Eleanor Mustang

[DaytonaTim]

Just wanted to share a little project I did about a month ago. This is a 1/24th scale model of a 1967 Eleanor Mustang. It was actually just a test print for a computer model I was working up to produce a 1/12th scale model for someone. I don't build vary many "glue and paint" type models too often. I usually stick to computer models. But I figured I would try and finish this one out as a curbside

I kit bashed the tires, wheels and chassis from a 1969 Mustang Boss model I had laying around.

The unfinished pictures show how the rapid prototype model is delivered to me. The bracing you see inside the body is there to help the model survive the printing process. Once it is delivered it is removed and finished out using regular modeling techniques.

[FujimiLover]

WOW, that is nice! What kind of plastic is that? Does not look like the plastic we're used to in modeling. Can you do any car? What's the price tag? I'm sure it varies with scale.

[GOTH KUSTOMS]

Thats kewl. does it have to be curbside? and can it be kitbashed to make a complete model?

Edited August 31, 2009 by unforgiven

[Foxer]

That's awesome! I've often wanted access to a prototype machine, but way beyond my resources. Do you have access through your work? I have modeled in 3ds Max for years and have many really good meshes I would have loved to be able to do this with. I'm surprised at how thin you can get the body with this. I'd love some more info on the process and I'm sure the other modelers here would too.

[DaytonaTim]

Thanks for the nice words. I did not spend much time on finishing this one out, and my modeling skills leave a lot to be desired........ and it shows.

Foxer, we just use a comercial rapid prototype service, here is a link to their site

http://3dimensiondesign.com/

Unforgiven, No it does not have to be curbside. It can be finished out just like you would any other model. The body on this one is right at .040 thick, which is what I find your typical plastic model is. So it should fit up in a similar fashion.

FujimiLover, No this is not a platic at all. It is best described as a substance similar to gypsum powder that has been saturated in super glue and allowed to harden. It sands easily and take paint great. Its major drawback is that it is more brittle than plastic. I actually dropped this model twice from a height of about 3 feet onto a hardwood floor. It survived the first drop but I broke a part out of the front airdam on the second one. It was easy to fix though.

Any object can be done. The only limit is the computer modeling skill of the computer artist.

I had this body printed up along with tires, wheels, and bumper for about $25, if memory serves me right. The 1/12th version cost about $180 to print up.

[Foxer]

Foxer, we just use a comercial rapid prototype service, here is a link to their site

http://3dimensiondesign.com/

I had this body printed up along with tires, wheels, and bumper for about $25, if memory serves me right. The 1/12th version cost about $180 to print up.

Thanks for the link. That is an amazingly low price from the last time I looked into this. Holy cow... I'm having dreams of never before kitted models swimming in my head! I have 3D Meshes of vehicles guys here would kill for.. eheh

[DaytonaTim]

Thanks for the link. That is an amazingly low price from the last time I looked into this. Holy cow... I'm having dreams of never before kitted models swimming in my head! I have 3D Meshes of vehicles guys here would kill for.. eheh

You have to learn how to make the meshes printable. You cannot just print out a surface model, you have to actually give it some thickness.

[beefheart22]

That is remarkable.

[Foxer]

You have to learn how to make the meshes printable. You cannot just print out a surface model, you have to actually give it some thickness.

Aha! Now, that makes sense ... getting the picture.

[george 53]

That has to be the COOLEST thing I've EVER seen! It seems like your imagineation would be the only limit1 Man, I'd like to see a 75 Pontiac Grand Am! How bout it Foxie? you up to it????

[Foxer]

That has to be the COOLEST thing I've EVER seen! It seems like your imagineation would be the only limit1 Man, I'd like to see a 75 Pontiac Grand Am! How bout it Foxie? you up to it????

75 Pontiac Grand Am ... hehehe..George you ARE weird! I dislike most 70's American iron as they really lost it, imo .... but that Pontiac IS a good looker! (had to goggle it to see!) Pontiac always retained their design sense through the "bad days".

My 3D modeling has really suffered in recent times as my plastic modeling has taken over. Doing a car from scratch is probably beyond my current abilities and, even more, my time. I've dome more modifying of car meshes I've found or bought on the web. 3D car meshes is what really got me into 3D from the start in the early 90's .. I have over 500 car meshes in 3D I've acquired over the years. I checked the Pontiac meshes I have, ten of them, but they were mostly 90's versions ... nothing close to a '75.

Maybe Tim will take this to heart ... that would be a great body to do.

Edited September 1, 2009 by Foxer

[DaytonaTim]

I am afraid I am too much an engineer and not enough of an artist. I can model just about anything mechanical.......but when it comes to doing flowing lines and compound curves, I defer to the artists.

Here are some links where you can find a ton of bodies that have been modeled and are for sale.

http://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Index.cfm...;sort_order=asc

http://www.3d02.com/3d_model_index.aspx?Op...;TxtKeyword=car

Here is one of the best car modelers I have ever seen

http://www.palat.com.br/cars.html

All the car bodies I have done, so far, have been bodies that others have modeled. I just flesh them out so they can be printed out.

The only car bodies I have personally drawn in the computer are an Aston Martin DBR1, and a short and long nosed King Cobra. All of which I intend to print up someday.

[Foxer]

Here is one of the best car modelers I have ever seen

http://www.palat.com.br/cars.html

Those are some great subjects! Never seen most of them modeled in 3D before and all look spectacular regardless! and he has a Merc!!!!!

[DaytonaTim]

If you mean the 49 Merc....... I have that one. Dan gave it to our group so we could learn how to flesh out the computer models and print them up. Hopefully early next year we will be doing it in 8th scale.

