With her MakerBot Replicator 2 cosplayer Sheena Duquette put together some really amazing 3D printed weapons for her RWBY costumes.
If you’re asking yourself what is RWBY exactly, it’s an animated series from the creators of the classic web series Red vs. Blue Rooster Teeth Productions. The series follows a group of young women who are training to be Huntresses – monster hunting supernatural heroes – in the magical steampunky world of Remnant.
You can watch the entire series here or just take a look at the first episode:
The series obviously has a strong Japanese anime influence but isn’t actually Japanese. Of course these days who can tell the difference between “real” Japanese anime anyway, animated shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender blurred that line years ago.
RWBY stands out however because it isn’t produced by a large production company or animation network like Nickelodeon and it’s actually produced for the web not a television network. The result is a show that is still pretty safe for all ages – and aimed at them – but doesn’t shy away from occasional violence, complex stories or characters.
RWBY was an instant smash online and very quickly became one of Rooster Teeth’s most popular shows. Especially among women viewers and the cosplay community who embraced it fully. The fact that the cast is simply packed full of complex, three dimensional, capable and heroic women characters doesn’t hurt.
Sheena Duquette is one of the more popular women currently cosplaying as RWBY characters, and she puts an incredible amount of effort into her costumes. I highly suggest taking a look at her Deviantart page as well as her Facebook Fan Page because she’s produced some simply fantastic costumes, many of them with some spectacular 3D printed weapons and props.
Duquette made several weapons for her costumes – and some for her friends – using her MakerBot Replicator 2. She printed the parts in PLA and while she may have used sandpaper, paint, bondo and glue to finish the pieces the level of detail that her weapons have really wouldn’t have been possible without 3D modelling and 3D printing, at least for the $250 that she spend on materials for each weapon.
Anyone who is passingly familiar with 3D printing will understand how incredibly complex these prints are, especially when you get a good look at the close up detail work. 3D printing is quickly becoming a standard tool for many new cosplayers and these fantastic 3D prints and the efforts of talented costume makers like Duquette are the reasons why.
Image Credits: All photos by Sheena Duquette.
