Vintage Board Game Pieces Reproduced with 3D Printing
Have you got a board game sitting in a drawer because pieces are missing? You're not alone. Vintage games lose pieces over time, and when the edition is discontinued, replacing them feels impossible — unless you have access to 3D printing.
That's exactly the challenge a close friend of Douro Make brought to us: Os Petroleiros (also known as "Petróleo" or "Petróleo S.A."), a classic Portuguese board game published by Majora in the 1960s and 70s. The game is all about managing oil fields, drilling rigs, pipelines, and oil barrels to become a "zillionaire." Vintage editions are now genuine collector's items.
The problem is that after decades of use, pieces go missing. And when the game is discontinued, there's no way to replace them. The solution? Reproduce every piece using 3D printing — and the most interesting part is that we did it entirely from photographs.
In this article, we show how Douro Make brought this classic back to life, without having a single original piece in hand.
The Challenge: Reproducing Pieces Without the Original in Hand
Typically, to reproduce a piece in 3D, having the physical object is ideal. It allows for precise measurements, verifying fits, and testing tolerances directly.
In this case, the client couldn't send us the original pieces. Instead, they sent photographs of the pieces on millimetric paper — a clever way to give us scale and proportion without needing a caliper.
From those photos, we were able to extract the necessary dimensions and model each piece in 3D. It's not an automatic process — it requires experience to interpret perspective, compensate for camera distortion, and ensure that details remain faithful to the original. But with good photographs and a clear scale reference, it's perfectly achievable.
What makes a good reference photo? A clean background, even lighting, and a scale reference next to the piece (graph paper, a ruler, or a coin). The more angles, the better.
From Graph Paper to 3D Printed Piece
The board game Os Petroleiros has several types of pieces, each with its own challenges:
- Large pawns (1 per color) — the main piece for each player, with the classic board game pawn shape
- Small pawns (12 per color) — smaller versions, used to mark positions on the board
- Oil tanker ships (12 total) — 6 black and 6 white, miniatures with deck and chimney detail
Each type was modelled individually in CAD software, using the photographs as reference. The pawns, despite looking simple, require perfect symmetry and a stable base. The ships, on the other hand, have details at a very small scale — deck lines, a chimney, and a central hole where the pawn slots in.
FDM 3D printing achieves tight dimensional tolerances when properly calibrated. The fit between the pawn and the ship was one of the most critical points. If the hole is too wide, the pawn falls out; if it's too tight, it snaps. We nailed the right tolerance in the first iterations — thanks to the scale reference that the graph paper provided.
The Result: A Complete Game, Ready to Play
After modelling, printing, and testing every piece, the final result looked like this:
- 7 pawn colors — blue, red, green, yellow, orange, black, and white
- 12 oil tanker ships — 6 black and 6 white, with deck detail
- Material: PLA, which offers good durability and vibrant colors
- Packaging: each color was separated into individual bags, ready for delivery
The result is a game that can be played again — with pieces that respect the dimensions and visual style of the original. To an outsider, they look factory-made. To anyone who knows the process, it's 3D printing at its best.
It's Not Just for Board Games
This project with Os Petroleiros is one example, but the same approach applies to many other situations:
- Replacement parts for discontinued products
- Component reproduction from photographs or drawings
- Vintage object restoration for items no longer in production
- Rapid prototyping to validate designs before mass production
If you have an object that needs to be reproduced, the process starts with reference photographs. The better the documentation, the more faithful the result. And you don't need technical knowledge — the Douro Make team handles the modelling, material selection, and printing.
Have a similar project? Contact us with your reference photos, or get a quote to bring back to life what you thought was lost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you reproduce pieces from photographs?
It depends on the complexity of the piece and the quality of the photographs. For pieces with relatively simple geometry — like pawns, tokens, boxes, or miniatures — it's perfectly achievable. For pieces with very tight tolerances or internal mechanisms, physical measurements may be needed as well. The best way to find out is to send us the photos for evaluation.
How much does it cost to reproduce board game pieces?
The cost depends on the number of pieces, the complexity of each one, and the number of colors. For a project like Os Petroleiros, with multiple piece types and several colors, the price is calculated based on modelling time and print volume. Get a quote with your project details.
What materials are used to reproduce game pieces?
The most common materials are PLA, PETG, and ABS. PLA is the most frequent choice for decorative and game pieces — it offers vibrant colors, good detail definition, and sufficient durability for regular handling. For pieces that need greater thermal or mechanical resistance, we use PETG or ABS. Check our materials guide to learn more.
Do the reproduced pieces look identical to the originals?
The goal is to reproduce the dimensions, proportions, and visual style of the original. In terms of material, the texture may differ slightly from the original pieces (which are typically injection-molded plastic), but the result is visually very close and fully functional for gameplay.