Adventures in 3D (Re)Printing Update

My initial 2018 review of Shapeways printing for wargaming (link here) ended up with some nice figs for me although there was a misprint on the weapon of the most prominent figure.  I contacted Shapeways over the holidays about a reprint for just that miscast figure and they got back to me fairly quickly.  It turns out that the wall of the fins on the weapon were too thin and this wasn't caught by either their automated systems, the pre-production manual check, or the post printing Q&A.  Their support staff was quite helpful and even sent this picture to show the exact areas that were too thin.

I only hoped for a reprint of the initial figure but apparently, since the error wasn't caught at any of the steps, they instead gave me a full refund as store credit.  They offered to change it to a refund via my credit card but I figured I'd partly redo the figs and reorder them instead so kept the store credit.  I opted this time to "extrude" the models to avoid any potential issues like the one above as well as to give the figures a bit more bulk.  For example, my sniper rifle alien had three very fine head protrusions of equal length but with just normal (and careful!) handling I've already broken off the tips of two of them.  Here is an example of what I mean by "extrusion" with the original model and three additional successive levels.

I incorrectly stated that the process would make the facial details more prominent in my last review based on my memories of ordering back in 2012.  My 2012 model had even more bulk added than the most extreme shown here; this time, I decided to just use the first level as it was enough to thicken fragile areas on both figures and to avoid any automatic "patches" added by Shapeways like with the glob on my miscast model's hammer.

I didn't opt for expedited shipping and it took about a month to get it this time as well so the Christmas rush wasn't responsible for the extended delivery time.   While I didn't get extra detail from the extrusion, I'm definitely happier with the increased overall bulk compared with the previous proportions.  Previously dangerously thin sections are noticeably thicker like the sniper barrel find and there are no misprint errors this time.  I made sure to resize the two new models (in their hard to see clear form below( to the same height scale as the previous prints  despite the variant poses.

I did a quick primer coat (this time in their intended individual base colors) and took a scale pic with some other figs (40k primaris and Star Wars prepaints human).    I hope to finish these two latest figs this upcoming week and will post a quick update when I do.  Just like these models have their individual facets hidden by textures, I hope that the polygons won't be visible once painted as I don't see them on my initial 2012 3d printed model.

State of the Blog Address (2018 in review)

Well, another year has gone by and so it's time for another year in review post.  I'll start with what amounted to the majority of progress on my blog... digital hobby publishing.  Starting with Star Trek tabletop gaming, I worked on over a dozen sheets under my SHIELDS UP! house rules (link here) divided up between the current Star Trek Adventures RPG by Modiphius and the classic FASA Starship Combat games.  This is where the bulk of my updates are for 2018 and, while I myself haven't tried any of them out in actual games, some other players have reported using my fan ship designs in their own campaigns.

Additionally, I tried my hand at some very basic programming and developed some custom ships (link here) for the fan made computer game version of the classic FASA game along with a tutorial for getting it all working (link here).  All in all, I'd say that I was significantly more productive in that virtual realm compared with typical tabletop hobby work albeit with almost no difference in the "games played" metric described above (excluding single player missions).

When it comes to actual hands on traditional hobby work, I frankly didn't accomplish much.  In 2018, the only miniatures that I worked on were the painted Winged Hussar pictured in the center below and another converted/built yet to be painted.  I had hoped to finish off a half painted Tau broadside suit conversion I worked on a few years ago but never got around to it. 

I hope to do better next year but realistically I said the same thing last year in my previous review so I won't hold my breath.  While I did visit the local games store a bit more in 2018 for RPG reasons, I only ended up playing a single miniatures game after an RPG session.  That definitely puts a damper on any larger hobby plans leaving me with the occasional conversion project (like my RAFM minis or Winged Hussars).  In the next month, I do plan on painting some of my 3D printed figures as part of the last phase of my review of them.

