If you look at his Shapeways Store you will see that he has an NKP wood caboose that looks VERY interesting (not for sale of course). Could this be the next thing? Will he do other cabeese for us? How will the dynamic duo escape from this perilous predicament?
I have strong reason to believe that the NKP caboose will, in fact, be available for sale sometime soon <grin>. I was talking with some folks this past weekend at the NKPHTS annual convention about my view that rapid prototyping (3D-printing) is going to completely change the hobby. The major manufacturers will still produce the "10,000 unit" models - popular modern diesels, standard rolling stock and so forth, although I can see a day when they will mostly supply mechanisms for RP'd shells. The rest is going to be taken over by what Matthew is doing. That Pennsy K-4 that no one will produce? Get a Kato C55 mechanism, send it to Matthew, and have him design a K-4 shell, EXACTLY like it looked in service. Voila, a Pennsy K-4. The FM switchers are an example of this; can the Baldwins be far behind? If Kato releases a 4-8-4 (as they are rumored to be working on), think of the possibilities for a Northern Pacific, Burlington, etc. done via RP technology with exactly the details you would have seen on those specific models. The NKP caboose is another one - the prototype was unique to the NKP; not a big enough market for Atlas or Micro-Trains to do an injection-molded model. But there were many, many other unique cabooses, and some not-so-unique that simply aren't being produced. And detail parts - need a phone booth? Park benches? Figures? I'm telling ya, "it's going to be big" :happy: John C.
well, Athearn and Micro-Trains have made an SP specific caboose, and Fox Valley made a Milwaukee specific caboose, considering that there is a Walthers Nickle Plate 2-8-4, adding in a NKP caboose is not too far of a stretch.....
I'm looking at his DSL 2-6-6-0 logging steamer. I guess it would use the B'mann 2-6-6-2 chassis from what I read... but it appears to be a long way from being viable. Besides... I want a few VO-660 diesels first.
I agree there is a long list of rolling stock yet to do . Off the top of my head I can think of a few more cabooses (Lackawanna, Rock Island etc). I can think of a bunch of passenger cars ( Erie Stillwells, Lackawanna Boonton cars, American Flyer cars etc). A bunch of electric interurban cars from at least the PE, The North Shore, South shore etc would be cool (Personally I'd like an Electroliner) . I'm more focused on locomotives right now , I saw Matt write that a Baldwin AS616 is the next project and I now wonder what mechanism to use for it? I too would like to see some other rare and unusual diesels like the VO660, I like the looks of the front end especially. PRR passenger sharks would be cool. How bout a Mckeen gas car ? Neat stuff !! What Mechanism could be used for the VO660? What Mechanism for the AS616? Is there going to be "B" units as well ? As far as steam .. the list is quite long ... Randy
it would be easy to have an interior scribe line to cut out the area that the cab would go so there could only be one AS616 kit...
That caboose looks great I'll be in for one... perhaps two. I model B&M but a NKP caboose is obligatory since I am right down the road from the home of the real Nickle Plate 765 and the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (a NKP centric group). Now if someone would RP some of the more obscure B&M caboose types... life would be grand.
I was wondering if someone was going to mention the NKP caboose! Yes, to clear things up, that is the next project coming down the pipeline from me (I worked on it largely in conjunction with the FMs) and it should be available sometime within the next few weeks - I've been relatively quiet about it since it's a commission project and since I've been busy posting about the FMs. The 2-6-6-0 is actually much farther along than I might be leading on - I set myself the goal of having a fully operational prototype on hand for a train show back in late august. Let's just say that I pulled it off! I'm hopefully only one prototype away from making it available (that said I'm not going to box myself into a time frame just yet). Finally, as for other projects, I'm thinking either an AS-616 (on an Atlas RSD-4/5?) and/or the VO-660 (on the new Bachmann and Atlas ALCOs). An SW1500 could also be decently approximated using the ALCOs I think. Beyond that I haven't put in too much thought...
Received my H-10-44 kit today. Since several people are already planning Milwaukee Road versions, I'm going to paint mine for C&NW just to be different!
Looking good! Do let me know how it goes together! Also, once again, expect a bit of filing to get it cleanly onto the mechanism...
Wow Randy... they are looking great! Can you tell us what procedures were used to remove the oily film on the shells and which paints you find are 'sticking' to the shell best? The one thing that I find a little un-nerving though... is... that I now have two different models from two different Shapeway vendors... but... neither furnished recommended instructions for assembly or painting. It leaves the buyer with lots of questions which need to be answered... or else... the trail and 'terror' of potentially uining a model. Matt... I have just received three of the early H-10-44's for my D&RGW roster... can you provide some written guidance for the proper assembly, attachement of the chassis and painting? They will become D&RGW 120, 121 & 122... still may get another one to fill out the 4th number D&RGW had #123.
