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Hey everyone! Just wanted people who don't frequent the Building/Customizing Macross Models & Toys section of the forums to be aware that slowly but surely - items I've made and produced from Shapeways.com are becoming available to you. This started initially as my own custom pieces meant just for me - but as the items grew in ambition and complexity, I thought it a waste if no one else got the chance to have these in their collection. As mentioned above they came about in 2 of my own threads customizing a Queadluun Rau and a VF-11C; http://www.macrosswo...showtopic=35459 & http://www.macrosswo...showtopic=36209 - shapeways pieces and WIP at the end of the threads. Currently I've finished 99% of my DYRL to TV Queadluun Rau conversion pieces - with only a new hip/waist articulation to go and have finished wing-clip attachments for VF-11s to allow attachments of any current 1/60 missiles and the freshly made HMMs. I have also completed a 1/60 Queadluun Rhea Impact Cannon and pieces to attach to a Q.Rau and for a VF-25 to use as a rifle. More items will become available as I get them and inspect them personally for detail fidelity and material properties to ensure the best product possible. They are available here; http://www.shapeways.com/shops/RPG Without giving too much away - expect much more love for the VF-11, VF-0 and Zentran Mecha. I am open to suggestions or requests - but they're subject to my work load. I will update this thread when items become available. I will continue the above custom threads with the build-ups and eventual completions in their respective threads. Peace! EDIT: Trying to add a poll!

Hi everyone. I just wanted to start a proper thread for this. I put up adapters for Gundam stands that can hold up Yamato valks. Here's some images that CoreyD posted on http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=37622'>his thread. Heres' the link for them: http://www.shapeways.com/shops/exodigital'>http://www.shapeways...hops/exodigital And here's the HLJ link to the stands: http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Word=gundam+stands&DisplayMode=images&Dis=2&Sort=std&qid=IHYE32P2QUVS4Q&set=1&q=1&MacroType2=displaybse'>http://www.hlj.com/s...ype2=displaybse It's an inexpensive solution for your display needs. Thanks! I've uploaded the adapters that removes the need for the hinge. It makes for a more sturdier stand and can actually hold a 1/48 with Fast Packs. I had to create ones with angles that bank because removing the hinge means less pose-ability There should be enough variety to suit your needs. I've also renamed the product so the number of different ones won't be confusing. B2Y - Bandai to Yamato B2Y classic - the original ones that people have been purchasing that goes on the hinged part of the stand. Allows more pose-ability but won't hold heavier valks B2Y unhinged - comes in three varieties: level, Starboard (banking) and Port (banking) I've also bundled them up in different sorts for price breaks.