Next we have a mix of the two categories above in my Shapeways miniatures printing.  I relearned by brute force trial and error how to pose and modify existing models (although actual modelling is still far beyond my grasp) and mostly successfully printed out physical miniatures.  I did hear back from Shapeways about the misprint in my order and am awaiting my reorder of tweaked figures.  I do plan on covering the reprints as well as painting up several of the figures for use as well.  If time and budget allows, I also hope to place another later on in the year for my first ever custom starship miniatures including hopefully a ship or two featured in my SHIELDS UP! house rules.

Finally we have the miscellaneous updates.  In between the above, I've recounted my truthful experience in backing the failed Robotech Tactics miniatures kickstarter (link here), reviewed Artel W's series of boutique 40k themed miniatures (link here) as well as the Star Trek Discovery Season 1 (link here), reviewed the Starfinder RPG and my unsuccessful attempt at starting a local group (link here), and even covered the history of my blog's title (link here).

All in all that makes 26 updates for 2018 or roughly one every two weeks or so on average.  In reality, they came more in fits and spurts with May being a month without any update.  In addition to hopefully doing a bit more hands on painting in 2019, I do also hope to post a bit more regularly or, at a minimum, not completely miss any months on the blog.  As stated above, I do hope to finish off some existing miniatures on my painting table (like my 40k Tau broadside linked here as well as my recent 3D printed figs).  On the digital front, I don't see myself coming out with too many ships but I am considering publishing an updated 2019 edition of my TOS Recognition Manual (link here) if I can come up with a suitable Romulan ship to add to the roster.

I don't know if this type of review is informative to any potential readers but I do feel that it (at least temporarily) helps to focus my efforts for the upcoming months.  Regardless, see you all in a few weeks with my next 3D printing update and thanks again for reading!

Adventures in 3d Printing (2018 Edition)

Back in 2012, I printed my first ever 3d model via Shapeways.com and reviewed the results in the 2017 blog post linked here.  With the proliferation of home 3d printing in the years since and the introduction of the first truly affordable (<$500 USD) quality resin printer this year, I decided it was time to re-evaluate the Shapeways options.  I tweaked some 3d files (relearning the process by brute force trial and error yet again!) including a model similar but not exactly the same as the previous one and printed it out at the current highest quality possible which is one step above the 2012 equivalent.  I apologize in advance for the long article but I felt that it would be best to post this in one go instead of breaking it up.

As you can see, I upscaled the model as my original scaling was meant to match the old WOTC Star Wars prepaint on the far right.  I was surprised by how small the original 2012 fig actually ended up so this time I increased the height from 37mm to 49mm thinking that it would be too big.  Instead, it's a comfortable size that fits most other scif I miniatures instead of dwarfing them like I expected.  Whereas before I exaggerated most features by extruding them out, I hoped that this time the larger size plus smaller printing layer height would allow exactly modelled is printing.  The large alien turned out just fine but the two others are very frail (especially the female alien shown below) and I wish I had "thickened" them a bit for durability .  Additionally, my tweaking this time around let me actually pose and combine the miniature with the weapons instead of using a clumsy sprue/base system to (unsuccessfully) keep it all together.

The Good

The most noticeable change since 2012 is the decrease in price likely largely brought about by the downward pressure caused by affordable home printers.  A friend of mine, Albertorius, got the Anycubic Photon earlier this year and his results exceed the highest Shapeways quality possible back in 2012 (Frosted Ultra Detail with a layer height of 29 microns).  I paid $10 more for 3 figs at a higher quality (16 micron layer height) than I did for the previous order of a single smaller figure.  The quality also is notably improved with individual polygon facets visible in the printing this time around as shown below on the chest with flash photography.  The facial features are recognizable but shallow so in retrospect I do wish I had extruded them out as I suspect some of the features will disappear with even thin succesive primer/paint/wash layers.

