The Uziel is going to the caster this week. Since you will ask...no. There will be no pics of it assembled. This is because if I do it, then I have to disassemble it and make sure there is no glue residue or anything. Also, there are some parts I only made one copy of (toes) and the caster will replicate enough for each kit.
Now, what I will post later are pics of the Bushwacker. I was not happy with the legs, so I had MMD do some leg layouts for me. Those should be in soon. The torso of the Bushy is coming along nicely, if I do say so myself. Stay tuned.
And on another note...how the hell do I compete with 3D printing? Do I see the end of BMC in the future?
8 comments:
3D printing is convenient, sure, Tim, but it’s not the end-all-be-all of the business. There are ways to make resin casts from home, relatively easily, without needing to send out to a caster. That alone can help cut your costs quite a bit.
When it comes down to it, I’ll take a hand-crafted masterpiece like your sculpts over a mass-produced 3D print.
3D printers are also filthy expensive i've heard, it would cut you some serious slack by investing in one, though due to the price tag of them that makes it something not just anyone have laying around at home... also hand crafted projects will always have a higher value over something made by a 3D printer, printing out a rough base model that you'll later add details to by hand perhaps would be something? also 3D printing can cover up for challanges and projects that may otherwise be beyond you'r abilities / patience / time. this isnt very artistic for sure, but for certain kinds of mechs I'd rather have a 3D print model than no one at all, if a hand made copy is made of a mech I want.. sure I'll take that firsthand but with 3D printing the horizons can be broadend in case the general buyer community disagrees with my taste for a particular mech- that mech will never see the light of day due to lack of interest, and neither will I be a happy owner of that particular mech :<
As a engineer working in Slot Machine development for 14 years, I've seen a LOT of changes in 3D printing technology. Back in the 90's such machines were enormous, tricky to maintain and cost close to what a modest family home cost in median America. The shop that I worked for in the 90's began using "printed" models to rapid prototype and check fit before having a very expensive injection mold created.
Things have changed. An OK printer that can print parts the size of a coffee mug can be had for $2500.00 now. The technology will undoubtedly improve, but Tim... I wouldn't worry about it. The models don't print with clean, flat surfaces and that won't change for some time. Further, the cost of materials with which to fabricate, make the price of printing an entire model competitive with cast copies of your kits. If anything, i'd view it as an opportunity. If you have a particularly troublesome part to design, it can always be hashed out in model space (I am well versed in both Solidworks and Pro Engineer) by someone who would be thrilled with an opportunity to help out, if possible (like yours truly :)
Ok....seriously....Tim ive been working in 3D models basically since the technology was introduced. I'm still buying your kits, aren't I?
This is all good feedback. I just find myself wondering when I see what others are turning out on 3D printers. If you guys only knew what my shop is...a desk with a few knives, some sanding supplies, a saw, a drill, and a grinder. I am beyond low tech...
This is all good feedback. I just find myself wondering when I see what others are turning out on 3D printers. If you guys only knew what my shop is...a desk with a few knives, some sanding supplies, a saw, a drill, and a grinder. I am beyond low tech...
Your shop sounds oddly similar to most of ours, Tim. Seriously.
Tim, your shop sounds just like mine. I'll be honest, I'm envious of your skill and experience, and the work you've done has me on the verge of actually trying to scratch build my own. Up until now, I've always customized kits or kitbashed, never really "created." But there is a difference between what you do and what can/is done via 3d modeling. Maybe some folks prefer the computer's results; but I don't. There's a 'feel' to something that's been made on a workbench. Kinda hard to describe, but there it is. Keep doing what you like to do.. it's inspirational.
Just sayin.
I don't see the end of the BMC, just an expansion in a different medium. Some people like plotting stuff out and having it printed. Others, like myself, like to build something out of sheet plastic. I know you share the same type of building technique, it takes longer and it sometimes can take you down a route that you didnt want to go. My step son is all into 3D printing, and materials he is using wouldn't hold up to much. It would make a great negative for a casting, but not for a durable model. I see the sheet plastic modelers living on Tim
Post a Comment