Kimchi Rick 3D Printing Guide
A working guide to printing a Pickle Rick figure that actually holds detail. We cover file repair, orientation, resin and FDM settings, post-processing, and the point where a plastic print stops being the right answer. Written for engineers and makers who want repeatable results, not a one-off lucky print.
Why model geometry decides the print
A Pickle Rick model is a bad test case for a printer in the best way. The body is a lumpy organic form, the face carries fine creases, and the limbs are thin cylinders hanging off a heavier torso. Every one of those features fails differently. Before you touch a slicer, look at the mesh the way a machinist looks at a drawing: where are the thin walls, where does mass concentrate, and which faces carry the visual information.
Most STL files shared online were exported from sculpting software and never checked as solids. Open edges, flipped normals and zero-thickness shells are common. A slicer will still try to print them, and you get gaps in the shell or a model that is hollow when it should be solid. Run a repair pass first.
Scale matters more than people expect. A 150 mm figure in resin has enough cross-section to survive handling. A 30 mm version of the same file will lose the eye and mouth detail entirely, because the nozzle or the laser spot is a fixed size and the features shrink with the model. Decide the final height before you decide the process.
Check wall thickness at the thinnest point. In resin, 0.8 mm is a practical floor for a feature that will be handled. In FDM with a 0.4 mm nozzle, two perimeters give you roughly 0.8–0.9 mm, and anything under that becomes a single wobbly line.
- 1Solid checkWatertight mesh, no open edges, normals pointing outward.
- 2Minimum wall0.8 mm in resin, 0.8–0.9 mm in FDM with two perimeters.
- 3Detail floorKeep the smallest feature at least 3× the layer or spot size.
- 4Scale firstFix the final height before choosing resin, FDM or metal.
Resin printing: the default for a detailed figure
SLA and DLP printers win on surface quality because a laser or projector cures a thin layer at high resolution in the XY plane. For a figure with facial creases and small folds, resin at 0.03–0.05 mm layers reproduces detail that FDM simply cannot reach. The trade-off is brittleness and a wet, messy workflow.
Orientation is the single biggest lever. Tilt the model 15–30 degrees off the build plate so that each new layer is supported partly by the previous one. A flat, plate-parallel face creates a large suction area, and suction is what pulls a print off its supports mid-job.
Support density should follow the overhangs, not the whole model. Heavy supports at the feet and around the neck, lighter ones under the arms. Every support leaves a nub, so more supports means more sanding after the fact.
Exposure time depends on your resin and your printer's light source, so treat published numbers as a starting point. Run a small exposure test before committing a 12-hour print. Post-cure in UV for the time your resin datasheet lists, not longer, or the part gets brittle and yellows.
- 1Layer height0.03–0.05 mm for faces, up to 0.1 mm for plain body mass.
- 2Tilt15–30 degrees to cut peel force on flat faces.
- 3HollowingOnly if you add drain holes; trapped resin cures into a crack source.
- 4Post-cureFollow the resin datasheet; over-curing makes the part brittle.
FDM settings that keep the shape readable
FDM is the cheaper route and the one most people try first. It also fights this model. Thin limbs print as wobbly strands, and the layer lines run horizontally across the face, which flattens the expression. You can still get a good result if you accept the limits and choose scale and layer height accordingly.
A 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.12 mm layers is a reasonable middle ground. Going to 0.08 mm buys you finer vertical steps but roughly doubles print time, and the XY resolution is unchanged. If the model is 200 mm tall, the layer lines read as texture and stop being a defect.
Print the limbs with a slower outer wall. Reducing outer wall speed to 25–30 mm/s gives the plastic time to bond before the next layer lands on top. Cooling should be strong on overhangs and moderate on the main body, or layer adhesion drops.
Supports are unavoidable under the arms, chin and any hanging folds. Use a support interface layer so the marks come off cleanly, and leave 0.15–0.2 mm of Z gap between support and part.
- 1Nozzle0.4 mm for balance; 0.25 mm only if you accept long print times.
- 2Layers0.12 mm typical, 0.08 mm for best vertical detail.
- 3Outer wall25–30 mm/s so thin limbs bond instead of wobbling.
- 4Support gap0.15–0.2 mm Z gap with an interface layer for clean removal.
Post-processing decides whether it looks finished
A raw print, resin or FDM, does not look like a finished object. Support nubs, layer lines and a matte surface all read as unfinished. The steps below are ordered by how much they change the result per hour of work.
Start with support removal using flush cutters, not pliers. Pliers crush the surface around the nub. Sand from coarse to fine: 240 grit to knock the nubs down, 400 to blend, 800 wet for resin. On FDM, filler primer fills layer lines in one or two coats and saves a lot of sanding.
Priming matters more on resin than people expect. A gray primer coat makes the surface uniform and shows remaining defects under a raking light. Fix them now, before color.