The tools on the website have also improved and you can now specify the model orientation in the print bed whereas before it was determined by the company not for max printing quality but rather for the most densely packed/efficient print run.  Unlike with home printers that use a scaffolding system to prevent failure (as shown here in my friend's Photon home printer), the fine plastic detail quality utilizes a solid bed of waxy support material that is then melted off with a solvent.  While it doesn't require any clipping, it does mar the surface somewhat leaving a rougher texture.  Last time, my model had the support border line run literally straight down the front of the model (shown below) leaving one side smooth and the other rough.  Admittedly, it didn't end up showing through after some careful sanding and painting but I was still concerned about it this time around.  I'm pleased to report that I was able to both successfully orient my model to minimize it and that the surface effect was less prominent this time where it did appear.  I apologize for the quality of the pictures but the opaque resin was difficult to photograph as it was too dark with no flash and the model would largely disappear with flash.

The Bad

The main complaint that I have is that I could have gotten a slightly better quality model for a bit lower price had I ordered over the summer when I finished the model instead of waiting for a free shipping sale that never actually came.  Over the summer, they switched the materials classification from Frosted Extreme Detail previously available to the Smoothest Fine Detail Plastic that I ordered.  Whereas the layer height (which they stopped listing at all on their website!) is still the same at 16 microns, the listed accuracy is 2-3x worse.  Now, to put that in perspective, the new worse accuracy still amounts to at most a 0.25mm deviation for my model size but it's still technically worse than before.  Additionally, they raised the price of my model by about 10% in October meaning that I paid more for that slightly worse model.  I'm still quite happy with what I got and it is a noticeable improvement since 2012 but it deserved mention for completeness' sake.

While the online tools are improved as mentioned above, the nitty gritty details on the website have decreased leading to worse transparency for the consumer as quality settings can be quietly changed behind the scenes without most users ever knowing.  Simply finding out the layer height of the highest quality setting involved me posting to their forum (no response), tweeting at them (also ignored), and then emailing customer service to actually get the information.

Finally, it did take a almost an entire month to get my order after paying.  This year, they introduced priority printing in addition to the expedited shipping that previously existed, neither of which I paid extra for.  Some of the delay is in all likelihood attributable to me ordering during the Christmas rush but the long lead time might deter some folks from ordering.  For me, I was comfortable getting a good deal while letting others pay for the faster service as I consider that a comfortable middle ground if not taken to the extreme.

The Ugly

Again, not too much to report here other than one miscast on the large alien figure.  As shown in the picture below, his gun is supposed to have multiple extended protrusions around the barrel.  Those apparently did not print out or attach correctly despite passing the automated and manual checks.  The automatic check did add a few gobs of extra material here (for example visible on the front surface of the hammer) but they're not as obvious in person as I initially feared.  The other two aliens printed out flawlessly with razor thin protrusions like weapon fins and head spikes surviving intact (although we'll see if they last long in use or storage!).  I've contacted the support team about reprinting just the large alien due to the miscast weapon and will update this post when that process eventually concludes.  As it is currently between Christmas and New Year's at the time of writing this post, I suspect it may take more than a few days to sort it all out.

 The Verdict

Overall, I'd say that 3d Printing has definitely reached the point where it is doable both from an ease of use as well as quality standard.  Whereas previously I rated the quality at about board game plastics quality, I'd say it has reached roughly the same quality as well done mass produced plastic kits from about a decade or so ago.  If you're not interested or able to invest in the new generation of $400-500 high quality resin home printers, Shapeways is a viable alternative for sculpts that you just can't get elsewhere (as long as the detail depth is adjusted for 3d printing and you're not in a rush) and the price is also lower than some of the more recent GW kits per model.  A friend let me know about another service that uses home 3d print farms so an evaluation of that option will hopefully be the next article in this series at some point next year.

As always, I'm keen to hear any questions or comments so feel free to leave them below.   I hope everyone had a merry Christmas in 2018 and will have a happy New Year as well in a few days!