3D printers killed the modeling stars part 3/3 conclusion

 

The answer to this post title assumption is: definitely not.

I started modeling also on some software, it is a matter of time and needs to understand the different available commands, a part this the process is identical to model from scratch.

Luckily there is no need of the internal iron wire support, that was one of the most boring things to do for me... stay tuned, in few months I'm pretty sure I'll print my own designed first model.

In the meantime a suggestion to those who start  resin 3D printing and have in their mind that resin must be washed before curing with expensive machinery and liquids like IPA or similar.

IPA can be find at 10€/l not specific for resin figures, up to 30€/lt for those specifically promoted for 3D printing resins.

No way. It's a hobby not a bloody hobby! 

It is true that the resin not cured starts to collapse on your printed figures if not properly washed away, and this effect produces ugly effects on the printed model.

I tried with commercial products available in the market close my house and they only partially worked.

I did not want to use IPA because that's toxic and highly flameble and difficult to find in the markets a part the cost.

So I used normal Alcol 90° that you probably already have in your house. 

No high costs that is about 6€/lt, no toxicity, no angry wife for strange liquids around the house, you can find it everywhere.

Washed the figure in a little tank for about 20 minutes, and this is the result:

My opinion is that this is more than satisfactory for my needs, no uncured resin left, ready to be painted or customized. It will become a  friendly Advent Heavy Mech.

Compared to the original DAT file that I used to convert into the STL file to go 3D printing, I only changed the position of the legs to make him appear less static.

Next Post is to show you my last work, a Advent Stun Lancer.

Skif.

 

X-COM Custom Figure: Captain Shui Zhang, Psionic

 

Finally I got the new FEP and finally I started printing with my Photon Mono 2 3d printer. Of course my first print is related to those works of XCOM:

After three failed attempts, I understood the method and nobody can stop me now!! :) :) :)

Next step will be to learn how to sculpt on a 3D software. To avoid the extinction, as modeler, I don't want to fight, I want to embrace new technologies. As Darwin said: it is not the stronger to survive the changes, it is the one that can adapt itself to those changes.

And now let's see the new finished custom X-Com character:

Of course you can see the complete 4D view in  the X-COM Custom Figure Gallery. Meet you there!

And here is his card:

Name: Shui

Surname: Zhang

Sex: M

Nationality: Chinese

Age: 31

Rank: captain

Class: psionic

X-COM alien Faceless custom figure

 

Here we go with the Faceless. This is not a custom being 100% built from scratch.

Hope you like it and with the third picture you can have idea of the proportion of my favorite scale 1/20.

Please take time to visit the complete gallery of XCOM custom miniatures to see the 4D pics.

Peace and love!

3D printers killed the modeling stars part 2

 

Just to increase the frustration of being a newbie in the segment of the 3D printers, yesterday I received my new FEP supposed suitable for Anycubic Photon Mono 2.

Happy and full of enthusiasm for not being any longer a extinct form of life on this planet I opened the resin tank and disassembled the FEP.

Unfortunately the Photon Mono 2 mounts a chassis with a FEP film integrated in the frame, and the replacement of the film itself is not possible. The Anycubic makes you to change the FEP film only together with the chassis. 

So on Amazon this seller promoted and sold me a FEP not suitable for my 3D printer.

The frustration now is under my feet... and I bought a new set, hopefully the right one this time, directly from Anycubic Amazon Store

It is funny that in the nineties we were saying not buy from chineese, because their quaity and their fake manufactures...

Today I received a wrong piece from Cyprus and had to buy from China to have a quality piece.

this should ring as a alert ring for all over Europe... :)

Tomorrow I'll receive the new set (frame and film). Another 50€. 

But the mission is still the same: let us dinosaurs modelers survive this ice age of the 3D modelling and printing...

Apropos... in a few minutes you will see in another post finally the Faceless.

3D printers killed the modeling stars

 

I open this post on my blog this time not to show images of my creations but to talk about modeling and its future in general.

A few weeks ago I was at my favorite model shop, here where I live and work.

I was looking for some miniatures, preferably in resin, since lead is now outlawed... to customize for my Marvel or X-COM collection.

The shopkeeper, on the other hand, didn't have any, and won't have any anymore. He explained to me that 3D printers have invaded the sector, almost no one buys miniatures from his shop anymore, everyone orders figures online from 3D print makers or collectors equipped themselves with 3D printers at home and print the models independently. 

In practice models are now modelled directly on the PC, traditional model makers are becoming extinct.

