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By Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

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Today is the last day of our month-long giveaway of kits from Maker Shed and the Make: Ultimate Kit Guide 2012. As with the launch, we’re celebrating the end with ANOTHER MakerBot giveaway. Thanks for participating and we hope you and yours have a fabulous holiday.

To celebrate the release of our latest publication, the Make: Ultimate Kit Guide 2012 (and its companion website), we’re giving away at least one of the cool kits reviewed in the issue each day during the holiday season. Today, we’re giving away our fifth and final MakerBot Thing-O-Matic (a $1,300 value!), featured on the cover of the Ultimate Kit Guide. Here’s Make: Labs intern Eric Chu’s review of Thing-O-Matic from the issue:

If you want to get into 3D printing but don’t know where to start, the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic Kit is the way to go. It’s a complete kit, so you need no additional parts, and a large user community can back you up if problems pop up (not to mention Thingiverse, where you can find awesome open source designs). It took me about 20 hours to build the Thing-O-Matic and start printing, and I improved its accuracy with more tuning, calibrating, and tinkering with settings in the ReplicatorG software. If you have any trouble, read the discussion at the bottom of every build step. I’ve since 3D-printed many fun and handy things (everyone loves a 3D-printed gift!) and the MakerBot is now by far the most-used machine at Make: Labs.

To be eligible for today’s giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment below in this post. Writing a haiku will not help your chances (but it may give us a laugh.) The entry period for today’s prize will be until 11:59pm PST tonight. We’ll choose one person at random, you’ll be notified by email, and you’ll have 48 hours to respond. The Winners List is kept on the Giveaway landing page. That’s it! No purchase necessary or anything else to do. Please leave only one comment per post. You can enter as many giveaways as you like until you win. This giveaway is for US residents only. You also must be 18 years old to enter (Kids: Ask your parents to enter). See the Kit-A-Day Giveaway landing page for full sweepstakes details and Official Rules.

Important Note: If you enter this drawing, when it’s over, please check the place where you registered to comment (eg. Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter). Some people are winning these kits and then not responding when we send them a message using the available means of contacting them. We want to make sure you get your giveaway!

1,922 thoughts on “Kit-A-Day Giveaway: MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D Printer (#5 of 5!)”

  22. Yep I want… side note, someone replied to a thread and I didn’t get an email.  Wondering now if I might have missed something… ugh!

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  87. Hey guys… I think there is a major glitch in your system… I have entered the previous giveaways for the MakerBot and your system inadvertently selected someone else. Please correct it today so we can win the last MakerBot.

    Happy Holidays to all! 

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  91. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get one of these so I can teach my two daughters how to design and create things as they grow up.  Oh, and have fun myself too! :)  Here’s throwing hope to the winds…

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  109. What do James Barrett, Elizabeth Lingo, Rob Tsou, Ian Fox, and Marc Schaefermeyer have in common?

    Nothing yet, but I hope we do soon after I win this!

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  116. Thanks for this entire giveaway.
    So far, it’s been like a fruitless (and chocolateless and toyless) advent calendar, but I’ve enjoyed opening every tiny door, feeling each brief flutter of hope.

    merry whatever you want, i’m wanting me a new toy.

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  169. Had a dream that I needed to check my eMail because I had won, unfortunately I hadn’t. So 5th time’s the charm! 
    Have about four or five printable projects in mind since these giveaways started.Guess if I don’t win I can always try to cobble one together out of discarded printers lol.

    Congratulations to whoever wins this :)
    (here is secretly hoping its me)

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  218. Ah! I just noticed all my previous comments had been pointing to an old twitter name though it’s the same account. But when you click my profile it went to something else.

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  219. Well this is it… I really really want one of these to make my holidays complete.  I promise I’ll only use it for good.  Merry Christmas guys and thanks for doing this!

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  246. Come on Christmas miracle!! :)

    dr_harsh… you’re hilarious, and I agree… “So far, it’s been like a fruitless (and chocolateless and toyless)
    advent calendar, but I’ve enjoyed opening every tiny door, feeling each
    brief flutter of hope.”

    Reply

  270. It’s been fun to enter for this magical little boxes!  If it comes my way I plan to delight all the kids on the block with 3D printology.
    Happy Holidays!

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  282. Thing-O-Matic’s will help our future overlords in their quest to produce more of themselves.  And by the way Happy Festivus to all and to all a Good Festivus. You may now begin the Airing of Grievances. 

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  331. A Thing-O-Matic would be an awesome addition for the local hackerspace and just (well almost ;~) in time for Christmas!

    Good luck to everyone and thank you MAKE: for the opportunity!

    Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  338. Well, this is it. My FINAL chance at the ULTIMATE tool for my maker shop. PLEASE send the Thing-O-Matic to my house…….PLEASE?!?!?                      

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  355. I want this last one. I could make the blue rabbit in the picture. Probably a cat instead. Probably white or grey instead. Ok, Ok. I won’t be making a blue rabbit after all. But think of the possibilities.

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  384. I’d like to echo some of the comments I’ve seen.  Thank you so much for this whole giveaway thing… and everything else that you guys and gals do.  Make does some really cool things, and I’m grateful for all of them. The world is a better place for it.

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  389. Ok so I really want to win this for my lifelong buddy, who has been a great friend not only to me, but to all of us as he is a US army veteran. He is an incredibly talented dude and makes stuff all the time. I can only imagine what he’d accomplish with this thing. 

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  445. Third …. errr …. Fouth ….. ohh I mean fifth time is a charm …. come on MakerBot … dady needs to print a new set of dice …..

    Reply