I had needed a Medal of Honor prop for a production of Dogfight in 2018. Due to the Stolen Valor Act , you can’t legally purchase a replica Medal of Honor in the United States. The prop medal we made at the time was a toy sheriff badge and some nautical anchor charm from a bracelet. I really wanted to 3D print it, but didn’t have the know-how at the time. It has haunted me ever since.
During quarantine I started experimenting with 3D printing for model building, but wanted to try a prop project, and this popped back in my head.
I started modeling the design in Illustrator, but remodeled it in Vectorworks when I found symmetry issues. I had problems getting the scales just right, as the internet’s measurements of the medal were not consistent with actual images. I generated my support structures in Prusa Slicer before printing. Total print time was ~5 hours. I based the print in white hobby primer, then a bronze lacquer, and detailed with antique gold Rub’n Buff. I didn’t seal it, but if this was to be used in a show I’d probably spray it with semi-gloss clear coat to protect costumes from any stray Rub’n Buff.
