Three big things landed in the maker world at once this week. Elegoo's Summer Sale is live through July 13 with up to 50% off printers and resin, Bambu Lab has customers printing on the new A2L large-format FDM, and Vallejo dropped an 80-color metallic paint system that could change how painters approach metal effects. All three deserve a closer look.
Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K (Summer Sale Live Through July 13)
The Saturn 4 Ultra 16K is the resin printer I would point most people to right now, and Elegoo's Summer Sale running through July 13 makes it an even easier recommendation. The 10-inch 16K screen prints at 20x26 micron XY resolution, which means scales, skin texture, and tiny weapon details actually read instead of blurring together. The flip-up lid design and built-in tank heater that keeps resin at a consistent 30 degrees C are the kind of practical additions that matter when you are running long batch prints. The sale runs through July 13, so if you have been waiting to upgrade your resin setup, this is the week.
Bambu Lab A2L: Large-Format FDM for Props and Cosplay
The Bambu Lab A2L launched June 1 at $469 and it solves the most common problem with printing props and cosplay armor: the build plate is not big enough. The 330x320x325mm volume is 105% larger than the standard A1, which means helmets, shoulder pads, and large figures can often print as a single piece without splitting and gluing. Adaptive vibration compensation handles the ghosting that moving gantries on large-format machines usually struggle with. The optional blade cutting and pen plotting modules add sticker cutting and leather work without buying a separate machine. At $469 with no ongoing subscription model, it is the most accessible large-format FDM machine Bambu has released.
Elegoo Jupiter 2: 16K Resolution at Giant Scale
The Jupiter 2 is for when the Saturn is not enough. Elegoo's new large-format resin machine puts a 302x162x300mm build plate under a 16K screen at 20x26 micron resolution. That combination means you can batch a full squad of figures or print a large terrain piece without giving up any detail on faces or fine surface texture. The automated resin pump and 2kg bottle feed mean mid-print refills happen without babysitting. The double-door design is new to the Jupiter series and makes loading and removing prints much more comfortable. At $949 it is a serious investment, but for printing large figures, terrain, or running volume for a small print business, the throughput-to-detail ratio here is genuinely impressive. Part of the Elegoo Summer Sale through July 13.
Vallejo True Metallic Metal: 80 Colors, One Unified System
Vallejo launched the most complete metallic miniature paint range I have seen: 80 colors organized across 20 chromatic families, each family giving you a Base, Light, Shade, and Airbrush variant. The Airbrush variant in every family is what makes this system different from anything that came before, because the whole range works whether you are brushing or spraying, following the same step-by-step logic for every metal type. Gold, copper, steel, verdigris, aged iron, all of it is covered with matched families designed to work together. The full 80-color collection is available on Amazon, and individual 4-bottle family sets let you start with just the metals you paint most.
Army Painter Speedpaint Markers: Contrast Paint in a Pen
Army Painter took the Speedpaint 2.0 formula and put it into markers. The Starter Set has 10 markers: 9 high-saturation contrast colors and 1 metallic, all using the same formula you know from the bottles. The appeal is simple: no brushes to clean, no water cup needed, and the kit fits in a pocket. Great for painting at events, on the road, or whenever you want to work somewhere without your full bench setup. The coverage and shading behavior matches the bottled Speedpaint 2.0 exactly. If you want a paint kit you can take anywhere, this is the first product that actually makes that practical.
That's Maker Monday
That's the maker world for this week. If any of this got you thinking about a custom print, paint, or engraving, come see what we make on the commission page. See you next Monday.
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