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Seahorse among the waves

A three-dimensional PLA seahorse about 20 cm tall: spiral tail, two waves, golden body, open snout, crown and openwork fins. Four sessions at your own pace; complexity 4.

Age
8–12 years
Length
approx. 6.5 h
Level
Medium
Where you teach
Home
Purpose
Creative
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How to run this session

Stages and timing
  1. Draw the base
  2. Prepare the wave walls
  3. Assemble the waves on the base
  4. Trace the tail profiles and hoops
  5. Assemble the three-dimensional tail
  6. Seat the tail in the two waves
  7. Prepare the body profiles
  8. Trace the body and head hoops
  9. Position the hoops on the profiles
  10. Stiffen the volume with ribs
  11. Cover the lower body
  12. Cover the belly and back
  13. Cover the neck and head
  14. Cover the spiral tail
  15. Prepare the snout and its supports
  16. Attach the open snout frame
  17. Cover the snout without closing the tip
  18. Draw the crown, fins and spines
  19. Add the crown and dorsal fin
  20. Add the lateral fins and spines
  21. Add the eyes
  22. Finish the eyes and wave crests

What gets built

A seahorse on a wave-themed base.

What it practises
  • Building volume with profiles and hoops
  • Covering short supported fields
  • Joining and checking sections before assembly

Success criteria
  • The figure has real volume and is about 200 mm tall, with a spiral tail, open snout, crown and three fins.
  • The head and snout do not droop after cooling, and the two tail attachments restrict rotation.
  • The base stands independently and the waves support the tail without hiding the characteristic silhouette.

What you need
Filament
PLA
Colours
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Also
PLA-compatible 3D pen: 1 item, Reusable transparent 3D pen mat: 1 item, Millimetre ruler: 1 item, A4 pattern printouts: 1 set

Files

The files for this plan are part of full access

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Version c017496f-dbfe-4510-9cc4-690b58129fe0 Updated 2026-10-08

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