Totorobenchy: Khi Catbus có một người anh em họ dưới nước

There's a forest spirit who lives among Japanese trees, sleeps an awful lot, only scares people who don't know him yet, and is about as adorable as animation history gets. That same spirit has now decided to reinvent himself as a boat, and honestly, the result works beautifully.

The round, soft body becomes the Benchy's hull itself, with that signature white belly decorated with dark arched marks and three pairs of thin whiskers poking out from the sides of his face. Two big black eyes stare straight ahead, while the pointed ears rise above the cabin like two little lookouts ready to spot the next bus stop (the right one, you know which one).

On top, the chimney has been replaced by the green leaf held up like an umbrella, the character's signature prop, while a small paw-shaped pad decorates the side of the hull, just to remind everyone who's really the star of this boat.

🧩 Print Specifications

• Model height: 150mm (taller than the belly bulge after a really good nap)

• Layer height: 0.16 mm (more precise than the roar that scares everyone off except the brave little girls)

• Infill: 10% Lightning (hollow inside like the hollow tree trunk he usually hides in)

• Supports: yes (even forest spirits sometimes need a little support)

• Brim: optional (just to keep the base from running off while waiting for the bus)

• Material: PLA matte white (later painted in the grey and white tones typical of the character)

• Print time: about 7 hours (way less than the time it takes a seed to grow into a tree, dancing under the moonlight)

• PLA used: about 160 g (light as a leaf, and just as magical)

🖌 Recommended painting technique

after applying the spray primer, lay down a medium grey base coat with acrylic marker over the entire upper section (back, ears, head), while leaving the belly pure cream white for contrast. The decorative arches on the belly should be painted in darker grey with a fine-tip marker, following the curved shapes already present in the model. The eyes need a pure white base with a black central pupil and a small white dot for the highlight. The whiskers are achieved with thin freehand black lines, while the paw-shaped pad should be painted slightly darker grey than the body. The leaf on top should be painted bright green, with the stem in natural brown. Keep a matte finish across the whole model to preserve that soft, plush-toy feel typical of the character.

Print it, paint it, and wait for it at the bus stop: it always shows up eventually, you just need patience.