[John E. Bowers Jr.]

If you mean the 49 Merc....... I have that one. Dan gave it to our group so we could learn how to flesh out the computer models and print them up. Hopefully early next year we will be doing it in 8th scale.

You guys may have stumbled onto a potenially huge market. Many of us here have been building since the sixties and have reached ages and income levels that allow us to spend so much more money for the hobbies we love so much. Need an investor?!

[DaytonaTim]

You guys may have stumbled onto a potenially huge market. Many of us here have been building since the sixties and have reached ages and income levels that allow us to spend so much more money for the hobbies we love so much. Need an investor?!

We are working hard at trying to bring this process to the modelers. Up till now, most of our efforts have been in the 8th scale world. This Eleanor model was as much an experiment as it was a test print. I wanted to see how the process would work on the smaller scale stuff and I must say it looks promising.

Here is a link to a forum that we started to try and incubate this idea

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/digital-workbench/

I hope it is ok to put this link in this thread. If not ....... sorry.........just zap it out.

This rapid prototype stuff takes more work to finish out than resin. That is why we consider them to be DIY master kits. The plus side is that there are people all over the world making these computer car models that can be purchased and converted to real "glue and paint" models

If you have time, check out our "TDR Cyber Workbench" thread at the above link.

Tim

[RodneyBad]

Well, We saw Jay Leno do it for car parts and tools and wondered

Can it do models..

YES!!

That is a Fantastic start..

It could be use to make a master for a resin molds.

Awesome..

The possibilitys

Thank you..

Your model came out great too..

[george 53]

Is it the SAME type of machine that Jay used to make the "Slider Valve" thingie for one of his off the wall collector cars? I saw it where he made the valve,then he made a cresent wrench THAT WORKED!!! This machine COULD well be the "Magic Machine" we've been waiting for! I remember the Machine itself was relatively cheap, about 5 grand, I think he said the programs and data were what were really expensive. BUT with enough investors, maybe something GREAT could be on the horizon! I'd REALLY think about investing in such an undertakeing! OOO geeze, now I'm REALLY excited!

[DaytonaTim]

The video that Jay Leno made showed a laser scanner that is used to create the 3D computer model inside the computer. It costs about $3500 when it is all said and done. Using this machine gets you to basicly the same point as purchasing a model off of the websites I posted above.

To actually get a physical model that you can hold in your hand will take a 3d printer. The cheapest 3d printer out there will cost you between $20,000 to $25,000 USD. This is the expensive part.

This technology is just starting to get into the hands of the average Joe. There will come a day when a modeler will just go to a website, pick out the body style he wants, choose an engine package, and pick his wheels and then hit print. Then the parts will be created right there on his desktop on his personal 3d printer.

I work with 3 other modelers, at TDR Innovations, and we are trying to develope a model car digital library so we will be ready when that day arrives. Right now we have about half a dozen bodies, 5 engines, multiple options for these engines, suspension compontents, and frames developed and we are working on more as we speak.

The times........they are a changing.........

[GOTH KUSTOMS]

Thanx for all the links and info, this is wicked kewl, gonna start saving my pennys, gotta get in on this, this is just fantastic

[Abell82]

Everything about this is just plain cool!! Now I just have to ask, Could this technology be used to create new parts for old kits? Could you say make a better body for an old chassis, or a new chassis, for an old body? Is it cheaper to make one of these, or to resin cast one? Once you have the patterns, etc.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Abell82

[4DCustoms]

I would kill for a model of the Ferrari 599XX on the second link.

[4DCustoms]

The video that Jay Leno made showed a laser scanner that is used to create the 3D computer model inside the computer. It costs about $3500 when it is all said and done. Using this machine gets you to basicly the same point as purchasing a model off of the websites I posted above.

To actually get a physical model that you can hold in your hand will take a 3d printer. The cheapest 3d printer out there will cost you between $20,000 to $25,000 USD. This is the expensive part.

This technology is just starting to get into the hands of the average Joe. There will come a day when a modeler will just go to a website, pick out the body style he wants, choose an engine package, and pick his wheels and then hit print. Then the parts will be created right there on his desktop on his personal 3d printer.

I work with 3 other modelers, at TDR Innovations, and we are trying to develope a model car digital library so we will be ready when that day arrives. Right now we have about half a dozen bodies, 5 engines, multiple options for these engines, suspension compontents, and frames developed and we are working on more as we speak.

The times........they are a changing.........

Didn't the printer that Jay Leno was showing off actually use a poly styrene feed line to create the plastic repluca of what was scanned. I believe that printer was $30-$35,000

[DaytonaTim]

At this time, this technology really shines when you are making something that does not exist at this time. That could be a body style or a version of a car in another scale. For instance, a Jag D type in the 1/24th scale.....or any scale as far as that goes. If a model company has already made the model in the scale you desire, you would be far better off finding it, purchasing it, and casting it in rubber for resin molding. It would be much cheaper

But............

If it don't exist in the scale you want, then this is the route to go, if you have to have it. This Eleanor is a perfect example. It does exist as a resin kit in 1/24th scale, but the customer wanted it in 1/12th scale. So, a computer model was found on the web, purchased, I fleshed it out and we printed it up in 1/12th.

As far as the machine shown on the Leno video, there are many different rapid prototypers out there and they range in price from 20K to over 100K. The rapid prototyped parts can be made of anything from metal, to plastic, to the epoxy saturated powder we use. It all just comes down to $$$$$$$

[John E. Bowers Jr.]

Tim,

You have a serious PM on this topic. Please check.

Thanks... J.B.