Hello gang,
I just discovered these amazing figures in a Luke Towan video. They are incredibly realistic!
https://westedge3d.com.au/gallery/
They are definitely not cheap, and the current selection of figures is too new for my 1950s layout, but these guys are producing figures that are so superior to the current average model people that I don’t think there is any comparison. Note that they don’t require painting. The colours are molded in.
This is what the future holds for us!!
Cheers!!
Dave
Those are sweet Dave. My subconscious was looking for the red circle with the white arrow to push play and see those figurines talk[:-^]
Don’t surprise me that Luke Towan uses figurines that realistic in his tutorials these days. Love Luke Towan videos and learned a lot from the guy through the years.
TF
I’m not sure if I completely believe those photos, Dave. Those look a bit tooooo real to my eyes and I suspect they have been photoshopped to appear “blurry” so they don’t look too realistic.
Call me suspicious…but I think I’m right on this one…
Tom
Hi Tom,
I guess we would have to see them in reality to find out if you are right or not. However, even if the photos have been enhanced, there is no denying that they are vastly more detailed than the current Chinese offerings.
Luke Towan did mention that the finish on the figures was too glossy, but the problem was easily solved with Dullcote.
I think that if they were to produce figures for the 1950s then I would definitely consider the investment. I wouldn’t do my whole layout with them but I would use them strategically in foreground scenes, just like you would put a few high end trees at the front of the forest. I would put a few on a station platform that was in close view, but I certainly wouldn’t fill a passenger car with them.
I suspect that, like many new developments, the quality will go up and the price will come down.
Cheers!!
Dave
EDIT:
I decided to put my money where my mouth is so I ordered a set of four figures. We shall see if Tom is right!
Went in to take another look and did see what you’re saying Tom.
There’s probably no doubt this company is selling some nice quality, more realistic figurines than their competitors. But why are, what normally is studio quality photos, so blurry. I’ve taken clearer pictures then that with my phone.
TF
Hi Tom and TF,
Before we totally destroy these guys by accusing them of deliberately blurring their photos, let’s wait until I get the figures that I have ordered to see what they actually look like. I have made the company aware of this thread so they may respond directly.
I would make one other observation: These are HO scale figures that are not going to be viewed with a magnifying glass when they are on the layout. I don’t think that anything will be lost if the details are not perfectly crisp. The suggestion of detail will still be there. We use that effect all over our layouts and I think it will work well here too. [2c]
Cheers!!
Dave
Hi Tom, I can assure you and others on this thread that there’s no Photoshop or trickery involved here! I know, because I’m a co-owner of the company that makes the figures! 
We use an EinScan H colour 3D scanner to scan real people, and then print them in full colour on a J55 Prime full-colour polyjet 3D printer made by huge USA-based 3D printer specialists Stratasys. We are based in New South Wales, Australia, and we are the first company in the world to use this technology to create products for model railroaders the world over. We also do a range of amazing cemetery headstones, statues and memorials which have been scanned photogrammetrically by a friend.
The reason that close-up photos look ‘blurry’ is that the N and HO figures are tiny, and up close you can see that the edges of the layers in the print catch the bright lights in our studio. When the figures are standing up on a layout - as in Luke Towan’s video - that “silvering” as we call it is much less evident.
Stratasys - a global company - are fascinated by the way we are using their tech, and are looking into how it can be improved for tiny prints like ours. If you’d like to know more, YouTube has lots of videos about the J55 and polyjet colour printing, and also the Einscan H colour scanner.
We too have more info on our website, Instagram and Facebook pages: just search ‘West Edge 3D’. You can also see there some of the links to reviews from magazines like Model Railroader and the UK magazine Model Rail. This technology is really new, and we love explaining what we’re doing to modellers, so if you have any questions, please message me here, or our contacts are on the website. Wishing you all a happy and safe Christmas and New Year, Lindsay O’Reilly.
I have been communicating with Lindsay O’Reilly, the owner of the company. He has posted a response to your concerns about the clarity of the photographs but his response won’t show until the moderators approve his post, assuming that they do. I explained to him that he can’t promote his company on the forums, but I believe he is able to answer questions about it. Stay tuned.
Cheers!!
Dave
I don’t know Gents, but if you go to the Shop and click on the various products, then click on the scale, they don’t look blurred to me; but then I’m not wearing my specs.
Cheers, the Bear.[:)]
Very realistic. Are these produce by a 3-D printer rather than a mold?
That’s a bit harsh, Dave. I merely expressed my doubts initially because of the things I’ve seen posted on websites over the years given as “proof”. I will say that the following photo that I found on WestEdge3D’s website this morning is much more convincing to me. Maybe it’s the corn flake on Santa’s left knee. [(-D]
Tom
Plaid and patterned shirts in HO scale is something I have never been able to paint.
I would be in for a set or two just for this feature if 1950s people become available.
Still… I would repaint the faces, but that is just me.
Also, I would prefer to see actual figures rather than edited images next to a fake ruler.
I am available to do proper photography of miniatures if needed.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
The poor images on a sales sight should be fixed.
-Kevin
Hi Tom,
Sorry, I didn’t mean it to be harsh. It was a poor attempt at humour. Your scepticism is entirely reasonable.
Cheers!!
Dave
Hi WilmJunc,
They are produced by a multicolour 3D printer.
Here is some interesting information about the printer that they use and their ability to do custom printing:
One thing that may interest you is a current offer we have for modellers. There are a number of colour scanning apps available for both iPhones and Android phones. We have been experimenting with the iPhone App TRNIO (costs USD5 in the App Store) and successfully printed the figures it produces.
At present we us an $8500 EinScan H scanner, but we suspect in a couple of years’ time smartphones might be all anyone needs for the kind of scale figures we are producing!
Cheers,
Lindsay.
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[quote user=“hon30critter”]
WilmJunc
Are these produce by a 3-D printer rather than a mold?
Hi WilmJunc,
They are produced by a multicolour 3D printer.
Here is some interesting information about the printer that they use and their ability to do custom printing:
One thing that may interest you is a current offer we have for modellers. There are a number of colour scanning apps available for both iPhones and Android phones. We have been experimenting with the iPhone App TRNIO (costs USD5 in the App Store) and successfully printed the figures it produces.
At present we us an $8500 EinScan H scanner, but we suspect in a couple of years’ time smartphones might be all anyone needs for the kind of scale figures we are producing!
So far, nobody has asked what “not cheap” means. So, I will. How much do they cost?
Rich
$30 for set of four fiqures in HO.
Yikes, I feared the worst, and you delivered the bad news.
So, $7.50 per figure. No thanks. I don’t care how realistic they turn out to look.
Rich
Yeah, but I’m thinking those might be Australian dollars. Not too bad at $0.67 in American dollars; a little more bad at about $0.95 in Canadian dollars. Still not cheap.
My concern is plaid shirts in N Scale.
The way the technoligy is going, you will very soon see even better work, the printing in color printing is a big step up. I remember seeing the first emultion type printers (that was the term back then for resin printers) some 8 years or so back and the detail was amazing even in the home type units, they could produce this quality even then but not in multi colors.