Shapeways models

[armstrongjohn1]

I was wondering what the members thought of the Shapeways models. Are they good models, easy to paint, value for money, etc.

Mark.

[marcoperse]

Hi Mark :salute:
I made my order to Shapeways 'cos a lot of members use these planes as bases for custom models. Now my order i still pending and has 27th of november as target date. I hope I will have 'em before the end of the year, but I'm a little pessimist :(

Today I had an email from Baron Rolf and he told me he had some printing problem with his models. As soon as I'll have mine I'll let you know.
For now, also if it's not concerning this thread, I suggest you to escape from Reviresco models (not the decals kits). I ordered some of them and were awful: bad printing, loss of some pieces, and so on...

Marco

[Boney10]

Depending on what material you buy the model in nearly all are pretty easy to paint.
Two main materials are used for the WGF
SWF Strong White Flexible. This is the cheapest and most common material for our models, it's robust enough for handlering but the finish is quite rough and needs a bit of preparation work.

Better finish but more expensive is FUD Frosted Ultra D ? Can't remember, this is a clear material, finish is a lot better and the details are better but is quite a bit more pricey.

Not all the models have a peg for WGF so you may have to add one.
Once prepped most of the Shapeways are easy to paint, decaling can be an issue sometimes especially the lozenge full wing for the
Central planes

[Guntruck]

Hi mark, welcome to the site. Why not announce your arrival here (http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?13-Report-for-Duty) and get a nice warm welcome from the aerodrome members.

Many words have been expended on Shapeways regarding quality versus cost of materials. The 3D printing process does turn out some rough (very) surface detail at times, and you need to go for materials such as frosted ultra detail to get a better finish. However the downside of this is that the cost per model is higher, and calls into question value for money. Having said that, there are a number of techniques that can be used to provide a smoother finish which is of a tolerable standard for wargaming. Have a look here (http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?75-Shapeways-Models) to see some of the excellent results members have got with Shapeways models.

Painting isn't a problem although it's a bit tricky sometimes getting decals on, where they sit around struts, such as lozenge.

[marcoperse]

SWF Strong White Flexible. This is the cheapest and most common material for our models, it's robust enough for handlering but the finish is quite rough and needs a bit of preparation work.

What do you mean with "a bit of preparation?
Thanks.
Marco

[Zoe Brain]

What do you mean with "a bit of preparation?

For WGF

1. Paint with diluted PVA glue.
2. lightly sand with emery board. (5-10 secs until smooth to touch)
3. Repeat 1&2
4. Repeat 1&2

Paint. Multiple thin coats work best.
Decal, gloss varnish, then matt varnish.

Result:

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64092&d=1351507594

Mix of Shapeways/ Nexus

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28476&d=1322983609
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30020&d=1325215893

[Boney10]

Marco you can't go far wrong with Zoe's advice. I myself coat with three or four coats of matt acrylic varnish, paint not spray, followed by a white undercoat. When completed and decalled I use two or three Coates of Matt varnish again.

[Zoe Brain]

Painting isn't a problem although it's a bit tricky sometimes getting decals on, where they sit around struts, such as lozenge.

To lozenge decal around struts:
Cut lozenge to one wing shape.
Mark on back location of struts.
Cut chordwwise at that position, all the way through, so you have 2 half-wing pieces.
"Herringbone" the abutting edges with small slits, about 1mm in depth from the edge, and 0.5mm-1mm apart.
Apply one half wing decal, moving to correct position. Each strut will fit in one of the gaps, causing a 1mm x 0.5mm piece of decal to rise vertically. This can be trimmed off when dry, though often it will shrink and shrivel so it's not visible.
Now apply the other half-wing decal, same procedure.



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[Baron Rolf]

Welcome Mark to the aerodrome , and yes out of six Shapeways planes I only had one which had very bad stepping on the wings and fuselage , my planes are made out of the WSF finish and the level of detail is good , I've got two Sram planes to build and they're very nice with good detail on the wings and fuselage.

[Jager]

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/showthread.php?12514-20-DISCOUNT-on-SHAPEWAYS-TODAY-ONLY-Black-Friday-GET-IN-QUICK!Shapeways is having a 20% off sale today only. See Here.
Karl

[decapod]

Shapeways have been rejecting a few of my models recently even when they were within the material guidelines and in one case had been printed before - I'm trying to get things sorted out with them at the moment.
(I suspect they have new staff doing the checking)

I have an order arriving today from Holland (some WSF, some FUD) - it seems to be taking them around 9 days to turn around orders at the moment.

[jbmacek]

I was wondering what the members thought of the Shapeways models. Are they good models, easy to paint, value for money, etc.

Mark.

I personally love them. In fact, I love them so much I decided I would start making my own.




Originally Posted by marcoperse View Post
What do you mean with "a bit of preparation?

Follow up by Zoe:

For WGF

1. Paint with diluted PVA glue.
2. lightly sand with emery board. (5-10 secs until smooth to touch)
3. Repeat 1&2
4. Repeat 1&2

Paint. Multiple thin coats work best.
Decal, gloss varnish, then matt varnish.

Zoe's planes look great, there's no doubt about it. For my Caproni Ca.4 I went through no where near as much to prep it, if I prepped it at all. I know I washed off the residue, then let it dry for days. I think I may have hit it with a layer of Testors Dullcote and then went right to painting. The end result (in the foreground below) is fairly nice.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/63324_10151220761797696_1145713581_n.jpg

And that's pretty much the lay of things. Everyone has their favorite way to prep WSF, and the best way to figure out if Shapeways is for you is two buy a couple and give it a try.
:thumbsup:

[marcoperse]

Marco you can't go far wrong with Zoe's advice. I myself coat with three or four coats of matt acrylic varnish, paint not spray, followed by a white undercoat. When completed and decalled I use two or three Coates of Matt varnish again.

Which kind of matt do you use? Vallejo? GW? Or which else?

Marco

[marcoperse]

For WGF

1. Paint with diluted PVA glue.
2. lightly sand with emery board. (5-10 secs until smooth to touch)
3. Repeat 1&2
4. Repeat 1&2

Paint. Multiple thin coats work best.
Decal, gloss varnish, then matt varnish.

Result:

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64092&d=1351507594

Mix of Shapeways/ Nexus

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28476&d=1322983609
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30020&d=1325215893

I'm stunned!! Amazing pics :thumbsup:
As soon as my order will arrive I'll take time to prepare planes and try to obtain same results (almost impossible :cry:)

Marco