This post is for anyone shopping for a 3D printed dragon and trying to work out which of ours to order. We print twelve dragon designs, and they run from a $1 dragon the size of a thumbnail to a two foot centerpiece at $45. The price on its own tells you very little until you know what changes between them.
Three things separate one dragon from the next: the size ladder it uses, the style of the design, and how much of the color choice is yours. A couple of designs come in six sizes, most come in two to four, and four come in exactly one size, which is why they look expensive next to the small ones in a collection page grid.
Below we go through the whole collection with real sizes and real prices, then match each dragon to a pocket, a desk, a shelf or a gift. Buy the classic Dragon when you want a pocket toy a child can carry, and a Crystal or themed dragon when you want a piece that stays on a shelf.
Every Dragon Is Printed in One Piece, Joints Included
Every dragon we sell comes off the printer finished, with the joints already formed. Nothing is assembled, glued or pinned afterwards. The printer lays each segment down with a fraction of a millimeter of air between it and the next, so the parts are separate the moment the print ends.
The joints are a ball-and-socket style running from the head through the tail. That is what lets a dragon coil into a spiral, arch its back, wrap around a lamp base, and stay where you put it. There is no seam and no part that can be pulled off.
All of them are printed to order in premium PLA in Como, Texas, and every joint is flexed by hand before the dragon is packed. Flex a new one end to end a few times when it arrives, because a print that has been sitting still can feel tight until the joints break in. You can see the full lineup in the dragons collection.
The Classic 3D Printed Dragon: Six Sizes, $1 to $15
The classic Dragon is the only dragon on the full six-step size ladder, the same one most of our flexi animals use. If a specific size matters, this is the design that has it. Every measurement is nose to tail and is approximate, because a curled tail measures shorter than a straight one.
Micro (1 inch, $1) is a party favor, a cake topper or a dollhouse dragon. The joints are there but they are too small to fidget with.
Mini (1.5 inch, $1.75) fits in a lunchbox or a closed fist. It is what we hand out most at events.
Regular (2 inch, $2.75) is the desk dragon and the everyday size. Big enough for a small child to grip, small enough to disappear into a pocket.
Large (3 inch, $6) is the best fidget size. The tail segments are large enough to click through one at a time, and the dragon holds a stance when you set it down.
X-Large (6 inch, $15) is the display size. It has real weight, the spine moves in a slow sweep, and it is the one people photograph.
Keychain ($7) prints with the ring loop built into the model, so there is no glued hardware to snap off a backpack.
This is the dragon to buy for a child. If you want the reasoning behind all three of our size ladders, our flexi toy size guide covers them.
The Crystal Dragons: From a $5 Tadling to a 24 Inch Centerpiece
The crystal style is our largest dragon family. The bodies are faceted, all flat planes and clean edges, so they catch the light the way cut glass does. They are display pieces first, and they use their own size ladders rather than the classic one.
Crystal Dragon
Four sizes: a Tadling at about 4 inches for $5, 11.5 inch for $10, 16 inch for $18 and 24 inch for $25. This is the best value in the collection if you want length, and the 24 inch makes a genuine shelf centerpiece for the price of a mid-size toy.
Winged Crystal Dragon
The same faceted body with wings added, finer detail along the spine and a fiercer head. Sizes are listed as Tadling at $7, 9 inch at $12, 13 inch at $18 and 18 inch at $35. The wings push the price up, because they need care on the plate and add surface area to inspect.
Crystal Heart Dragon
One version at $30, with no size or style choice, so the only decision you make is color. The heart motif and the flat facets suit a single solid color better than anything else we print.
Tadlings
A Tadling is the smallest dragon we make, and it is still fully articulated. Everything on the Tadling product page is $5, in a Style of Crystal, Rose, Crystal Keychain or Rose Keychain. That makes it the cheapest way to try both design families before committing to a big one. The Winged Crystal Tadling is a separate product at $7, or $8 with a keychain ring.
Themed Dragons for a Shelf: Lunar, Mushroom, Cherry Blossom and Infected
These four are the designs people buy when they already own a dragon and want something with a stronger character. All are display pieces rather than pocket toys, and the detail work is what you are paying for.
Lunar Dragon has a flowing, otherworldly body with fine detail from end to end. Two sizes: a 4 inch Tadling at $12 and a 24 inch at $40. The color menu keeps the black and lets you pick the accent, in Black/Purple, Black/Red or Black/White.
Mushroom Dragon carries a mushroom theme through the design and reads as playful rather than fierce. The 10 inch at $25 is easy to hold and still shows the detail. The 26 inch at $40 is the longest dragon we print, long enough to drape across a monitor.
Cherry Blossom Dragon is one size at $45, a long flowing body with blossom detail worked into it. It suits a shelf decorated in pinks and pastels, and it is the dragon people buy as a gift for someone who is not otherwise a dragon collector.
