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LNER V2 4mm 3D Printed Body - Now in production


MikeTrice
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36 minutes ago, Headstock said:

Good morning Mike,

 

Count me in for the Comet chassis, though I'm likely to adapt the chassis to fit the body.

 

Many thanks.

I have ordered a Comet chassis for myself to see if there are other options. You might be better of with the Bachmann one then as it still has the correct front wells and splashers.

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1 hour ago, MikeTrice said:

Readers of Tony Wright's topic on RMWeb will have seen that he is putting together one of my 3D Printed LNER V2 bodies on a Comet chassis:

The body was put together by me as an exercise to see if I could do it and was originally intended to convert a few Bachmann V2s I had to make them look more prototypical. At the time I had no intention of marketing them (been there, done that) however I did consider putting them up in my Shapeways' Shop. Unfortunately with Shapeways' recent price hikes it would have come out to over £130 plus postage. Not really viable especially with the new Bachmann models due in the future. It was Shapeways' high prices that started me looking into the 3D Resin printers aimed at the hobbiest market resulting in my purchase of an Anycubic Photon.

 

Due to the size limitations of the machine the body had to be broken into two halves, front and rear. There is a "D" shaped joiner that helps to locate and strengthen the two halves which are joined with glue. The cab backhead is printed as a separate moulding as are the Wakefield Lubricators. 3D printing for the moment is quite a slow, tedius process. The two body halves take something in the region of 18hrs to print. The machine needs constant topping up with resin as the print takes place and I am alway nervous having to leave the machine running into the night in case the resin runs out (usually with only 1/2hr to go).

 

When removed from the build plate the moulding are like this, complete with support material:

IMG_2994.JPG.52ec7f51a7a50816e8da4e7d781c278c.JPG

 

The first part of the process is to remove all the support material resulting in two body parts that are still slightly soft and tacky:

IMG_2997.JPG.6d3f5dd1fc7248f19bed907d6b85da7a.JPG

 

The next stage is the post cure process where the parts are exposed to UV light to fully harden. Great when the sun is out, but far less convenient when it isn't.

 

Overall with all the parts printed I reckon I am talking some 3 days elapsed for a single body. Not really geared to a production line unless multple machines are run in parallel.

 

With the current Covid epidemic for some reason printer uv resin is in short supply and as a result is currently at higher prices than previously (some rediculously so). Likewise the cleaning fluid used to clean the mouldings out of the machine. The Photon is not without its faults, it gets through the FEP film on a regular basis through wear and tear and the LCD screens that do the printing have a limited life. Fortunately spares are obtainable, but it can mean a temporary delay in production.

 

The are a new generation of machines just coming on the market. They are bigger, faster and claim to be more reliable (time will tell).

 

Anyway, back to the reason for this post. People are starting to ask if I might be able to supply bodies to them. Although this was not my original intention I have been giving it some thought and providing demand is not too great, that I should be able to do so. I have worked out that I would be looking at a price of £60 per set of prints to make one body which would include post and packing. Supply would be slow, as and when I can print the bodies, so people would have to be patient.

 

The body as it currently stands should be an easy fit on the Bachmann chassis however to fit the Comet chassis Tony had to make some modifications. It would be quite easy for me to produce a variation of the print with these modifications already carried out.

 

So the question is, given what I can offer for the price, are there any people that would like one? At this stage a simple expression of interest, including whether for the Bachmann or Comet chassis, would let me judge what sort of volumes I am going to have to address.

Hi Mike, 

Please count me in for one of the Comet* ones. It's not a loco I need particularly quickly so would be happy to be near the end of the queue and allow others whose need is greater first bite. BTW I think you've done a lovely job on it. It looks very good indeed.

 

*Having read your reply to Andrew, I'll go with that and change to one of the Bachmann ones and do the mods myself for the Comet chassis a la Tony.

Edited by Clem
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Whilst the LNER is way out of my field of interest, may I take the opportunity to applaud Mike and wish him well in his endeavours?

 

It's good to see the entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive and well.

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

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1 hour ago, MikeTrice said:

I have ordered a Comet chassis for myself to see if there are other options. You might be better of with the Bachmann one then as it still has the correct front wells and splashers.

