3D printed road vehicles

[acg5324]

Grahame, nice work. The pictures do the models more justice than those on railNscales website which make their painting look very crude. What paint did you use for the Range Rover, Halfords rattle can?

Edited March 4, 2017 by acg5324

[grahame]

 What paint did you use for the Range Rover, Halfords rattle can?

 

The green on the Range Rover is Humbrol matt acrylic olive from an aerosol. I've had the can for ages and have used it for military vehicles (tanks and things). It looks a bit shiny on the car as I sealed it with satin varnish.

 

G.

[Gloucester Road]

Those are coming on nicely

[grahame]

I repainted the cab but it's very difficult to paint the window black trim so as to get straight edges. Perhaps when glazed it wont be so obvious. There is a little more tidying up I can do but after that I think I'll give the hiab flat-back a rest.

 

 

G.

[acg5324]

I repainted the cab but it's very difficult to paint the window black trim so as to get straight edges. Perhaps when glazed it wont be so obvious. There is a little more tidying up I can do but after that I think I'll give the hiab flat-back a rest

 

G.

Might be worth trying a Sharpie black marker, the ones with a thick and a thin end. I've used these successfully dolng window surrounds before.

[grahame]

Might be worth trying a Sharpie black marker, the ones with a thick and a thin end. I've used these successfully dolng window surrounds before.

 

Cheers for the suggestion.

 

I tend to use fine paint pens for picking out details but even with a nib size less than 1mm it's difficult to access and get in to some small areas. The rear cab side oval windows are tiny and I've found that only a fine pointed paint brush will get in the gap rather than pens or markers I have. One of the other problems is that 3D printed material is not smooth on all surfaces which makes a straight painted line difficult as it tends follows the ridge troughs and peaks.  

 

The enlarged photos do seem to exaggerate and make things look a lot worse than they are when viewed with a mk1 eyeball. The image on my laptop screen is more that four time the real model size. But I would still like to improve the finish of the models.

 

G.

[mikeharvey22]

I am rubbish at brush painting but I can draw and I can cut following a line. A few years back I had a resin bus kit where getting the black window surrounds to look good was a challenge. By trial and eventual success I glazed it from the outside by drawing the window in a larger scale with a black outline, and then printing to size on transparency film.

 

Having said that I think the black frames you have done will look fine once the glazing has been done. Impressed by your Hiab truck and Range Rover.

[Steadfast]

Doing details like window frames I paint it slightly crudely, going beyond and onto the vehicle side, then cut it back using a fine brush a little thinners on it. I tend to use Tamiya acrylic and screenwash for this kind of work as the paint dries quick and the alcohol in the screenwash dissovles the paint that's beginning to harden.

 

It's much easier to get a straight line this way than trying to paint it on neatly from the start. Beware though, it doesn't work with enamels and white spirit over Halfords sprays as the white spirit softens the finish of the Halfords paint and causes the enamel to stain the paint.

 

Your vehicles are coming on nicely by the way!

 

Jo

[grahame]

 

Your vehicles are coming on nicely by the way!

 

 

Thanks.

 

There seems to be as many different techniques for painting the window surrounds and finishing 3D printed models as there are modellers. It's good to hear of them as it help to re-evaluate ones own approach and adapt if necessary - especially if it can provide improved efficiency and/or results. Keep them coming - there's never a right or wrong method for modelling if it works for you, but it's good to share with other modellers.

 

G.

[grahame]

Nearly finished - this photo is particularly shockingly cruel and revealing:

 

 

Still, the model is only an inch and a half long.

 

G.

[grahame]

As mentioned back in post #37 I was plannng on bashing one of the Club-of-Four cabbed flat-back trucks in to a skip lorry. Well, this is how far I've got today:

 

 

The bodywork is scratch-built and the skip is a BHE etched kit. It's a bit of a composite design to fit, but hopefully it looks right. There's still a lot to do.

 

G.  

[grahame]

I think I might reduce the length of the lift-swing boom arms - they look a little long.

 

G.

[grahame]

I've reduced the length of the arms and started to get some of the details painted but still a way to go:

 

 

G.

[rue_d_etropal]

photos always show up the small faults. Unless you plan to just display models in a cabinet, then use the scenery around the model,and adapt to it. It is the overall impression that is best for most people.

As a matter of interest how was the glazing done. I have read of various ways, but no-one goes into detail. This is one of the areas where 3D printing can not help(yet), unless someone has found a way, and if so, please spread the knowledge.

Edited March 10, 2017 by rue_d_etropal

[grahame]

photos always show up the small faults. Unless you plan to just display models in a cabinet, then use the scenery around the model,and adapt to it. It is the overall impression that is best for most people.

As a matter of interest how was the glazing done. I have read of various ways, but no-one goes into detail. This is one of the areas where 3D printing can not help(yet), unless someone has found a way, and if so, please spread the knowledge.

