Lightning McQueen for Little People

Lightning McQueen for Little People figures

This toy Lightning McQueen, based on the character in Pixar's Cars, was created in the style of my Little People vehicle series and is compatible with Little People figures (although individual figures can vary in size, so fit is not always guaranteed). All pieces can snap in with a little force, so glue may not be required. However, since tolerances can vary across filaments, you may want to glue any pieces that seem loose.

Printing Recommendations

This model was designed to be printed with 0.2mm layer height and a 0.4mm nozzle. I print with 15% infill and 2 walls.

Tree supports are recommended for the car body, and normal supports are recommended for the wheels. The .3mf file has specific support settings for each object that I thoroughly tested and recommend.

Assembly and Play Recommendations

First, remove all supports and clean any support residue with a hobby knife. (This is particularly important for the mouth.) Remove supports from the wheels by pushing a screwdriver tip through the holes in the wheels.

If small children are going to play with this, I recommend gluing any small pieces. Using a drop of glue, press the headlights and taillights into place. Slide one side of the teeth into the mouth and then press the other side in with a small screwdriver, hex wrench, or paperclip. Press the lightning and numbers into place with some decent force; they should snap in. Glue the eyelids, irises, and pupils to the white part of the eyes. Once it has dried, insert the assembly through the front of the windshield and place the tabs into their holes between the dashboard and the hood. (You may want to use some glue in the tab holes.) Carefully press the edges of the windshield into place. 

If you printed the no-AMS version, press the red rims onto the shallower side of the black wheels. You may want to use the back side of a screwdriver or other blunt object to press the rims into the wheel until they snap flush against the wheel. Then, press the wheels into the car body with the deep side facing the car. The wheels will likely feel stiff upon initial assembly, but they will loosen up as you spin them. To help them spin even more freely, I recommend lubricating the axles with something like Super Lube synthetic oil.

If you like this model, be sure to check out my Little People series: