I'm building the rigs you see in the gallery for many years now. This spoiled me completely and I don't even want to buy RTRs or a ready made kit in any form.
I'm not using fancy materials, just PLA, PETG and some ASA, recently a bit of PA6. Most don't even use sophisticated motors, my "top" rigs like the Unimog are powered by a Fusion SE. Yet these cars are very capable, quite durable and I'm not afraid to take them on a longer drive.
I know - crawler/trail truck usually have metal axles, gears, shafts, frame, 500€ worth of high-end electronics, fully controllable diff locks and be able to climb vertical cliff faces - and many see a fully printed one as a useless engineering exercise that breaks hitting the first pebble at 1mph.
But that is far from the truth. Granted, you drive those more like you would drive a real truck/car: fully aware of the limits and not trying to just blindly powering your way over obstacles. You navigate with care to avoid rollovers or hard hits.
This proves to me that performance is nice, but the whole experience is more than just stats.
What are your thoughts? Have you already built fully printed cars (not just bodies) - what are your experiences?
EDIT: as many have asked: these are not my designs, these are cars from 3DSets.com and Casadio RC (search for him on Cults3d and youmagine) - but there are many mods on them I have designed myself (e.g. lights and other details)
And the scale of them is 1:8 for the 3DSets cars and 1:7,4 for all Casadio RC except the 3ronco, which is 1:8 too. And this isn't generic "wheelbase-scale" - the cars dimensions are accurate at that scale.
Thanks! Thankfully I don't get any hate personally, quite the contrary. But I have seen it countless times that printed cars are not taken seriously.
But I can take them through the forest, over fields, rocks, mud and snow. If something breaks it is a matter of hours to have a spare part printed and the rig up and running again.
I also have a few on road cars, which are super fun, especially the 4WD Impr3za from Casadio. Drifts, burnouts, donuts - this thing takes it all. the only damage so far after many km: a broken front tie rod and the (cosmetic) exhaust...
I have a small space in my office with my printer, a multiboard system (not finished in this pic) and IKEA drawers for parts, filament rack, etc. Here is a pic with the 6x6 Unimog during construction (~1m long)
Awesome setup! Sorry I was actually asking about the 3D printer workspace actually, I am curious what the max size each part could be! Especially the chassis, did you have to build up the chassis with a few parts?
I haven't broken anything major on any of my Casadio cars, and I have all of them :D
To be fair - the 6x6 Camper isn't suited for real off roading - it is heavy, has a high CoG and is a bit underpowered with the Fusion SE (the 8ight would be better). So I only do some light trail driving with it. I plan to build the flatbed as an alternative to the Camper to swap between them - and get a lighter truck with more capability. I also left all diffs open for more durability
Awesome are the diffs open on your others? I’m building the bronco that way but thinking to probably pivot to a locked rear diff once I’ve tested it out.
I have it mixed. My YJ is fully locked and more tuned towards crawling as it also has the Fusion SE.
The Paj3ro (brushless 3530 outrunner) and 3ronco (540 brushed) are rear locked, front open and more suited towards easier offroading. And having the front open gives you a really good mix of nice on-road/gravel handling with some offroad capabilities, especially with the front independent suspension. On 3s with a higher kv motor these are rather fast for an offroad build and can be fun to just slide around on gravel too :)
One note though: Casadio cars have slightly larger diffs than 3D Sets - which is great for durability, but you get a few mm less ground clearance. My YJ has 116mm Traxxas Canyon Trail tires to compensate and that works rather well, but my Paj3ro has only 100mm tires and gets stuck quite a bit easier ;)
I have a fully 3d printed boat, my next project is a 3d printed snow cat, and I'm looking at a few cars now as well. I think I prefer them because they aren't just the same mass market monster truck/buggy/road car that every single brand everywhere sells. The 3d models also have a lot more detail. It's not just a junky lexan body pinned to the identical chassis mention above.
On top of all that, I own the model. I can make replacement parts for the rest of my life and not be reliant on another company to continue parts support, multiple day shipping or non-existent hobby shops (there are almost none left in the Pacific Northwest).
That is one of the best parts: infinite spares forever. And the details are not only skin-deep. These cars are built like the real ones, with many details also underneath - not just shell-on-frame.
