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[Description by original designer]
It's a big skeleton that is (for legal purposes) inspired by a Lego skeleton. If you want to know more about this project or see more pictures, check out my project documentation page.
This is also available on Thingiverse.
I was unsatisfied with existing Lego skeleton models online. There was a model on Thingiverse, but it had a very low resolution STL (circles had 16 sides, for example), and it was originally designed for a 1:1 model. I found a couple of great models on GradCAD from Yauhen - Lego Skeleton Minifig Fantasy Era and Classic Lego Skeleton. These included the STEP and SLDPART files, so I could easily modify them and export with high enough resolution for printing.
Lego minifigures are designed for injection molding, not 3D printing, so it's tricky to figure out how to break up the model to minimize the amount of support (and in turn, improve the surface finish of the parts). That's why there are so many parts to this print. I also tried to make sure parts could be printed in their strongest print orientation. Lastly, I had to adjust the tolerances of parts to make them snap together as big 3D printed pieces. I spent a lot of time prototyping this model, so I hope it works for you as well!
This is designed to be printed at the size of the given STL files: 10x larger than a Lego minifigure. If you scale it up or down, I can't guarantee how the tolerances will hold up. If people are interested in other sizes, I can test the tolerances (and adjust the pin sizes) and make that available.
If you want to make any changes of your own (including rescaling), here are the design files in OnShape. You will need an OnShape account, but there is a free hobby tier available.
January 2022 update: There are now additional files that split up the torso into multiple pieces (with more pins!) so that it will fit on smaller printers like the Prusa Mini at 100% scale. See more below in the “Printing Notes” section. New files are in the “Split torso” folder.
Printing Notes
If you're print using the 3MF files (recommended), you will need to print: (All supports are already configured here)
If you're printing directly with the STLs, you will need to print: (No supports required, except where noted)
If you're printing on a smaller printer that can't fit the whole torso (this includes the Prusa Mini), there's an alternative version that splits the torso into two parts, connected by an additional 4 pins. Instead of printing body-torso-half.stl, print the files found in the “Split torso” folder below:
The biggest purpose of the pins is to align parts when you glue them together. For this to work, the pins need to press fit into their respective holes. Before printing all the pins, check that they press fit! If not, scale the width and height up or down as needed to fit the holes. Don't scale the length, or your pieces might not sit flush together.
I recommend printing on a smooth bed. This will make for better seams when gluing together the body and arms.
This is not a functional, structural part, so you can't get away with sparse print settings to save time and filament. I printed mine in PLA with 7% infill, 2 perimeters, and 0.2 mm layer height. The filament I used was scavenged from a dumpster.
Assembly Notes
In general, there's only one way for pieces to fit together, so it should be fairly intuitive how to construct it. However, here's how all of the pins and pieces fit together, in CAD form: (Note that the pelvis and shoulder pieces on the body are identical/interchangeable.)
Model Notes
As mentioned above, this is based on GrabCAD models from Yauhen - Lego Skeleton Minifig Fantasy Era and Classic Lego Skeleton - and modified and shared here with their permission.
In case you're curious about the corresponding Lego parts they're inspired by:
To adjust the tolerances to make parts fit together, I always only adjusted the size of the outer piece. That means studs and pegs always retained their original size (48 mm for studs, 32 mm for pegs). So if you want to print any accessories for your skeleton (like a base, a hat, or something for it to hold), you can you these dimensions.