I teased this earlier in an Actifit report and a @dbuzz post but let's make it official:
I researched a few different models. Generally I liked what I saw with Monoprice. Maybe a little geographic bias there because the company has an office in Brea, CA but I also liked that Monoprice has an active community on the internet. I wanted a beginner 3D printer and I think I got what I need. I almost went with the Delta Mini but in the end I got an MP10 mini.
Image Source: Personal Photo
Obviously this is great. As the administrator of the ThreeD (3D) Printing community I will be able to both "talk the talk and walk the walk". Soon I also hope to create some Hive-related 3D prints.
Note the "soon". I ordered this from an Amazon seller and I suspect the box might not have been packed as well as it should have been. While unpacking there was a plastic piece that was loose and was able to figure out where to pop it back in. My best guess is that while being shipped that plastic part was rattling around and somehow damaged a micro-switch level arm on the base of the 3D printer. I e-mailed technical support after I received the package yesterday and discovered the problem. No response yet and since I sent the e-mail on a Friday afternoon I might not get a reply until Monday. Hopefully I can get a replacement under the warranty or I'll spend a few dollars to get a replacement myself. In either case right now I can't begin 3D printing that sample benchmark cat from the included microSDcard.
Image Source: Personal Photo
I've waited this long for a 3D printer so I can wait a little longer if I need to. I think it will be worth it in the end. This will be a hobby for now and I'll get some experience. Along with some accessories for maintenance of the 3D printer I got a digital caliper so I can try to measure a few things and make replacement models. I'll make posts on the Hive platform to share what I learn along the way.