I've been meaning to do a quick and dirty review of these guys for a while now and finally had time to take a few photos to go along with it. So without further delay, here's my introduction to the answer to the problem of the (otherwise) wonderful Bandai VF-171 toys. After seeing Macross Frontier, I was smitten by the new VF-171 and actually liked it even more than the VF-25 that was central to the story. Something about the lines, the colors, the shimmery way it often exploded... Sadly, a toy or even a model of this thing seemed to be nothing more than a pipe dream. There were model companies hinting at it (Experten, I believe) but we never saw anything real materialize. And then, out of the blue, Bandai announced the VF-171EX and there seemed to be hope! The "normal" version arrived a bit later but finally, we had a toy! I waited until after the armor parts were released before I jumped on the 171 bandwagon and really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Like most of you who own this toy, I was shocked to find out how terribly made some of the black parts were; like many here, my shoulder pieces had some serious issues. Look no further than this topic: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=37652&page=1 for similar stories. Broken shoulders, broken legs, broken internal pieces. This thing has grown into almost legendary status for how unreliable it is. But for most, the shoulders remain the real issue. Until now... Resident Macross World member Xigfrid provided the answer, in the form of a Shapeways produced part. He offers a few variations, which I'll describe in more detail shortly. But suffice to say, for those of you with broken shoulder triangles, there is now a solution! I purchased a few sets from him as a "just in case" measure. But also in the hopes of spreading the word about this little fix and hopefully providing other 171 owners with a means of enjoying their little green (and sometimes white) engineering marvels again. The parts I'll be showing you are the basic versions, printed in one solid color. Two types are offered, a "no triangle" version and a "with lower triangle" type. Click the links for a look at the Shapeways site for more details and to place your order. Xigfrid also offers a pre-printed logo version, where the NUNS logo and stripe are represented by two colors of printed plastic. I didn't opt for these because they were more expensive, the colors weren't "exactly" right, and I wanted to experiment with painting myself. I asked Xigfrid a lot of questions before ordering and this guy is a top bloke. Very helpful, very patient, and very easy to deal with. So, here's a look at what you get: The parts come printed as one "tree" with only the end bits anchored. Both left and right triangles are on the one tree. It's quite an impressive thing to see the inner parts just sort of hanging on the spindle down the middle and understand they were printed like this. The parts I chose were finished in "White, Strong & Flexible, Polished" material (WSFP). They're very strong, but there is some printing edges that are obvious when looking closely at the parts. The surface reminds me of velvet. You'll notice in the image above, there's a slight difference between the left and right parts, with the left side being the "without triangle" and the right one being "with lower triangle" type. The only difference is a notch cut into the bottom of one of the parts, for each side. I'll show why this is important a bit later. Here are some close ups: The parts assembly is very easy, and the only advice is to cut down on the post that attaches the two outer sides together. If you use it as is, the fit is a little too tight. Trimming a few mm off the end is advisable so the post doesn't bottom out in the hole. So, what exactly are we replacing? Here's an old picture I took of the part in question: And a typical shot of the damage one is likely to see when it breaks (if you can remove all the pieces without losing anything): Now, for some irony... I fixed this part with super glue a few years ago. I then promptly put it back in the box in disgust and didn't even look at it until I saw these new Shapeways parts were available. And when I did look, it was purely to figure out if I needed "with or without triangle" type parts. Imagine my surprise when I got the replacement part in, dismantled the part to do a test fit, and discovered the fix was still in place! And to make things even more surprising, the other seemed to be fine, with no signs of stress or breakage. Seems I got very lucky with my sample. Moving on, here's the lower triangle, so you can determine which type of part you should order: The thin, black, hinged in the middle thing in the bottom of the wing root. It's easy to forget about when going from any mode back to fighter and WILL be the thing that prevents you from popping the legs into fighter position, because you forgot to fold it back into position beforehand. Ask me how I know... See those little white lines coming from the pin? That's not hair, those are cracks. Both of mine have this but for now they're still intact. If yours are broken, you may do well to remove them entirely. They're held on by that screw through the teal colored piece, just next to the triangle in the above image. They don't really do much, and honestly, they're annoying. They never sit right, they're always in the way, and even if you do get them perfectly aligned, they look like they weren't designed to be the right shape to fill the gap they're there for. Here's what's behind the part when you swing it out of the way: That notch (notice the repair marks on my example) allows the pivot pin hinge in the triangle to sit up against the top triangle. If you don't have the bottom pivot triangle, don't get the replacement part for the "with triangle" type. It'll have a hole in it and it'll be noticeable. Instead, opt for the standard type. Simple. I haven't fit my parts because I didn't need to, as mentioned. But disassembly is fairly straight forward. You can pry the whole shoulder open and pop the arm out, followed by the triangle. If you're very careful, that is. Otherwise, there's a screw cover that will most likely be glued in, hiding a small screw that keeps the shoulder together. Removing this will allow the shoulder to come apart much easier. One side on mine was easy, the other was glued in so completely that I wasn't able to remove the screw. Your mileage may vary. Prep of the parts is up to the person doing the installation. But note that none of the parts are terribly smooth unless you opt for the much more expensive translucent material. And even then, sanding is recommended. I'd planned to prime, sand, smooth and then paint these things black. The intention for the NUNS lettering was to print a mask or maybe do some decals. Given my part is still OK, that's a decision I'll leave for somewhere down the track. Check out Xigfrid's store. He's got some great stuff on offer: http://www.shapeways.com/shops/xigfrid3dshop If a mod happens by this, mind adding that missing 'w' to the end of my topic title?

