Hi guys,
I wanted to share with you a project that I had in mind for some time.
Inspired by those vintage action figures by Kenner/Hasbro, the idea was to define a process to create articulated 10cm (3.75 inches) figure from almost every kind of 3D character.
For the prototype I created a character from scratch, something between He-Man and a generic barbarian warrior.
Modelling
To model the figure I proceeded with ZBrush as usual: first blocking the overall structure with generic shapes, then gradually sculpting adding details and props with dynamesh.
Preparation for 3D printing
Then I proceeded with “cutting” the geometry into pieces by using auxiliary shapes. ZBrush’s Boolean features helped to generate separate geometries for head, torso and limbs.
As for all the “retro-like” action figures, there will be at least five cylindrical pivots for the rotations of head, arms (shoulders) and legs (femur head). I achieved this by creating a custom IMM brush for the pivots:
These cylindrical pivots were designed to facilitate the insertion of the limbs into the torso block, making them hold and rotate at the same time.
3D Printing
For the printing I used a filament extrusion 3D printer. The torso was produced with rigid material (PLA), while limbs and head with flexible material (TPU).
The figure after painting with acrylic colors:
For the entire process I used : ZBrush for modelling and mechanics, Cura 3D for slicing and my bare hands for painting.
Further reading: blog post
Thank you for reading 
Regards,
ianovir