So, in order not to consider myself now extinct, I decided to try the 3D way too, and did some research on the 3D printers recommended for beginners.

After days of study, I decided, also taking advantage of  Black Friday and the theoretically advantageous prices, to get a resin 3D printer, cheap but with good reviews.

I purchased an Anycubic Photon Mono 2 online.

Very good delivery, free and in four days. The first two printing attempts were less good...

The assembly instructions, in Chinese and English, were not exactly... clear, and I had to browse YouTube a bit to find some videos that made the instructions for the first assembly understandable.

Once assembled the printer and filled the print tank with resin, I would have to print a test piece.

But why waste resin on a test piece since with the same amount of resin I could have printed a 3D miniature of a nice Muton from XCOM? So.... I joined a forum for sharing .stl files and I downloaded the Muton file to be printed.

I then downloaded a "slicing" software compatible with the Photon Mono 2 3D printer and prepared the right scale (90mm) and the supports for printing, which, as is known, in resin printers takes place side down compared to traditional wire printers.

I passed the file after slicing into the USB stick supplied with the printer and performed the first print after calibrating the printer.

The display gave a printing time of around 4 hours and 30 minutes, so, as it was already late at night, I went to sleep.

The next day I went to see the wonderful Muton figure freshly printed supposed to be found attached to the printing plate, but there was nothing. He hadn't printed anything for 4 and a half hours.... Nothing!

I searched the internet for an answer to the problem, it could be due to calibration. I took a look and realized that the table top where the 3D printer was, that table wasn't perfectly levelled, it was slightly tilted!

So I decided to put the printer on the floor, where luckily at least the floor is not inclined... and this time I launched a quick print: a base for miniatures with a diameter of 25mm and a height of 10mm.

Estimated printing time 40 minutes. Great! First frustrating attempt but at least I understood the problem and found the solution!

Around midnight I went to see the print result: nothing. Zero. Empty.

Back on the internet to look for a solution to the problem. And I read that perhaps it is due to the first failed print which may have left a layer of polymerized resin on the bottom of the resin tray (called FEP) that does not let through the light and therefore does not allow printing. It was therefore necessary to clean the bottom of the tank, the FEP, from the residues of solidified resin from the previously failed print.

So, around 2:00 a-m- I empty the resin tank, with quite a few difficulties given that the original filters provided with the Anycubic Photon Mono 2 are really low low low quality material...

On the FEP (which is a transparent plastic sheet, tenths of a millimeter thick) there was actually a film of polymerized resin attached, which probably needed to be removed and according internet's experts could be the reason for failed printing attempt number 2... 

How to remove this polymerized resin film now?

I had two tools: a plastic spatula and a metal spatula.

I had read that the metal one was used for detaching the printed resin pieces from the printing plate.

I had read that the plastic one was used to make another transparent protective film, that protects the printing screen, perfectly adhere to the print screen by removing every air bubble with this tool. Just the same we do with our mobile..

Between the two, I chose the metal one, because it was a matter of removing the resin from the FEP.... This was a fatal error: while removing the resin (not an easy operation), I produced two holes in the FEP!!! And the FEP is basically the bottom of the resin tank, I basically drilled two holes in the bottom of the resin tank!!!!!! A huge success...

All this to say, in conclusion, that I spent another 30€ to order a new FEP and that I will try to 3D print  again and again as soon as I receive it. I hope not to make any more messes!

It's frustrating to start with 3D, I read that at the beginning the failure rate is almost 100% for newbies like me.

But I don't want to become extinct... I'll try again, and maybe I'll be able to post some 3D rinted miniature here also!

Stay Tuned!

X-COM: Custom Figure: Mech; Captain Sven Erik Andersson

 And the moment is gone!

here we have Captain Sven Erik Andersson, Mechanized and armored team member of the humans fighting against the Advent troops.

You can give a look also to his own 4D complete gallery in the dedicated page of the blog.

And this is his card:

Name: Sven Erik

Surname: Andersson

Sex: M

Nationality: Swedish

Age: 44

Rank: Captainn

Class: Mech

X-COM: Advent Shieldbearer

 

Dear followers, if any, I am proud to show you the finished Advent Shieldbearer, directly from X-COM2...

Customized and painted from a resin copy of a cheap (not that much cheap) bought on ebay.

I hope you will go to see in the galley also his 4D view to appreciate this alien troop forms.

Stay tuned, in a moment is arriving another Team Menace 1-5 Mech also!