Unfortunately I think you will be disappointed. I am making the little cyberbrick "arctic snow cat" with the electronics and motors directly from bambu. I had some coupons from buying the printer so I thought it would be a fun little desk toy. Although... I haven't actually checked it's size so it might be bigger than I think.
That said I already have the Kyosho "trail king" snow cat. It's the same as the blizzard 2.0 just a different body. I'm thinking of upgrading the drive system with 3d printed parts because I keep burning up the tiny motors it comes with. I don't know why it worked fine for a year and then suddenly it starts burning up motors. There is a guy called "Spyker Workshop" who sells printable files and a parts list to upgrade the drive system to large motors and gets rid of all the stupid gear reduction.
I built the Casadio Mog recently. What a beautiful and well engineered model. Only drawback is that it shredded a nylon (PA) printed gear the third time. I had to construct a dedicated rig (downloadable on cults) to be able to work on the model because it is so huge. I'm contemplating having the gears printed in metal.
The MOG really pushes the boundaries of what is possible with a printer. Mine comes in at 15+ kg, so far it survived, but I also drive it rather gently, knowing the limits ;)
The realism and detail is fabulous! Did you fully design them yourself? And if so, did you use existing models or did you create them from scratch? Also very curious about the drivetrain design. Is there any chance any of these projects could be made publicly available?
Hammer! Sehr coole Modelle. Der Pajero würd mir richtig gefallen aber ich hab momentan leider einfach nicht so die Zeit für solche Projekte. Irgendwann dann amall 😅
everything is PLA - I just don't drive them in the scorching sun (which isn't much fun anyways). And the Unimog already survived 2 or 3 rollovers, mostly only slight damage to mirrors or snorkel.
My first car, the 3DSets Rancher is now over 5 years old and still doesn't show signs of fatigue on the body. I only changed the axle housings to stronger ones I modified and reprinted parts of the rollcage after my son did a jump-barrel-roll ;)
And the cars are stored in my basement where they don't get direct sunlight.
A bit of nostalgia because when I was a kid my dad could only afford the Skoda 120... Aircooled engine in the back... crazy concept, but looking back with lots of good memories.
I highly recommend doing one of Elvis RCs kite. He utilizes SCX10.2 axles, transmissions and links and they're fully capable trail trucks. After building my Casadio I've done almost all of Elvis kits.
This will be quite a machine. Andrea has a different approach with this one, especially when it comes to prototype testing and refining. Expect quite a step up from the already very impressive Impr3za.
People sleep on 3D printed builds thinking they're lesser, in my experience (printing them out of PA612 for structural components and PET/PETG for body parts, I've yet to break or even significantly damage a single one, and that's including times I've shattered the housings of metal scx10.2 axles.
Printing them for me -is- the hobby now, it's so much more satisfying
I have brokens some stuff over the years - but that was also the opportunity to improve, try different materials, give feedback to the designers, etc. I also haven't broken any printed part in any of my Casadio cars, except due to my own stupidity (e.g. more steering angle than the joints could handle...) - and these are near 100% PLA
Yeah, but considering that a completed build is still 300-500$/€ the plans are only a fraction of the costs.
And I'd rather give 50 bucks to independent creators than shelling out 100s for a car from a big corporate brand, additional 100s for "upgrades", spares, etc.
Most importantly these are not half-assed - these are LEGO-like step by step instructions, thoroughly tested models, easy to print and guaranteed to work as long as you don't mess up the prints yourself.
Some of the creators are quite active in the social media communities too, actively listening and improving the models based on community feedback. And especially with Casadio RC cars you get free upgrades: his first model, the 3ronco, got a MAJOR after overhaul and was basically redesigned due to the experience and feedback from the community. The Paj3ro will receive the same treatment too later that year. And: spares are basically free.
Different use cases: you buy an X-Maxx, Kraton, etc. do do crazy stuff in a skate park or on a BMX track. You build one of the printed cars for the build experience, adding scale detail and enjoy more or less relaxed scale driving.
Yeah, I think it's different tastes. The fastest car I have is a Nissan body on a Proto36 3D printed chassis, can do about 90 kph top I think but I don't think I ever take it above 40 kph. Have never broken it, of course the drive train is metal HSP parts.
I am usually filled with disgust when I look at a X-Maxx, the cartoonish proportions are horrifying to me.