Hey everyone! As some of you have already seen on the Arcadia YF-19 thread and my general custom release thread - I've finally gotten my rendition of the YF-19's arm weapon from Shapeways; I'm going to use this thread to document the process of getting a 3D print up to spec, start to finish. I have a long weekend and hope to get it done between hanging with the family (4yo son and pregnant wife!) and lounging about /packing the house for a move over the next few days. Feel free to ask any questions regarding ordering or preparing the print. First off (after initial fitting of parts and testing on Alpha-One ) I separate all the parts and soak them in a not-quite-hot-but-not-warm tub of water with regular washing detergent. I then scrub each piece (carefully) with a toothbrush and then put in a second bath of just-hot-water (don't want to warp the plastic) and then scrub again and rinse in some more warm water - shake them off and take outside to dry in the sun for a good few hours, turning them all the while so each surface gets a decent amount of exposure; I then use a primer (Mr.Surfacer if u can get it or Tamiya works well too) and lightly coat all surfaces and let dry for about 4 hours - again, turning so each surface gets a good dose. Now you can clearly see the print lines - they look severe here cause I used the macro setting on my camera, but to the naked eye, it appears much smoother. Still, it will require sanding. I've now sanded the pieces as best I can given the awkward angles (no photos yet! tomorrow ) using Tamiya Finishing Abrasives P320 grain - using the P2000 did little, so not worth using it. I can now see where the primer has filled in the print line grooves. Will update with new photos of the sanded (will also brush with a dry toothbrush to get rid of the sanded primer and plastic and also pick out debris from details with a pin-needle or hobby blade) pieces and next round of primer and/or base colours - as well as what Tamiya colours I use. And a couple more pics for the lulz;

Well, hello gang. Graham kindly requested I move my TF-centric mongering here! So I'll post up here items available from my Shapeways store and news of upcoming parts and what not - may even take requests or constructive criticism? First up are the pew-pews; In order; misc pistol with design cues from IDW's Infiltration, misc pistol with elements of Hound's Alternators gun, Bumblebee's gun inspired by IDW's Infiltration, Jazz's pistol from the same comic arc, Hound's rifle inspired by the original toy, Prowl's rifle inspired by the new MP Prowl coming out, Sunstreaker's hand-cannon inspired from IDW's Infiltration and of course Prime's blaster with 2 different positions of the grip for use with the Classics Prime mold or for other bots. Then the accessories; My homage to Sideswipe's jet pack from the G1 cartoon, with several options for the nozzles & missile launchers for FOC Ultra Magnus - both for classic shoulder positions and additional shin-mounts, will work for both modes. And the only meleé weapon so far; I love TFA. I want my Magnus to have pretty things. I can/will also post WIPs and sneak peaks of upcoming projects - if people are interested. Enjoy.

So we don't continue to derail the various specific project threads related to Shapeways, figured a catch-all thread for on-going discussion could be helpful. I know a lot of people are looking at Shapeways and thinking "ooh, I should try that," so a generic advice/tips thread should be helpful. We've had various tips and experiences scattered throughout individual project threads so far. If this would go better in the Models or Workshop section, anyone who has the power to do so, please feel free to make the move. I imagine Macross stuff will pop up here from time to time, but it won't be limited to that. So yeah, open discussion, teaser pics, questions, requests, anything relating to using the service itself. I'm just now learning how to set these up, so I'm expecting a lot of (possibly expensive) trial and error learning here. Decided to start with something I already had a model handy for, and just work on converting it to a kit-like format. So far, it's all built to exact fit, so I expect to either do a lot of sanding, or add tolerances into the parts. Some of you old-school computer simmers might reconignize this one. I'm setting this up for a decently large printing, and so far the parts shown there have uploaded, and haven't generated any kind of errors, so once I get the rest built I'll probably try a test printing. Wingspan is about 4 inches, so I'm expecting the length to be around 6-7 inches assembled. Cost so far is up to about $40 for what's shown, so I'll probably shrink it further for testing. I'm going to aim for 1/100 scale if it's practical, 1/144 if it gets too expensive.