Anycubic Kobra 3 Max Combo

A super-sized 3D printer with a four-colour spool system that delivers on both quality and speed

- DENISE BERTACCHI

The Anycubic Kobra 3 Max Combo is one of the biggest multicolour personal 3D printers on the market.

It can turn out huge models using up to eight different filaments, and the user experience and overall print quality are both excellent.

The package comes with everything you need to get started, including a USB flash drive containing the documentation and a small sample of PLA. It also comes with a guide to assembling the printer, along with the necessary tools. This isn't a difficult job - you mostly just need to slot the pieces together and screw them into place. You also need to install the supplied four-colour filament hub, although if you're happy with mono printing you can get the single-colour version for £200 less.

Once it's all set up, the assembly has the same modern look as other Anycubic printers, with a sleek aluminium finish and orange accents. Also like other Anycubic printers, however, it doesn't come with a camera as standard, so you'll need to budget £15 for the official one if you want to monitor your prints from afar. Although it may not be obvious at first, the printer has plenty of clever design features. Dual Z motors have become standard on larger printers, but dual Y-axis motors for the bed are unusual and most welcome for large, hefty prints. The nozzle has a quick-release lever, so you can slide it out without having to unplug other components, and the toolhead cutter can also be removed, to expose the usual point of extruder clogging. This made it very quick and easy to clear out the one clog I experienced in over 600 hours of print time.