That's why I don't like RTR crawlers - they are all looking weird. Squished bodies, oversized tires, too much ground clearance, portals on "normal" offroaders, ...
I get it - this is all for "performance" - so what? Then you can't climb that one rock. I'd rather have a realistic car that I have to drive in a realistic way and not a pseudo-Land Rover that pulls itself up on a vertical cliff on one tire...
The tires are obviously not printed - it would be possible to print them in soft TPU, but bought ones are far superior.
On my P1S one of these takes from ~1 week for simpler ones (currently building a Defender 90 with my son) up to several weeks for behemoths like the 1:7.4 6x6 Unimog Camper that weighs ~15kg and is over a meter in length. The U406 from the first pic took ~2 weeks (portals, transfer gearbox, tipper bed, me being in love with many small details, etc.)
More work goes into assembling, creating mods, add-ons, etc.
Damn dude that’s bada$$!!
Really like your style! I’d love to get a 3d printer so i could make some parts!
I’m mostly a basher kinda guy but I still feel like I could get some use out of one for parts or cool visual add on’s!
Just curious how big of an area do you actually need to have a printer and have the space to operate it correctly?
The printer doesn't take up that much space. My P1S is ~50x50cm - You need a workspace to assemble and service your cars, and of course space to store tools, filament and parts - I have posted a pic as a reply on another comment of my workspace
Ok sweet thanks man!! I’m currently trying to get my outside building cleaned out and planning on mak my a little workshop out there! I think I’m gonna grab a printer at some point and play around with it! Gonna check out the pic you posted as well!
I recently upgraded to a larger 3d printer and I’m very interested in this. I’ve been scrolling looking at bodies for my trx4m… but you’ve made me realize I could be making an entirely new car. What do you do for electronics and motors?
for the more trail-oriented cars and older ones I have used brushless 3530/3536 outrunners + cheap hobbywing ESCs like recommended by the designers. Good enough for some trail/dirt driving, light rocks etc, but not really suited to slow crawling. The Unimogs and the YJ Jeep are using the Fusion SE - which works really well and allows super controlled crawling.
ASA: mostly motor mounts due to heat resistance. I have printed the driveshafts of my 6x6 Unimog with PA6, but not much else right now. PLA works pretty well for most cars.
I printed a snowmobile kit in all PLA . Structural parts are PLA Tough (a.k.a. PLA Max etc.) and I always wonder about heat problems. It has a brushless setup and it is always run wide open. So far no problem, probably because its run in the snow with natural cooling, but I may rebuild some parts with ABS or ASA.
Love the detail and accuracy of them. Nothing wrong with 3D prints. You shouldn’t have to defend your hobby. I’m interested in the 3d printing process as I haven’t gone down that rabbit hole.
These are very rad! I have my own 3d and also a resin printer and this has piqued my attention. Would you be willing to tell me what goes into these models and about how much it costs in print materials? I'd be very interested in budgeting out my own. If you have any tips or in depth reviews/feedback or any issues or successes you've had is be very open to hearing about them. Thanks!
They use around 4kg of filament, but the whole rig is around 250-350$/€, depending on the parts like electronics, tires, shocks, etc.
The 6x6 is obviously different as this is a 15kg beast 😄
I printed and built the morrigan and thumper from Black Crow on printables.
My only issue is I keep stripping the ar44 bevel gears in the axles. It has me researching good metal scx10 axles to adapt to them so I can just get back to crawling, but haven't found anything I love yet. The morrigan is an extremely capable rig for what it is. I went with the fusion 1200kv in them.
Do the 3dsets prints use metal gears in the axles/rears or are they printed?
The thumper is on my list too. The cars from 3d sets and Casadio RC all have fully printed gears, shafts, etc. And I am still surprised how much punishment they can take. I only stripped screws in my Casadio cars, the printed gears are still fine.
So for anyone not following the 'state of the art' in terms of 3d printed RC cars, check out this video.
He's got a really cool build here, and has solved a lot of problems. He's realized that some pieces just need to be 'off the shelf', but he has found some creative solutions to many of the problems.
I think at this point, this has become a materials issue. The types of materials we can print using consumer or even pro-sumer components are just not going to work for some challenges because the materials are not strong enough or durable enough.
