Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra Review: Gaming Miniatures Made Easy | Tom's Hardware

Elegoo knocks it out of the park with an affordable, easy to use resin 3D printer that’s practically plug and play.

Excellent 9k resolution

Built-in Camera

Tilt release

Auto Level

Difficult to remove prints with default settings

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If you’re interested in 3D printing gaming miniatures, Elegoo’s Mars 5 Ultra is precisely what the Dungeon Master ordered. You don’t need to be a 3D printing expert to get started with this machine, thanks to its bevy of automatic features: auto-leveling, tilt release, failure detection, and resin level detection. It’s fast and precise, with an impressive 9K resolution for incredibly sharp details.

Tiny figures with tiny details are no problem for Mars 5 Ultra’s XY resolution of 18 x 18 microns. Prints look even better when the machine is fed high-definition resin, like Phrozen’s 8K Resin.

The Mars 5 Ultra includes a tempered glass LCD screen protector, which helps protect the screen from resin spills or accidental scratches — a huge benefit for those new to resin printing. It also boasts automatic leveling and has a tilt release feature that gently peels each layer off the vat’s bottom film. It has a sensor to detect resin levels and failed prints to save you time and headaches.

With a build volume of 153 x 77 x 165 mm and priced at $338 (currently on sale for $269.99), the Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra is a fantastic choice for gamers looking to break into 3D printing. Its ease of use, tempered glass protection, automatic leveling, and competitive price point make it one of the best resin 3D printers and the best 3D printers overall.

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra includes everything you need to get started as soon as you unbox the printer. You get a metal scraper for the build plate, a plastic scraper for the release film, paper funnels, disposable gloves, and a power cord with adapter and a printed manual. There is also a drip tray to catch stray resin that misses the vat during pours or while taking off the build plate.

In the box is a USB thumb drive loaded with a free copy ChituBox Basic slicing software, a PDF of the manual and two pre-sliced test prints.

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra requires the same safety precautions as other resin printers. Uncured resin is dangerous, and the solvents used to clean your prints can be irritating to the skin. Use gloves and safety glasses when pouring resin and handling uncured prints.

Make sure the room you use your resin printer in is well-ventilated to avoid inhaling fumes. Spilled or dripped resin should be immediately cleaned with 99% isopropyl alcohol. After printing, make sure to wipe down your printer and bottles to remove smudges of uncured resin. Always keep your resin tightly sealed and safely stored out of reach of pets and children.

The printer comes fully assembled. You only need to remove the LED screen protector used for shipping, screw in the vat and build plate, and you’re ready to start printing.

Unlike older resin printers, the Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra ships factory-leveled. Simply put the build plate in place and you’re ready to go. The machine can do an automatic calibration before each print to make sure everything is in the right place.

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra has 9K resolution, which can be confusing because it refers to the machine’s total pixel count rather than a “per inch” or “per centimeter” number. More meaningful is the 18x18μm XY resolution figure, which is how tiny the pixels are on its 7-inch LCD screen. A human hair averages 50μm, so we’re talking about pixels less than half a hair. This gives us super sharp details on even the smallest of gaming minis.

The build plate on the Mars 5 Ultra is laser-etched, which grabs onto prints a little too well. I had to dial back the first layer burn time in order to scrape prints off. The top of the plate has enough slope to allow most of the resin to drain back into the vat, and the screws are hidden under a bulky cover with standoffs that makes cleaning a bit of a chore.

This 3D printer can take files off a USB thumb drive or over Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi in my basement is a little sketchy, so I was happy to have the USB option to move files. There’s no need to connect the printer to the internet, and firmware updates can be manually loaded from Elegoo’s website.

If you hook your Mars 5 Pro to Wi-Fi, you can turn on Chitubox Manager, which will not only let you transfer files remotely but also watch the printer’s progress through the built-in camera and access timelapse videos. The camera does not work with Lychee Slicer at the moment, but Elegoo is working on compatibility.

The Mars 5 Ultra auto levels itself and is as plug-and-play as a resin printer can get. When you turn it on, it runs through a system check, and it can calibrate the bed before each bed. The build surface is motorized and will rock the vat each time it prints a layer. This rocking motion, combined with lifting the build plate, quickly and gently peels the model off the bottom film. The results are faster prints with a lower fail rate.

It can also determine if there is enough resin to cover the bed and will stop printing if it gets too low. The AI camera can also detect print fails, but only after the model is tall enough to be seen over the edge of the vat.

