This guide is for anyone shopping for a 3D printed axolotl and finding more than one on our site. We print six axolotl designs: the classic Axolotl, the Axolotl With Line on Back, the Axolotl with Legs, the Axolotl Dragon, the Mini Axolotl and the Smiling Axolotl. They all bend, curl and hold a pose, but they differ in shape, in size range and in price, from a $1.00 Micro to a 10 inch piece at $15.00.
Below we take each design in turn with the sizes and prices from its product page, then match them to a child, a desk, a bag and a shelf, and finish with color and the questions we hear most. Pick the axolotl by body shape first, then by size, because the same price can buy a 1 inch pocket piece or a 6 inch display piece depending on the design.
Six 3D Printed Axolotl Designs, One Kind of Body
A real axolotl is a salamander that keeps its feathery gills all its life, with a wide head and a permanent-looking smile. Every one of our designs keeps those three things: the frilly gills, the broad face and the grin. That is what makes an axolotl read as an axolotl even at 1 inch long.
Each one is printed in place as a single piece. The joints form on the print plate, with a small gap between each segment, and nothing is glued or assembled afterwards. The body is a chain of ball-and-socket style joints running from the head to the tip of the tail, so it wiggles side to side like it is swimming, curls into a loop, or lies flat and stays there.
What changes from design to design is what hangs off that chain. Some have no legs at all and move like a small eel. One has four legs and stands up. One adds dragon features. Two are single fixed sizes instead of a full size menu. All six are printed in premium PLA, and five of them sit in our ocean collection alongside the frogs, turtles and sharks.
The Classic Axolotl and the Line-on-Back: Six Sizes From $1
These two are the axolotls most people picture when they think of a flexi. They share a body shape and a price ladder, so the choice between them comes down to the markings and the color menu.
The classic Axolotl is the plain, smiling version. It uses our full classic size ladder: Micro (1 inch) $1.00, Mini (1.5 inch) $1.75, Regular (2 inch) $2.75, Large (3 inch) $6.00, X-Large (6 inch) $15.00, and a Keychain size at $7.00 that adds a ring for a backpack or keys. It has no color menu. You type the color you want in the Custom color box.
The Axolotl With Line on Back has a printed line running down the spine from head to tail. It is our best-selling axolotl, and the line gives the eye something to follow when the body curls. The sizes and prices match the classic exactly. The difference is a Color menu with two choices: Like Pictured, which matches the product photo, and Rainbow - Will Vary, where the colors shift along the body and no two prints come out the same.
If you want a solid color you name yourself, the classic is the simpler pick. If you want rainbow, or the look in the photo, choose the Line-on-Back.
The Axolotl With Legs Stands Up, and Goes to 8 Inches
The Axolotl with Legs is the only one of the six that can stand on a shelf. Four small legs are printed alongside the articulated body, so you can set it on its feet, then curl the tail around a finger when you pick it up. It looks more like the real animal walking along the bottom of a tank.
Its size menu is different from the classic ladder, and so are the prices:
- Micro (1 inch) $1.75
- Mini (1.5 inch) $2.00
- Regular (2 inch) $2.75
- Large (3 inch) $7.00
- X-Large (6 inch) $10.00
- Mega (8 inch) $15.00
Two things stand out. The Micro and Mini cost a little more than the classic Axolotl. The large end is better value: the 6 inch X-Large is $10.00 against $15.00 for the classic, and $15.00 buys the 8 inch Mega instead. There is no Keychain size on this design.
The Color menu offers Rainbow - Will Vary and Pink Mix. Pink Mix is a blend of pinks close to the pale pink axolotls people keep as pets. You can still type a different color in the Custom color box.
The Axolotl Dragon Is Half Salamander, Half Dragon
The Axolotl Dragon keeps the axolotl's gills, face and long body and adds dragon features to it. It is the one to pick for someone who likes both, or for a dragon collector who wants something softer looking than a classic dragon.
It uses the same classic ladder and prices as the plain Axolotl: Micro (1 inch) $1.00, Mini (1.5 inch) $1.75, Regular (2 inch) $2.75, Large (3 inch) $6.00, X-Large (6 inch) $15.00, and Keychain $7.00. Pink is popular on this design, but there is no color menu, so any color goes in the Custom color box.
Because the extra features sit on the same jointed spine, it moves the same way the plain axolotl does. It just has more going on when it holds a pose.
The Mini Axolotl and the Smiling Axolotl Come in One Size Each
These two do not have a size menu. Each is one fixed size, and the names can mislead, so the measurements matter here.
