I didn’t build this figure from scratch, but I was able to recreate it in 3D with relative ease using a combination of free and paid apps. For those who aren’t familiar, this is the Machinenmensch (machine-human), better known simply as Maria, from Fritz Lang’s groundbreaking 1927 film Metropolis. I purchased a Masudaya 1/5 scale figure of the Maria character (inset above) a few months before I moved back to the states from Japan in 1994. 

The input and creation process was fairly simple: I disassembled the figure, and photographed individual body parts from key angles (front, back, left, right), using a telephoto lens to minimize distortion. After that, I uploaded the photos into Hunyuan 3D, a free online tool that outputs high quality 3D models from uploaded still images. After that I cleaned up the individual meshes and re-assembled the body parts in Blender, and then exported the model to Substance Painter where I applied an aged brass Smart Material. I have a few other objects like this I’d like to put through the same process; I was thinking this might be a nice way to digitally archive things I eventually want to part with as I continue my ongoing quest to downsize.