3D printed road vehicles

[grahame]

Yep, already seen them, and placed an order - the pack of two Traffics, the broken down car and a Kadette coupé plus some air con units. With P&P that was just short of £48. That's quite a bet/chance with Shapeways as their quality can be variable, especially if the orientation is dodgy. My fingers are crossed.

G

Apparently they will all be delivered tomorrow by UPS.

 

If I get a chance I'll clean them up, give them a dusting of primer and post up some piccies.

 

G

[grahame]

Flipping typical - despite receiving an email from UPS saying they were delivering my Shapeways package today, it's now nearly 9.00pm and they've not turned up.

 

G

[acg5324]

Flipping typical - despite receiving an email from UPS saying they were delivering my Shapeways package today, it's now nearly 9.00pm and they've not turned up.

G

Have you checked the garden....oh no that’s Yodels letterbox.

[grahame]

Have you checked the garden....oh no that’s Yodels letterbox.

Not on the front garden grass although it is pretty open plan. And they haven't bothered to turn up today. No doubt they'll not be working tomorrow so that'll be at least three days past the date that they advised. I'm starting to think I need to report it to Shapeways.

 

Has anyone had this type of experience about Shapeways/UPS and have any advise. I'm a bit pizzed off that you have to pay in full in advance and then they mess you about.

 

G

[grahame]

Today I've received an email from UPS. It's not an apology for failing to deliver on Friday and it's not in response to my emails to them. It's just an advise note that they will be delivering a package to me tomorrow . . . .

 

G

[acg5324]

At least it hasnt gone missing.

[grahame]

They've arrived. And with no broken bits.

 

All the vehicles (4) are British right hand drive and, as usual, are supplied in two parts: a chassis (with wheels and seats) and a body that simply pushfits over the chassis.

 

I've given all the bits a good scrub with cream cleaner and an old toothbrush, then rinsed with lashings of warm water. Currently they are drying on a sheet of kitchen roll. Then I'll give them a dusting with grey primer so they can be closely inspected.

 

G

[grahame]

Typically the grey primer ran out while spraying, so I had to prime some of the parts in white:

 

 

The stratification ridges aren't too bad, although I did order, and pay for, the finest print material. Nonetheless there will be some filing and tidying up required and I'd really expected a bit better.

 

G.

[BernardTPM]

There was a Vauxhall version of the Trafic van too for a short while before the new, more familiar Vivaro came out. (There's a lot about the Trafic itself too).

Edited June 25, 2018 by BernardTPM

[grahame]

After some light sanding, I've given the vans a few heavyish coats of paint to help cover the stratification ridges - hopefully it's not so much that it covers and obscures the details. Next is allowing them to dry thoroughly, some tidying up, detail painting, matt varnishing and glazing:

 

 

G

[acg5324]

Looking good Grahame....just had this email from RailNscale.

 

Hello Andy,

 

I just finished the Vauxhall Chevette models and ordered the first models at Shapeways. Once I've checked , painted, photographed etc the models, they will become available in a couple of weeks.

The following kits will become available in British N scale 1/148:

 

U2311 - Vauxhall Chevette 4-door notchback

U2312 - Vauxhall Chevette hatchback

U2313 - Vauxhall Chevette estate

U2811 - SET 3x Vauxhall Chevette

 

U2314 - Bedford Chevanne with open rear hatch

U2814 - SET Bedford Chevanne with open rear hatch with delivery man

 

All models will be RHD and unpainted.

The same kits will also come in N scale 1/160 (article numbers starting with 'N')

[grahame]

That's good news on the Chevettes/Chevannes - I'll keep an eye out although I hope there are some more common (1980s) British vehicles (Fords were pretty numerous then) added soon to make the P&P on any order worthwhile.

 

Meanwhile I'm trying to progress painting the vans, but no matter how neat and tidy it looks in real life, the minute you take a photo it becomes dirty and messy. Ahhhhh:

 

 

G.

[acg5324]

The problem with a blown up n gauge image. A very steady hand required.

I always think the pictures on RailNscales website of finished models always look rough. They do look better in the flesh.

 

Are you leaving the van(s] plain?

[grahame]

The problem with a blown up n gauge image. A very steady hand required.

I always think the pictures on RailNscales website of finished models always look rough. They do look better in the flesh.

 

Are you leaving the van(s] plain?

Pretty plain - I don't fancy signwriting the van sides with a tiny brush ;-)

So this'll do:

 

 

Next the glazing . . . .

 

G

[acg5324]

As with almost everything....there’s a website for that! Another name lost from the high street but due to the owners selling the bits off.

Interestingly owned by British Electric Traction.

 

http://www.rediffusion.info

[grahame]

I've managed to get the glazing made and fitted. I find that completing these 3D printed N gauge vehicles is really at the extreme of my modelling ability, especially with dealing with any stratification ridges, painting the details so that they look neat and tidy, and then making and adding the glazing. And for these vans there are still number plates to make and add - odd as usually they are included and moulded as part of the model. But for now this'll have to do.

 

 

I seem to have quite a few vans now, including Parker cast white metal Mk1 Trannies, but I guess for the layout I'll need a lot - parked up outside the warehouses, offices and building sites. You can never have enough appropriate, particularly for the period, road vehicles. However, it's the cars that, being smaller, are even more fiddly to finish to an acceptable standard - I just wish that ODC would produce more RTR ordinary and common-or-garden private cars rather than concentrating on the odd, weird, unusual and rare fare they mostly provide.

 

G

[quicksilvercoaches]

You're being too harsh on yourself Grahame. There's nothing wrong with the finish on any of your models and if you hadn't said you're an N gauge modeller I would have guessed they were OO. I struggle to achieve finishes like that in OO so to do it on tiny N models that still look good when magnified to that extent is impressive.

[grahame]

I've now started to look at the two cars purchased at the same time as the two vans and have begun to get some paint on one of them. The enlargement is particularly cruel on the 3D printing quality - hopefully one day it will improve significantly: 

 

 

G.

[Jim Martin]

I just wish that ODC would produce more RTR ordinary and common-or-garden private cars rather than concentrating on the odd, weird, unusual and rare fare they mostly provide.

 

G

It's always mystified me that you can get quite a decent selection of cars for a layout set in the 1940s or 50s, while it's virtually impossible to populate a layout set in the 1970s or later - by which time cars were absolutely ubiquitous - with anything remotely resembling a realistic mix of vehicles.

 

Jim

[Jim Martin]

Edited to delete duplicate post

Edited June 27, 2018 by Jim Martin

[Jim Martin]

Edited to delete duplicate post

Edited June 27, 2018 by Jim Martin

[grahame]

Soehaves Workshop on Shapeways are now doing the later fronted D800 truck in 1:148 scale:

 

https://www.shapeways.com/product/NPNJB7VA3/ford-d-series-late-version-tractor-truck-uk-n-sc?optionId=63547582

 

G.

[grahame]

A little bit of work on some of my 3D printed N gauge cars. I think this'll do for the paint job on the broken down car - just glazing to do - and after a long, long time I've finally got around to glazing the Range Rover. The windscreen is cut from some clear plastic and the side and rear are glazed with MicroGlaze. I've included a pound coin in the pic to give an idea of the size of the models:

 

 

G.

 

 

[acg5324]

The Range Rover scrubs up especially well.

[grahame]

The Range Rover scrubs up especially well.

Thanks.

 

It's another RailNScale 3D print and the painting is quite simple and straightforward - no fiddly trim to pick out. Plus being a little larger than the average car makes it a bit easier.

 

G