Wheels of Time DIY 3D printed kit of the early FM H12-44 (Phase 1)

[Jim Starbuck]

Has anyone heard anything about these shells?
Their website said they were supposed to be out mid to late November.

Jim

[Missaberoad]

Has anyone heard anything about these shells?
Their website said they were supposed to be out mid to late November.

Jim

I ordered 3 and besides the initial confirmation haven't heard anything.  They did change the date tho, they originally said due October.

[JMaurer1]

How did I miss these? Now preorders are closed and I guess they are only printing enough to fill preorders? Darn!

[Jim Starbuck]

I just received an email notification that they’re shipping.

[muktown128]

I'm sorry I missed the pre-order deadline for this. 

If these are being 3D printed, why can't they just print them when they are ordered? 

[thomasjmdavis]

I was going to order, but I wanted to see if I could find a V01000 chassis before I spent the bucks on the shell. Still looking. Yes, they do come up on the auction site once in a while, but I don't want to pay 20% over MSRP for a used loco.
Still looking.

[mstl 246]

Got my shipping conformation today too, was wondering if it was going to be moved more into December.

Nat

[James Costello]

How did I miss these? Now preorders are closed and I guess they are only printing enough to fill preorders? Darn!

@JMaurer1  I was late on a reservation for a passenger car a few months ago, so I emailed Matt and I was able to snare one from up his sleeve....

[mstl 246]

The shells I ordered arrived today, very pleased with the shipping time. Might have used up my luck with USPS getting them here.

Each package comes with a instruction sheet, laser cut plastic windows and the shell. I wasn't expecting it but the supports from the printing process were mostly removed from the shell too.

Detail looks really good to me, I'll defer to those that have more experience with 3d printed shells.
I can see some really fine print striations but they are pretty small and notice them when moving the shell around under a light.

Sorry no photos, don't think my cell phone is up to the task.

Nat

[JMaurer1]

Now who's going to be the first person to post one painted and decaled?

[Jim Starbuck]

Now who's going to be the first person to post one painted and decaled?

I sprayed a coat of primer on mine last night. Does that count?
Mine arrived with all the interior bracing in it which is fine by me. I’ll remove it after painting.
The print quality is good. The steps and pilot are very nice as well as overall detail.
There are some fine lines on top of the hood but very manageable and as good or better than we can expect by today’s 3d printing standards.
I didn’t have much time to look it over closely last night but eager to check it out better when I get home this afternoon.
Nevertheless it’s great to have an alternative to the Shapeways shell.

[Jim Starbuck]

I sat down with my shell tonight. The closer you look at this the more detail you see. The grill on top of the hood is amazingly delicate and perfectly rendered. The grating on the steps is beautiful. There are dimples to locate the drop grabs on the front of the hood and small base blocks on the sill for the side railings. Recessed sand fill hatches and grating on the rear cab step are beautifully detailed.
There are a few light print lines in the cab and hood sides but a coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 and some 320 soft sanding sticks cleared those up.
This shell has a ton going for it but it does have a couple down sides. The roof and top of the hood have significant segments that may be able to be sanded out but I’m going to apply a skim coat of Tamiya putty. Not a big deal and certainly much better than the dozens of hours of sanding required by the Shapeways shell.
The top front corners of the hood seemed too sharp to me so I sanded them a bit and softened the curves up.
This is going to build into a very nice model.

[kiwi_al]

I thought I might have missed out on these, I've been watching you guys getting your shells but as luck would have it this Kiwi is getting one after all. I got a Paypal request tonight 

[Jim Starbuck]

I sanded out the skim coat of Tamiya putty then sprayed another coat of Mr Surfacer primer. The stepping is gone and I’m quite happy with it.

[Jim Starbuck]

Making some progress.