Yeah yeah yeah, I made a replica of the Goblet of Fire from the illustrious Harry Potter franchise. Let's not get into the specifics as to why I would do such a thing...I'm just here to talk about how I did it. So here it is:
How to Build a Replica of the Goblet of Fire...in 5 Easy Steps
Step 1: Model the Goblet of Fire in Fusion 360 from scratch, with only a couple grainy screen captures for reference
Seems simple enough.
This is what I came up with. If you're running into trouble modeling yours, you could always download my version off of Thingiverse (100% free of charge).
Step 2: Print that sucker out
This was when I hit a series of roadblocks. First, I was planning to print out my Goblet on my roommate's Type A Machine Series 1, noted because it has a print volume of a cubic foot, so I could print my Goblet it two parts...top half, and bottom half. Easy enough. Unfortunately my roommate's printer crapped out right as crunch time to finish the Goblet rolled in, and I could no longer rely on that glorious cubic foot print volume. Fortunately I go to a crazy nerd school and have access to lots of other printers. However, these other printers are all Makerbots Replicator 5's (and one Replicator +) with a measly print volume of 9.9in x 7.8in x 5.9in (or 11.6in x 7.6in x 6.5in for the +).
Then to add to my woes, I had ordered this glorious wood PLA to use on the Series 1 print which would make post-print-processing super easy and leave my Goblet with a realistic wooden finish, but my school would only allow Makerbot filament on their Makerbots. So I had to rush order Makerbot filament, find a talented painter friend, and figure out how to print a 2+ foot tall model on a tiny print bed. Let's solve one problem at a time.
Step 2.5: Slice your Goblet into 14 Pieces, then print those suckers out
Each colored chunk of Goblet in the above render is an individual piece I had to print out and adhere together to make the final assembly. Final print time was 172 hours, split across two printers, a Makerbot Replicator 5 and and Makerbot Replicator +. So, uh, see you in 7 days I guess.
Step 3: Assemble Your Goblet while gasping for air
Oh good you're back. Okay, now it's time to assemble the pieces of your Goblet together.
Nice start
Looking good
Make sure to pose for a classic "It was this big!" fishing picture.
Okay, the Goblet's looking great but you know what, I think you've done too good a job so far not exposing yourself to toxic fumes. I think you need to breathe in a lot of those now. So why don't you go buy yourself a tub or two of Bondo and leave the respirator at home, okay? Remember, you're on a time crunch...so uh...do this quickly before you get lung cancer.
The yellow growth on the left of the Goblet was achieved with GREAT STUFF Expanding Foam, which truly lives up to its name. As for the Bondo, holy cow that stuff is strong...and stinks to high heaven.
Step 4: Have your talented friend paint the Goblet while you relax on the beach
Speaking of things I forgot to buy...brown paint! Fortunately my talented friend Mimi was able to make a miracle happen and mix whatever brown we were able to scrounge together into something incredible.
Step 5: Light it all on fire
If you've made it this far I have some bad news...it's time to light your Goblet of Fire on fire and hope for the best. Or you can buy a battery powered fake fire off of Amazon and take the wimpy way out. I chose the latter.
The deadline had arrived, and it was time to install my replica at a Harry Potter event hosted on my school's campus.
There you have it! If you follow those steps perfectly, you are guaranteed to wind up with a Goblet of Fire of your own. Remember I suffer for my craft so that you don't have to.