GMK Posted May 27, 2020 Author Share Posted May 27, 2020 Finally finished the prints of the upper hull, above the chine line. Lots of clean up work to get the upper hull into one piece, sanded, & skinned, but a pretty important milestone, imo. Once the air conditioning duct that runs along the centre of the ceiling is printed, I’ll use that to index the two halves of the upper hull to glue together. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 Upper hull skinned & cleaned up. As the roof is the raw print, lots of Surfacer 500 was required to reduce the prominence of the print lines. Added the gun ring base; now to start detail work. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M3talpig Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 That's really starting to come along nicely ....how many hours are in that now, and how many do you think you still have to do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 2 hours ago, M3talpig said: That's really starting to come along nicely ....how many hours are in that now, and how many do you think you still have to do. Thanks - lots of clean up so far. There’s ten 3D printed parts there, call it ~100 hours of printing, but as it happens in the background, I don’t really count it toward model building time. It’s be like including the time it takes for paint to dry. Design, post-processing, & clean up, though; lots of time there. It’s like creating the kit so that you build the model! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 Looking really good. Given the large transparencies I’m guessing there’s some interior work in future? You certainly pick tough subjects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 4 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said: Looking really good. Given the large transparencies I’m guessing there’s some interior work in future? You certainly pick tough subjects. Thanks. Not making as much progress as your PzH, though. Haven’t decided whether to install the spall liners that covered the rear windows, yet. Either way, will only be the impression of an interior. Otherwise I’ll never finish it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 2 hours ago, GMK said: Either way, will only be the impression of an interior. Otherwise I’ll never finish it! Wise! 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 4, 2020 Author Share Posted June 4, 2020 Moving toward the front of the vehicle, with its trickier geometry. Here’s the above-the-chine, simplified front end: Due to the width (153.25mm), this is at the limit of my printer’s bed. The printer decided to take a break, 14 hours into a 26-hour print. Ugh. Re-print ongoing, but very happy with the geometry & look of what printed. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 (edited) Well, two failed prints, a reset, & 26 hours, seven minutes later.... Top half of the front of the hull is done. Moving on to the the lower front. Quite complex geometry & intersecting planes. Edited June 6, 2020 by GMK Additional image 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 6, 2020 Author Share Posted June 6, 2020 After three coats of high-build primer, some scribing, and attacking the butt face with a 1 inch sweetheart file, time to glue the front to the upper hull. Seems to have worked out. Also an opportunity to check how one of the previously-completed stowage bins fit together. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 Long weekend here, this weekend, so a good opportunity to make some progress on the design. Getting the front end geometry right will allow me to index the stowage bins to ensure that they’re square. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme H Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Can't believe the size of this thing, are you building this for some sort of display for someone? A local friend is getting into 3D printing a lot, and the failure rate is something I was not aware of until he showed me also the print time and the fact that it can't be left unattended means there is no way anyone is going to be punching out kits at any kind of commercial rate. We did a basic course together at our local Library, he went on with it, I gave up, he now has 2 printers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 54 minutes ago, Graeme H said: Can't believe the size of this thing, are you building this for some sort of display for someone? A local friend is getting into 3D printing a lot, and the failure rate is something I was not aware of until he showed me also the print time and the fact that it can't be left unattended means there is no way anyone is going to be punching out kits at any kind of commercial rate. We did a basic course together at our local Library, he went on with it, I gave up, he now has 2 printers. Cheers - thanks for the interest. Yep, you’re right, it’s not little! 1/16 is my chosen scale, and this is a large vehicle, which always meant that it’d be large model. 3D printing/additive manufacturing is trickier than I thought it’d be when I started, as is the CAD. The more resolution/detail you want, the slower the print will be. Essentially, this is kit design & limited manufacturing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 10, 2020 Author Share Posted June 10, 2020 More progress on printing the front end. Just placing the stowage etc. around the vehicle to see how it looks - yep. Enough motivation to finish the detail design of the lower hull. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 11, 2020 Author Share Posted June 11, 2020 Inspired by @Iceman 29 (check out his 1/200 USS Hornet), I experimented with some new CAD tools today to make the handle & the spring. This allowed me to create the three (thankfully identical) roof hatches & send them off for higher-quality printing. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman 29 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Nice job! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 Having made a pretty basic error that resulted in a .75mm step on either side of the lower hull between the engine compartment & the rest of the hull, a redesign was necessary. The grey one on the left was the original print, the shabby one in primed over yellow is the update. As can be seen, the front guard was hollowed out and the hole for the tie rod added. Another view. Also changed the print orientation which led to additional clean up, but a far easier to remove print. This canary-yellow lump is the print immediately after being pulled off the print bed. The yellow filament was all I had remaining, so needs must and all that. Support material removed. Now to join to the right hand side & do some detailed cleaning up. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 Well, filament supplies replenished, time to get back to printing. Over 41 hours later, the centre section of the lower hull was ready for a test fit. Looking pretty good. The gap is due to the size of the printer bed Z (vertical) axis being 125mm. One more print & the lower hull is done. Dummy suspension parts are from the Trumpeter 1/16 MATV. Overall view. Will print the remaining 29mm length and join it to the loose part (124mm long - 1mm shorter than maximum to be safe), so that they’re only one piece to add when the time comes. Total print time for the lower hull is 145 hours. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Nice! I spy some gridded styrene sheet on the bonnet! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 6 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said: Nice! I spy some gridded styrene sheet on the bonnet! 👍 Thanks! I blame you for that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Thought I’d rough out the interior. Thankfully I had some references. Between that and some photos, I built up the centre console. Finished off with the ‘knuckle’ that covers the transfer gear case. Figured a 1/48 test print may be in order. A lot quicker than the 1/16 version! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted June 29, 2020 Author Share Posted June 29, 2020 After inventing location tabs & adding some of the interior layout, it was time for another print. Much happier with the results. Longest print (front left) being over 58 hours. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 Enlisted (conscripted?) the support of a larger printer for the upper hull... Currently in an isopropyl alcohol bath for clean up, prior to the supports being removed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 Serious clamping required at this point... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMK Posted July 6, 2020 Author Share Posted July 6, 2020 Last of the lower hull clamping. Six pieces, total. Each of the squares are 1”/25mm. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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