8 Niche and Exciting Model Ideas to 3D Print in 2024

8 Niche and Exciting Model Ideas to 3D Print in 2024

If you are looking at what to 3D print in 2024, how about a visit to what the community was printing in 2023 for an idea or two? Check out this article for some highlights of what others' best print in 2023 are!

2023 is an exciting year for us here at Phrozen. With 2 printer launches and thousands of new members joining our tightly-knit communities of 3D printing enthusiasts, it's only fitting for us to give back to the community for all your passions and love of creations.

Earlier this year, our community admins — the one and only Craig Killmar — ran an event in our Facebook groups, inviting everyone to showcase their best and proudest creations of 2023. The enthusiasm was exciting, with over fifty entries joining in. Now, even though the event has long ended, we can't help but want to share some of the communities' fun creations in this highlight article, showing how versatile 3D printing is and how our communities consist of passionate 3D printing enthusiasts from all walks of life. Best of all, you can use them as ideas for your next printing projects!

Make sure to cheer in the comment if you spot yours (or anyone you know!)

Knull Defeats Venom

If 3D printing itself is not amusing enough for you, you might want to try digital 3D sculpting like Adolfo Sepúlveda, the sculptor, printer, and painter of this stunning Knull Defeats Venom model. After spending so much time sculpting the models in Zbrush, he cut them into 43 different parts so they could fit into the printing area of his Sonic Mighty 4K.

He mentioned how it took so much effort and patience to cut the model in the right places so the seams remain hidden, and so much more to later glue and sand them piece by piece. But his work definitely paid off when you see the final results, don't you think?

resin 3d printed models

Printer: Sonic Mighty 4K
Designer: Adolfo Sepúlveda

Artemisia

Designed by Nerikson, this Artemisia model is Oliver Eibenstock's choice of his best model of 2023, and it's easy to see why.

It took 3 Sonic Mini 8K build plates to print all the parts of the model, with each running for around 8 hours to complete. In addition, Oliver spent over 20 hours painting the model, bringing the total time he spent on this model to almost 50 hours! 

It's a dedication, for sure!

resin 3d printed figurines

Printer: Sonic Mini 8K

Resin: Aqua 8K Resin
Designer: Nerikson
Printed and painted by Oliver Eibenstock

Plane Models

One of the coolest advantages of 3D printing is definitely its capability to turn almost anything into reality as long as you pour your heart and soul into it, just like what Ben Schumacher did with his passion for collecting plane models.

From the ES-3A Shadow to the RA-5C Vigilante, Ben sculpted them all himself in Blender with a 1/32 scale before running his Sonic Mighty 12K and Sonic Mini 8K resin 3D printer to bring them all to life.

resin 3d printed planes

Printer: Sonic Mini 8K, Sonic Mighty 12K
Designer: Ben Schumacher

Warriors and Orcs

For some of us, 2023 is also the year where we picked up 3D printing... and of course, the rest was history.

Bryan Hamilton started his 3D printing journey in 2023 with the small yet glorious Sonic Mini 8K S. He highlighted how the high-resolution 3D printer immediately upped his game hugely, especially when he paired it with the Aqua 8K Resin. We mean, it's one of the best combos out there for ultimate details, right?

Bryan chose the Daybreak Miniatures’ warriors and orcs models as his best print of 2023, and it's not hard to see why.

resin 3d printed miniatures

Printer: Sonic Mini 8K S
Resin: Aqua 8K Resin
Designer: Daybreak Miniatures
Printed by: Bryan Hamilton

Hyper Realistic 3D Printed Portrait

Still in the realm of how crazy 3D printing can take you, YC Innsjø Chen created a pair of hyper-realistic 3D printed portraits for his friends' relatives.

From designing, sculpting, printing, and painting, he did it all himself with the help of the Sonic Mini 8K. The craziest part is that he said this model doesn't even need fixing as it comes perfectly out of the plate, further increasing his love for his printer.

And if you are wondering about the hair, yes, he transplanted it into the model strain by strain. How cool is that?!

3D printed hyper realistic models

Printer: Sonic Mini 8K
Designer: YC Innsjø Chen
Printed by: YC Innsjø Chen

Engine Miniatures

3D printing doesn't need to be about flashy design and fancy models, sometimes it's about a well-printed and painted industrial heater from a German company. After all, meaningful gifts are what we hold close to our hearts.

Jens Glowka poured his heart, soul, time, and patience into printing, building, and painting this industrial heater model for an engineer, easily making this one of his best prints of 2023.

resin 3d printed engineering model

Printer: Sonic Mighty 8K
Printed and painted by Jens Glowka

Your Favorite Heroes (or Villains) Brought to Life

You might have known James Rooke from his YouTube channel, Honey and Badger, or from our other blogs, where he talked about the differences between 4K and 8K resins.

With the Sonic Mighty 8K, Sonic Mini 8K S, and a Sonic Mega 8K in hand, he was not joking with his over-half-meter tall creations of some of the most well-known movie characters that you'll either love or hate — especially if you are a Marvel fan. Spotted any of your favorites?

Superhero and villain models 3d printed with resin

Printer: Sonic Mighty 8K, Sonic Mini 8K S, Sonic Mega 8K
Printed and painted by James Rooke

Dragon Boat Miniature

Complete with all the paddles and a drum at the head, the dragon boat model was beautifully painted with intricate details. Printed and painted by Ben Sh, he chose this model as his best print of the year due to its rarity. Well, you definitely didn't see a ton of dragon boat miniatures running around the internet.

resin 3d printed miniatures

Printer: Sonic Mighty 8K
Printed and painted by Ben Sh

We are proud to see the community's work throughout the year and how it proves the diversity in our community. From movie lovers with giant statues of their favorite characters to avid engineers with passions for 3D printing, the community has them all.

What do you think of these awesome artworks? Does any of it inspire you to create something similar? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and make sure to keep creating; perhaps we can feature you in the next post!

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