For a small run, vacuum casting from a printed master gives you several copies in a castable resin or polyurethane. That is usually cheaper than printing each piece once you need more than about five identical figures.
- 1Cut, do not twistFlush cutters leave a smaller nub than pliers.
- 2Grit sequence240 → 400 → 800 wet for resin surfaces.
- 3Filler primerOne or two coats hide FDM layer lines before sanding.
- 4Small runsVacuum casting from a printed master beats printing each copy.
When a metal version makes more sense
Plastic is the right answer for display pieces, prototypes and anything you will paint. It stops being the right answer when the part has to hold a thread, survive handling every day, or match a metal assembly it sits next to.
Metal additive processes like DMLS produce a dense stainless or titanium part, but the surface arrives rough and the internal supports are hard to remove. For a small figure with fine facial detail, the as-built surface often hides exactly the detail you wanted.
The practical route to a metal figure is subtractive: machine the body from a solid billet on a 5-axis center and finish the fine features by hand. This is why a 5-axis machine with a Ø400 mm rotary table matters here. The rotary table lets the tool reach under the chin, behind the arms and into the folds without re-fixturing the part.
At GreatLight we run 16 simultaneous 5-axis machining centers and hold ±0.005 mm on metals including 6061-T6, 316L and Ti-6Al-4V. For a display piece that is more precision than you need, but for a functional housing, a threaded base or a mating mount, it is the difference between a display model and a part.
- 1Choose metal whenThe part needs threads, wear resistance or a metal finish.
- 2Skip metal whenIt is purely a painted display piece at small scale.
- 35-axis advantageRotary table reaches undercuts without re-fixturing.
- 4Tolerance±0.005 mm on 6061-T6, 316L and Ti-6Al-4V.
Resin, FDM and machined metal side by side
Compare the three routes against the same figure at 150 mm tall.
| Criterion | Resin (SLA) | FDM | Machined metal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical layer or step | 0.03–0.05 mm | 0.08–0.12 mm | Not layer-based |
| Fine face detail | Best of the three | Loses expression | Depends on tool size |
| Thin limbs | Good with supports | Prone to wobble | Machined as solid features |
| Surface as delivered | Smooth, needs cleanup | Layer lines visible | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm typical |
| Handling strength | Brittle, cracks if dropped | Tough but flexible | High, holds threads |
| Best use | Painted display piece | Cheap prototype | Functional or metal-matched part |
| When to pick it | You want maximum detail | You want lowest cost | You need strength or threads |
Pick the process by what the part has to do
For a detailed painted figure, print it in resin at 0.05 mm layers and spend your time on sanding and primer. For a cheap first look at the shape, FDM at 0.12 mm is fine. If the part has to hold a thread, take daily handling, or match a metal assembly, machine it instead — that is where a 5-axis part with ±0.005 mm tolerance earns its cost.
Common questions
How big can I print a Pickle Rick figure before it gets expensive?
Cost scales with volume, not height. A hollowed resin print at 150–200 mm tall is still a modest amount of material. Above that, resin volume and support count climb quickly, and you may need to split the model into sections and join them.
For metal, size changes the process entirely. A solid billet large enough for a 300 mm figure is heavy and slow to machine. Machining is usually reserved for smaller functional parts.
Do I need to hollow a resin print?
Only if the part is large enough that the solid mass would cause suction or waste resin. Hollowing introduces trapped resin and a need for drain holes at the lowest points of each cavity.
If you hollow and do not drain properly, resin cures inside and can crack the shell later. For a figure under about 100 mm, printing solid is simpler and safer.
Why do my thin limbs keep breaking?
In resin, thin features are brittle because the cured polymer has low elongation. A drop or a squeeze snaps them. Sanding the nub thinner than the feature itself makes it worse.
In FDM, thin limbs fail because the outer wall moves too fast for the plastic to bond. Slow the outer wall to 25–30 mm/s and avoid cooling the part too aggressively.
Can I get the same figure machined from a file I already have?
Usually yes, with preparation. A printable STL is a mesh, and machining needs a solid model. We rebuild or convert the mesh into a workable solid and run a DFM review before quoting.
Deep undercuts and thin free-standing features may need to be split into parts that are machined separately and assembled. The DFM analysis flags those cases.
What does the metal version cost compared with resin?
A machined metal part is more expensive than a resin print, because it needs a billet, setup time and multi-axis tool paths. The trade is strength, a real metal finish and the ability to hold threads.
If the figure is purely decorative, resin gives you more detail for less money. Machining makes sense when the part has a function beyond looking right.
Can you finish a printed or machined figure before shipping?
Yes. We offer bead blasting, tumbling, brushing, polishing, anodizing, plating and powder coating, plus laser marking with a minimum character height of 1.5 mm.
For resin prints, the finish work is mostly sanding and priming, which we do not treat as a production finishing operation. For metal parts, the finishing options above are standard.
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