Thangs.com is known as a file sharing library with a powerful search engine to scan the internet for 3D printable designs. In 2023, it evolved into a marketplace for designers to sell Patreon-like memberships and individual model files. The company’s founders were clear that their plan was to grow the site by offering artists the best tools in the business to showcase, sell and protect their digital intellectual property. More artists offering quality designs equals more visitors to the website.
As they say, a rising tide raises all 3D Benchies. With the hope of getting more people involved and lifting that tide, Thangs has partnered with Actress Felicia Day, who is now hosting her own Thangs channel of downloadable designs that she has collaborated on with professional modelers.
So why would a platform centered on the 3D printing community woo a Hollywood actress who had previously never used a 3D printer?
I chatted with Paul Powers, Thangs.com’s Co-Founder and CEO, to find out why. He explained that Day is a big star in the geek and gaming space, and someone whose creativity would lend itself naturally to 3D printing. She also has millions of fans following her on social media, tuning into her Twitch streams and buying her books. Her former production company, Geek & Sundry, kicked off popular tabletop gaming shows like Critical Role and Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop.
Powers described it as a big Venn diagram, where tabletop gamers and 3D printing have a huge overlap. He believes they can grow the 3D printing community by appealing to gamers who would like to learn how to make their own monster and mini models. This is why he met with Day at MegaCon Orlando – where she appeared on a panel on Women in Sci-Fi – and offered to introduce her to 3D printing.
He’s been happy with the response so far since Day joined the Thang’s community. “A lot of her fans are saying, I’m getting a 3D printer!”
He also said that Thangs.com is open to inviting more celebrity designers to the community in the future.
“We firmly believe that 3D printing is not just a hobby—it's an art form that lets individuals bring their ideas to life”, he said. He feels that Day can provide a bridge for her fans to discover the fun and joy of 3D printing.
Day said during an interview with Tom’s Hardware that she’d been looking for a way to get involved in 3D printing for some time. “The creativity I’ve seen at fan conventions has blown me away. Also, my daughter started at a school with a Maker space, so the pride in her eyes when she brought something home she’d printed up was very motivating.”
Powers sent her an easy printer to learn on – a Bambu Lab X1-Carbon – and arranged a collaboration with talented Thangs.com designers. Day unboxed the 3D printer live on her Twitch channel in April while telling fans how excited she was to share her new hobby with her seven-year-old daughter.
“Look at this brilliant piece of stuff she made!” Day exclaimed while holding up a miniature plastic terrain her daughter 3D printed at school. “This is something we have to do together – we play games together, we do Pokémon together…and this is semi-educational,” she giggled to her viewers.
Day said she loves to create in any format, from acting and writing to producing and web design. Though she’d like to learn how to design models herself, she thought it was important to work with professionals in order to offer polished pieces for the subscription service.
The team at Thangs.com put her in touch with 3D designers who specialize in different forms of the art. Moonlight Minis for her D&D characters, Mimetics 3D for an articulated spider, and Kaizen 3D Prints for jewelry. Thangs.com compensated each designer for their time on the project, and each artist is prominently named on both her page and the models themselves.
“I hope that people not only adore the designs we make, but check out the designers’ personal offerings as well. Working together, we can thrive together,” Day said. She talked about how she started each model with a basic idea and a mood board, then worked from there, bouncing ideas back and forth with the designers.
Her Thangs Membership offers a mix of projects types to appeal to both beginners and advanced makers. She started with tabletop minis of characters from her web series, The Guild, two printable necklaces and a party hat wearing toy spider aptly named “Webmaster Fred.” Day is offering a typical membership that starts at $10 a month, with a $40 commercial tier. Free models are offered on a limited time basis. For example there’s a Mother’s Day Axotl flexi with heart shaped fins, designed by 3D Mimetics.
I followed up with Mimetics 3D to ask about the experience. “The fact that Felicia and the Thangs team championed promoting the designers is really what sold me on it. Felicia is also amazing! She gave great feedback and direction on designs.”
“We have tons of new designs planned for the future, focusing on the categories of Jewelry and Cosplay, Tabletop Accessories and Minis, and Kid Stuff. The collaborative process has been incredibly rewarding, and I am so excited for all the models to come.” She said her Discord followers will also get to help decide what models are made next.
