Yeah, that thought crossed my mind about the boxcar in the background. How about another photo with a closeup of just the figures.
I am still concerned about that breakage. Something that expensive should be more durable.
Rich
CA is known to yellow as it ages so it may become more noticeable over time. A thin layer of Elmer’s white glue might be a better choice and is removable with water, if desired. Testors Clear Parts Cement would work well, too.
FWIW…
Tom
To quote a famous acquaintance, Canopy Cement
Call me cheap, but too much for my blood. Let’s hope the future of HO scale figures doesn’t require spending more than a set of freight cars.
A few thoughts.
As a technolgy I’m not yet overly impressed with 3-D printing - but I do see the potential.
I like detail but I’m a big picture guy building a big layout, not much of it will be viewed from that close up. There will be some effort to make forground details a bit more refined, but it is after all 1/87th scale.
There is a very old line of figures, somewhat still available from Campbell Scale Models, call Weston Figures, cast in soft metal, hand painted, dating back 60 or 70 years in this hobby.
Looking at them in the 1983 Walthers Catalog the average price for a single figure was $2.25, or about $7 today - and that is price Campbell is charging for what they currently have available - $7-$8.
In 1983 a set of six Preiser fiqures was typically $6.
And Merten sets of six figures were $4 on average.
So measured historically, adjusted for inflation, the price is about right.
I must admit, I need to see one in person, because the photos are just too fuzzy looking for me.
Sheldon
3-D printing does not seem to be doing in Model Railroading what it is doing in other hobbies.
I think the main difference is that in Model Railroading there has already been an abundance of detail parts available, so there are no big “holes” to be filled.
I would believe that era-specific automobiles for the 1970s-2020s would be something people would want, but the desire for chrome details and clear windshields seems to be just beyond the capabilities of 3-D printing right now.
-Kevin
Dave, Thanks for taking the time to review and photograph the West Edge printed figures. Regards, Peter
Dave,
I’m impressed and interested.
Do you think that the suggestion about producing 60’s-70’s era railroad personnel can be considered or feasible? Cool factor is that since casual dress was the norm, the figures don’t have to be listed as “railroad”. They could be standing and sitting that would fit nicely into locomotive cabs, decks, or businesses, like what you see in the photos that I posted on the 1st page of this thread. For shop scenes, mechanics’ uniforms and blue jean coveralls would fit the bill nicely.
- Thanks for thinking about it [;)]
Hi Rich,
This is as close as I could get the camera to focus. I tried using my Sony Cybershot 35mm digital camera and my Samsung Galaxy cell phone and the result were about the same. If yo click on the picture a couple of times you can blow it up to get a very close view:
I should note that the actual figures are not much more crisp than the photos. They have a tiny bit of ‘fuzziness’ to them.
I should also mention again that you can send WestEdge3D a scan of yourself or other people dressed as you wish and they can print them for you. I don’t know what the cost is. You can request a quote here:
https://westedge3d.com.au/3d-printing-services/
Cheers!!
Dave
Hi Tom,
I didn’t know that. Thanks for pointing the potential problem out. I’ll do the others with canopy cement.
Cheers!!
Dave
AntonioFP45 wrote the following post one month ago:
Dave, I’m impressed and interested. Do you think that the suggestion about producing 60’s-70’s era railroad personnel can be considered or feasible?
Hi Antonio, Lindsay from West Edge 3D in Australia here. Following enthusiastic urging from lots of our North American customers, we are currently working on sets of contemporary USA railroad loco crews. We should have them ready to to add to the website store sometime next week. We will follow those with track workers and other railroad workers, based on photos we can access on the web. Being based in Australia, you’ll understand that North American railroad employees are pretty thin on the ground here and thus difficult to scan in colour! I’ll have photos of the first colour prints soon, and if anyone can advice how to add them here I’d be grateful - I’ve had no success with the ‘Insert’ command, nor the ‘Add Image’ button.
Hi Lindsay,
You can’t post photos directly to the Model Railroader forums. You have to use a photo hosting service like Imgur (currently still free). You save your photos on the host site and then link to them when you want to add a photo to your MR post.
There is a more detailed explanation at the top of the first page on the General Discussion forum.
Cheers!!
Dave
I have been using a British company called Modelu for the cabs of my modest OO9 collection for a while now. Modelu uses single color resin printing, so while you still have to hand paint them traditionaly; their finish even in smaller scales is pretty smooth. They even have a few figures based on historic figures (Isambard Brunel and the Rev. Wilbert Awdry for example) for those who want some trackside Easter Eggs. Examples of their products finished and painted are available on their social media pages (their main shop site uses renders to show off products primarily). I am hoping they expand with products aimed towards the American market with time, since I believe they could offer a lot to historic focused HO scale modelers. https://twitter.com/Modelu3d
Also speaking from personal experience, 3D printing in general has been a godsend in OO9 and other burgeoning/niche scales. I know that Cal Scale and other HO scale detail parts cover the general needs of HO already (general needs, but not all of them though), but printed parts allows anyone with CAD skill to model whatever they need and print it quickly; and the quality of home resin printers are impressive as is now; gaining a lot more fine detail compared to traditional extrusion printers. Not to say extruder printers don’t have their use either, I have printed off display stands and other pieces that don’t need the same level of fine finish pretty easily on extrusion printers.
Yes, full scale locomotives can roll off a 3D printer as well. Just look at what Toma Model works has produced already. I have a friend who owns their HOn3 Porter, and its an amazing little model. Just print off a shell to match existing chassis, plop it on and you got a brand new kit locomotive. In OO9 there is a British company that has been working on replias of Talyllyn rolling stock and other narrow gauge lines, and their Kerr Stuart Tattoo kit is being sold by the Talyllyn’s own shop to convert