Just completed this - took a lot more effort than I thought given what the models looked like when I opened the package but this is all covered in the review
http://smww2andnapoleonic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/review-of-shapeways-model-british.html (http://smww2andnapoleonic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/review-of-shapeways-model-british.html)
Steve
This is the main problem of the 3D printers : you need someone to clean the print lines. It is then cheaper to cast resins of the printed master.
Quote from: barbarian on 30 September 2015, 11:13:29 PM
This is the main problem of the 3D printers : you need someone to clean the print lines. It is then cheaper to cast resins of the printed master.
I agree, at the moment it is only useful as a prototyping tool. I've done a few prints and sometime the cleaning up takes up more time than the old style mastering :). Very handy though for making sure of dimensions (Can anyone tell I'm more at home with organic subjects? :) ).
Cheers
GrumpyOldMan
Very honest review, Steve.
I know of one manufacturer who went from using a designer, who did the same type of work as our own Mart 678, to 3D printing for his 'masters'.
The manufacturer has now gone back to his original designer.
(Cheaper, and far better results, in the end.)
Cheers - Phil
I really like how those Boarhounds have come out - I'd be very tempted myself!
The first prints looked a shoddy though, even if clear materials don't photo well ;)
despite my disappointment with the material - and the cost - after lots of coats of paint and my standard painting approach to finish they do look nice on the table. so while unlikely to go this route again at least I have something I am happy enough to look at with some pride
I'd be very chuffed - they actually look really real. When you see the real thing up close, the finish is actually a lot less perfect than most wargames castings, and your wrestling of the material into shape has a/ come out really well in its own right, and b/ nicely replicates the real thing 8)
Not sure I'd want that amount of hassle though, not for the cost :o
yes, for me it the hassle and cost that is the put off to get anything else
I have two of these - I bought the second one in a more expensive material when seeing the layering on the first. Sadly, I can still see layering on the second, but still, a huge and impressive vehicle!
The issues you have faced are normal on vertical surfaces for this style of printing. I should know as I'm a professional modelmaker and we have this style of printer at work. To get a nice smooth finish we have to paint the model, then sand it down wet, which helps to get rid of the waxy support material, which is the stuff that cuases the grainy surface. Then we paint it again and then sand it down dry as the materials are quite hygroscopic and so swell slightly, giving a layered finish. Dry sanding gets around this. then we paint it again and generally you have a good surface to work from. So as you can see a lot of time and effort involved. Also the material is not that stable as so you may find warpage on gun barrels etc over time :(.
Steve J - thanks for the info. Mine were more furry than rough on the sides, really weird. Grainy or layers I was prepared for. But from what you say even if mine were printed a bit funny this is not the material for me. I will keep an eye on the guns - at least they are easy to remove and replace with plastic or something if needed
Incidentally, there's a Pz Sfl.IVb and a TOG II* on Shapeways I intend to order next week. The TOG is upscaled from 1:285, so probably none too detailed, but where else can you get a 10mm/1:144/whatever scale TOG or Souffle for the World Of Tanks fans?
Hi I have seen resin Pz Sfl.IVb on ebay (ebay.com), both as kits and completed. But comes and goes. But Waffen 1./144 do one and can get in UK:
http://www.tankzone.co.uk/images/waffen144/w1006a.JPG (http://www.tankzone.co.uk/images/waffen144/w1006a.JPG)
There stuff is not that great but a lot of it is the rubbish paint job and the come up better with some work. the resin is a bit brittle though.
Not seen a TOG as yet though
Steve
Wulf - just got an email to say free shipping on Shapeways this weekend. I may get a couple more Polikarpov I-153 as they were as expected, a bit grainy but not bad and consistent all over and at 7 euro good value if free postage. I might be tempted by one TOG - strong white which is grainy but hopefully is the same all over. but not really sure as £12 something
Hmm... postage is actually a minor concern, when you order a couple of tanks, some 1:600 aircraft and a dinosaur or two, but every little helps, thanks!
And you could always get TOG in Frosted Ultra Detail - at £40... :o
as I only want a model or two the postage is nearly as much - by the way 8am BST on Saturday is when it starts as free (midnight Pacific time)
Quote from: Wulf on 02 October 2015, 08:43:15 PM
And you could always get TOG in Frosted Ultra Detail - at £40... :o
I think not! :P
Seriously, would welcome your views on the TOG when you get one. I just order two more of the Russian bi-plane I got last time as at 7 euro they are good value and not too grainy for a plane that will not be seen that often; decided I did not want to risk any vehicles
I am always worried ordering from Shapeways, even FUD - which I think is the best detail material - shows layering on subtle curves, as often seen on 1:600 aircraft.
Well, I ordered, will see in a couple of weeks, from previous experience.
