robertburns

While I'm waiting to save up some money for the silicone, I've been working on this Fox Thunderbird Cut out the prostock rear wheel arches and engine bay IMG_0686 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Temporarily assembled the interior and chassis for fit IMG_0685 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Hood scoop removed, hole replaced with 1987 Thunderbird hood section IMG_0691 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr

That was Joel Dirnberger (SP?). More than 10 years ago. I think it was around 95 or so. As far as I know, it was never finished, but it's super close to being done. Hobby shop is a great idea! I love it. Prepaid kits is done frequently in the sci fi area. It works, but if a kit takes too long, people get angry. I don't blame them. I've seen kits take a year. 3 years. 7 years to get to the customer. Those kits are in the hundreds to $1000s. I wouldn't want to take someone's money and not deliver right away. I'll probably do a kickstarter though. That takes a credit card but doesn't charge it until it's ready to roll

Body, second casting IMG_9457 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr First casting (blemished) IMG_0048 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Second and first casting (first one has a mold shift above the headlights) IMG_9446 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr

Another project... Audi RS Q audi_model_01 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr roof panel, rear deck, door panels IMG_9448 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Wheel covers IMG_9449 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Glass IMG_9450 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Lights and grille IMG_9451 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Chassis/interior, seats, dash, steering wheel, corrected doors IMG_9456 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr

Glad to hear your perspective. If this gets enough appeal, I might just loan the body to a caster who can sell it at a better price (As long as I can get what i put into it). Thanks - Rob

Not saying I would offer this, but for my own, I would have separate fronts and rears with the body (either early or late). No badges since that's hard to finish on a printing. No wheels

Thank you! I think a startup would only work with a builtup which is what I may end up doing. Thank you Steve. I'll try that. Also may try a one peice body instead of opening sides

That's a great idea. This happens a lot in the SciFy side. However the trouble with that is that there are delays. They take your money and you don't get a kit for a year. The worst was 7 years. They don't answer emails or give updates. I don't want that to happen to me nor would I want to do that to someone. I get nervous about holding someone else's money for too long. Thank you Vince. You're right. My marketing plan is this: I do this for myself. If someone wants one great, if not no problem. I just hate it when they ask for a kit and get mad when I say no or tell them the actual cost. Or say they'll buy it and eventually do not.

Thanks. That's a fact. I wish people would back up their words with some action But why would I lower the price and loose my money and time? I'm not rich, nor a charity and I don't feel the need to give my my money and time away. I can sell a hundred for $20 but what good would that do me? Sorry if that sounds harsh.

Right you are That's a great idea. I did this with my Sp99 Eagle kit

Thank you for your replies everyone. Thank you Mike. Right you are, car modelers aren't as spendy as other genre builders. Yep, going for the earlier one, but can easily update it with a few parts

I've gotten 60 parts out of the mold. Some last longer, others get bad after 8 parts. It just depends how much work it has to do. Undercuts are harsh on a mold and kill it faster. Certain resins can expedite a molds deterioration. Changine resin to rubber might affect it's life. Actually the cost of 3D printing is super cheap today then when I first started. If I did this in 2004 I would have paid $1250! It may not look like it when I show you the numbers on this project, but it really is getting cheaper. Think what it will be in 3 years. Add to that, the resolution will get better which means less or no sanding. Also, the warping will eventually get eliminated all together. In less than 10 years, we'll be able to go to a Fed Ex Kinkos and get a kits printed out for us. This is why I encourage younger people to learn CAD skills. That is the where the money will be

Hello all, A few people suggested I try to sell some of my models to the public. I'm a little weary since I've been burned in the past from people saying they wanted stuff. When it came time to pay, they were long gone. The money and time that was lost was mine which was something I couldn't afford. Add to that, I don't donate my time and I add that labor cost to the price of the model (why should I work for free?). I take into account all mold and resin costs, which drive the cost up. Do you think these would sell at these prices? Future Liner at around $400-$500 for a kit IMG_0536 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Corvair at around $100-$125 chevy-035 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Caprice at around $75-$100 wip6 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Please let me know what you think.

Exactly. Why, has someone said it wasn't good for prototyping?

