Halo Fan Vote Behind the Scenes: First 3D Print

Now that the team has signed off on the look of the digital sculpt, the new parts were sent to the 3D printer to create the first physical versions. The 3D printing process produces parts with rough surfaces which are visible in the pictures. They will be sanded to be used in future prototypes. The Design team uses these to test the fit with existing parts and make sure details and proportions are right. It also gives us an opportunity to ensure that the there is enough clearance between the head and the armor and that the Spartan will be able to turn their head.

For Spartan Haunted, the team’s biggest challenge is the separate visor. Since the part is so small, the Designers, Sculptors and Engineers involved are working together closely to make sure the outline of the visor and its connection to the helmet work well.

Fun fact: The first pass of the visor part was larger and included a higher proportion of the helmet. Although this approach simplified the connection with the helmet, it also required the visor to be partially painted. Since matching paint and plastic resin colors exactly is difficult to achieve in production, the team tried a different approach. The visor was made smaller and a different type of connector was used to attach it to the helmet. For the customizers out there, with a little elbow grease, the visor will be removable.

What do you think so far? Will this be a cool figure?