Replacing the dilapidated Lenin monument with a 3D-printed copy

In February 2024, we were contacted by Dmitry Zhamkov’s art studio from Balakhna, Nizhny Novgorod region, with which RangeVision has been cooperating for a long time. Together we have implemented projects in the field of culture and museum work, such as scanning cathedral ornaments and helping with the restoration of the Gorky Literary Museum. The new project, which we were happy to participate in, has become both applied and educational.

Dmitry’s son, Daniil, who followed in his father’s footsteps, has embarked on an ambitious task that requires 3D scanning and 3D printing skills. The task was related to the restoration of the monument to Lenin in the Bolsheboldinsky district.

Made of sand and concrete, it had become noticeably dilapidated over the past 60 years and was in almost disrepair. The district administration decided to send the monument for a long-term restoration, and at that time replace it with a copy.

They decided to make a copy using additive technologies. One of the reasons for this decision was the poor condition of the monument itself: it simply crumbled from almost any touch, its surface was severely damaged, and copying it in this form was not only unproductive, but also dangerous for the original.

A 3D scan of the original monument was also impossible. The project started in the middle of winter, and no 3D scanner could work in the cold. Therefore, a difficult decision was made: to manually recreate the monument, and to "reverse" its already edited large-scale copy.

As a result, the project was planned as follows:

1. Making a smaller copy of the monument.
2. Scan a copy of the monument.
3. Creating a life-size three-dimensional model.
4. 3D printing of the monument.
5. Installation of a printed copy in place of the original that was used for restoration.

The creation of a digital copy of the dilapidated monument turned out to be almost traditional: it was manually "sculpted" in the popular 3D sculpting program ZBrush. It took seven days to create the model.

The resulting model was printed on a printer on a reduced scale and "modified with a file" in the process of meticulous comparison with the original. The result of this work was a plastic replica of the monument that was as accurate as possible in the existing conditions.

Now the project team had a physical object in their hands, which was convenient to scan indoors. The scan was required to transfer the improvements to the statue, which it underwent after printing the zebra model.

Before starting work, Daniil Zhamkov needed to master the skills of 3D scanning and model processing. The Neopoint portable 3D scanner was chosen as the working tool for scanning. It is compact, easy to use and at the same time provides good accuracy and detail.

For training, he came to the Nizhny Novgorod office of RangeVision several times, where he learned how to use a scanner, mastered the RV 3D Studio scanning program and practiced on simple objects. The impromptu training course started in early March.

Having figured out the basics, Daniel began to practice — and immediately on museum exhibits. As a "dress rehearsal," he scanned a statue of Maxim Gorky from the collection of the Rukavishnikov Estate Museum in the Nizhny Novgorod Museum Reserve.

The resulting three-dimensional model has completely preserved all the details of the original. The details of the Lenin monument, which was to be copied later, were more modest, so it became obvious that Neopoint could easily cope with this task.

After completing his studies, Daniil began digitizing a large-scale replica of the Lenin monument.

The scanning object is too high and does not fit entirely into the Neopoint scanning area, while it has a diverse and pronounced geometry. Therefore, the turntable and markers were not needed, the statuette was scanned in the basic mode by hand. At the same time, the accuracy of the model’s dimensions turned out to be impressive: the deviation of the height in the program from the caliper reading is hundredths of a millimeter.

The resulting polygonal model was then enlarged to the original size of the monument to be printed on a 3D printer.

The Zhamkovs' workshop has several 3D printers with a large work area, as they often print rather large shapes — sculptures, ornaments, and decorative items. The model of the monument was divided into several parts, and each part was printed separately.

It took 27 working days of pure time to print all the parts of the statue. But since they were printed on two printers at once, the production time was reduced to 14 days. It took another 5 days to solder all the pieces into a single sculpture.

Before installation, all seams at the joints were patched, the finished statue was primed and painted. A replica of the Lenin monument was ready to replace the crumbling original.

The plastic monument was installed on the pedestal on May 29, 2024. The original monument was carefully removed and taken away for restoration. Despite the utmost caution of the demolitionists, fragments fell off at the slightest movement from the monument — it was so dilapidated.

The news about the replacement of the monument on the website of NIA Nizhny Novgorod and in the social networks of the Bolshoy Boldin administration says that the old monument after restoration will be restored in 2025 in concrete or polymer concrete.

According to the head of the Bolsheboldinsky district, the plastic monument looks even more solid and dignified. Maybe we should just leave it that way?