I have not had time to print anything in a few weeks due to work, but the nice thing about being busy is that I can set the printer up in the morning and come home to finished parts. The latest figure out of the printer is the latest version of the Bounce Tortoise version 2 in six inch scale. It’s awesome.
The Wear Puppet EVA-WP-4000 Allover is a power suit design from the classic 1980’s Japanese mecha series Galactic Drifter Vifam. It’s a dumpy, simplistic design with a lot of charm. I recently got a new modeling book with some Vifam lineart in it. When I saw the Allover, I immediately thought ‘I could totally make that’ and began figuring out the basic shapes and whipping up some models. I changed some bits and details along the way, coming up with my own variant I nicknamed the ‘Allaround’. Read on to see how a figure goes from shapes on a screen to a plastic toy.
This 1/18 scale Bounce Tortoise is the first fully finished printed figure made on my UP! Mini 3D printer.
On Monday I received a package. I attended MakerFaire NYC back in September, and was blown away by all of the consumer-grade 3D printers being shown there. I had been looking at Makerbot Industries’ offerings, which are something of a standard for the home level 3D printer market, but they are still out of my price range. Makerbot’s machines also are a bit large for the space I ave available. Then I saw the AC Gears booth, where they were showing the recently debuted UP! Mini from UP! 3D. AC Gears is a tech retailer in New York City, and they had a coupon for UP! 3D’s two printers. I was so enamored by the look, size, and quality of the UP! Mini that I went and ordered one as soon as they went live.
I don’t have anything to report yet on getting the Bounce Tortoise into resin because I ave been busy with work and commissioned models, but something amazing did show up in the mail yesterday. When I learned that Shapeways competitor i.materlise offer 3D prints in solid brass, I was intrigued. When I saw the example prints on their site, I knew I had to have one. The process for 3D printing to brass is to 3D print the wax and do lost wax casting. The result is polished and plated, with a variety of finishes offered. I went for the high gloss polished gold plating, and the results are stunning.
I’ve been showing off blazing white prints for the last few posts, and I thought it was time to finally show off the detail of the Bounce Tortoise design. The WSF Polished prints have some surface texture to them, and the detail is not razor sharp, but I could not wait any longer to try painting one of these guys. This is a PBT-0xx print as shown in Adventures in Shapeways Part 2, before some changes and tweaks were made to the detail and size. It was still a blast to paint.
This 1/60 scale PBT-000 Bounce Tortoise print is not for any higher purpose or machination, I simply wanted a stainless steel print of my power suit.
In Adventures in Shapeways Part 3 I discussed the 1/60 scale Bounce Tortoise print. Today we’re going to discuss the larger, more Deluxe Bounce Tortoise in 1/35 scale, again shown next to a 1/35 scale Scopedog, and a 1/35 scale Maschinen Krieger suit.
In Adventures in Shapeways Part 2 I showed off the very first test print of the Bounce Tortoise power armor. A new shipment came earlier this week with much more exciting prints.
I know I’ve been quiet for the summer, but I finally have new things to show, but I think you guys are going to like them. In my last Adventures in Shapeways post, I showed off some basic modeling and print tests that were just a way for me to get a handle on making something on screen and having it show up at my doorstep. Now we’re into real designs, starting with the PBT-0XX Bounce Tortoise prototype. Power armor in the Starship Troopers, Dorvack, and Machinen Krieger tradition is one of my favorite things. With the infinite possibilities afforded by CAD, I decided to start with a power suit.
Prometheus Rising Studios 