Turrets, tires, heavy bolters, oh my!

Sudsy

Well-Known Member
Been too long since I posted about 3D printing!

Well, I got my print surface all leveled when I friend of mine asked me to do some printing for him in exchange for some laser cut parts (he has a laser cutter). You cannot ask for a better trade...

He even bought me some great high quality PLA from Fillacube. It is called PLA2, and its a higher strength and quality, and I do not doubt it. It sure out performed the ESun PLA I bought that was a bad roll when I first got my printer, and has totally changed how I think about the material.

20190619_212252.jpg

So the Chimera Turret came from:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2894976

20190619_213048.jpg 20190619_213035.jpg

Same guy did the weapons:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2894987

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2894982

Tires came from this guy:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2894982

20190619_212952.jpg

There is a whole vehicle there, remixed from an Aussie WW2 scout someone designed in 1:100 scale. So I printed the small tire at 100% size (1:100), and the larger tire 150% size. Rough scale. All are usable in a few scales depending upon application. I might print these at 200% size and cut a few corners on my AML project...

Those turrets came out fantastic! I might have to build a platoon of Chimeras, or armored cars requiring such turrets... Out of card bodies with 3D printed grebles!

Now, all of these were in a batch print. So same printer settings apply:

Material: PLA - Fillacube PLA2 in Engineering Grey color
Print Temps-
Nozzle: 180 (all degrees Celcius)
Bed: 50 degrees
Layer Height: .14 mm
Support: Touching Bed, lines, @25% density
Infill: 20% infill (I wouldn't push it too far past 25%, details came out crisp at only 20% infill)

Minimal clean up required. Nothing you wouldn't need to do to plastic and resin kits. Instead of mold lines there is support material to remove, under the radio cradle if you want a smooth surface finish you might use some filler putty and sand it smooth. Sharp edges along the bottom corners of the turrets need addressed! PLA is a rigid plastic, and these parts will bite until you sand them down a bit!

So, will 3D printing replace card model building? NOPE! It just is going to help with some grebles here and there like those turrets and tires, and maybe a few more weapons and other tricky components.
 

zathros

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Those are nice 3D printed parts, but I have seen tires more believable made out of paper, using rubber stuff like "Flexi-Seal", or "Liquid Electric Tape". Also the hatches look good, but your paper hatches looked way better. I would say that tracks, because of the pain in the ass they are, are a great candidate for 3D printing. Your paper versions of the stuff just came out better. It's your fault for being that good at what you do. ;)
 

Sudsy

Well-Known Member
Those are nice 3D printed parts, but I have seen tires more believable made out of paper, using rubber stuff like "Flexi-Seal", or "Liquid Electric Tape". Also the hatches look good, but your paper hatches looked way better. I would say that tracks, because of the pain in the ass they are, are a great candidate for 3D printing. Your paper versions of the stuff just came out better. It's your fault for being that good at what you do. ;)

Well, I havent cleaned them up and painted them yet... Now, if I mix and match and nobody can tell after painting...
 
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