Jaimie and Jay of Wicked Makers turned a 3D-printed model of Steamboat Willie-era Mickey Mouse into a battered, moving animatronic head. Fibers, body filler, paint and weathering created its aged surface; small servos, an Arduino UNO and a PlayStation 4 controller supplied the movement. The project was a head, not a full animatronic figure.
From a 3D model to a life-sized head
Wicked Makers commissioned BeardlessProps to create a 3D model of Mickey as he appeared in the early Steamboat Willie design, then 3D-printed the head parts. The build gave that familiar black-and-white character a battered, horror-inspired look associated with Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The head’s appearance depended on finishing the printed plastic rather than leaving its manufactured surface exposed. The makers used several materials and techniques to disguise print lines and create a worn, textured finish.
How they made the 3D-printed head look old and felt-like
Black fibers for a felt-like surface
They attached shredded black fibers to parts of the plastic with Mod Podge, a water-based glue and sealer. The fibers helped give those areas a felt-like appearance.
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Bondo, paint and weathering
On other areas, Bondo body filler covered 3D-print layer lines and added texture. Paint and weathering completed the aged, distressed effect. The account does not specify paint colors, application methods or a full materials list.
How the head and jaw moved
Several small servo motors moved the head and jaw. As Hackster News writer Cameron Coward put it, “Mickey’s head and jaw movement comes from several small servo motors.” An Arduino UNO controlled the servos, while a Sony PlayStation 4 controller sent commands through a USB host shield.
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That is the reported control chain: PS4 controller, USB host shield, Arduino UNO and servos. The article does not provide servo models, wiring details, code or a step-by-step build guide, so it is not enough on its own to reproduce the mechanism.
What happened during filming
The animatronic failed while the makers were filming. The account says repairs were needed but does not identify what failed or say whether, or how, the head was repaired afterward. It therefore documents a filming-time failure, not a confirmed final repair or a demonstrated long-term result.
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Why the design is associated with the public domain
The project draws on the early Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse, which entered the U.S. public domain and helped inspire a wave of horror-themed adaptations. The U.S. Copyright Office’s general guidance says that works published in the United States before January 1, 1931 are in the public domain because their copyright protection has expired: Copyright duration and the public domain. That page is general guidance, not a specific legal analysis of Steamboat Willie or every version of Mickey Mouse. This point is limited to the early version and U.S. copyright context; it should not be read as a conclusion about other character versions, other rights or other jurisdictions.
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