The venerable Bentley Blower in 1/12th

[Andy the Sheep]

Dear Nick,
I see you are pulling the "big pencil" trick again... :tongue-out3: .

It's amazing how new technologies boost the evolution of our hobby, but they require a fully new batch of skills :nerd:and a certain amount of geld too.:money-face:
I hope to see more of your works and that finely detailed 3D printing will become less costly soon.
When this will happen, files downloads will replace those boxes filled with plastic sprues... I'll miss the cover art, though. :anguished::upside:

[nickedw]

Well I'm interested. carry on sir!
I love that louvre idea- who'd have thought it!
how thin is the ally?
what is your printer and which resin are you using? I have a Mars 2 and elegoo standard resin (although I find it a bit brittle)

Yes I’m an Elegoo guy myself, Mars2, Saturn and Jupiter so far, they’re all a bit modified for temperature control, Alexa voice control and a few other bits and pieces, what can I say, I tinker :smiling3:

Elegoo ABS-like resin is my usual and it’s pretty good I’m a few gallons in now and never really used anything else.




The Ali is .4mm

[nickedw]

Dear Nick,
I see you are pulling the "big pencil" trick again... :tongue-out3: .

It's amazing how new technologies boost the evolution of our hobby, but they require a fully new batch of skills :nerd:and a certain amount of geld too.:money-face:
I hope to see more of your works and that finely detailed 3D printing will become less costly soon.
When this will happen, files downloads will replace those boxes filled with plastic sprues... I'll miss the cover art, though. :anguished::upside:

The problem at the moment is the same as where digital music was a few years ago, there’s currently no digital rights management For 3D printing. So if someone sells you an .stl file, yes you can print it, but so can everyone else, and you could even re-sell it as your own work, or more likely just share it with fellow modellers because you’re a nice guy.

what I have proposed already is a system where each printer has a unique Id (like a MAC address) which forms half of an encryption key with the vendor and the file won’t print without it. So you, the purchaser, could print it as often as you like, or even a limited number of times if the vendor wanted that, but nobody else could with different machine.

as the guy buying it, you probably don’t want this, but without it, or something similar. It just won’t get traction.

There’s hundreds of hours of CAD goes into this stuff, the same or likely more than say the latest Airfix stuff you’ve seen on the telly, so the first time you let someone buy your .stl files you lose control and are effectively giving your work away. Airfix do it because they are in the business of flogging physical kits in boxes not the digital versions.

[Ian M]

Great stuff keep it coming!

[minitnkr]

Amazing stuff, love it all, keep it coming.

[Gern]

I'm way too old and nowhere near intelligent enough to cope with this sort of stuff, but it is fascinating to see the directions that modelling is going. Please keep posting.

[nickedw]

I'm way too old and nowhere near intelligent enough to cope with this sort of stuff, but it is fascinating to see the directions that modelling is going. Please keep posting.

Thanks for all the kind comments and support everyone - I’ll be 60 myself next year so not a great believer in the ’too old’ stuff, I got an 84 year old guy up and running quite happily in fusion 360 CAD not very long ago

you can learn pretty much anything you want these days from the web. Linked in learning is your friend.

I didn’t know any CAD about 3 years ago and picked it up in 4 weeks.

I hadn’t done any CAM 3 weeks ago either, although I’ve got a long way to go there!

[Airborne01]

Dear Nick,
I see you are pulling the "big pencil" trick again... :tongue-out3: .

It's amazing how new technologies boost the evolution of our hobby, but they require a fully new batch of skills :nerd:and a certain amount of geld too.:money-face:
I hope to see more of your works and that finely detailed 3D printing will become less costly soon.
When this will happen, files downloads will replace those boxes filled with plastic sprues... I'll miss the cover art, though. :anguished::upside:

File downloads will never replace box and sprue in my mind,I'm no Luddite but it just doesn't interest me. Just because it's new technology doesn't necessarily mean it's 'better,' not all people want to faff around with printers etc - some just want to (for example) load up a brush ... I'm not in any way decrying the tech (most of it is stunning!) but frequently it requires a mindset that not all modellers espouse. For instance. I love writing letters and sending cards instead of emails and Moonpig! Sorry ...
Steve

[Tim Marlow]

Sorry to say Steve, that if you like it or not, it’s coming, and it will come faster than you think. people had similar arguments about digital cameras, and they dominated the world in very short order.

The production of resin aftermarket stuff is an example. Printing will replace resin as a manufacturing tool in a few years. It makes absolute sense for small manufacturers to design items digitally and then print items as they are ordered. Keeping stock is expensive, both in time and in materials, and production on demand minimises waste.
In the field of model figures, especially small scale stuff, this technology is already making inroads into the traditional cast or injection moulded product lines. One well established figure manufacturer already lists print files alongside its traditional injection moulded products.

