From Idea to 3D Print: Santa’s Hot Rod Sleigh

Creating a Custom 3D Printing Design: Santa’s Hot Rod Sleigh for My Son

Christmas is filled with magic, at least for me. Ever since I was a kid, my family has been celebrating this holiday with a decorated tree, festive family dinner, and many wonderful gifts from Santa. Since childhood, I loved muscle cars and hot rods. Those were the best collectibles to find under the Christmas tree, and I still enjoy my hobby of collecting the legendary vehicles, from vintage Ford Roadsters to amazing Chevys, just with a slight variation. Now I can create a 3D printing design of anything I envision to make my loved ones happy.

I still remember how I was assembling Lego red hot rod set with my dad one day in my childhood. As a little boy, I imagined it was Santa’s modern car, replacing his traditional sleigh pulled by reindeer, allowing him to deliver gifts all across the world much faster. Only think about it! A train, an airplane, or a powerful hot rod could be the perfect new mode of transportation for a man in a red suit with white fur trim, because our dreams are limited only by our imagination. I never forgot my childhood fantasy, and now, when I have my own kid, I have decided he needs some magic in his life, too. Luckily, his daddy knows some amazing spells.

Read more: If you want to learn some “magic spells” of your own, start with this comprehensive beginner’s guide to 3D printing.

Santa’s Hot Rod Sleigh 3D Printing Design

Finding the best Christmas gift for my child wasn’t easy. I couldn’t decide on that special toy that could turn our Christmas Day into a magical time filled with unforgettable emotions. I didn’t want any ordinary toy that keeps a child’s interest for 5 minutes and is easily forgotten as soon as another gift is unboxed. I thought that since I love to 3D print, I could create my own 3D printing design we could assemble together. Why not? It would give us hours of fun moments we can share and plenty of memories to carry on throughout the years.

I looked at multiple 3D printer projects, used my knowledge of auto mechanics, found a large selection of festive Christmas cards with and without Santa Claus, and began designing my STL files for 3D printing. I researched many real hot rod and Santa’s sleigh prototypes. I re-watched my favorite post-apocalyptic films (I am a huge fan of Mad Max and their gas-guzzling supped-up hot rods), and I can say that I did love many technical and design solutions used in those vehicles, but I also hoped to improve a lot of features in my project. I wanted to design a perfect ride for Santa that would take my son’s breath away and fill his heart with pure happiness and pride of owning an exclusive Christmas toy not found in stores.

Designing My Ideal Christmas 3D Printing Project

In my 3D printing design, I wanted to blend the magic of the North Pole with the raw power of classic American muscle cars.

I believed that the fantastic frame designed to fit the 1930s Chevrolet Master 5W Coupe would be a perfect starting point for this project. I liked this frame so much that I decided to pair it with Chevrolet’s classic V8 engine, which could become even more powerful with the addition of a supercharger system. I’ll be honest—I wasn’t 100% accurate when working on the 3D printer files. Throughout the process, I was constantly thinking about how the engine needed to be split in order to be printed and assembled correctly. As a result, I placed some components, such as the oil filter and alternator, in slightly different locations.

I decided to make the Supercharger System massive and colorful, with two valves covered by a grill, and a leaf spring suspension, which I could 3D print with softer filament to breathe more life into my fantasy vehicle.I based the hot rod body on iconic Santa’s red sleigh, making it super comfortable and stylish by adding a luxurious leather couch. I knew that this car needed a lot of extra space for Christmas gift boxes, so I made sure there was enough room in the back. Besides, I upscaled my Christmas 3D printing design by approximately 2.5 times from the original scale to add LED lights and light it up with holiday cheers and magic.

Useful Resource: For those planning to add electronics, check out these tips for putting LED lights in 3D models.

I usually love adding color to my 3D printer projects with a multi-color printing system, such as AMS (it’s a great option for people like me who want to save time on painting 3D printable designs), and that’s the path I took to avoid boring my child with hours of painting and preparing the parts to be assembled.

To my mind, my Santa’s Hot Rod Sleigh turned out to be one of the high quality 3D models you’ll fall in love with at first sight. It boasts many incredible functions, including rotating wheels with an articulated steering system, an active suspension, an opening glove compartment with hidden surprises (tiny 3D printable designs to amaze my son), adorable Christmas car mats, LED-wiring options (for taillights, headlights, and side lights), tunnels for adding wires to light up this impressive hot rod, and interchangeable license plates.

See also: To achieve a professional look for your model, follow this 3D print painting and priming tutorial.

Future Upgrades

When designing these premium STL files for Santa’s Hot Rod Sleigh, I considered many factors. Firstly, it was vital for me to create a fantasy concept that allows me to 3D print a magical car my child can pose by steering the wheel. Secondly, I added all the extra details because I wanted this project to have a future. I noticed that many designers release upgrades and alternative versions of their 3D-printable models so why shouldn’t I follow the same path? In the future, I plan to modernize this hot rod by turning it into a bold and unexpected variation: replacing Santa with the Grinch and transforming the vehicle into an extreme winter machine. This includes adding snowmobile tracks and skis and adapting the overall look to better fit the Grinch’s rebellious character. This approach allows the model to evolve over time and opens the door for creative expansions and new storytelling possibilities.

Or I can design a Halloween Hot Rod upgrade kit with Dracula or Frankenstein instead of Santa Claus. The ideas are limitless, and I can always come up with something extra to amaze my kid!

I am very happy with my 3D printer files and how the model turned out! In fact, I love it so much I want to share my Santa’s Hot Rod Sleigh STL files for 3D printing with you! I added the files on Gambody marketplace because I feel that we all deserve unique high quality 3D models we can bring to life for different holidays and make our kids the happiest children on the planet.I always enjoy working on highly detailed 3D models for printing with impressive features, hidden secrets, and well-thought-through designs. Thus, I created a hidden compartment for the battery in the vehicle’s trunk, making it much easier to add LEDs and turn it into an unforgettable Christmas gift. I also used TPU (flexible filament) to give the tires a realistic rubber texture and feel. I think it gives a print a professional look.

My fantasy hot rod sleigh has been fully 3D printed. Now I cannot wait to surprise my son this Christmas. I am very excited and looking forward to seeing his happy smile as we assemble this fantasy concept and add it to his holiday collectibles.

Happy holidays to all of you! Xo Xo Xo

read also: 3D Printed Christmas Ornaments, Decorations, and Other Gift Idea

How to 3D print Santa’s Hot Rod Sleigh ?

The video clearly demonstrates the assembly process – recommended for viewing.

Enjoy watching!