This was a fun little project that tested the limits of my both my brain and my 3D printer.
![](http://www.thediotribe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_2333-1024x920.png)
I’ve been trying to create items that are not seen on every action figure diorama — if you’ve seen one back alley, you’ve seen them all. I don’t recall ever seeing a giant bank vault in any other action figure dioramas (though I’m sure they’re out there) so I thought this would be a great project to develop.
![](http://www.thediotribe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_2335-1-1024x889.png)
After researching some vault doors, I set to work creating the door in Blender (3D software). This door is basically three parts that were printed all at once — the hinge, the door, and the circular frame. I’m pretty proud of myself for the hinge, because I designed it to be printed in place, meaning the pivot points and their holes were printed in place – you would need to break the pins to remove the door from the hinge. Hmmm… maybe that would be a fun idea for a diorama.
This particular print was the first full-size one, and it took almost 14 hours to print. I had to do some cutting and shaving of the plastic to get the door out of the frame, and a few of the supports were a little messy, so I thought that it only made sense to distress it even more with some paint.
![](http://www.thediotribe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_2354-1024x840.png)
Rather than a shiny bank vault, this is now a long-neglected vault from a forgotten military facility deep in the center of the earth. Who knows what you will find inside!
![](http://www.thediotribe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_2347-913x1024.png)
I’ve already got the printer running off another print with a few modifications to ensure a smoother finish, while this old rust bucket is off to eBay! (As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.)
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