Dolphin Suncatcher Wind Spinner — Stained-Glass

Part of the Axis Gear Works — Kinetic Garden Collection

A leaping stained-glass bottlenose dolphin frozen mid-arc — that streamlined silhouette and joyful posture rendered in vivid AMS color panels with classic black leading. This flat printed multicolor design captures the look of leaded stained glass and prints as a single piece on a single plate. Hang it in a coastal-themed window, a kid's room, or chain it below a Helix Spinner as a colorful pendulum weight. Dolphins are universal symbols of joy, intelligence, and the sea — a meaningful gift for ocean lovers, coastal homes, and anyone who's ever watched a pod break the surface and grinned.

Features

• 🎨 Authentic stained-glass aesthetic — black "leading" border with vivid blue and grey color panels
• ☀️ Sun-catcher when backlit — print color panels in translucent PLA and the panels glow when sun passes through
• 🌀 Doubles as a wind spinner — flat dynamic body catches breeze and rotates around its center axis
• 🌊 Side-profile leaping pose — the curved body conveys motion even when still, and rotates beautifully on the line
• 🔗 Pendulum-weight option — chains below an AGW Helix or Lantern Spinner for a stacked kinetic display
• 🖨️ Single flat plate — fastest print in the Kinetic Garden Collection, A1 Mini friendly
• 📐 Scales cleanly — print at default size or scale up/down uniformly

Print Settings

⚠️ Critical slicer settings — read before slicing! This design originated from SVG line art, so the color panels and black leading frame need to be told to fuse during slicing. Without these three settings the panels will print as separate pieces and fall out of the frame:

Setting	Path in Bambu Studio	Value
Slice gap closing radius	Quality → Precision	0.5 mm
X-Y hole compensation	Quality → Precision	−0.25 mm
Wall generator	Quality → Wall generator	Arachne (switch from Classic)

The bundled print profile in this 3MF already has these dialed in — but if you're transferring the model into a saved profile of your own, double-check all three before slicing.

💡 For the "stained glass glow" effect: print the black leading layer in opaque Matte Black PLA, and the colored panels in Translucent PLA. When backlit by sun (or hung in a window), the colored panels light up like real stained glass. Standard opaque PLA gives a more painted-tile look — both work, just different vibe.

🧹 Going translucent? Remove the paint layer first. A thin black paint layer is included as a fallback to hold the panels in place if anyone misses the slicer settings above — it's invisible from the front in opaque prints, but it'll block the light in translucent mode. Clear it from the back face in Bambu Studio before you slice.

Color Guide (as photographed)

🎨 Try other dolphin or cetacean species. Spotted dolphin — add darker spotted panels along the back. Orca — black-and-white with bold contrast. Beluga whale — solid white/ivory body. Pink river dolphin — translucent rose tones throughout. Same elegant pose, different species via the AMS palette.

Tips & Tricks

• Hang from a swivel — even flat spinners need a swivel above to prevent line twist. Barrel swivel + monofilament gets the job done.
• Translucent blue for window display — translucent blue PLA panels glow brilliantly when backlit. Stunning in a beachfront or coastal-facing window.
• Scaling up for a translucent suncatcher? When scaling above 100% with translucent filament, uncheck "uniform scaling" in Bambu Studio and set Z thickness to 3mm. Uniform scaling thickens the print front-to-back, which makes the panels too dense for light to pass through cleanly. Holding Z at 3mm preserves the stained-glass glow at any size.
• Chain it below a helix. Hang a Single or Double Helix Wind Spinner above, swivel, then this dolphin below. The dynamic curved silhouette acts as a stabilizing weight while the helix spins free above.
• Print flat as oriented — no supports needed. Bottom layer is the black leading; color panels build on top via AMS swaps.
• Coastal & beach decor pairing — dolphins fit naturally with shells, driftwood, rope hardware, and any beach-house aesthetic. Outdoor-rated PETG recommended for porches near salt air.
• Kids' room & ocean education gift — dolphins are favorite animals for many children and a natural fit for marine biology enthusiasts, dive instructors, and aquarium volunteers.
• Outdoor or window? PETG holds up to UV and rain better than PLA. For window-only or covered-porch use, PLA is fine and the matte finish is preferred.

Part of the AGW Kinetic Garden Collection

• 🏮 AGW Lantern Helix Wind Spinner — glowing tea-light kinetic lantern → https://makerworld.com/en/models/2727342-lantern-helix-wind-spinner-kinetic-lanterns#profileId-3022221
• 🌀 AGW Helix Wind Spinner Pair (Single + Double) — sculptural helical geometry → https://makerworld.com/en/models/2727394-helix-wind-spinner-single-double-helix-geometry#profileId-3022287
• 📁 Browse the full Kinetic Garden Collection for more stained-glass animals, birds & insects → https://makerworld.com/en/collections/25710684-agw-kinetic-garden-collection

⭐ Save the collection to get notified when new models are added — new dog breeds, birds, insects, and helix variants drop regularly.