It seems the whole idea of 3D printing is really taking off all over the place, even in unexpected locales. In fact, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will soon be offering visitors to the park in Florida the chance to be immortalized as a Stormtrooper or in the famous frozen in carbonite pose Han Solo was so unfortunate to don. It’s a true must for any Star Wars fan!
All of this is made possible thanks to a 3D printing service, which was available during Star Wars Weekends in the park. It ran between the last half of May and June 9th. The carbonite offering was available last year but the Stormtrooper figurine offering is new for this year.
The technology is actually quite sophisticated. In fact, it’s using a much higher resolution than previously available on the consumer market and offers up a rather detailed and clear scan of the person’s head before it’s printed out in the Star Wars figurine.
Visitors to the park begin the process by undergoing 3D scanning. From there, the file is sent to a 3D printing service for processing. It’s printed out and shipped directly to your home. The wait time from scan to receiving your print is about 8 weeks. The Stormtrooper figure should take a bit longer because it includes colorized elements.
All in all, Disney Research labs are pretty proud of the endeavor because it uses a single-shot 3D face scanner that was created in-house by Imagineers. They then send the scanned file over to a printing studio and the figurine is printed out and created. International shipping is available, but you can expect it to take a bit longer than if it were just being shipped within the U.S.
So, what will using this 3D printing service set you back? Visitors to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Star Wars Weekends could anticipate spending $99.95 for either the miniature Stormtrooper or miniature carbonite figurines.
Whether you or your kids are Star Wars diehards or you just love exploring the latest technology has to offer, this service ought to be something to experience. It’s not every day you get to have your head scanned by a 3D scanner, after all. And it’s not every day you get a nifty figurine that looks just like you in full Star Wars regalia. It should have been a fun experience for the whole family.