I'm certainly not an expert. On the FMs for the first time I let them soak over night in Bestine solvent. I don't have a source for the product locally so the best I could do was get a couple cans off E Bay. Since them I found an art supply house that does mail order. On the ALCos I used Floquil primer. After the primer was dry I felt I needed to do alot of sanding to smooth out the rough spots. I did remove nearly all of the detail on the shell (sorry Matt) to get at the rough spots that seem to occur near the details. I was planning on using .008 phosphor bronze wire for grab irons anyhow so the printed ones were either broken or removed. I cleaned the ALCo shells with plain soap and water in an ultrasonic cleaner but the results were not that good so from now on Bestine and a stiff brush will be used. PAy special attention to the step wells, after soaking over night use a stiff brush to clean out the little crevices and then resoak. I used Scalecoat Milwaukee orange for the finish coat and noticed that the paint to a very long time to dry (3 weeks), however once dry the paint stuck to the shell and made a hard finish. I know most guys will use acrylic paint and from what I understand is actully a better paint to use but the available Milwaukee colors don't look right to me. I have a bunch of printed models, I have a group of pickle cars and wine cars from Mark Watson that didn't really need instructions. I built them in the way I thought best and they turned out well . I haven't finished the wine cars yet but as soon as I get caught up on other projects I'll revisit those cars. On the FMs I cut open the roof above the radiator intakes to install a fan , I installed a new horn, BLMA grab irons etc. They should look decent when they are finished. I'll see how well the paint drys now that I got the shells cleaned in Bestine, these printed shells are a learning experience for me so I can only share what I've learned thus far and it is an ongoing experience. I'm glad that you like what I've done so far , I still have a bunch of work to do on the ALCos like handrails, cab glazing, copper power pickups, windshield wipers and weathering. I will try to post some pics of the finished switchers when they are done. Randy
I have instructions for my ore cars here. They are specific for the model, but many of the points are general enough to apply to all FUD printed models. Hopefully they are of some use.
Unfortunately, you will never receive a set of printed instructions with a Shapeways model (like we have come to expect from most "regular kits"). That is simply not a service that Shapeways offers; even if I wanted too furnish instructions in the standard way, there is simply no mechanism for me to do so. The absolute best that we (Shapeways designers) can do is to either post instructions directly in the model's description (like cnw mike has done) or link to files hosted elsewhere (what American Archetype offers: http://www.americanarchetypemodels.com/shop/n-scale-bandstand/). As I mentioned when I released the ALCOs (but admittedly forgot to mention here), while I do intend to eventually provide formalized assembly and finishing instructions with most of my models, they are still 'in progress' so to speak. For the record, I completely recognize that a lack of formal instructions is intimidating for many folks (intimidating to the point that I lose sales) and I do recognize that many people want more back-end support. That is one of the main reasons that I do not currently advertise much beyond the message boards that I frequent; it allows me to answer questions regarding my designs directly when they arise. Anyway, all that in mind, here is a 'quick and dirty' set of assembly instructions for the FMs - 1) Wax cleaning - I recommend using Bestine to clean FUD (whatever the model). You can find it at crafts and 'scrap-booking' stores and is generally used as a rubber cement solvent. Pour the Bestine into a well-sealed glass jar, drop your models in so that they are completely submerged and wait. I typically let them soak for seven to twelve hours (although they are not damaged by longer soaks). Once they are finished, pull them out and set them on a paper towel . The Bestine will rapidly evaporate and you should be left with an opaque, 'frosted white' model. 2) Priming (optional) - I use generic 'rattle can' plastic primer to give my models a smooth initial coat. Perfect coverage is less important than keeping coats light - you don't want to "drown out" the details. I typically spray them with four or five light coats in rapid succession (five to ten minutes between). 3) Sanding (optional) - There is a good chance that you might find a bit of "fuzz" on the sides of the model; this is as a result of the 'support wax' (see the 'Printing an ALCO' thread for a longer discussion) and can lessen the smoothness of the model. If you find the fuzz offensive, I would suggest sanding it off using super fine grit sandpaper (something between 500 and 1000 grit). I cut small pieces of sandpaper, wrap them around tweezers or the flat end of a file and work until the surface is relatively smooth. This is best done after either priming or the first coat of paint (assuming you didn't bother to prime) because the fuzz is extremely difficult to see on a white model. 4) Painting - Airbrushing or hand painting, I recommend PollyScale acrylic paints. As when painting any kit, try to keep the coats thin and avoid smudges or drips. 5) Decaling/sealing - Nothing special here that I know of. You'll need to make a judgment call as to whether you want to assemble the handrails before or after decaling. 6) Assembly - The kit has seven parts (not including the shell) which need to be assembled. If you want to use the cab interior you will need to remove the rear facing LED from the mechanism's lighting board (this is the only change you will need to make to the mechanism). The cab interior simply slides into the cab from below and press-fits (it's quite snug). The only trick is to make sure that it sits flat and doesn't lean forward or back (wiggle it around using tweezers until it's seated cleanly). All of the handrails are included on a sprue. Cut them off the sprue using sprue cutters and identify where they need to go (refer to the pictures I've posted, if you are still confused I can be more specific). There is no difference between the front and rear handrails although you have a choice between using three and four stations (you should use the three-stanchioned version since you are running D&RGW). FUD loves CA - use thick CA to attach everything. You will need to pre-drill some of the holes (#75 or #76 should do the trick if memory serves). 7) Final Assembly - the shell should slide cleanly onto a VO-1000 mechanism without any modification (can anyone confirm that?). It's only a press-fit, but it should be strong enough for general use. I hope that answers a few questions - let me know if you have any more.
Matthew, I have ordered a H10-44 shell on sunday, but today the order was canceled and I received the following message: "We're really sorry to let you know that there was a problem with your recent order. These design(s) could not be 3D printed in the material selected: N-Scale FM H-10-44 Kit in Frosted Ultra Detail Given the nature of 3D printing (converting digital files into physical products), every now and then we catch designs that will be too fragile to create in certain materials. Though we do our best to defy the laws of physics and try to find these issues as early as possible, some are only found during the manufacturing process. You can reach out to the designer who created the model by clicking on the model name above to expedite the process. On the top right corner of the page linked above, you can click the "Contact Designer" button to start a conversation." Am I the only one getting this response from Shapeways? Marc