 

Photos are very useful to provide feedback on the progress of completing a model. Enlarged close ups show where it is possible to improve the finish and/or correct errors/imperfections.

 

I use several methods for glazing dependant and what is being glazed: (a) Kristal Klear/Micro Glaze, (b) cut/shaped clear plastic, or © acrylic sheets for large flat areas/windows. One of the problems with 3D printing is the thickness of the sides which means you can't glaze with a sheet from behind unless you want the effect of obviously huge window reveals/sills that could accommodate flower boxes. And that is no good where flush glazing is required such as with vehicles and rolling stock. In such cases you need to use either (a) or (b) depending on the size of the window, the number, their location and/or the effect you want.  

 

Glazing is another area where 3D printing is not a panacea for all modelling applications and needs. There is still a long way to go before 3D printing can be considered an effective alternative solution to many of todays modelling requirements. It might have a rosy future but with the current inherent problems (obvious ridges/stratification, lack of material choice, lack of colouration, expense and glazing issues) it is not there yet.

 

G.

[grahame]

I've noticed on Shapeways a 3D printed N gauge (1/148 scale) Ford D800 lorry that looks rather good. Apparently it has features not usually found on 'N/2mm' 3D road vehicles such as a tilting cab and revolving wheels : https://www.shapeways.com/product/MY47SS2JB/ford-d800-1-148-uk-n-scale?optionId=59537138

 

I'm planning on getting one, along with a Mercedes T1 van : https://www.shapeways.com/product/MP6A68B3A/mercedes-benz-207d-bus-british-n-1-148?optionId=58504411

 

However, I think I'll wait until Shapeways offer free or reduced postage, that they seem to occasionally do, otherwise the total cost is over £38 which, for just two vehicles that will require a lot of finishing work, seems expensive. I'll try them in Frosted Extreme Detail material (the lorry appears to only be offered in that option) which I've not used before (usual it's FUD) so has anyone experience of FED and any comments about it?

 

G.

[acg5324]

They also appear to do a Tractor unit as well. It's a shame that the cab only are not available as these could be fitted to an ODC or BT chassis.

[grahame]

I've been fiddling with an N gauge 3D printed NCB milk float from Osborn's Models. I cut away the solid back and installed two lengths of rod to give a more open look to the load deck. Then I slapped some paint on. The 'white' windows are Micro Kristal Clear that hasn't yet dried clear (not long applied):

 

 

The very enlarged photo is cruel, but the 3D print is rather good and without the usual stratification ridges that Shapeway's prints seem to have. In fact I didn't need to undertake any filing/smoothing finishing - just a quick clean before priming.

 

G.

[grahame]

The Ford D800 and Mercedes T1 van 3D prints arrived this morning. Here's a pic of them as supplied - not cleaned, primed or glued, but assembled as a dry run:

 

 

Apologies for the pic (it's difficult to photo translucent material) but I'll post again when I've cleaned and primed them. 

 

The Ford truck is very well designed and has a tilting cab and revolving wheels although these are probably very fragile - the axles are incredibly thin and need to be threaded through mounts before adding the wheels. I doubt I'll arrange for them to 'work' and will probably glue them 'solid' when I assemble it - I'm not planning on playing with it; it's a fine scale model.

 

Although the T1 van is right-hand drive the D800 truck is left-hand, but as the interior is a separate fitting it should be possible to 'correct' this for a British look.

 

G.

 

 

 

[BernardTPM]

Probably best to change the steering wheel for something etched or bent from thin wire. Here's a good shot of the RHD Ford D cab interior.

[grahame]

Yes, I'll have to organise something for the new driving wheel position. It's easy enough to cut away the existing one but might as well replace it with something better.

 

I've now cleaned the print parts (in warm water with cream cleaner and an old toothbrush) and when dry gave then a quick blast of grey primer. This makes it easier to see where work is needed to ensure a decent finish, and there certainly a bit to be done. In particular there is a raised thin straight rough section behind the indicator lamp on the cab side on the D800 and the rear of the body is quite rough. And the T1 van needs quite a bit of filing to remove the dreaded 3D print ridges particularly on the bottom body sides.

 

 

The truck interior wasn't in place for the above photo.

 

G.

[BernardTPM]

I guess the problem with that van is the sides aren't that far off vertical so the stepping spreads itself in a more obvious pattern. I'd guess the mark leading up to the indicator is support material, otherwise the D cab doesn't look too bad.

[grahame]

I've done some rubbing and filing (as best as possible while trying to avoid detail that is required) and got some basic colour on:

 

 

 

G.

 

 

[AndyH]

Impressive for N!

Great addition to available limited options for uk vehicles.

Would like to see a print from a Form2 or similar new printer as that might save some of the finishing?

[grahame]

I've started to paint some of the details - my respect and admiration for those who can paint such tiny models with unerring accuracy. I think what is below is the best that I'm likely to achieve. It looks fine in real life as the pic is massively enlarged:

 

 

G