Last one for a while IMG_0538 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr

Head badge from Shapeways (white detail) IMG_0257 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Floor from Shapeways (white strong and flexible) IMG_0254 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Rear wall with seats from Shapeways (White strong and flexible) IMG_0253 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr

"glass" was made IMG_0541 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr side mirrors, side glass, steering wheel from Shapeways (white detail plastic) IMG_0259 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Headlight, exhuast pipe, wiper from Shapeways (white detail plastic) IMG_0258 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr

Oh and forgot. With the resin, one has to find another way of doing the master if they don't use 3D printing and add that cost to a resin Scratchbuilding would include the time/labor cost Conversion an existing part would include the time/labor cost Finding an old out of production kit would include the cost of the kit plus any prep work needed (like repairs, paint stripping, etc)

Hey Andy, Sort of comparing apples to oranges. Or actually apples to applejuice. They both are different and serve two different uses. Both work together to make a part. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that SLA is not archival. It will droop, warp, and sag over time if not supported. I've had parts last for 8 years when supported well. If it warps, then it can be unwarped. But it's too late if used in a built model. I use SLA to make the master, I then mold and cast it for a model. If an SLA part is backed up (like glued to styrene or backed with fiberglass it will hold up I think). I don't know much about Polyjet. I'll find out if that is archival. FDM (Fused Deposit Modeling) and SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) are achival. FDM has less detail. Good for general shapes. Easy to putty, sand, then add external details. SLS is horrible to sand. The only way I've found it to dip it or paint it with super thin super glue. Then sand, primer, putty, sand, primer, putty,sand, primer, putty,sand, primer, putty. There are other materials out there. I recommend researching each one to see what works best for you. The SLA cab/bumper cost me $308 with the employee discount. At Shapeways it would have been Frosted Ultra Detail (SLA) $509, White Detail (SLA lower resolution but good for models - just more sanding) $433, White Strong Flexible (SLS) $131. The mold material was about $95. Each casting is about $25 worth of materials including spilled resin and color tint. Each time I make a casting, the mold cost gets split, so if I make one casting is $120. If I make 20 is it $30 each. Each casting takes me about 1 hour to clean/assemble the mold, mix/degass/pour resin, vacuum pot it, pressure pot it, demold casting, clip and sand pour gates, and remove flash. My garage kit rate is $25/hour (which is cheap for this industry) so the casting will cost $145 for one or $55 each for 20. Add the cost of the master $308 plus 8 hours of finishing/painting (at $15 per hour) $120 = $428. All together $548 for one casting or $76.40 each for 20 castings. So to answer your question, 3D printing a higher quality SLA model (that you have to back up) is $308 compared to $145 for a one off resin. Lowest quality WSF is $131 (which you have to sand like crazy) compared to a one off resin at $145. Cheers - Rob

Thanks Chris and James! I work with 3 CAD guys. Two uses Solidworks, the other Rhino.

Sorry to bring up an old topic. The best way to chrome a 3D printed part is to: SLA - finish it, paint it, mold it, cast it, and chrome it. SLS - mold it, cast it, finish it, primer it, chrome it.

Joseph is correct, this happens when part A and B are not throughly mixed. The only way I have been able to stop it is by spraying it with automotive sealer. I can't remember the brand, since I don't do a whole lot of building any more. If you have an auto paint shop in your area, I recommend asking for the best sealer they have. If you can't use an airgun, then have them can it for you.

Rear end fresh from the printer IMG_0535 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Other side IMG_0540 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Side view to show how long this is. Lot's of caffiein required for this project! IMG_0536 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr

Thank you Karl! Hi Len. Not sure about making this a full kit yet. I'm doing a few for myself. A stock one, a fire engine, and an 8 car transporter semi truck loaded with Motorama cars. I might do a few built ups to sell to pay for the project. Not sure if a kit could work but I'm thinking about it. It's huge and would take a lot of silicone. I've had plenty of items that people said they wanted. I made it available and when it came to order, I got little response. Sci Fi guys can spend $1000 on a resin kit without a flinch. Plane and Armor models spend less but still pay quite a bit. Car guys might complain at a $30 resin kit. I can tell you with the size of this (it's like a bus) a resin kit would be in the hundreds. No offense intended (I'm a car guy first). It's just the reality of the market. Car guys don't spend as much as other genre modelers do. I would have to think carefully about a kit because it is a lot of labor, time, and monely invested on my end. I can't afford to make a bunch and sell a few. I would consider one in a smaller scale like 1/43rd. Thanks, Rob

First casting is out of the mold! IMG_0555 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Inside the body IMG_0551 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr Bumper IMG_0553 by dakota_in_the_sky, on Flickr More to come...