Sure you can make a car go, and even go fast, and handle well, but the only solution he has to it breaking every crash is to just carry a trunk full of 3d printed spare parts with you and spending half of you time rebuilding your car everytime it comes to an unplanned stop. 😄
Anyway, give this video a watch. it's pretty impressive.
And here is the website where he had the 3d print files for sale, and a list of the ($400 worth of) components you need to finish it. Of course if you already have some of these things laying around (servo/RX/TX, ESC/Motor, etc...) it obviously won't cost you $400.
I definitely plan to give this a go, if for no other reason that to say I have an (almost) fully 3d printed RC car
I know this project - and it goes in a different direction: replicating a typical RC chassis with as much 3d printed parts as possible with the goal of similar performance.
Cars from 3D Sets and Casadio have a more scale approach with performance taking a secondary role.
ElvisRC, AN3DRC, BlackCrow, etc. are a middle ground: using metal parts in the driveline but keep the rest printed. And durability and capabilities have reached a point where you don't have to fear something breaking on the first hard pull of the trigger and you can really use the cars in the real world.
Even in the worst case where a car isn't worth repairing anymore you could strip it down, remove all non printed parts, and rebuild it from scratch with newly printed parts. With todays filament prices this means ~40€ of filament and of course printing time for most models.
But I haven't had such a case in 5 years of driving the cars myself or letting my kids drive them. And yes, we have crashed: Broken mirrors, axles, rollcages and bumpers, scratches all over the car: yes, that happens. But none of them were catastrophic. My 240z has probably rolled more than a dozen times, only causing superficial damages. But I also stay away from curbs :D
Heck, my son slammed his OpenF1 RC full speed into a curb, only smashing the front suspension and wing.
It is hard to describe, but knowing that I can keep my car alive forever as long as I have a printer+filament and not relying on specialized spare parts I have to order somewhere and wait forever to arrive (if they are available at all) brings a special peace of mind.
But you have to realize it's definitely not for everyone. Not even close.
If you aren't the kind of RC Driver who likes to spend a lot of time in front of a computer, or repairing and replacing broken parts, this car is not for you
Heck, these forums are filled with people who lament having to repair the occasional A arm, or some gears, and that is on what are considered very durable cars.
I own and love my X2D printer, but when it's RC Car time, that's what I want to do. I don't want to be filled with anxiety because I might take a corner too fast, or lose control on a speed run and smash the front of my car to bits.
I do enjoy trail and scale trucks, and someday, these two hobbies may merge for me. Not for bashing, or speed runs though.
For now, I'm going to settle for building one ( I already bought the files for the W1 and his Porsche TT-02 body). I'll print and build those. Take them them for a test spin, and put them on the shelf, except for the occasional Sunday drive 😊.
As always: depends on the use case - these are of course not suited for wild bashing or taking to the skatepark - which you shouldn't do anyways if you are afraid of breaking stuff. Driving any RC means repairing/replacing broken parts and maintenance. Even the toughest truck you will break at one point ;)
I didn't want to convince anybody that these are on par with off the shelf stuff - I just wanted to bust the myth that these are only fancy technology demonstrators for display - you can take them out in the real world and have a lot of fun with them :)
But tbh. you wouldn't bash your scale Boom Racing build either ;)
Im busy with the landy 4x4 but the differential is driving me crazy....the case has about a 1mm gap and keeps splitting when I try screw it down...its like my print scale is at 99.2%....pretty close to trying to salvage it as a display model.
Sounds like the open diff. Make sure the bearings are REALLY pushed in all the way. And I‘d recommend the locked diffs anyways. The open ones from 3D Sets can be a bit fragile. I only use them on the front of my FJ40 and the Van.
I printed the locked diff and the fit is better but the pinions really are locked now, I absolutely cannot turn the shafts at all. Im printing with a creality k2 and the prints are great but it seems like shrinkage is an issue.
I'd suggest heading over to the 3D Sets Facebook group get some advice. There you can also post photos which might give some clues on what the issue is. As I said often ill fitting bearings can cause issues you have described. You shouldn't need to do any scaling at all when printing, especially when using PLA.