The Mini Axolotl is about 4 inches long
The name refers to the design, not to our Mini size. The Mini Axolotl is its own sculpt, about 4 inches long, bigger than the 3 inch Large of the classic Axolotl. It keeps the frilly gills and the small smile. It is $7.00 on its own, or $8.00 if you select Yes under Keychain and it comes with a ring for keys, a bag zipper or a lanyard.
If you want a 1.5 inch axolotl, choose the Mini size on the classic Axolotl or the Line-on-Back instead.
The Smiling Axolotl is about 10 inches long
This is the largest axolotl we print. At about 10 inches, it is a shelf piece first and a fidget second, though the body still curls, waves and holds a pose. Every option is $15.00. The Color menu offers Pink Mix - Color Will Vary, Rainbow - Will Vary, Black, Blue and Dark Blue, and the Custom color box takes anything else.
Note that $15.00 buys three quite different axolotls: the 6 inch classic X-Large, the 8 inch Mega with legs, or the 10 inch Smiling Axolotl. Read the inches before you choose.
Which 3D Printed Axolotl for a Child, a Desk, a Bag or a Shelf
For a young child, a Regular (2 inch) or Large (3 inch) classic Axolotl is the easy choice. It is big enough to grab and flex without fiddling, and small enough to be cheap to replace. Micro pieces are small enough to be a choking risk, so keep those away from children who still put things in their mouths.
For party favors or a classroom, the Micro classic Axolotl at $1.00 is the lowest-cost axolotl we print. Ten of them in ten colors cost $10.00.
For a desk fidget, the Large (3 inch) is the size our product pages call the fidget pick. It fills the hand, the joints have room to swing, and it will not roll off a keyboard. The Line-on-Back in rainbow is a good pick here, because the color shifts as the body curls.
For a bag or keys, choose the Keychain size on the classic, the Line-on-Back or the Axolotl Dragon at $7.00, or the Mini Axolotl with the ring at $8.00. The Mini Axolotl is longer, so it suits a backpack zipper better than a key ring.
For a shelf, the Axolotl with Legs in Mega (8 inch) stands on its own feet, and the 10 inch Smiling Axolotl is the one people stop to look at. Both are $15.00.
Pink, Rainbow and the Custom Color Box
Color is where an axolotl becomes yours. Real axolotls come in pale pink, gold, grey-green, black and speckled forms, so almost any color you pick has a real animal to match it.
Pink is the color most people choose, and the Pink Mix option on two designs gives a blend of pinks from the spool. The exact shade varies a little between spools, which is why the option says "Will Vary".
Rainbow filament changes color along its length, so the colors fall in bands across the body. On a Micro you may see one or two colors. On a 6 inch or larger piece you see the full run. No two rainbow prints match.
Anything else goes in the Custom color box above Add to cart. Name the color plainly, such as "gold" or "dark blue". If we do not have that color, we message you with the closest match before we start printing, so there are no surprises. Choosing your own color costs the same as the default.
Common 3D Printed Axolotl Questions
Why are there so many axolotl designs?
Because people keep asking for them. Each design is a separate licensed file, and each one brings something the others lack: legs, a line of markings, dragon features, or a bigger scale.
Is the Mini Axolotl the same as a Mini size?
No. The Mini Axolotl is a separate design about 4 inches long. The Mini size on the classic Axolotl, the Line-on-Back, the Axolotl with Legs and the Axolotl Dragon is 1.5 inches.
Can a 3D printed axolotl go in water?
PLA does not dissolve, so a rinse or a quick trip into the bath will not hurt it. Water can collect inside the joints, though, so dry it well afterwards. It is not a toy for a real axolotl's tank, and it should stay out of a hot car or a sunny window sill, where PLA can soften and warp.
How long does one take to arrive?
Every axolotl is printed after you order it, inspected joint by joint and shipped in 1 to 3 business days, then the carrier's transit time is added on top.
Pick the 3D Printed Axolotl by Shape, Then Size
If you want the simplest axolotl in a color you name, choose the classic. If you want rainbow or the photo's look, choose the Line-on-Back. If you want it to stand up, choose the Axolotl with Legs. If you like dragons, choose the Axolotl Dragon. For a bag, the Mini Axolotl with a ring. For a shelf, the Smiling Axolotl.
Then check the inch measurement in the size menu, because the same price buys a very different piece across these six designs.
At Cosmic 3D Creations, every 3D printed axolotl is printed to order in Como, Texas, in the color you ask for, and flexed joint by joint before it is packed. Orders over $100 ship free, and you can order online and pick up at our Canton Trade Days booth, Booth 4268 and 4269. The next show dates are on our events page, and if you have a color question before you order, send us a message.