The test print arrived last week and I couldn't wait to try it out with Colin's Wheels. Here it is with a white background:

And here it is against black (seems to show up more detail and yes, they are the same wheels!):

I was initially worried about the material (frosted ultra detail) not being strong enough and/or warping but it was gratifying to see that the bogies are nice and strong and totally "true". I added a bit of sprue between the ends of the frames (evident in the pictures) to keep the frames the right distance apart. I'm not sure that this is totally necessary. The amazing thing is that none of the brake gear is damaged at all (I was expecting this to be the weakest bit).

The axle holes need opening out a bit with a cutting broach to make them free rolling. I've also lost a few of the dampers in the process of handling and washing them. I'm not totally convinced that metal axle on plastic will give a long life to the bogies so I've ordered some Markits bush bearings for 2mm axles. On the test prints I'll open out the bearings to 3mm with a drill to accept the bushes once they arrive.

I've washed a lot of the residual wax off the bogies using warm soapy water and a soft paintbrush (inserted into all the nooks and crannies). This seems to have done the trick and it is now a case of seeing how well they take paint.

Things to improve on in the next batch:

• Print with a 3mm hole ready to accept the Markits bearings (assuming they fit on the test print).
  
• Strengthen the join between the secondary dampers and their attachment points (make a bigger cross section so they don't snap off). I might also add a sprue that joins the 4 secondary dampers together to keep them from snapping off. Will also print some spare ones as I've lost a few on the carpet!
  
• Add a bit of bracing between the main and the side frames (light and dark grey bits in the 3D render on my previous blog entry). The extra bracing on the bogie with the handwheel has a significant strengthening effect.
  

Off now to make up some of Colin's handwheels and to order some sequins and O-rings to act as the primary suspension units.