Alumide?

[prymus]

I've not yet ordered any Shapeways product, heck I'd never even heard about it until I came here. I'm clueless on which product is best for certain models. It seems that FUD gives the more complete detail results, and finer detail, but that WSF and WSF-P are more consistent in the strength of the piece. Now I see some models having a third WSF option called alumide. Would this be a better choice than "plain" WSF? Is the alumide product stronger/easier to work with/print with? Are thee any benefits to alumide over WSF or FUD?
I'm also reading stories of bad printings being shipped, then the person ordering has to go through the process of getting the product replaced. It seems the more I read the more hesitant I am to order. Am I wrong?
Thanks for the "shedding of light" I know you all are able to give. Hope I'm not the only one that needs this help.

[flash]

FUD is said to be best but is also said to be a bit more brittle & much more expensive than WSF. WSF-P I take it is the polished version of WSF, bit more expensive but said that alot of detail is lost. WSF is the cheapest end of the market & has a coarse finish, however, it is popular & produces many serviceable models for the table. Take a look at the painting showcase and the entries in the Hobby Room to see what's been turned out. Bottom line, money=quality: so pays your money, takes your choice !
Never heard of Alumide William so I looked it up on Shapeways site - Grey nylon plastic with a subtle metallic sparkle. Couldn't see any 1/144 aircraft modelled in it yet so that may not be an issue for you. Errors do happen but the Shapeways customer service is pretty good & they replace or give store credit fairly quickly.

[Dom S]

Alumide is a definite no for us - the main reason for choosing it is the aluminium appearance, which is irrelevant when you're going to paint it anyway, while it can't take fine detail, so most 1/144 models will fail its printing requirements.

As for quality, I gave up Shapeways for a good couple of years after a highly unsatisfactory batch, but very recently took the plunge again and was very pleased - the two FUD models in my order had gun barrels snapped off, but were otherwise fine, while the WSF stuff was excellent. Recent horror stories do mainly seem to revolve around FUD, so I think I'd rather spend the time priming and layering paint to get a smooth finish on WSF than pay extra to take my chances on the FUD printing well.

Dom.

[johnbiggles]

Hi William,
I always buy WSF except where FUD is the only material available as FUD is very brittle.
I don't mind the grainy appearance my self, these are gaming pieces afterall.
If you want beautiful detailed models, go for 1/72 or 1/48 output of Roden or WingNut.
it's "horses for courses" as they say over here.

That said, if you look in the hobby rooms and albums on site, there are some incredibly skilled people out there who really do appear able to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

[prymus]

Thanks all. The reason for asking about the Alumide material was to see if it was able to either, 1) produce a model as strong as WSF, and 2)produce details better than WSF. I believe my question has been answered. Seems WSF is the way to go especially if a more durable model is desired. Then, the quality of the finished product lies almost entirely in the hands of the person doing the finishing. I admit that I have seen some very nice finished models in WSF, but also some that I personally would not be happy with. Just my personal gaming preferences. Thanks again gang, appreciate the input.