Check Out This Incredible 3D-Printed Scale Model of Hogwarts
We’ve truly never seen a model like this before. Joshua Neil Arthur has created an insanely detailed scale 3D print of Hogwarts Castle that would make the founders themselves proud. Using film stills, pictures of a Hogwarts model on display at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, and his copy of Harry Potter: Page to Screen, Arthur was able to create the full model in Blender during a break from college.
The model was printed in several pieces, which each took up to 20 hours to fully print. Once assembled, Arthur airbrushed them with primer, filled in gaps, and sanded them down.
The stones were washed with several gray paint colors, while the building itself was airbrushed in pale sandstone. Arthur used a fine brush and a steady hand on the windows and roofs and created a depth effect on the lake by painting the base board gray-blue and airbrushing it with a darker gray. He later applied Mod Podge gloss to produce a ripple effect on the lake surface.
The surrounding ground was made of a fine turf material, with pine trees crafted out of pipe cleaners painted in varied shades of green. The whole castle stands on a wooden board with an area of 7 in2 (45 cm2). Not counting the base, the highest tower is 9 in (23 cm) tall.
This project took hundreds of hours to complete, but if the level of detail Arthur put in seems like a challenge you’d like to undertake, he’s made the files available to download for free. Builders should be warned, however: This model does not include a Whomping Willow or Chamber of Secrets. That’s for you to add in your own version.