Xigfrid Posted June 1, 2015 Posted June 1, 2015 I have been asked if I could carry both assembling + painting, unfortunately I would love to do so but I don't feel confident enough and I don't have the tools for painting. 1) But would someone else want to make filing / sanding / painting / glossy finish with a batch? Between 3-10 drones at once? 2) If we find a reputable painter, who would be potentially interested - and which quantity and which condition ? Price should be reasonable. Myself, I would be in for one 1/60th drone. Quote
electric indigo Posted June 1, 2015 Posted June 1, 2015 (edited) Maybe it would be more economic to polish one printed prototype in each scale and find a caster for mass production? Given the parts breakdown, you could even get away with colored cast parts and skip painting. Edited June 1, 2015 by electric indigo Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 1, 2015 Posted June 1, 2015 Maybe it would be more economic to polish one printed prototype in each scale and find a caster for mass production? Given the parts breakdown, you could even get away with colored cast parts and skip painting. If you know a caster willing to make this drone I would love to make it happen. Quote
ChaoticYeti Posted June 1, 2015 Posted June 1, 2015 When I was looking into casting for my stands, Kurosawa reached out to me. The samples he sent of his casts were of high quality. Get in touch with him. Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 1, 2015 Posted June 1, 2015 When I was looking into casting for my stands, Kurosawa reached out to me. The samples he sent of his casts were of high quality. Get in touch with him. Thank you ChaoticYeti, I will try to convince him, all the more so that I am also waiting for his VF-1SR kit. I just hope he has some time to spare on that project. Quote
Jasonc Posted June 2, 2015 Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) The painting could be done on an assembly line type of deal. I could do that, but here's the problem... The WSF is not too friendly for that glossy look, and it is a tedious job getting the sponge like properties of it nice and clear. The two ways to combat this is 1) putty evey part with a light, easy sandable putty. Testors is good for this, and can fix the micro holes. 2)Mr. Surface drybrushed on and then sanded (thanks to Exo for this). The drawback to this, from my own experience as well, is that it's expensive stuff, and to do a lot of pieces would be costly. 3) instead of doing all this, you take it to someone with a higher res 3D printer, and have them do it. Then make recast of the parts in the proper colors, of which I know a few people who could do this, myself included. While the last option is probably the best, it'd be even better if you can recast them yourself. It is your project, and you should reap the reward for it. Recasting, while it'd make it more toy like with color, would require some other person's hand in it. Edited June 2, 2015 by Jasonc Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 2, 2015 Posted June 2, 2015 Thank you Jasonc for the clarifications.I can see a few issues with resin casting this design: I have a few parts with complicated shapes that will need silicon-like molds so that they can be extracted from the mold once dry.But the part that makes me wonder the most is the lower part of the nose which is very complicated with an inner rail that accepts the laser canon. That means that I will need more time to make a few parts compatible to molding.This is why painting should be a faster and more elegant way to deal with this project. Can you PM me to discuss about that ? Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 I am doing my best for these little dronies. I don't know yet if there would be a resin kit yet, but I know for sure that the first prototype is going to be very well treated ! I made my research about how to prepare WSF models, this is quoted from Shapeways forums, and I think this is the most complete method I foudn out 1. Wash the model in WARM water, towel it off and let dry completely. *I use warm water because that will help reset any bends the model may have incurred during shipping. 2. Sealer- I have read about several methods and tried most of them. I am not sure which gives the best results as the "layering" steps make up for a lot. a) Paint model with several layers of undiluted "Future" (or other) acrylic floor polish. *WSF is porus and will absorb the first layer(s) rather quickly; let it dry before moving on. b) Give it a coat of your favorite "rattle can" primer. c) Paint it with 1-2 coats of diluted PVA ("Elmers") white glue. * About 1:1 Glue /H2O. d) 1-2 coats of Clear Gloss spray sealer. * I like Krylon Crystal Clear. 3. Primer (if you have not already done that in step 2) 4. Base Color 5. Wash. * I use the "Magic Wash" method- "Magic Wash" is composed of 1 part Future floor polish to 4 parts water. I usually mix a small bottle for future use. Pour a small amount into a bottle cap (or other small vessel) and mix it with a small drop of whatever color paint/ink you like. Make it as thick or thin as you want. Let it dry completely before moving on. 6. Drybrush with primary color. 7. Paint secondary colors and details. 8. Pin-wash to bring out more detail. Pin-washing is done with the same "magic wash" method but using a fine-point brush and just edging details and recesses, rather than applying it overall. 9. Weathering. * Optional. 10. Touch-up and highlight details. 11. Clear Coat. * Apply one or more coats of clear gloss sealer. 12. Apply decals. * Optional (gloss coat again if you do). 13. Panel Lines- go over them with a very fine point drafting pen to further darken/define them. * Optional 14. Top Coat- I prefer Testors Dullcote or Krylon Clear Matte Finish. * Unless you want a high gloss finish. 15. Glass Canopies, etc... I like to go back over my canopies to give them a bit of a glass-like shine by painting them with a coat of undiluted Future floor polish. * Do this quickly as the polish will start to dry and thicken quickly and that will lead to visible brush strokes. The fact that I use multiple coats of "Magic Wash" is one reason I am able to get a (relatively) smooth finish as each layer contains the floor polish. The Clear Gloss top coat(s) really finish it off. Dullcote/Matte finish reduces the shine and also makes any remaining "roughness" less obvious. When you are done, you should have a model that is unique, attractive and durable. Quote
