing accessories and pieces you crave. If you're like me and you spend a lot of time fidgeting with these things, I wouldn't recommend them unless the materials have gotten stronger. I'd love to see what the metal prints are like some day, and while I'm largely happy with this piece (and the others I grabbed) I don't feel a burning need to try more. It's good - you should look through his store and snag something if it suits your needs, just to see what this kind of thing is and how it feels. You might love it or know how to make the most of it - I just take it as is and what I see is a perfectly acceptable piece of toy scenery.
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