14 DAY TRIAL // We don't really see how people could find it fascinating or calming to watch their own heads being slowly melted into slag, or the closest equivalent thereof. Although we suppose that if it's someone else's head you're watching, a joke can be made about having our dark days lit by the memory of a loved one or famous figure.
You might be familiar with the 3D printable model repository MyMiniFactory. Even if you aren't, you're about to become familiar with its parent company iMakr.
Although iMark isn't working alone. It is getting assistance from Le Bon Marché, a popular Paris-based luxury department store.
Behold the Scandles
In a nutshell, they are 3D printed miniature busts of you which double as candles. It's a way to mix the idea of 3D scanning and printing with those of scented candles.
So yes, they really do suggest that you create a mini-you only so you can light it up and inhale the results of the melting mass.
To get a Scandle of yourself, you just need to go to a Le Bon Marché store in Paris and step into a scanning booth where pictures of you are taken from various angles. So it's not so much a 3D scan as a compiled model of your likeness based on photographs.
The photos are copied to a computer which constructs the model and sends it to the iMakr store in London, where the model is 3D printed.
A silicon mold is created using a 3D printed statue, after which wax is poured into the mold in order to produce the final product. So it's not a wax 3D printing method, but it doesn't need to be really. Natural candle wax is used, colored pink, orange, gray, vanilla or green. Five different scents are up for selection as well, and they aren't color-locked.
Availability and pricing
With Le Bon Marche located in Paris, it would be hard for people around the world to enjoy the new service. Fortunately, the Mini-You website is offering you the chance to place an order online, so long as you can provide three photos of yourself according to the instructions provided.
The price is of £199 / $318 / €254 for the six-inch bust, while an eight-inch model will need a payment of £299 / $478 / €381. Both sizes come with a black marble base.
A lot of money for something that's ultimately a single-use product, but that's what you get for being narcissistic. Unless you're ordering a model of someone you admire, in which case our hearts go out to you and your wallet.