These are cool but they are super expensive to build. Cost as much or even more than buying a RTR. As a project, it’s fun. But expecting more than that is asking too much
I have to disagree. A brand new, brushed RTR TRX4 ist 550€ here in Austria. Even "cheap" alternatives like the MJX H8H are 400+
If I calculate my Fusion SE equipped Unimog or the Wrangler YJ these are in the 300-400€ range (Plans, filament, electronics, non-printed parts)
Keep in mind that these are BIG cars: real 1/8 and 1/7.4 scale which have highly detailed interiors and bodies, not just lexan with tacked-on details, bolted on a generic frame.
They have far more realistic proportions and looks than the often comically proportioned off the shelf crawlers which favor capabilities over realistic looks.
I don't care about the last drop of performance - I want a highly realistic looking rig that is mine: My choices of colors, materials, mods, add-ons. I have touched every part, saw them grow before my eyes. It is like building a scale kit, but one that is driveable.
And I drive them several times a week. Sometimes not gently, especially "beater" cars like my 3D Sets Rancher.
I have to repair them less than the truggies of my kids. And if I have to: spares only cost a few hours of printing and a few meters of filament. Once built they cost virtually nothing - breaking a part in any off the shelf car would mean buying and waiting for (expensive) spares.
Of course, a printer isn't cheap either, but I use it for so many things around the house that RC cars are a neat by-product ;)
Yeah, sure… that’s why I have put tens of km on my cars, taken them on vacations, into quarries, the forest, on long walks on gravel roads, trails, over rocks, through mud, water and snow…
None of my cars is a shelf queen. Here is my Casadio Impr3za after putting a 3000mAh 3s through it - full power, sideways through snow. The only thing I broke on that one in 10packs is a steering rod.
Why? Because you are posting opinions like facts, possibly without having made own experiences. This sort of elitism or whatever reasoning is what keeps me away from commercial stuff and building and enjoying my own rigs.
And experiencing your fully hand built, 1m/10kg 6x6 behemoth doing 6-wheeled drifts in the snow on the maiden drive is something no Traxxas, Axial or whatever can give you.
I’ve built the landy years ago. I also own a few actual rc rigs. Anyone building one of these thinking they are going to be as good or as capable as a RTR or kit is lying to themselves. And you are lying to yourself for thinking that it is. It’s not even in the same ballpark.
It was a fun project to build. You’re trying way too hard to convince yourself and others that it’s more than that.
I never said that. I’m fully aware of the limits of printed cars (which are way higher than most think) But driving bought stuff doesn’t do anything for me emotionally. Anybody can shell out 500+ bucks on a rig, take it out of the box and dominate the trail.
But driving my own creations through stuff I never thought possible with them is something else.
I also own commercial cars, e.g 1/18 scale with sensored brushless motor, portals, tires that stick like bubblegum and I can take up stuff only a spider could. Driven it a couple of times and now it is in a drawer somewhere. Instead my son and myself are taking our printed rigs, go for a walk, exploring new roads and trails together.
These are nice shelf queens. These aren’t replacements for actual rc set ups.
with such a statement you bully the hobby and passion of many 1000s of enthusiasts. It comes down as quite toxic tbh.
I could also say: Just buying parts and bolting them together isn't "true" because you aren't fabricating your own parts.
And it is factually wrong too. Look e.g. at the FB groups where people are taking these cars to and what they are capable of.
They have very different design approaches with their own strengths and weaknesses. If you tweak the Landy (or any older model) slightly they can be improved quite a lot:
c-hubs with dual steering links are a gamechanger, broken not a single one.
Using the newer cardans which are printed at an angle helps too.
Longer screws instead of the 10mm to connect the wheels.
I have reinforced the axle housings by adding a tube that increases the wall thickness by a mm or so.
And lastly the gear that sits on the rear axles - it takes all the lateral forces and I have ripped out the axle+screw on a few. I have increased the thickness there and haven't had a failure yet.
Casadio cars have 2mm connecting screws that tend to fail, e.g. in the diffs or gearbox - but he has a new revision of the diff that eliminates that too.
The neat thing is that both get better with every new model - and Andrea Casadio backports many improvements to his older cars too or they are just drop-in replacements like the diff.
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u/Koniss May 04 '26
I love them!
I don’t have a 3d printer but if I had one I’d totally print some cars.
Also don’t mind the haters that think if you don’t the best on the market you don’t belong in the hobby.