Have a look at this….it’s probably the future…..but probably not in this format….

https://faller-create.de/?lang=en

Faller are very much a mainstream model railway company, and this is where they seem to be going.

There is another company (cant remember their name) that will take a 3D scan of you and produce a wargames figure using your likeness so you can lead your own army……

The business model hasn’t yet settled down, but it will as the technology becomes mainstream rather than hobby niche.

[boatman]

File downloads will never replace box and sprue in my mind,I'm no Luddite but it just doesn't interest me. Just because it's new technology doesn't necessarily mean it's 'better,' not all people want to faff around with printers etc - some just want to (for example) load up a brush ... I'm not in any way decrying the tech (most of it is stunning!) but frequently it requires a mindset that not all modellers espouse. For instance. I love writing letters and sending cards instead of emails and Moonpig! Sorry ...
Steve

WELL Guys thinkin this through i aggree with Steve an i'll proberly get shot for this from you guys esp the guys who have bad aritise in their hands but yes this cad thing is great but here we go i dont think its modeling as such as the machine is doin all the building an not the moddeler like i like to scratchbuild the part that i need an not just let the machine do it Aaaaaaccchhh there ive said it now so all feel free to have your say

[Tim Marlow]

WELL Guys thinkin this through i aggree with Steve an i'll proberly get shot for this from you guys esp the guys who have bad aritise in their hands but yes this cad thing is great but here we go i dont think its modeling as such as the machine is doin all the building an not the moddeler like i like to scratchbuild the part that i need an not just let the machine do it Aaaaaaccchhh there ive said it now so all feel free to have your say

Not disagreeing there at all Chris. I wasn’t disagreeing with Steve either, just pointing out where it will all possibly go……

Probably worth a thread in its own right though, not just as a digression on Nicks excellent blower thread. After all, taking a bit of an old kit like that and using your skills to make it into a truly excellent scale model……..that’s real modelling alright, no matter what techniques you use :thumb2:

[Airborne01]

Sorry to say Steve, that if you like it or not, it’s coming, and it will come faster than you think. people had similar arguments about digital cameras, and they dominated the world in very short order.

The production of resin aftermarket stuff is an example. Printing will replace resin as a manufacturing tool in a few years. It makes absolute sense for small manufacturers to design items digitally and then print items as they are ordered. Keeping stock is expensive, both in time and in materials, and production on demand minimises waste.
In the field of model figures, especially small scale stuff, this technology is already making inroads into the traditional cast or injection moulded product lines. One well established figure manufacturer already lists print files alongside its traditional injection moulded products.

Have a look at this….it’s probably the future…..but probably not in this format….

https://faller-create.de/?lang=en

Faller are very much a mainstream model railway company, and this is where they seem to be going.

There is another company (cant remember their name) that will take a 3D scan of you and produce a wargames figure using your likeness so you can lead your own army……

The business model hasn’t yet settled down, but it will as the technology becomes mainstream rather than hobby niche.

I actually agree with you Tim in that, like it or not, it is starting and will happen; fortunately I think there will also be a place for 'traditionally produced' models (just look at the market for 'lead' soldiers for example), It is certainly the way of the future and I do think it will be a major influence on the hobby. I am looking at buying some printed German tool clamps purely because of the 3D finesse of them and the fact I hate PE! I am watching the development with interest and, who knows, in a year or two I may well be tempted by a printed figure or bust! Thanks for your very reasoned argument!
Steve

[Jim R]

I do find this stuff interesting, Nick, even if it all goes over my head.

[Airborne01]

Thanks for all the kind comments and support everyone - I’ll be 60 myself next year so not a great believer in the ’too old’ stuff, I got an 84 year old guy up and running quite happily in fusion 360 CAD not very long ago :smiling3:

you can learn pretty much anything you want these days from the web. Linked in learning is your friend.

I didn’t know any CAD about 3 years ago and picked it up in 4 weeks.

I hadn’t done any CAM 3 weeks ago either, although I’ve got a long way to go there!

Nick, your work is stunning; my apologies for 'hijacking'your excellent thread - completely unintentional!
Steve

[boatman]

I do find this stuff interesting, Nick, even if it all goes over my head.

yes i aggree Tim an YES Jim it is to me also but on another site a chap was building a type 42 destroyer in a big scale an he had a bridge made up by cad an yes it was excellent in every aspect but he dint build it the machine did but if he is happy then all good an well but my point is in the future if everyone uses a cad machine to make their models then the art of scratbuilding by hand will be lost forever if you all see what i mean an no offence ment to anyone if they are usein cad but just my thoughts on the subject SORRY Nick an same from me dint mean to hijack your thread like steve has said
chrisb