MakeMyModels - what happened?

[Mark4]

I can step in with a few facts/observations.

Our machine is an Envisiontec Perfactory. Last time I checked the list price was 65,000 euros.
This type of machine does not use a separate support material such as a wax. The material takes paint very well.

There are several reasons why we have not introduced many new N scale products recently:

1. The US dollar has dropped against the NZ dollar by more than 30% in the past year. I am guessing that a 30% price increase is not going to be acceptable. Our costs are mainly in NZD an euros. I can eat the drop in margin on existing products but I am reluctant to introduce new products until the exchange rate situation improves. Once it does we can dust off a number of projects and launch them

2. We have been working for a number of well-known companies to develop models that emerge as injection-molded or cast resin products. Some are in N scale, some in HO and Z.

3. We have also been working in non-model fields; landscape products, solar power, medical (hip joints) and we have been providing services to the local steel industry and universities. All part of not having too many eggs in one basket.


...and to cap it off we grow citrus fruit and avocados. My office looks out over hundreds of trees. It's harvest season for the clementines and satsumas. My wife takes care of most of that stuff but sometimes it's very satisfying to take a break from the high-tech stuff and pick citrus. The smell is great, the birds are entertaining (although there are several parrots that risk getting shot soon!) and the winter days can be warm(ish) and sunny. We live in a major fruit/vegetable growing area. Figs one side of us, kiwifruit the other. Passionfuit, tamarillos, avocados, grapes etc along the road.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wow mark, it sounds like you've got yourself a little slice of paradise there.

I'd love to see some pics. (But if Steve's in them, please remind him to keep his clothes on )

[sirenwerks]

Mmmmmm clementines......... The best one's come from Morocco though. I never thought of New Zealand as a citrus growing region. But then again, I guess I've never thought much about NZ until M4 started introducing products. Wasn't there a pop movie made in NZ not too long ago?

[ljudice]

Mark - sounds like fun! I guess the reason why some of the "others" have such weird painting problems is the wax?  In fact, what I observed - paint never drying - sounds a lot like what would happen if you paint wax...

Lou

[Mark4]

Wasn't there a pop movie made in NZ not too long ago?

Don't know about that - I try to excuse myself from popular "culture" due to lack of interest. There is a lot of movie work going on here. A lot of commercials for Australia, US, UK, Germany etc are made here; my parents and other family members sometimes act in them. I remember when we lived in the US seeing my father in a Cadillac commercial.  

As for clementines - they are good eating. Probably the sweetest of the citrus fruits. We also have oranges, grapefruit, blood oranges and lemons but not in commercial quantities. The buds are forming on the stone fruit at the moment - plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines. We also have apples, pears, quinces, persimmons, guavas etc.

That's reminded me - I ought to get the Tropicana reefers out in Z scale soon!

[Mark4]

Mark - sounds like fun! I guess the reason why some of the "others" have such weird painting problems is the wax?  In fact, what I observed - paint never drying - sounds a lot like what would happen if you paint wax...

Lou

Lou,

Fun? Sometimes. What I have found is that we are pushing the boundaries of the hardware and software these day. Having a dual core 4 GB RAM machine sitting and "thinking" for 20 minutes is not fun but there is always a bit of a thrill seeing a new design come off the machine. I also get a bit of a kick seeing a model we have designed and prototyped appearing on a client's website.

I understand that the other technologies use a waxy substance as a continuous support during the build process. It has advantages in that you don't have to devise a sometime elaborate support structure that has to be carefully removed after building. I sometimes spend an awful lot of time figuring out how to support a model during the build process in a way that doesn't involve extensive work to remove and doesn't affect the visible surfaces. When our parts are built they are covered in a slime of uncured resin so there is a series of alcohol rinses to remove it. We used to use an ultrasonic bath but that introduced micro-cracks so we don't do it any more.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I would gladly pay extra for new products. There is so much out there right now that I am waiting to see prodced... CF7, Comet II cars for example.

If you guys remember, I panned MMM in my first truck article for these very reasons. I bought several models, but the only one to ever make it out of the paint shop in one peice was a trash truck. That model took over 20 coats... no joke... 20 coats of paint and the finish still has a thatched texture.

[ljudice]

I was impressed at first, but finishing was the issue. Fortunately I was able to salvage the truck crane - their flat lines made them pretty easy to finish.

They don't seem to be doing anything new now.

I do believe that some things - like MOW would be ideal - the R.E.M. models - for example are pretty crude too...

Lou