Weekly Roundup: Ten 3D Printable Doll & Action Figure Playsets

When I was a kid, like any child from the ’80s, I played with a lot of action figures. Toys like Star Wars figures, GI Joe and Transformers were all things that I grew up with and were significant parts of my childhood. And while there were plenty of playsets available for those toys, the playsets also tended to be really expensive, and typically not something that I would have had access to. My solution was to build my own, and I was pretty creative if I do say so myself. I would use old cardboard boxes, styrofoam inserts and LEGO to build huge complexes for my toys to battle it out.

My homemade playsets did the job, and were quite fun to make, but as an adult I can only imagine the fun I would have had if I had access to a 3D printer. I probably would have had a huge setup of just about every type of playset that I could think of, and find models to match. Of course I’m hardly the first person to think about 3D printing playsets for action figures, and the evidence is the number of cool options available online. There are options for just about everything that you can think of, and they vary in complexity and of course scale. But they would all make great additions to any kid’s collection of toys, and they could even be customized with a bit of paint.

I’ll be 3D printing a few of these playsets out for my nephews that’s for sure, and maybe one of two for myself. For when they come to visit, I swear. Here are Ten 3D Printable Doll & Action Figure Playsets:

MAKERSPACE PLAYSET

TheNewHobbyist Playset by TheNewHobbyist

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

I think it’s appropriate to kick off this list with a playset that every kid is going to love, a playset for their Maker action figures. What? There aren’t any Maker action figures? Well that’s upsetting, who is going to curse out this tiny 3D printer when the tiny filament unexpectedly jams up?

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT REACTOR ROOM

D’oh! (Homer not included)

Toy Reactor Mk 1 by Stephen

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Now your dolls can re-enact all of the dramatic moments from the hit Meryl Streep and Cher nuclear reactor film Silkwood with this awesome 3D printable replica. It’s actually pretty close to the basic geometry of the real thing, so it also makes an excellent educational model. The design even includes moving control rods that pop up and down when you rotate the ring around them.

DOLLHOUSE

Small Playhouse by meximelt

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This cute little doll-sized cottage is entirely 3D printable and was made to be easily snapped together once all of the parts have printed. The house prints essentially as a single part, so depending on the size of your printer bed you may need to scale it down, or split it into a few different parts. The doors and windows are all printed separately so they can be printed in a different color or painted, and it includes several pieces of appropriately-sized doll furnishings.

DOCTOR WHO TARDIS PLAYSET

Tardis Playset by guydebored

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Whether you print it for your Doctor Who action figures or just to make as a replica for display, this fantastic playset recreates the iconic interior of the TARDIS. The playset is based off of the classic design from the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who, and does a great job of recreating the retro-futuristic look. It includes several walls, the center control console and opening and closing doors.

The inside of the TARDIS from the Tom Baker era.

GARDEN FURNITURE & DECOR

Whimsical Fairy Garden Kit by steveweber314

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Even superheroes need to hang out in places other than their secret headquarters, so why not give them a lovely garden to relax in? This 1/16th scale set of garden furniture includes a bridge, two benches, a patio table, four chairs, a wheelbarrow and shovel, pots for plants and even a bird bath. They are sized perfectly for standard 6 inch action figures, but the models can be sized up for larger sized dolls and figures.

MAD SCIENTIST LABORATORY PLAYSET

Grewl Laboratory Playset – Moving Parts by Evavooo

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

Originally created for this adorable Grewl monster, this cool set of mini laboratory equipment is perfect for just about any sized toy or action figure. All of the parts are printable separately so you can use multiple filament colors for each part. The set includes a sonic radar with a moving dish, flasks and beakers and an electro-shock therapy machine with a moving lever. You can also download just the flasks on their own here.  

LINK’S TREE HOUSE FROM LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

Link’s House Playset – OOT by Chris Caplan

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

In the classic Ocarina of Time video game, Link lived in a tree house, and this playset is a recreation of it. The set includes the full tree house, with a removable roof, a figure of Link and even the cow that was gifted to Link in the game.

SCIENCE FICTION-THEMED CONTROL ROOM PLAYSET

SciFi Control Room by PrettySmallThings

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This fantastic set is made for any standard-sized action figure, and can pretty easily be scaled up a bit in order to suit most sized toys. It includes a control tower for a pilot, two control consoles, a cabinet, a chair and a sci-fi arch to complete the spaceship’s bridge. You can paint the models or print the parts out in different colors. The designer has also created other matching furniture like a captain’s chair, additional chairs for the control consoles, a retro egg-shaped chair, a storage locker and even a cool futuristic bed.

OFFICE CUBICLE PLAYSET

Cube Farm Playset by tc_fea

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Who needs a futuristic spaceship control room when you can play with the most exciting playset of them all, a cubicle from an office! It’ll be about as much fun as cosplaying as your grandmother! There is also a set of accessories so your cubicle playset will be set for all sorts of awesome and fun mindless drone office work. Extra parts include a monitor, a keyboard, a desk chair and a massive (optional) server.

RETRO ROCKET SHIP PLAYSET

MakerBot Rocket Playset by MakerBot

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

MakerBot created this awesome, and massive, rocket playset that when completed will stand over 2 feet tall. The set includes all of the parts needed to build the rocketship as well as a ton of accessories and furniture to fill it up. They even created special astronauts to pilot the rocket. And conveniently, the Sci Fi Control Room and all of its various add-on parts that I shared above will fit nicely into the rocket.

Detailed assembly instructions are included on the Thingiverse page.

Thanks for joining me again this week, I hope that you found yourself a fun new 3D printing project. As always, I love to see what you all are playing with, so feel free to email me or tweet me @SJGrunewald pics of what is coming off of your 3D printers!