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra ships with a copy of ChituBox Basic and is also compatible with Lychee Slicer. ChituBox Basic does everything you need, including hollowing the model and providing reliable automatic supports. The free version of Lychee Slicer is equally good, but includes ads, which can be annoying. Both have profiles for the Mars 5 Ultra, though the first layer needs a little less time.

Before you can admire your prints, you’ll need to wash them with isopropyl alcohol and cure them with UV light. I like to give prints a 30-second hand rinse in a container of 95% isopropyl alcohol, then a two-minute rinse in the Elegoo Wash and Cure, which is sold separately and retails for $249 at Elegoo.com.

Completely dry the print with a hair dryer on cool. The IPA left on the print will turn white. You can also let the print air dry in a place away from sunlight.

Supports are easier to remove before curing because they are softer. Clip the supports off with side cutters and use tweezers to remove stubborn supports. Remember to always wear gloves while handling uncured prints.

Place the print in a UV curing station for 15 minutes or outside in bright sunlight for a few hours.

Your IPA should never be flushed down the drain, especially after being contaminated with uncured resin. Instead, keep using the resin until it’s too dirty, then leave the container open to evaporate. The remaining sludge can be cured with UV light or the sun before being thrown away.

Supports should also be cured before being thrown away.

I first tested the printer with the AmeraLabs resin test print using a bottle of Elgoo Standard Rapid resin that was provided for the review. The print looked perfect – its only issue was being stuck too firmly to the bed.

The Mars 5 Ultra has a test function to help dial in your settings, where the printer automatically duplicates your model eight times at different exposures. It’s pretty handy when you’re dealing with unfamiliar materials, but I didn’t need it with this review since I only needed to dial back the bottom exposure setting.

Next I ran my favorite Rocket Bust by Wekster, which I’ve been using as a larger comparison test for resin printers. This printed in 2 hours 27 minutes, using a 2.2 second exposure time, which is 46 minutes faster than when I printed this model on the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra. It prints in about the same time as the Anycubic Mono M7 when using it’s “normal speed/standard resin”, which was 2 hours and 25 minutes.

The print is smooth and clean, with good details on the teeth and fur. This was printed using Elegoo’s Rapid Standard Resin.

The Mars 5 Ultra really shines when you give it “high-res” resin. The photo of Teagon and a Mimic chest were printed using Elegoo’s Rapid Standard resin, while the 2nd photo of just Teagan (with the supports still attached) was printed with the same exact settings in Phrozen Aqua-Gray 8K Resin. The 8k resin has a flat finish that really shows the details in her chain mail, and the face no longer looks soft. Both took one hour and 44 minutes to print using the default 2.2-second layer exposure time.

Finally, I tested a new resin sent over by Prusa Research. This is Prusa’s Resin Model Color Kit, a system of five colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, black and white) that can be mixed into nearly any color you can dream up. The small size of the Mars 5 Ultra’s vat was perfect for experimenting with colors, as it takes very little resin to fill the bottom of the vat. Each color took 38 minutes to print, and worked perfectly with Chitubox’s default settings with a 2.2 second layer exposure.

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra is a great choice for gamers who want to get into 3D printing miniatures or beginners learning looking for a reliable first printer that will hold their hand the whole way. With user-friendly features like automatic leveling, tilt release, and AI to detect issues early, it simplifies the process while providing excellent quality. Its 9K resolution provides crispy details, but the initial difficulty in removing prints was disappointing. Overall, it’s a great printer that only needs a tiny bit of tweaking.

The print volume may be small, but for those looking to make gaming miniatures, jewelry, or ornaments, it’s more than enough. Its current sale price of $269.99 makes it quite affordable for both beginners and those looking to upgrade or add a second 3D printer.

If you’re looking for a resin printer that delivers the same quality at a slower speed and cheaper price, check out our favorite medium-sized resin, the Elegoo Photon Mono X2, which is a heck of a deal while it’s on sale for $179.

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Denise Bertacchi is a Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering 3D printing. Denise has been crafting with PCs since she discovered Print Shop had clip art on her Apple IIe. She’s been a freelance newspaper reporter, online columnist and craft blogger with an eye for kid’s STEM activities. She got hooked on 3D printing after her son made a tiny Tinkercad Jeep for a school science project. Excited to learn more, she got a Creality CR10s and hasn’t looked back. She loves reviewing 3D printers because she can mix all her passions: printing, photography and writing. When she’s not modding her Ender 3 Pro or stirring glitter into a batch of resin, you’ll find her at the latest superhero movie with her husband and two sons.

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