Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)

[spacerunner]

Thanks Marcell,
yeah, time will tell ...
BTW, that's a nice little track vehicle, which you did build there.
Which planet is he driving on?

[Revell-Fan]

Planet graveyard, 3 km from home..!


It's the Colonial Landram from Battlestar Galactica.

[spacerunner]

Hello everybody,

in the meantime, my friend Joe (crackerjazz) has corrected the wall thickness to 0.3 mm and uploaded both a Set of 20


Source: shapeways.com (Crackerjazz)

and a Set of 40 Track shoes.


Source: shapeways.com (Crackerjazz)

These sets are very inexpensive, and therefore I ordered immediately the Set of 20 in both FUD and FXD for comparison and I'm curious to see what the Track shoes will look like.

BTW, a Set of 100 is not possible. Because the file size is too big Shapeways doesn't accept the upload.

[elliott]

Still watching/keeping up Manfred. I've known detail-oriented people before but you put them to shame. That's a compliment btw. Looking forward to when you can begin building again.

[spacerunner]

Thanks Elliott for your nice comment,

but when I do something, I do it thoroughly.

Believe me, I would like to continue with scratch-building again soon.

But the new chapter 3D printing is very time consuming, even through the lengthy conversation with the designer on solving detail issues and concerning the tricky cleaning process.
But first I want to sort out this matter, before I'll come back and take styrene and adhesive in my hands again.

[Revell-Fan]

Have you ever considered purchasing a printer yourself? It could become handy. I hope you can see the link:
Stargate Atlantis, Midway Station im Bau mit Puddle Jumper
I'm a member there, too (nick: Galactican), and our Wabie is building a whole Stargate array using 3D printed and scratch-built parts. The amount of things he has already printed and assembled is mind-boggling. That thing is HUGE!

[spacerunner]

Hello everybody,

as a Raumcon friend told me, the maximum file size is 64 MB or 1.000.000 polygons. This friend already has a lot of experience with 3D printing and lets himself print a lot at SW.

BTW, he also has an interesting assessment regarding the wax residuals and thinks that the flat arrangement of the set would be more favorable for cleaning for the following reasons:

In the arrangement with upright standing Track shoes, one has indeed less support wax, but in places which are difficult to clean, such as e.g. the grooves on the surface and between the joint parts. In addition, the lower side is touched by the support wax and has a rough surface, while the upper side is not touched by the wax, and therefore is smooth.

Therefore, he would take the flat set arrangement, because here the support wax touches almost exclusively the tread, which is smooth and therefore easy to clean.

By using Fine Detail Plastic no overhangs can be printed , so everything has to be supported from below with supporting wax.

At the flat arrangement of the set, the track shoes lay on their treads, everything above it has no overhang, so it does not need support wax. But if one puts the shoes on their side (upright standing shoes), one needs a support wax on the side that matches the shape of the shoes.

In the following image he has marked the areas that are touched by the wax.



Rose = set with upright standing shoes
Green = flat set arrangement (the entire smooth underside is touched by the wax)
Orange = is touched by the wax in both arrangements

Since I find his point of view comprehensible, I confronted SW once again with it, let's see what they will say this time.

From the point of view of the model builder that would mean that the 3D designer should then rather choose the flat set arrangement in his 3D model.

That's why I want to see the two Sets of 20 first and judge their quality, then I can make a decision as to which arrangement is more favorable for printing of the remaining shoes.

[spacerunner]

Originally Posted by Revell-Fan

Have you ever considered purchasing a printer yourself? It could become handy. I hope you can see the link:
Stargate Atlantis, Midway Station im Bau mit Puddle Jumper
I'm a member there, too (nick: Galactican), and our Wabie is building a whole Stargate array using 3D printed and scratch-built parts. The amount of things he has already printed and assembled is mind-boggling. That thing is HUGE!

Hi Marcell,

with 3D printing I will not start in this life anymore.

But Wabie's project is Modeling madness!

[spacerunner]

Sorry, double post!
I should better go sleep ...

[spacerunner]

Hello everybody,

to anticipate it, since a week I try so far in vain to get an information from the Shapeways customer service regarding the image of my Raumcon friend with the support wax, which is sad, but true. And then, on top of that this sudden price increase for the Track Shoe Sets, which can be seen in this overview.



Right at the beginning I had ordered a Set of 20 both in FUD (5,18 €) as well as in FXD (5,98 €), which I would like to introduce to you soon.

After that, in consultation with my designer Joe (Crackerjazz) I let him model and upload a Set of 40, which was economically priced and has costed 6,80 € (8/21/18) for FUD.

The more surprised I was, when it was offered a few days later for almost double the price of 12,68 € (08/25/18), whereupon I have confronted SW with it of course.

I would not like to comment on the unpleasant chewing gum discussion here, whereupon SW would introduce a new price structure in order to remain competitive with other companies and not to lose any money. Therefore, one would charge a surcharge on smaller offers in order to be able to better compensate for the overall costs.
Supposedly, one would previously inform the shop owner about such price increases, what my friend Joe could not confirm.

On the other hand, it is just as surprising that the FUD Sets of 40, 52 and 56 with 12,68 € have the same price, what would speak in the end for the Set of 56.
And now to the two sets, which were already eagerly awaited, of which I was pleasantly surprised.

From the normal observer's perspective, you can not see much more than the actual size, and at first glance, I was rather surprised by the small sets in the SW bags, which is why one has to take a little closer view.



On the left side of the pictures one can see the FUD Set, and right next to it the FXD Set.









As one can see in this picture, the FXD Set (right) seems to be a bit more detailed, at least I imagine it.



What strikes one immediately is the fact that almost all the fine details come out well, both the drillings in the Pin Lugs (Ø 0,5 mm), as well as the fine grooves (0,3 mm) in the slanting upper sides, which for such tiny booties 14,3 mm x 2,5 mm was not necessarily to be expectable.

Even the small slants at the ends of the treads can be seen, only the small holes (Ø 0,2 mm) have apparently fallen by the wayside, but what one can get over.



First of all, I drilled the holes in the pin lugs with a thin twist drill (Ø 0,45 mm), and cleaned them this way of possible wax residuals, and then threading the shoes on insect pins (Ø 0,3 mm).





So for now, the result is extremely pleasing, and in my view one would not necessarily need the FXD Set, especially since the differences at those small parts are really low.

I will now ask my friend Joe (crackerjazz) to upload the Set of 20 in the proposed Flat set-arrangement to see if or how the price is possibly changing, in order to decide on the final variant.