Infected Dragon is a single 24 inch print at $45, with textured detail across the body and a corrupted look to the design. It is two feet of dragon, and at that length it is something you see from across a room.
Dragon Eggs and the Rose Dragon Come as Sets
Two products pair a dragon with an egg, and the option that controls it is easy to miss because it sits below the size menu.
The Dragon Egg has three sizes and a separate Egg menu set to Yes or No. With Egg set to No you get the dragon alone: $5 for a Tadling, $10 for 11.5 inch, $25 for 24 inch. With Egg set to Yes the same sizes are $12, $18 and $45. The shell has detail all the way around, so it holds up as a display piece on its own.
The Rose Dragon is a rose-themed design sold the same way, with one Egg menu and no size choice. The dragon alone is $12, and the dragon with its egg is $20. The detail is fine enough that this one belongs on a shelf rather than in a backpack.
If you are buying a set as a gift, order the dragon and the egg in the same color family. A matched set photographs better than two colors that nearly agree.
Colors: Single, Dual, Rainbow, and the Custom Color Box
Some dragons have a Color menu on the product page and some do not, which confuses people the first time. Both routes end in the same place.
Single is one filament from end to end. On the crystal designs this is usually the right answer, because it lets the facets do the work and shadows read cleanly across the flat planes.
Dual uses two colors on one print, and works best when the design has a natural break, such as a body and a set of wings.
Rainbow uses a filament that shifts color along its length, so the result varies from print to print. Two rainbow dragons of the same size will not match, and that is the point of it.
Surprise Me hands the choice to us, which people pick most often for a gift where the recipient has no known preference.
The Custom color box sits above the Add to cart button on every product page, and it is where you type the exact shade you want. That is the route on designs with no Color menu at all, such as the Mushroom, Cherry Blossom, Infected and Crystal Heart dragons. If the spool you asked for is out when your order comes up, we message you with the closest match before we start the print rather than substituting quietly.
Which 3D Printed Dragon to Buy for a Child, a Desk, or a Gift
For a child under about six, buy the classic Dragon in Regular at $2.75. It is sturdy, it fits a hand, and it costs little enough that losing it in a car seat is not a disaster. Micro and Mini are small enough to be a choking risk for very young children, so keep those for party favors and older kids.
For a fidget, buy the classic Dragon in Large at $6. The segments are big enough to work through without looking at it.
For a desk, buy a Crystal Dragon at 11.5 inch for $10, or a Winged Crystal Tadling at $7. Both perch on a monitor edge and neither takes much space.
For a shelf centerpiece on a budget, buy the 24 inch Crystal Dragon at $25. Nothing else we print gives you that much length for the money.
For a serious display piece, buy the 24 inch Lunar Dragon at $40 or the 24 inch Infected Dragon at $45. These are the two that make people ask where you got it.
For a gift, buy a set: the Rose Dragon with its egg at $20, or a Dragon Egg at 11.5 inch with the egg at $18. A set looks considered in a way a single figure does not.
Common 3D Printed Dragon Questions
Which 3D printed dragon is the biggest?
The 26 inch Mushroom Dragon at $40 is the longest. The 24 inch Infected Dragon at $45 and the 24 inch Lunar Dragon at $40 are close behind and have more presence, because they are heavier through the body.
Are they safe for children?
They are printed in PLA, a plant-based plastic, with no small parts to break off and no glued hardware. Size is the thing to watch rather than material: Regular and up suit small children, and Micro and Mini are best kept for older kids. None of them is a chew toy for a pet.
Why do some dragons cost $45 when others cost $1?
Print time and filament. Doubling the length multiplies the plastic and the hours by far more than two. A Micro is done in minutes. A 24 inch dragon holds a printer for most of a night, and if a joint fuses in hour seven the whole thing starts again.
Can I get a dragon in a color I do not see listed?
Yes. Type the shade you want in the Custom color box above Add to cart. If we do not have it when your order comes up, we message you with the closest match before printing.
How long until it ships?
Everything is printed to order and ships within 1 to 3 business days. Shipping is free over $100, and local pickup is available, including at our Canton Trade Days booth 4268/4269. Our event dates list where we will be next.
Start With the Size, Then Pick the Style
Almost every mistake we see on a dragon order is a size mistake rather than a style mistake. Someone buys a 24 inch dragon for a child who wanted something to carry, or a Micro for a shelf that needed a centerpiece. Decide where the dragon is going to live first, and the list of candidates gets short fast.
If you are still undecided, spend $5 on a Tadling. It moves the same way the big ones do, and holding one settles the question of whether you want a 24 inch version of it.
At Cosmic 3D Creations, every 3D printed dragon on this page is printed to order in premium PLA, inspected joint by joint before it goes in the box, and shipped within 1 to 3 business days. Nothing sits in a warehouse, which is why you can name a color that appears in no menu and still get it. Orders over $100 ship free, local pickup is available, and you can flex one yourself at our Canton Trade Days booth 4268/4269 before you buy.