All of the observations that I made from step to step of the process are captured at the end of this page. So what tank wins? I like the feel of the Battlefront model and I did like the way the paint felt going on to it. The Battlefront model is also a lot more detailed than the 3D print but as 3D printable models mature more and more detail will inevitably be added.
The Tiger II might not be the best example to use for a side by side comparison. I think there are other printed tanks that show better agains their cast or injected molded brethren. If I were a gamer and building an army that needed Tiger II's I might well get the Battlefront models for these iconic beasts. On the other hand if I needed T-34's the 3D printed version would be more than just fine as would a Panther for that matter (but maybe not a Jagdpanther because of the sloped top). Trucks and support vehicles seem like a no brainer.
In any case I would want to print my tanks at the best possible resolution that time allows. No less than 100 microns and ideally maybe 80. Beyond that I think that the time needed for the print is getting silly. Super ideally, with a 250 micron nozzle rather than a more standard 400 micron. I think that I would also want to hollow the bases out and stick some weights in!
Finally, a note about print lines. They will exist in 3D Prints into the fore seeable future given the nature of current printing technologies. There is no denying those lines when you are painting a model but from 18 inches away, and depending on the model, they start to become invisible and the two things that you notice about the model are the quality of your painting workmanship ... and the details of the model itself. I think it is these details that make the Tiger II model stand out from the more austere 3D Print. Those details, however, are not missing because they can not be printed but rather because of the time it takes to design them into the source model. I wonder if as more and more people start to get into 3D printing whether these tank models, which are in the public domain, will start to evolve?
Final Images Side by Side - Click on a Image for Larger Version
Summary of Side by Side Observations
Attribute
|
3D Printed Model
|
Battleground Model
|
Details
|
Significantly fewer
details but the ones that are there are very crisp
|
Lots and lots of
details to the point of almost too many as there is only so small that one
can paint!
|
Painting
Details
|
The
larger more crisp details help with the painting, but,
|
The paint
just seems to go on to the Battlefront model which I assume is due the the
more dense materials.
|
Modd'ing
|
I think
that 3D Models, like the one that I printed here, will start to evolve as
users make their own modifications to them
|
Just as
modd'ing the design for a 3D Printed tank requires some skills, so does
modifying a model such as the one above. Possible but not easy!
|
Painting
Primer and Base Coat
|
Extruded
plastic has a very difference feel than does metal and resin castings.
Not unpleasantly different but different.
|
When I
declared myself done with the base coat it was a uniform shade of Panther
Yellow of the same tone as the 3D Print. Between then and when this
picture was taken the color changed a little. Not sure what gives!
|
Assembly
|
None
required
|
Took some
time.
|
Heft
|
It is
light! This could easily be remedied using some lead weights or
something in the hull and maybe even bottom of the turret though this will
require some additional work.
|
Not
light! Feels like a tank.
|
Proportions
|
One of
these tanks is not...
|
...scaled
right!
|
Cleanup
|
A lot of
work goes into cleaning up the support material. I find that the higher
the resolution the harder the cleanup job.
|
Fair
amount of cleanup here as well especially for the parts from the sprue.
Also need to wash parts in prep for painting.
|
Assembly
|
None
required
|
Additional
work is required but having these add on parts adds depth and detail to the
model. Figuring out where things go and how they fit was a little
harder than I expected. That is my excuse for installing the barrel off by 90 degrees
|
Previous Posts in the Painting Tanks thread:
Painting Tanks - Side by Side - Complete ... but for Final Touches
Painting Tanks - Side by Side - Camouflage On and Detailing Underway
Side by Side - Primed, Base Coated, and Ready for Camo
Side by Side - Ready to Start Painting
Side by Side - 3D Print vs Battlefront Model
First Blood
Great job! 3D Print Quality great!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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