As a cosplayer who has been on the scene since 2010 I have always admired people who are able to make highly detailed props - swords, scythes, hammers, even a life-sized Heimerdinger puppet! You name it, I've seen it at a convention. I have tried in vain over the years to make large scale, detailed props like this to enhance my cosplays, and the only semi-success I had was a (admittedly, pretty ugly) bow for my Artemis cosplay from Hades. After that I attempted a life-sized Hobby Horse from Alice: Madness Returns with a smoke machine and LEDs that I promptly threw in a cupboard and left to rot because I couldn't be bothered to deal with EVA foam dust coating my house anymore.
I gave up on the concept of props for a while; I am a sewist and a pattern maker, and working with EVA foam and contact cement just wasn't my thing. However, the prop goblin taunting me to make accessories never left my home, he stayed right next to that Hobby Horse taunting me to just try again. Just buy that foam and make a Fishbone for your Jinx cosplay. How about you crack out the dremel and contact cement and finish making your Sylvanas Windrunner cosplay you started in 2020? No. Absolutely not.
But maybe there's another way I can do it all without the foam dust and scary glue?
3D printing isn't new in the cosplay community. From the moment they were made readily available for home use cosplayers instantly got to work making their Master Chief helmets and Buster Swords. 3D printers, for a while, caused a bit of discourse in the community. As people began sculpting their own props and printing them at home, people started accusing those cosplayers of "cheating". But that was then, and this is now, and now people really, really like using them. They're honestly godsends in the community, and a lot of people use them for tiny things like customs buttons, crests and badges on their outfits, all the way up to making full armour builds and huge, moving props. So when Elegoo reached out and offered to test out the Neptune 4 Plus, I knew I couldn't turn it down. That little prop goblin in my cupboard can finally be silenced, because it's my time to shine.
Admittedly my knowledge of 3D printers and their software is very rudimentary. I studied 3D sculpting at university so I understand that side of things, but nozzles, heated beds and filament make my head spin. But the Neptune 4 Plus was so easy to understand that I only had to watch 2 videos to get the printer to work and be levelled correctly. Like with any new piece of equipment, it's a lot of trial and error, but it wasn't long before I was printing small accessories for my cosplays.
I started with cogs and tubing needed for my Jinx wig, then moved on to some rune crystals and House Talis symbols for my Jayce Talis cosplay, and claws for my Loona build. All of those items turned out amazing. I didn't have a single failed print, and I feel like I struck gold with this machine. Suddenly all of those years of wanting to make intricate props didn't seem like a dream anymore, I could actually make them!
So I moved from small items to bigger, more intricate, multi-part props. I made a Vorpal Blade for my Alice: Madness Returns cosplay, and the amount of detail this machine can print absolutely amazes me. This printed in a few hours, and the clean-up and support removal was so minimal I was able to fill, sand, and prime in the same day.
Then came the real challenge of this machine - can it print a large scale prop in multiple parts?
The answer? Well, yes. Of course it could!
In the process of making my Millie (Helluva Boss) cosplay I realized Millie just wouldn't be Millie without her axe. A few years ago I would have thought making a prop like this would be out of the question. Sharp edges, bevelled lines, letter detailing on the front. It looks simple - it's from a cartoon, after all - but trying to make it out of foam would be a nightmare for someone like me.
I printed the axe in several pieces over several days, the print time ranging from an hour or so, to 8 hours per piece, and the Neptune 4 Plus handled it like a pro. The print lines were minimal, the edges were perfect, and even having to change the filament half way through one piece was a breeze. Admittedly, my clean up job wasn't the best, but 3D printing has absolutely changed the game when it comes to my cosplaying.
When a lot of people think of 3D printing they think of 3D printed slop - if I see another one of those articulated dragons or some Poké Ball at a convention again I will lose my mind - but it really is a game changer when it comes to the cosplay community. It's helped me elevate several cosplays already, and I can't wait to keep pushing the limits of this machine.
Of course, cosplay isn't the only thing you can use a 3D printer for; I 3D printed my family a board game for Christmas.
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