electric indigo Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 Good luck! IMO you can skip everything after 4 except 12 & 13 for this kit. Did you receive the parts already? Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 8, 2015 Posted June 8, 2015 Most parts are finished, my order only miss the "black steel" laser canon that is still not completed, so I think I will receive it by the end of this week Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 15, 2015 Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) Hi guys, I received all the parts everything is snapping perfectly, I already made few design corrections and decided to make the 1/48 scale drone kit available NOW on shapeways in WSF. http://www.shapeways.com/shops/xigfrid3dshop?section=Drone+Fighter+1%3A48&s=0 I am working on the 1/60 and 1/72 scale versions to make them in resin with a highly valuable member of this forum, I should shortly take pre-orders for these. The resin kits will be limited run so keep an eye on the thread. The kits are 11 parts for the entire drone, plus a Yamato Stand adapter if you want a display solution. If you want to order the 1/48 kit from Shapeways, I also recommend the Laser canon in Steel instead of WSF, but it works pretty well in WSF. Here are a few pictures of the quickly snapped in out of the box. Sanding/prep/etc will come later but slowly because I am now focusing on how to make them in resin. Edited June 17, 2015 by Xigfrid Quote
Kurisama Posted June 15, 2015 Posted June 15, 2015 Veeeeeery sexy... http://i.imgur.com/7hR2k0v.gif Quote
wmkjr Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 Awesome job! Great to see members putting their know-how to help supplement the big companies offerings. Quote
cool8or Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 I like it!! Please ley me know when you are ready to sell the 1/72 version!! Quote
Jasonc Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 Very nice. It came out very well. I so need to get one of these. Quote
charger69 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Posted June 16, 2015 Great pics Xigfrid! What we are seeing in pics is 1/48 version right? Waiting for your 1/60 pre-order call! Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 Great pics Xigfrid! What we are seeing in pics is 1/48 version right? Waiting for your 1/60 pre-order call! The shoots are from the 1/60 version. This thing is bigger than you imagine ! Quote
electric indigo Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 That came out nicely! Good luck with the next steps. Quote
GU-11 Posted June 16, 2015 Posted June 16, 2015 That kit is sexy. BTW, what's a "sealer"? It that used for smoothing out the print lines? I usually use decanted primer for the job, although I'm not sure it it's the proper method. Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 17, 2015 Posted June 17, 2015 The sealer is just a gloss lacker in can in the example I guess. Quote
Mommar Posted June 17, 2015 Posted June 17, 2015 Wow, that is impressive. Any idea what the resin version may cost? What was the final cost for the shapeways version? Quote
Zinjo Posted June 17, 2015 Posted June 17, 2015 Um, WOW! I can't wait to see her with some paint on... Quote
wmkjr Posted June 17, 2015 Posted June 17, 2015 More pics of the 1/60 drone for you to ogle. Thanks for putting these up! Quote
AcroRay Posted June 17, 2015 Posted June 17, 2015 Beautiful! I'd be in for a 1:72 version myself as well. Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 Hi guys, Everything has been running well, and now I must know how many of the resin kits would be needed. so I will take pre-orders for the following kits that would be made in the USA by Jasonc (from this forum), so the shipping cost to continental US would stay low. Price is fixed to both scale to $85 USD. It will be required an immediate payment of $50 USD to secure a kit, the rest: $35 + shipping will be asked when the kit will be ready. - Drone Fighter in resin of 15 parts to be assembled and painted. You need to specify the desired scale between 1/60 and 1/72. - We need a minimum of 20 kits in pre-order to launch a production in one scale, if this number is not reached, we will have to adjust the price if possible. - Most of the kit will be casted in the orange/tomato colored resin so very little painting would be needed - Jasonc is offering a painting service for an additional $30. - Mimics: Camera rotation has been removed, the Laser canon can slide as described previously, the hanging lever rotates and can be deployed. - A basic decalc sheet is planned and would be added to the kit. - The stand adapter is not included, but you can ask for it or order it directly from Shapeways for $5, or just use what you want to display it! I may forget a few details, but the main description is there, and nothing is definitive until we ask for pre-payments. So just tell us what you want and in which quantity of each kit! Quote
wmkjr Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) In for a 1/60! Late edit: What is the print filament used? ABS/ PLA or some other type? The reason I ask is if it's ABS, maybe you can try the acetone vapor method to smooth it out. Or how about XTC-3d coating for PLA? One or two layers of this stuff should do the trick. Edited June 22, 2015 by wmkjr Quote
Xigfrid Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 In the mean time, sanding is going really well too! A few close shots: Quote
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