 

Thanks Mike,

 

the Bachmann version sounds like the right option. The Comet chassis is way too high and I would rather cut that down to accommodate your work. Some sort of gull wing motion bracket would also be required but that can be fabricated.

Edited by Headstock
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Just to illustrate how relatively easy it's been for me to marry the V2 body to the Comet chassis.

 

1779131362_MikeTriceV212.jpg.9a07fd615d8f2bc00a98cc3073fabb32.jpg

 

As mentioned on Wright Writes, I filed down the central lower section in anticipation of clearing the motion support bracket when it's fitted (I had a made-up Comet V2 chassis - several, in fact - to test this). 

 

The washer 'pad' around the rear fixing screw gives a 'soft' grip when the body is fixed in place. This minimises any potential resonance. 

 

I radiused the top rear edges of the Cartazzi frames, just to give a snug fit against the body. This was helped by just scraping a bit off the inner edge of the drag beam. 

 

I also filed off a bit of footplate adjacent to the rear drivers' flanges; just a small amount to ensure clearance. I hate loco bodies sitting too high up. 

 

1579268265_MikeTriceV213.jpg.139e5c7af26694733924cc446121a5f4.jpg

 

Though the front end fit was very snug, in order to get the frames/body match perfect, I bent the ends of the lugs inwards; thus shortening them. Leaving them full-length meant the body was pushed back a mil' and a bit too far. 

 

Note the slug of lead soldered on top of the pony. 

 

1314940220_MikeTriceV214.jpg.c71f03905e7dbb7abfc0004c3a40d35f.jpg

 

The rear end arrangement, with the drawbar 'goalpost' in place; soldered to the frames - much more secure than gluing it to resin. 

 

In order to get the tender of my choice to join perfectly, I filed off the triangular supports below the footplate (otherwise they interfered with the tender's footplate). 

 

405480714_MikeTriceV215.jpg.9c07bc3eb1739c14597b094cb9b8288c.jpg

 

This will be the tender of my choice (from South Eastern Finecast, made to go behind a K3). Though not the most-common V2 tender, it still suits many, and also comes with the option of flared copings. 

 

The tender is on order and, when everything is complete the loco will be painted BR green.

 

What more is there to say? Currently the most-accurate V2 I've ever made (or will be) and light years beyond the present RTR example? 

 

Go for it! 

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1 hour ago, Headstock said:

 

Thanks Mike,

 

the Bachmann version sounds like the right option. The Comet chassis is way too high and I would rather cut that down to accommodate your work. Some sort of gull wing motion bracket would also be required but that can be fabricated.

'The Comet chassis is way too high'

 

Ignorance was bliss. 

 

Why don't the six V2s I've built with them tower over other locos/stock? 

Edited by Tony Wright
to clarify a point
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1 hour ago, Headstock said:

 

Thanks Mike,

 

the Bachmann version sounds like the right option. The Comet chassis is way too high and I would rather cut that down to accommodate your work. Some sort of gull wing motion bracket would also be required but that can be fabricated.

Can you be a bit more specific as to where the comet chassis is too high please?

 

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Good Afternoon.

Please may I put my name down for a Bachmann chassis variant please.

(Although I would be happy with a Comet Chassis variant if that's where the majority of the demand lay.)

Thank you for your work and well done.

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Wow, numbers are building up! Might take me a while. At some point I will need to order some more resin. Given the shortages I cannot guarantee what colour resin will be available.

 

In case you all think I am now twiddling my thumbs I am trying to improve the model before I start printing. Missing from the one sent to Tony are the driver's seats in the cab and the front buffer housings which are designed to be sprung. These have now been done and will be test printed as soon as the machine is free. I am currently testing a revised front half as there is currently a print imperfection which would need filling. I am also considering revising the rear boiler as the firebox should project below the footplate and currently does not. Tony mentioned the rear support bracket which is also missing on my model which I could usefully add for the Bachmann version and by excluding it on the Comet chassis I could include it on the Comet version body. Undecided at present but happy to discuss.

 

I have ordered a Comet chassis for myself but it has not arrived yet. The post in our area is disrupted due to Covid so I can only be patient.

 

As to whether you can request the Bachmann version or the Comet version I can happily do both, one of the benefits of 3D printing.

 

All being well I am hoping to start printing next week. Watch this space!

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