Yes, I have removed the wax. I hesitate to shoot them with primer as I would like to have them replaced. As I mentioned, the layering is also really bad on these. The cab roofs remind me of a corrugated tin shed roof. As I mentioned in my other post, this isn't my first experience with such products.
Hmm okay, I just wanted to make sure - well bummer... For what it's worth you don't seem to void any sort of "implied warranty" when it comes to reprints if you paint/prime them - both of the times that I have requested reprints I primed them before taking pictures (so that the damage would show up better in pictures). When I wrote the emails I simply mentioned that I had primed them for pictures and they never mentioned it.
Matthew , I shot some gray primer and took a few pics of the better shell (I had hopes that you were right that the primer would make the detail more visible). In some respects, my comments about the detail may be off. I think the problem is mainly the layering on the roof top and the cab sides, though the shell sides still seem very soft and rough. I do have a couple of questions though. How many rows of rivets under the cab? I am not sure whether rivet detail is smeared or if it is layering. In addition, are there typically rivets on the cab roof? My hat is off to you for your fantastic work, I just think Shapeways needs to tweak something a tad. Take a look and tell me your opinion.
Ok, on a positive note, the NW2 mech will fit with some removal of metal in the cab area and thinning of the center (battery?) boxes on the shell. Once Shapeways gets the layering problem solved and makes sure the shells are cured and properly packaged, I think we have a home run. Matthew, thanks again for your efforts.
Okay thanks for the pictures - this certainly helps me understand what happened. It looks to me like they went ahead and printed this shell standing "nose up" like they did my first sample (pictured on page one). That means that the rivets (on the roof and sides) were raised from what was, in effect, a vertical surface. Consequently the rivets needed support from 'below' as the layers were being laid down (if you interpret left as "up" in your pictures) and so wax was deposited to support them. The 'trails' you see running along the cab sides (and the roof) are the evidence of this wax. If this had been printed on it's side as my second sample was (what I was expecting), those lines would not appear. That's also why it suddenly becomes smooth above the level of the doors on the hood, there was nothing along that curved edge that required support from below (left being up). If there is good news to be found here it is that I might be able to help prevent this from happening in the future by tweaking my design. I'll keep you posted there... While it's not ideal, if you can stomach taking some fine grit sandpaper (at least 500 grit) to the sides of the cab and the roof you should be able to take the roughness off fairly easily. You'll loose the rivets, but at least you should have a workable base to start re-detailing from. Oh and to answer your question, there should be two lines of rivets on the side of the cab: one directly below the window and one halfway down. The two lines that are visible in the middle are the result of the support wax. If you want to go ahead and request a reprint you also certainly can. All that said I can't speak for the "softness" you mention. That does indeed sound odd. Thanks again for posting the pictures
Yes, they actually did on this one. I haven't messed with the other one as it seems to be worse. I may try doing some sanding on this one and see what happens. I should have exposed it to UV before I painted it, but maybe if I do it from the inside it would help. I have requested replacements from Shapeways, so we will see what happens. I wonder why they didn't go from lessons learned on your second sample?
Just curious, What about a flat kit? I know Shapeways dosn't alow you to dictate a specific orientation yet, but they said they would in the future. A flat kit would fix all the issues with stepping. I still think Shapeways is a good way to build a master for resin casting rather than a bare model. Bryan over at ESMC has been doing just that with good results.
Well I'd have to guess that since the people filling the orders/receiving complaints/etc. (Shapeways) and the people actually operating the machines (the contractors) aren't actually part of the same group, there is not too much feedback between them. That is consistently the biggest complaint about Shapeways and specifically FUD: the person prepping the build for the machine has complete discretion to choose the orientation of the parts (in terms of x-y-z). I would really recommend trying some quick sanding if you get the chance - you'll be surprised how soft the 'rough' layer of finish really is. When my models come rougher than expected, I usually only need to dedicate about five minutes to smoothing out most of the irregularities (your shells might take a bit more time but it hopefully won't be too terrible). Are you planning to put both shells on Kato mechanisms?
I do plan on using the Kato mechanism. The Life Like mechanism is good when you change out the plastic worms for brass ones, and the DCC using the Z2 isn't too hard, but I like the Kato better. Besides, I have several of them I picked up used for a song.
Fair enough - I like Kato too for the record - I just happened to have a Life-Like on hand (and only a Life-Like) so that's what I went with That said it's good to hear that the conversion should be relatively smooth. Now I'm just curious to see how some of the others came out
I've done some sanding, so we will see how it goes when I shoot another coat. I am going to remove the material form the Kato frame this weekend so maybe Monday it will look viable. Some areas I cannot really sand, so it won't be perfect.
I haven't had a chance to properly clean and prime mine yet but I would say the quality is about the same as previously reported. Mine has the same "corrogated" look and was a bit soft towards the rear. Nothing that cant be sorted out once I have a chance to give it a good cleaning. The handrails look great but they are very soft and I am wondering how to clean them without breaking them. Other than that the shell looks amazing and fits on the Life Like chassis like a glove. Well done sir! I am looking forward to having some time off so I can get started.
For areas that you can't get to with sandpaper, I would almost suggest a bit of gentle scraping (with a flat bladed screw driver perhaps?). If you keep the pressure light you should remove the roughness without damaging the underlying plastic. I've done something similar with reasonable success on at least one occasion. Thanks, it's good to hear that the shell fits well! I'm stoked to see the finished model that you come up with! On the subject of rivets - because of the nature of the support wax (as described above), placing rivets on flat surfaces has always been slightly problematic (because if you get unlucky and get a weird orientation you can end up with the 'corrugated' look). I'm wondering if they might just be more trouble than they are worth... I'll probably just remove most of them and let the people who want them add their own using Archer etc. Sigh, ahh well, lessons learned.
Yeah, removing the rivets may be the best bet. When you were able to get the orientation you requested, did it resolve the issue totally? I received a reply from Shapeways this morning and sent them pictures along with your explanation of the problem and hopefully they can get a permanent fix in place.
The locomotive I am going to model doesnt seem to be riveted anyway (I think many S4s were fabricated and then welded together although I think this one was an S3 rebuilt as an S4 after a fire): http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/67850/B&M 1274(1174) WRJct.,VT 5'28'72.jpg Overall, I consider this a great kit (I build R/C planes too and those kits generally require a lot more tweaking and fiddling) Im not concerned about having to sand here and there.
Matthew, in the course of looking at your Shapeways page, the shell is shown with changeable stacks. I did not go so far as to look at all of the provided details in the bag, but the shell has a stack already in place. Are they possibly making these from an old drawing?
Here it is with a coat of primer on and some things I noticed: Overall view Corrogation on cab, this seems to be easy to sand off: The grab on the left rear of the cab didn't hold up too well, looks like a portion was missing from the printing: The front turned out great: One major thing Ive noticed so far is that the handrail tree is very delicate and mine was a touch on the soft side, several stanchions on the preformed handrails are broken right at the base (although I dont foresee a problem gluing them). I almost wonder if making the permanent handrails a little thicker would be a good idea... for those who really want fine detail (i.e. brass wire) the seperate stanchions can remain the size they are currently. I do like the horn being part of the shell, one fewer tiny objects to keep track of. I will give more feedback when I have spent some time working on it. Thanks again for making this possible.
Not sure if it's been mentioned already, but riviting verses welding helps to distinguish the Alco models. S-1 & 2 had rivited cabs, though the obvious spotting feature is the Blunt truck. S-3 & 4 had welded cabs. Nice thread and nice work. Cheers Steve Modelling NJ in NZ
