LEGO Minifig Stand / Display
by Penolopy Bulnick in Workshop > 3D Printing
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LEGO Minifig Stand / Display
I recently went to Legoland and we collected new minifigs as well as participated in the exchange where you could bring some and exchange them around the park with workers. Now we have a bunch of fun figures and it seems a shame to hide them in a drawer so I decided they needed a stand! There were a couple 3D printable designs out there, but I decided to just make one myself!
My goal was to make it easy to print, (hopefully) fast to print, and minimize filament usage. It still takes over 7 hours to print it (depending on the printer) but I like you don't have to do that all at once as it is split into 3 separate prints.
Instructable 391
Supplies
- 3D Printer
- Filament of Choice
- Glue of Choice - I'm using PLA Gloop, but I also like Clear Gorilla Glue
- Clamps (optional) for holding things in place while they dry.
- Caliper - I used that to measure the bumps and bases
- FREE STL 3D Printing files can be found on my MakerWorld page. There are both the files and print profiles for Bambu printers
*Any Amazon links are Amazon Associates Links
Measuring
The first thing you need is to know how far apart to place the studs and how big to make them. I did some measuring with a caliper and printed some tests with 4 studs and once I got it the way I wanted it, I could make the stand.
Bases
Now it's time to go to Tinkercad!
I wanted the bases long with pegs going the whole length so you can organize the figs any way you want.
I got a general idea of how long I wanted it and then went until I have a nice multiple of 4 for the pegs (because that is how many of the LEGO minifig bases are) and then went from there.
I ended up with pieces that were 227.74mm wide by 23.80mm tall with 28 pegs which equals about 7 minifig per row if you account for 4 pegs per minifig.
I ended up doing 7 rows, making it so you can space out about 49 figs comfortably on the stand.
Sides
Once I had the bases, I needed to make levels for them to slot into. I wanted them to fit into something to help with assembly and stability.
I made the rows 20mm high because that was the default size of the cube in Tinkercad and it looked good to me.
I made little slots and then copied these going up until I had 7 rows.
I made a base and a back for obvious stability.
I filled it in, but didn't want it solid because that would use more filament so I cut out a honeycomb pattern that was already in the Tinkercad Shapes Panel.
I did check and it does take less time to do a solid side, but it uses more filament. So it is up to you if you think a side should be solid or have holes.
Middle
The middle pieces were added for stability and I just reused the side pieces but made sure to remove the edges so that the bases could fit in all the way.
Back Base
I made a beam going all the way going across the back base for extra stability. It isn't very big, but it helps hold things in place. I made slots in the middle piece and sides so it can easily be glued in place and not move.
Finished Stands
I printed off my finished stand and I was happy with it, but I do acknowledge that the bases do bend if you push down on them. Now, you can just hold the base while putting figures on and you're all set, but I also made a sturdier version with peg bases that are a bit thicker. You can also print as many middle pieces as you want as they will slot in anywhere in the middle.
Printing this is pretty straightforward. I didn't need any supports or brim. You will need to do seperate prints as they won't all fit at once.
You need:
- 1 Left Side
- 1 Right Side
- 1 or more Middle pieces
- 7 Peg Bases
- 1 Back Base
Assembly
Here is the order I recommend gluing these down. I also found using clamps can help hold it while you are getting everything set. I don't think you necessarily need to clamp everything, but if you get those first pieces clamped and glued down, everything else should stay put while it is drying.
- Glue a peg base plate to the bottom row of Right and Left.
- Glue a peg base plate to the top row of Right and Left.
- Glue your Middle piece(s)
- Glue on the rest of your peg base plates
- Glue on your back base piece
Make sure to let it dry and you're done!
Putting on MiniFigs
As I wanted to reduce time to print and filament used, the bases aren't super sturdy. They will definitely hold up your minifigs, but you may need to hold the base when you push the minifig on so it doesn't bend it. As shown in the first image.
The figures can sit or stand!
Load It Up!
With the way it is designed, you should have room to fit all types of minifigs and even the animals if you want!
Have fun storing and displaying your figures!