Best Of The TP56/TP70 Kitbash thread N scale

[u18b]

Mine arrived today.

I hope to get some photos up tonight or tomorrow.

I bought all three parts.

[u18b]

It's kind of late, so I will post with only a little commentary.

This is my first Shapeways product.... so I don't know how to judge this.   
Is it good, great, or OK?

Just for reference, here's what we're making.




If FUD is brittle, this is opposite.  You can see walkway sag.
I wonder.... does it harden with time?




The pattern on the walkway was OK.




The underside was rounded a bit.
I'll file all that smooth.







The mounting bracket on the fuel tank was not printed straight.  But no matter since I will file it all off.


















Like Randy's, mine curved up a bit at the cab.







Here is the spot with a troubling flaw.  Left of headlight, there are two crap bumps.  There's another to the right edge of the door.




Bottom edge needs filing.



With edges filed, looks good.



K&S brass square tube for the frame.
Had to cut a notch for the electrical pickup on the truck.



Test fit looks good.






Glue the cut brass frame to walkway.




And the fuel tank.




Hmmmm.  Looks nice.

[wcfn100]

This is my first Shapeways product.... so I don't know how to judge this.   
Is it good, great, or OK?

I say that's all expected.  HDA can render some stuff really well and some stuff not so well but maybe still workable and you'll have to contend with the supports.  It's when you add the dimensional and warping issues that make it hard to rely on.

Jason

[Chris333]

Anymore when you design something to be 3D printed you have to think about how it will print. That is why I did that HOn30 body in 5 pieces with a 45 degree on the corners. Worked great in FUD, no sanding!  To do this project that way the cab would have to be 5 pieces, hood 4 pieces.

What about that carbon fiber printer, what does that cost?

[randgust]

Great posting Ron - nice photos, and it looks like you don't have any more issues getting the mech under there than I did.  Which is good, because your mech is likely way more sustainable than mine as parts supply.

The 45-degree striation pattern is a lot more visible on your hood than mine.   I'm thinking those 'bumps' are where the print supports were that got cut off, maybe.   It's clearly visible along the bottom edge and on mine, inside the hood.

You guys can nitpick this if you want, it's still one of the best things I've ever seen printed RP.   I could 'probably' make a smoother surface in resin, but I also can't do door louvers for nothing, even with Archer. 

There's a lot of FUD stuff out there that would be better served in this material, if you're aware of some of the issues.  The detail resolution in this is pretty phenomenal.   If you look on the LH side of the nose, you can see where David designed in the hole marks for the grabs, and that printed successfully.

[tehachapifan]

Beyond being photo-enlarged, is it possible that the striations look a little worse than they actually are in the above photos due to the angle of the light and the reflectivity of the shell? Wondering how far a coat of paint and a dull overcoat would go to reduce this without any sanding.

[u18b]

Russ, a couple of the striations are a little deeper and noticeable- like the one on the cab.

I was thinking that I might lightly air erase this to give it a slightly rougher finish.
Hopefully that might hide the differences.

[mmagliaro]

Compared to the alternative (which is to scratchbuild the whole body out of thin brass sheet and use something like BLMA etched parts or Archer decals for all the louvers), this is a very attractive way to go. 

The small extra "flash" dimples can be cleaned out with a sharp knife and some careful sanding.  The warpage in the shell can be mostly corrected by flat-filing the bottom, I would think.

The only thing, still, that gives me pause about 3D printed stuff in N Scale, are those striations.  I'm sure that the macro photography and the angle of the lighting is emphasizing them here, but I am worried that those are going to show in the painted surface.

[chessie system fan]

Would angling the shell make a difference in the striations?



Photo from Joe's thread a week or two ago.

[peteski]

Would angling the shell make a difference in the striations?



Photo from Joe's thread a week or two ago.

Judging by the diagonal striations on the shell I suspect that Shapeways already does that.

[up1950s]

Has anybody done one in FUD and was that a dud . Never saw a FUD with what looks like saw stroke marks .

[narrowminded]

Would primer be enough to fill that with a little sanding?

[randgust]

Has anybody done one in FUD and was that a dud . Never saw a FUD with what looks like saw stroke marks .

David doesn't offer it in FUD.   I've see striation in FUD way, way worse than this to the point where you couldn't even see the louvers.   I've also had a terrible time priming and sanding FUD to get a smooth finish.   You're seeing striation optically but the actual texture is much better.

I don't have time to paint mine right now but I don't think this is going to be that much of an issue.   I'm more concerned about getting a light-colored primer that will bond (as I'm doing the PC green one) to the acrylate.  I'll experiment on the inside of the shell, and I'm in no hurry.

[JanesCustomTrain]

I'm more concerned about getting a light-colored primer that will bond (as I'm doing the PC green one) to the acrylate.

Way before shapeways there were N scale shells available in a similar acrylate, orange not black, but there was never a problem with color not bonding to it. And if you want to be on the safe side, use Tamiya primer, the one out of the rattle can, also available in P!NK

Jane

[up1950s]

David doesn't offer it in FUD.   I've see striation in FUD way, way worse than this to the point where you couldn't even see the louvers.   I've also had a terrible time priming and sanding FUD to get a smooth finish.   You're seeing striation optically but the actual texture is much better.

I don't have time to paint mine right now but I don't think this is going to be that much of an issue.   I'm more concerned about getting a light-colored primer that will bond (as I'm doing the PC green one) to the acrylate.  I'll experiment on the inside of the shell, and I'm in no hurry.

You also have all those supports to try colors on .