Last weekend, I decided that I would like to see just how good 3D printing is ... so I ordered a 1/76th-scale model of a 15cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf) from Butlers Printed Models. It cost me £7.70 (plus postage and packing), and it arrived yesterday.
Having unpacked the model from the box it arrived in, I was most impressed by the crispness of the detail, and the following photographs show just how good the printed model is.
There are some very faint lines and/or steps visible if you look really closely at the tops and sides of the models, but it will require not more (and probably less) cleaning up that a resin or metal model would have. I suspect that once the model has been painted, these tiny anomalies will no longer be visible unless the model is studied at very close range!
The underneath of the models does show the lines where the printhead has laid down the resin ...
... but as this is the side of the model that will not be visible when it is in use on the tabletop, I do not find this to be a problem.
If this is the sort of quality of model that 3D printing can produce, I will certainly buy further models if and when I think I need to fill a gap in my collection. It has also made me give serious thought as to the possibility of buying my own 3D printer at some time in the future.
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Bob,
ReplyDeleteThat looks very good and the price is not unreasonable when compared to those now of Airfix kits that have to be assembled, although you and I can remember when such kits cost a mere two shillings!
Best wishes, Arthur
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteThe price is very competitive when compared with the cost of a plastic kit, and requires no assembly.
I can well remember buying Airfix kits for 2/-! Those where the days when they were sold in plastic bags with a paper header that had the assembly instruction printed on the inside of the header.
All the best,
Bob
Looks like Butlers have upped their game - in the past I've been put off by their reputation for producing models with very poor definition/lots of lines where plastic laid down.
ReplyDeleteRob Young,
DeleteI was certainly impressed by the quality of this printed model ... and I will be buying from them again when the need arises.
All the best,
Bob
A couple of years ago I had some custom 3D models made by a local firm. I gave them a scratch built sample and they created a computer program from that. I had 200 heavy machine guns made in HO scale. The price and quality were excellent. 3D printing is definitely the future for those models not readily available off the shelf or custom items that are hard to scratch build in quantity. Regards Tony
ReplyDeleteTony Adams (Tony),
DeleteThat is a great idea! I must admit that I was a bit sceptical until I bought this model ... and now I am a convert!
All the best,
Bob
Bob
ReplyDeleteLooks pretty good - that has been printed on an FDM printer (rather than a resin one) using plastic. What you can see underneath is where the support structures have been pulled off the model after printing...
Mike Lewis,
DeleteThanks for the information about which of the methods and materials were used. It will help me if I actually do decide to buy my own 3D printer.
All the best,
Bob
It looks pretty good to me Bob.
ReplyDeleteRay Rousell,
DeleteConsidering the complexity of the vehicle, the model turned out very nicely indeed. I’m now a convert to 3D printing.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteCertainly 3D Printing fills the space for those types of models the main plastic manufacturers don't do - those odd models certainly find a home. Plastic kits have become very expensive- I saw a little (1/1200th) HMS Victory kit (Airfix) for $32 ...just unreal when we consider those prices back in the day. Stay well there. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteThey are exactly suited to that ‘filling a gap’ role, although if the price of model kits continues to rise, they may well replace the widespread use of model kits by wargamers.
All the best,
Bob.
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI've bought a lot of 3D printed models, especially for those hard to find vehicles and/or in odd scales like 1/87 so can give you my experience.
Quality varies considerably, but without a doubt the best by far are the resin prints rather than plastic. You wouldn't know they were 3D printed and often have more fine details than resin casts.
Sadly the lining can be very pronounced and show through paint; worst are things like truck cabs and canvas backs of where the surface is angled.
Fixes I've seen include cutting / chiseling off, costing with PVA or similar or covering with foil. Depends how pronounced it is or whether you can live with it.
Resin is print line free to some extent and often not more expensive than plastic. Earlier printers are also more pronounced in this regard.
Neil
Neil Patterson (Neil),
DeleteThanks for the very helpful feedback, especially regarding the merits of resin over plastic. As far as I am concerned, I can live with some lining if it is not too pronounced ... and I’ll try to avoid models with too many slopes or uneven surfaces.
All the best,
Bob
The quality of 3D printed models is just getting better and better, I am astonished at some of the vehicles I see around the internet. Figure quality is also really coming on, I'm still surprised just how well my 40mm Royal Horse Artillery crew turned out, not just the digital design (which was done by a professional), but also the 3D printed end product which was easily a match for commercial metal castings in my opinion. People are now printing entire armies!
ReplyDelete‘Lee,
DeleteI had not realised that those 40mm figures had been 3D printed! The print quality was outstandingly clean and crisp.
All the best,
Bob
The more vertical a surface, the less the build lines show, due to the way the model is sliced for building on the machine. If you had a Swedish 'S' tank for example, the lines on the hull would be very noticeable in comparison.
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteThat is a very useful bit of advice ... and I can imagine that a 3D printed model of the S tank would have been problematic because of its sloping armour.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, Did you watch Pete Sizer's presentation on 3D printing from the February VCOW? Very informative and I think has inspired several to take the plunge and get a printer. Now that resin printers are not much over £200 and given the range of free or cheap files to download, particularly for vehicles, this does look like the future.
ReplyDeleteNigel Drury,
DeleteI did see that presentation, and it was a as a result of watching it that I decided to give 3D printing a go. I can foresee buying a 3D printer sometime, hopefully within the next twelve to eighteen months.
All the best,
Bob
Of course buying a good printer is the easy bit. Unless there is an existing program of the model you want, you have to write your own software program. Having looked at that all I can say is that it was far beyond my digital
ReplyDeleteskills. I admire anyone who can write these files.
Tony Adams,
DeleteI would probably stick to existing programs, although I have done some programming in the past. I’d certainly be willing to give it a go.
All the best,
Bob
Hello there Bob,
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely looking model and will certainly come in useful for your WW2 project. The first of many 3D acquisitions methinks!
All the best,
DC
David Crook,
DeleteI was very impressed with the model, and I suspect that you are right about it being the first of many!
All the best,
Bob
Not totally unrelated, you might want to check out http://molatero.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteIt's by a chap called Stephen Beat and he's taken to printing his own figures. He uses a CAD program to come up with the designs.
Jfidz,
DeleteThanks for the link. I’ll certainly have a look at Stephen Beat’s blog.
All the best,
Bob
Resins to be cheerful indeed :)
ReplyDeleteHope the suit is progressing favourably.
Tradgardmastare,
DeleteA very clever use of words! Very funny!
The suit is now sorted ... thankfully!
All the best,
Bob
Bob
ReplyDeleteI have recently investing in a 3D printer and I will be bringing some 3D models in various scales along to the next Holborn group, probably July unless we get a June session in
John
Unknown (John),
DeleteI’d be very interested to see them! I am now a convert to 3D printing, and can see it as a way to fill in gaps in my collections.
All the best,
Bob
I just watched a video in which the creator claimed a 3D printer can be had for as little as $200 and there's an excellent chance that what you want to make has already been designed and the files are free to download. The only ongoing expense is filament.
ReplyDeleteIf that had been the case when I was younger I would have had legions of Space Marines several times over by now.
Mr. Pavone,
DeleteThe price of a reasonable quality 3D printer has dropped considerably over the past two years, and the range and price of filament you can use seems to have grown.
I suspect that if they had been around when I started wargaming, my wargame collections would be huge.
All the best,
Bob