Quote from: Wulf on 03 October 2015, 05:46:21 PM
Well, I ordered, will see in a couple of weeks, from previous experience.
Wulf - has your TOG 2 arrived yet? If so what is it like in terms of detail and how rough/ smooth is it?
cheers
Steve
Yes, TOG II* & the Pz Sfl IVb arrived midweek, I was going to post a proper review thread once I cleaned them up, however, short version:
TOG II*
https://www.shapeways.com/product/7CP86A7W6/british-tog-heavy-tank-1-144?optionId=57346719&li=ostatus
Bought in WSF (the cheapest material), detail low, surface texture rough & lumpy, but, damn, it looks good! The surface is kind of forgiveable, as it's completely uniform all over, and may well not be noticed under some camo paint. The low detail (this is a 1:144 scale mini upscaled from a 1:285 design) works fine for TOG, it's not got a lot of detail anyway! The strange 'troughs' on top, and the side 'doors' where they plated over the sponson openings are a bit exaggerated in depth, but it all works rather well. The tracks are too wide, but otherwise it looks like TOG. It's a gaming mini or a toy, not an accurate scale model. The FUD version would be far better, but horrifically expensive!
Pz Sfl IVb
https://www.shapeways.com/product/S8GJHXCC2/1-144-pz-sfl-ivb-geschutzwagen-ivb?optionId=12384505&li=ostatus
Bought in FUD, the most expensive option. Lovely. Absolutely lovely. No noticeable layering or banding, smooth turret surfaces, fine detail on the track guards (tool stowage, etc), but the back of the turret (which looks like ammo stowage on the World of Tanks version) is smooth & featureless. It's probably really fragile, it (and TOG) are featherlite & will need weighing down to use effectively, but it has as much detail as many metal minis. The inside of the turret looks a bit crude or simplified, but there's a gun breech there.
Are they worth the money? No, of course they're not, they're ridiculously expensive. But it's these or nothing...
p.s.
Tu 28 in 1:600
https://www.shapeways.com/product/USGQBXZ55/tu-28-1-600-x2-fud?optionId=2799678&li=ostatus
Beautiful finely detailed mini with just as much detail as you could hope for.
Didn't order any dinosaurs this time...
thanks - I may well give the TOG a go when there is free postage next. Look forward to seeing the finished articles
Quote from: Wulf on 17 October 2015, 10:40:34 PM
Are they worth the money? No, of course they're not, they're ridiculously expensive. But it's these or nothing...
Wow ! :o.....They are somewhat on the pricey side...But as you say.....
Cheers - Phil
The raw materials are horribly expensive. On our machine we literally throw away £1,000's worth of support material a week as it cannot be re-cycled :(.
Quote from: Wulf on 17 October 2015, 10:40:34 PM
Yes, TOG II* & the Pz Sfl IVb arrived midweek, I was going to post a proper review thread once I cleaned them up, ..
Wulf, I got a TOG 2 in the end when there was a free postage offer a couple weeks back. Came in less than a week and I decided to do it straight away.. You can check it out here:
http://smww2andnapoleonic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/british-tog-2-heavy-tank.html (http://smww2andnapoleonic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/british-tog-2-heavy-tank.html)
Steve
Nice, big bit of kit.
I really like the comparison shots with the other heavies too.
Absolutely lovely. Mine will, eventually, be camo-ed, but it's good to see the surface texture looks pretty good even in a single colour.
Where did the other heavies come from? I don't know any of those were in 1:144...
Wulf
the KV 5 is an expensive Japanese resin kit - Alter Infinite. I got them via Amazon.jp The worst thing was the tax coming in (well actually the parcel force processing charge was huge). I got a couple more and a super Pershing sent to Taiwan when I was there last year. Saved a lot
The Tortoise is CGD: http://www.combatgroupdynamix.com/eShop/eShopNew.html (http://www.combatgroupdynamix.com/eShop/eShopNew.html)
I have a load of other CGD to do but cleanign them up is a nightmare given all the sprue attached and it is fragile so needs repair after (you can see from the picure on the landing page what I mean about sprue)
The Maus is just a Can Do pre-painted model
If I get another TOG 2 I may have a go at a cammo pattern
Steve
Oooh... they do a Sentinel... 8)
I have mostly bought their stuff on their ebay shop (can't find it if on ebay UK have to be on ebay.com)
http://stores.ebay.com/Combat-Group-Dynamix (http://stores.ebay.com/Combat-Group-Dynamix)
I have got things much less than their direct shop - $0.99 for an E100 once. But I have not seen them list anything for a while, although I don't look that often as I have losts already waiting to do
Thanks. Their soldiers at rest look nice for a project I have, but damned expensive for 5 teeny toy solders...