Super Mario Mushroom Trailer Hitch Ball Cover

Bring some Super Mario energy to your car with this 3D printed mushroom trailer hitch cover!
 

I provide two different versions of the model:

• AMS (/Vortek): prepared for multi material printing with AMS, where the colors are already combined in a single print. This version takes longer to print, due to the color changes. But gives smoother surfaces on all the rounded parts because the layer steps blend more nicely on the dots, due to the orientation. Print more on one Plate to make use of the already happening color swaps and reducing the overall time per model even for multimaterial print. 
•  no AMS: All colors separated into individual build plates. This one prints much faster, needs no supports (except for the standard eyes its better with supports) and is ideal if you don't own an AMS. but it requires some assembly with a small amount of super glue. The rounded details, especially the dots on the cap, are a little bit more coarse compared to the AMS version, due to the layer orientation. The Dots will only fit on one of the sides, the connector will help you find the right position!
• (if you want to print in One color and paint it yourself just set all colors to the same in the AMS version or download the STL model)

The Preview pictures are all form the no AMS version, except for the purple mushroom, which was printed with color swaps.
 

You can choose any color combination you like to create your favorite mushroom. Choose from 2 eye Styles:

• one with normal friendly eyes 

• one with extra angry eyes for the poison mushroom look, which is my personal favorite. 

   

Mechanism

The mushroom is held in place by a spring clamp mechanism inside the face of the mushroom. You simply push it onto the hitch ball until you feel a very satisfying click. After that you can still rotate the mushroom to any direction you like and it will stay in that position. Removing it will be harder, but still easy to do.

I know there are quite some Mario Mushroom Models on Makerworld, but none of them look like the modern Version with the organic rounded head. At the same time I enjoyed giving myself the engineering challenge of the spring clamp mechanism. I hope you all enjoy it :)
 

Sizing

The model is designed around a German (EU) style trailer hitch with a 50 mm ball diameter. If you need a different size, you can use the ball diameter as a reference and scale the whole model in your slicer. The spring clamp was designed with scaling in mind. Examples:
 

For people who mostly print in PLA there are a few important notes about materials. The beige head part should be printed in a tougher material like PLA Plus or PETG to prolong its lifespan. The spring clamp slightly bends this part every time you attach or remove the cover, so regular PLA will slowly deform over time and several uses, lose its clamping force and can even crack. On a car the part is also exposed to strong sunlight and UV every day, which makes normal PLA fail even faster. If you just want to stick in on there and rarely use your trailer hitch, you can opt for PLA, but you have been warned.