Nativity Music Box Multi-color 3D Print

Last year a local community theater approached me with a unique challenge—they needed an Anastasia music box as a prop for their production but couldn’t find one that was affordable. The only ones available were selling for $1,000 on eBay, which was far beyond their budget!

To solve this, I designed and 3D printed a fully functional version that looked like the original. It had intricate details, a working hinge on the lid, magnets to hold it shut, and a real music mechanism that plays the Once Upon a December song! For details on the Anastasia music box, see my other Instructable here: 3D Printed Anastasia Music Box

I decided beginning of this year to take that original design to the next level and create a custom Nativity Music Box for my wife. (She's a collector of Nativity sets). I modified the design, had some help from Fiverr to model the figures, and made this Nativity Music Box a multi-color 3D print on my Bambu lab X1. It turned out Great!

This guide will walk you through each step of the process, from Tinkercad designing, Fiverr figures modeling, 3D printing, high-gloss finishing, and final assembly. Whether you’re printing your own or just curious about the process, you’ll find everything you need here!

Components:

1. 3D Printed Parts
2. Bambu Labs PLA Sparkle (Green, Black, Gold)
3. Other Basic PLA colors (Red, White, Blue, Brown, Yellow, Gray, Green)
4. Music box mechanism (18-note, "Little Town of Bethlehem")
5. The Music Box Company

Hardware:

1. 2 metal pins (nails cut to size):
2. Lid hinge (2.3mm diameter x 24mm long)
3. Inside hinge (1.8mm diameter x 19mm long)
4. 4 circular magnets (5mm diameter x 1mm tall)
5. Magnets 5mm x 1mm on Amazon
6. 3 screws
7. M2 x 6mm on AliExpress
8. Small screwdriver

Finishing Supplies

1. High-Gloss Glaze
2. Krylon Clear Finish Coat on Amazon
3. Superglue

I designed the main music box using Tinkercad, a beginner-friendly 3D modeling tool. (The nativity figures, however, were out of my league and the next step explains how I commissioned those through Fiverr). The design includes:

1. A main box with built-in slot for the Sankyo or Pursuestar music mechanism
2. A lid with a hinge and magnetic close that opens to about 100 degrees
3. Nativity figures that lay down before closing and hold with magnets after opening
4. A Bethlehem scene with angels under the lid for decorative detailing
5. A Star with magnet to go on top
6. Spaces for the magnets and screws

If you haven't ever used Fiverr, I highly recommend it for freelance design. (Especially when a task is beyond your skills!) When you go on Fiverr, you can search for a freelancer who specializes in the area you need: in this case, I needed someone with way better expertise to create the Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus figures for my music box. I contacted a few freelancers using Fiverr's website, then picked Hera, a 3D character artist from Indonesia. Here are the steps we took together to get a working design:

1. First, I messaged Hera on Fiver some details about the project and included a few pictures of the music box, kind of what I pictured for positioning the figures, and asked if this seemed like something they could do.
2. There were a few follow-up questions, then a price was set and a custom order created on Fiverr.
3. I paid the order and in less than a week Hera sent version 1 of the design.
4. We collaborated on a few changes I needed over the next week (changing some positioning, resizing the manger, splitting the figures into two sections, etc) and then finalized the design.
5. The order was completed and I received the STL files.
6. I imported the STL files into TinkerCad to size them correctly for the box.

With the design ready, I painstakingly edited the colors in BambuLabs slicer software. The main music box piece printed using 5 colors (PLA Sparkle Gold, Green, Black, and Basic Red, White), so I had to hook up both of my Bambu lab AMS's to the same X1 printer. Slicing with 5 colors at a 0.12 layer height led to a very long print time! About 34 hours... that meant a lot of flushed filament! Even with a large poop tray, I had to be ready to clear it every so often so it wouldn't clog up.

Printer and Settings:

1. Filament:
2. White, Gold, Green, Red, Black PLA (Main, Lid)
3. Black PLA (Insides)
4. Gold PLA (Rings, Bottom)
5. Yellow PLA (Star)
6. White, Gray, Blue, Brown, Green PLA (Inside Lid)
7. Green, Peach, Blue, Brown, Yellow PLA (Mary, Joseph, Jesus )
8. Layer Height:
9. 0.12mm (Main, Lid, Figures, Insides)
10. 0.2mm (Rings, Star, Bottom)
11. Supports: Only for Main, Lid, Figures, Bottom
12. Infill: 15%
13. Wall Loops: 4

Printing Instructions:

1. Print each of the STL files separately
2. The lid is printed upright with supports for better detail
3. Allow the prints to fully cool before removing them from the build plate.

Post-Print Cleanup:

1. Remove supports and clear any wisps as needed
2. Check tolerances on hinges for clearance and lightly sand as needed

Preparing Bethlehem scene under lid:

1. Before finishing, the nativity scene must be glued under the lid first.
2. First superglue the 2 black pieces under the lid with the seam toward the bottom (hidden by the blue)
3. Next, superglue the 2 blue city pieces, followed by the gray city pieces
4. Glue the Angels and Palm Trees as shown

High-Gloss Finish Coat:

1. Apply a clear glaze to each piece for a polished finish
2. Let dry thoroughly before assembly

(***Assembly video is for Anastasia Music box, but same steps are used in this Nativity box except the figures)

Steps not included in the Assembly Video:

1. Attach the bottom to the Main:
2. Orient and hold the music mechanism inside the Main
3. Apply superglue to the bottom of the Main, align the Bottom part to the holes
4. Screw in screws
5. Insert Magnets:
6. Superglue all magnets securely
7. Secure 2 magnets inside the lid and the main ring for closure
8. Place 2 magnets in the inside pivot door slots to hold the figures in position
9. Make sure magnets are oriented to attract
10. Install Inside Hinge:
11. Insert the smaller hinge pin (1.8mm x 19mm) for the inner pivot door, using a touch of superglue to hold

Steps as outlined in the Assembly Video:

1. Install Figures:
2. Not needed for this music box
3. Install Music Component:
4. Slide music component into the slot, lining up the screw holes.
5. From the bottom, use 3 screws to hold the music component tight.
6. Secure the inside black and Main Ring:
7. Slide the Inside pieces with the Figures into the inner slot.
8. Slide the main Ring into the slot
9. Use the final two screws to attach the Ring to the main box
10. Install Main Hinge:
11. Insert the larger hinge pin (2.3mm x 24mm) into the lid hinge, then use a small piece of putty to fill hole
12. Install Lid Ring:
13. Line up the lid ring directly on top of the main ring so magnets line up
14. Apply superglue to the lid ring
15. Close the lid down on the lid ring so it is aligned directly with the magnet.
16. Hold upside down and allow superglue to dry
17. Final Adjustments:
18. Test the lid opening and closing smoothly
19. Ensure magnets hold the figures properly in place

With careful 3D printing, finishing, and assembly, you can create a stunning Nativity music box to treasure. Whether you're crafting this as a gift or a collector’s item, this project brings the magic of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" to life.

Enjoy your beautiful, one-of-a-kind music box!