Collection: 3D Prints & Props
Source: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Object: Replica Headpiece of the Staff of Ra
Medium: 3D-printed PLA, hand-finished

“They’re digging in the wrong place.”

One of the most recognizable artifacts from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Headpiece of the Staff of Ra is the key Indiana Jones uses to locate the Well of the Souls—and ultimately the Ark of the Covenant.

In the film, the bronze, jewel-encrusted medallion is mounted atop a staff and placed in the Map Room at Tanis. Sunlight passing through the headpiece reveals the location of the Ark. Fortunately for Indy, the Nazis possess only an incomplete copy of its inscription, causing them to dig in the wrong place.

My Replica

I created this replica on my 3D printer and finished it by hand to transform the raw plastic print into something that looks more like an aged archaeological artifact.

That’s one of my favorite things about 3D printing: an object that previously existed only on a movie screen can become something you can actually hold.

And this one belongs in a museum.

Well, my museum, anyway.