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How We Make Our 3D Printed Resin Figures
From digital file to painted collectible — a look inside the Klaxium process
People ask us all the time: “Are these really 3D printed? They look too detailed for that.”
Yes, they really are. And that reaction — the slight disbelief — is exactly why we got into this. Because most people’s mental model of 3D printing is a chunky plastic prototype with visible layer lines. What we do is something else entirely.
Here’s how a Klaxium figure goes from concept to your shelf.
Step 1: The Digital Sculpt
Everything starts as a 3D model. For characters based on existing IP — a Marvel superhero, a Star Wars icon — we work from high-resolution reference material to make sure the proportions, costume details, and overall feel are accurate.
Good 3D sculpting is genuinely skilled work. It’s not the same as 3D modelling for engineering or architecture. A collectible sculpt has to balance accuracy with a sense of life — the way light will catch a surface, how a pose communicates personality, whether the figure “reads” from across a room. Our sculptors spend serious time on this stage because everything downstream depends on getting it right.
Step 2: Resin Printing
This is where we diverge sharply from what most people picture when they hear “3D printing.”
We use photopolymer resin printing — specifically MSLA (Masked Stereolithography Apparatus) technology. Instead of melting plastic filament layer by layer like a desktop FDM printer, resin printing uses UV light to cure liquid resin one ultra-thin layer at a time. We’re talking layer heights in the range of 25–50 microns. For reference, a human hair is about 70 microns wide.
The result is a level of surface detail that simply isn’t achievable with any other consumer-accessible printing method. Fine fabric textures, engraved panel lines, facial expressions — it all comes through cleanly.
Resin printing is also significantly slower than filament printing, and the materials are more expensive. We’re not cutting corners at this stage. A complex figure can take 6–12 hours to print, sometimes longer.
Step 3: Post-Processing
Fresh off the printer, a resin figure needs work before it looks like anything. This is one of the most labour-intensive parts of the process and the part that most distinguishes professional results from hobbyist results.
Post-processing includes:
Washing — the printed piece goes into an isopropyl alcohol bath to remove uncured resin from the surface. This has to be done carefully to preserve fine details.
Curing — UV light exposure to fully harden the resin throughout the piece, not just at the surface.
Support removal — during printing, the figure is held up by a lattice of thin support structures. Removing these cleanly, especially around fine details like fingers or weapon accessories, requires patience and steady hands. A rushed support removal is the fastest way to ruin an otherwise good print.
Sanding and gap filling — where necessary, we smooth surfaces and fill any minor print artifacts. Complex figures are often printed in multiple pieces and assembled at this stage.
Step 4: Priming and Painting
This is where the figure transforms from a grey resin object into a finished collectible.
We prime every figure before painting — this step is non-negotiable for adhesion and for revealing any surface imperfections that need addressing before colour goes on.
Painting is done by hand. We use a combination of airbrushing for base coats and coverage, and hand-brushing for detail work — picking out fine features, applying washes to accent recessed areas, drybrushing to highlight raised details. For metallic armour characters like Iron Man or Mandalorian, the painting stage involves multiple layers to achieve the kind of depth that reads as genuinely metallic rather than just “painted grey.”
Every figure that leaves our Montreal studio has been touched by human hands, multiple times. No automated painting, no spray-and-ship.
Step 5: Quality Check and Finishing
Before anything gets packaged, we do a final inspection. We’re looking at paint consistency, detail accuracy, structural integrity (especially on thin parts like sword blades or capes), and overall presentation.
Figures that don’t meet our standards get reworked or reprinted. We’d rather spend the time than ship something we’re not proud of.
Why Montreal?
Klaxium started in Montreal because that’s where we live and where our studio is. But there’s a practical benefit for our Canadian customers: everything ships domestically. No customs. No unpredictable international transit times. No surprise fees on delivery.
We’re proud to be making something genuinely craft-level in Canada, for Canadian collectors and for anyone who finds us elsewhere.
Want to See the Results?
Browse our collections and see what the process produces:
If you have a question about a specific character, a custom request, or just want to geek out about resin printing, reach out. We love talking about this stuff.
Klaxium is a Montreal-based studio specializing in hand-finished 3D printed resin collectibles. All figures are designed, printed, and painted in Canada.
