It's always hard to shop for the snuggle-buddy who can get everything they want for themselves. Unless, that is, Aldi's happens to be selling 3D printers for $500.
The next-best commercial price for a 3D printer is around $1600, from Jaycar's. So this thing is literally less than half the price.
Caveat emptor - you have to at least know something about these things to get anything decent out of it. Including that it uses absolute meters of filament to print anything cool. The ten meters of filament that comes with might be enough to print out three little box robots, but we're nerds with standards.
I also visited Jaycar [Aldi's sold out of the extra filament. Big shock] and got about $75 worth of filament spools in some interesting colours. [And before you ask about our finances, I had permission to use The Card That Must Not Be Touched for this little spree]
As you can see on this video the printer has caused something of a stir, here in Australia. Aldi's has pretty much pulled a hat-trick on absolutely everyone.
For a tiny bit of background to everywhere else but Australia: Aldi's is the cheapest chain store for groceries and completely random crap. Sort of like Costco, but without the ability to buy bulk. And a lot smaller. You can rely upon the groceries, which most people do, but the crap in the middle of the shop? It's worth taking a good look every time you're in there.
Aldi's is the cheap-and-nasty store that people like Beloved usually disdain ever going to. And they're the first chain in Australia to have a 3D printer on their shelves. Er. Pallets. So they've pretty much put a lot of elevated noses out of joint.
It's taken us a few goes, but we're finally printing a little companion for Bitzer to take around. I've yet to name the blue fairy, but she's definitely going to be a girl because history is fascinating and strange :D
Of course, she's still in the printer, but it's all looking good.
Then we shall make a few things for Chaos and Mayhem. Because kids will want toys.
We have so much Thing Freedom now. It's amazing.