EMBERWYRM – Articulated Dragon, Folding Wings

Update Oct 29, 2026 – v2 (please reprint the body if you printed v1)

Problem in v1: the joint between the hip and the first tail segment had a socket that only wrapped about halfway around the pin, so the whole tail could slip out after printing. A full check of the model also found three legs printed too close to the body or the tail (gaps under 0.25 mm in places), so they could fuse to them.

Fixed in v2: that socket now closes around the pin (the tail still swings about 35° each way), and every gap between neighbouring parts is now at least 0.34 mm. All 44 joints were checked so that no part can pull free. Download any of the files ending in _v2.

Meet EMBERWYRM, an original articulated dragon designed to be a centrepiece. The whole body prints in one go, already assembled: every joint is printed in place, so it moves the moment it leaves the plate. The wings print on a second plate, fold in half on a built-in hinge and snap onto the shoulders – no glue, no screws.

Details

• 45 jointed parts – head, 7 neck segments, 8 body segments, 21 tail segments and four two-jointed legs

• About 58 cm long when stretched out; coils onto a 256 mm bed

• Sculpted head – ringed horns, crest spikes, almond eyes with heavy lids and slit pupils, flared nostrils, individual teeth and fangs

• Overlapping scales that vary in size and height: large armour plates on the back, fine scales on the flanks, ventral plates on the belly

• Blade-shaped dorsal spikes that grow over the shoulders and taper toward the tail, ending in an arrow-head tail spade

• Clawed feet with four toes and a dew claw

• Folding membrane wings with veins, finger bones, hooked claws and a spiked leading edge

Two ready-to-print versions

The wings in the multicolor file change color by height (bones above 2.4 mm print black), so each wing needs a single filament swap.

Also included

• EMBERWYRM_Joint_Test.3mf – four body segments, a leg and a wing to check your printer's fit before the big print

• EMBERWYRM_Wing_Left.stl and EMBERWYRM_Wing_Right.stl for other slicers

Printing

Designed and set up on a Bambu Lab X2D. It fits any 256 × 256 mm printer.

Tips

1. Print the joint test first if your printer has never done print-in-place.

2. Clean the plate well; the small tail segments need good first-layer adhesion. A thin layer of glue stick helps.

3. When it's done, let the plate cool and pop the dragon off gently, then flex every joint a few times to free it.

4. Fold each wing slowly a few times to free the hinge, then push the wing pegs into the shoulder sockets until they click.

5. A few short overhang lines on the horn and spike tips are normal and print fine without supports.

If you print one, please post a Make and leave a like – it helps a lot. Enjoy your dragon!

NEW - Bambu Lab H3C: EMBERWYRM_Articulated_Dragon_Galaxy_Multicolor_H3C.3mf puts each colour on its own PrintTool (almost no purge), re-centred on the 330 x 320 mm H3C plate, with the official H3C machine G-code. Sliced in Bambu Studio 2.09.