"Shapeways modern naval ships" Topic

I see Objects May Appear (a Shapeways storefront run by one of our fellow TMPers) has started a range of modern naval vessels:

link

Interesting mix of hulls there.

anyone has experience with them? I am thinking to get some but first I want some reviews

That is an impressive list. The Indian Navy? Pretty cool!

I can't say anything about those models, but my order from Shapeways was quick and nicely "cast/printed/whatever you want to call it".

Shapeways can be very erratic about delivery times, but they're mostly pretty good. Anecdotally, they sometimes suffer from order backlogs that can result in taking 2-3 weeks to process, but I've never experienced worse than 10 days from order-to-shipping-notice myself.

Note that the indvidual "store owners" (such as Objects May Appear) have nothing to do with the production and order fulfillment end of things – that's all Shapeways.

The Indian Navy? Pretty cool!

Timely, too, what with the Chinese challenging one of their ships off Viet Nam earlier today.

Neat!

One other thing to note is that the statement:

which provides 100 micron resolution (i.e. roughly the size of a human hair).

Is a bit of an inaccurate statement. The actual resolution is much, much, much higher than that. However, it can faithfully recreate details as fine as 0.1 millimeters thick (text, panel lines and the like).

If it was 100 micron resolution, you would have steps every 100 microns…which would be completely unworkable for most people.

Timely, too, what with the Chinese challenging one of their ships off Viet Nam earlier today.

A billion some odd Chinese versus a billion some odd Indians…

I bought my first 1/3000 minis from Modelers Mart here in Florida in the mid 80s and have collected from about 6-7 companies in this scale since.Each outfit has their gems and their sinkers.Navwar has the depth to their range,probably can't be beat but other than the Thai ships of WW2 they haven't released much in years.I think everyone knows you can't order from their website.Davco,B+M,are not releasing anything.Trafalger has been brought back by Mick
at MY Minis.The old stuff hasn't changed much in years,but Mick has kicked out some great projected/hypo types.They need a little work,but he has gave us several jewels like the liner Roma conversion to a CV.My favorite of the lot is
Denian Models.Ian does great work,but sadly has not released
a lot lately.His most recent work includes excellent models
of the Freedom,Neustrashimy/Bora,Hayabusa,Lanzhou and his older work is superior to anyone elses.He hasn't had a lot of time for his range plus he doesn't take cards or paypal so I have to order currency from my bank($15).
Objects May Appear/Shapeways has free shipping through UPS.
They have three different tough plastics for materials.The detail on mine(1/3000-1/2400) has been at least as good as Denian's or even better.Arun has probably released a model or 2 a day for a month giving the small modern naval gaming
community a nice little ride.There has been a golden age in the first years of the century for modern navies and I was beginning to think it was going to pass the gamers/collectors by but I think we got a break!

Hey All,

I'm the designer at "Objects May Appear…" Just wanted to say thanks for all the support I've had. I've been posting ships as I finish them to the TMP topic "scale plans for 1/6000" as well as some of the Yahoo lists for different scales (NavWar, 1:3000, 1:6000, etc…). I've got a queue of about 20 or so requests right now, all from folks on the various forums for gaps they'd like to see filled, so if you have anything on your wishlist you'd like to see, send me a top and side schematic view and I'll add it. :-)

It sounds like a number of people have started receiving their models, so hopefully some pictures will start appearing soon.

Here are some photos of various ships, apologies for the poor photography:

link

Thanks!

I added some pictures of 1/6000 modern ships to my blog.

link

You can see a Shapeways Type 052 Chinese destroyer compared to some Figurehead models there. Pics are done with an I-phone, but better Nikon camera shots will be added later. Keep in mind, these models never look that great with brutal closeup photos…the unzoomed images give a better idea of how they will look on the table.

Sudwind – Great photos and paint job! Thanks for posting those!

Just added:

Danish Absalon Class:

1:2400 shpws.me/3c3g
1:3000 shpws.me/3c3h
1:6000 shpws.me/3c3i

Loaded up on the Absalon(1/3000-1/2400)!I also ordered a pack of The Spansh ACs.After a 3 hour search I found my 20 year old pack of Navwar I.Maria's.I think the mold was wearing out even then,so off to the reserves.Good timing on this one,I was considering an order to WTJ for some Spanish reinforcements.

Hey all,

I just found out about another Shapeways naval store you might all be interested in:

link

Currently doing 1:4800 WWII for now, but looks very exciting!

As hard as its been on the other 3 scales for new models,nothing beats the long wait the loyal 1/4800 guys have been through.All they've had was 2 fleet packs from C+C
and the ancient molds from Trafalgar that Mic offered from MY Minis.As in his 1/3000 range Mic released some dandys with his new stuff.The Roma CV,Richilieu hybrid and others were pretty good.I bought a few to support his work.
It's been one hell of a holiday with Arun's release of the Absalon/DZP.2 orders in one day for both in 1/3000-1/24000!
I'm not sure of exactly what's out there in 1/4800,but Arun's DZP could be the first modern warship in that scale.

KNOSSOS – I think the De Zeven was one of your requests.

Royal Netherlands Navy De Zeven Provinciën class frigate :

1:2400 shpws.me/3cLr
1:3000 shpws.me/3cLs
1:4800 shpws.me/3cLt
1:6000 shpws.me/3cLu

The HTMS Thonburi (a.k.a. Dhonburi) of the Royal Thai Navy, a coastal defense ship commissioned 1938:

1:2400 shpws.me/3cTx
1:3000 shpws.me/3cTz
1:4800 shpws.me/3cTE
1:6000 shpws.me/3cTF

The Dutch/Danish minis will be hard to top for me.But I sure hope you try!The 1/4800 French looked good.I bought a lot of the hyrid types from MY.They need some work,but paint up nicely.The German Odin,French Richielieu,several
British and 2 marks of US designed Soviet BB/CV.
I've added my 2nd Shi Larg,Vikramatiya and UltraCV to the current orders for the Absalon/DZP.The way everyone raves about the new material I want to get those capital ships added so I can start buying the escorts in high detail.

Was surprised by the early arrival of thr Ultra Nimitz today.What a monster!We've got her side by side wthe a Davco
Nimitz,she maybe 50 feet longer(an inch)but the flight deck is huge.I'll have to take a day and try to get some pics up.
I really believe she would fit in nicely with 1/2400,just not so massive of course.
I should have my Absalon/DZP orders late next week if Shapeways keeps this up.Great Talwars,Murasames too.

Here are my new shapeways ships in 1/300th
link

Collins,

Just out of curiosity, is the grainy look from the paint or the miniatures? Did you use the white strong and flexible, frosted ultra detail, or frosted detail? Thanks – and they look pretty good so far!

Collins,

By the way, here is a good picture of the Type 071 LPD – gives a good angle for determining deck colors.

link

Collins – thanks for the links! They look great. Are those in the WSF material?

New releases:

Clemenceau class aircraft carrier of the French Navy:

1:2400 shpws.me/3fHB
1:3000 shpws.me/3fHN
1:4800 shpws.me/3fI0 (set of 1)
1:4800 shpws.me/3fHR (set of 2)
1:6000 shpws.me/3fHU

The Suffren class anti-air frigates of the French Navy:

1:2400 shpws.me/3gmp
1:3000 shpws.me/3gmv
1:4800 shpws.me/3gmz
1:6000 shpws.me/3gmC

Jeanne d'Arc (R97) helicopter cruiser of the French Navy:

1:2400 shpws.me/3gru
1:3000 shpws.me/3grD
1:4800 shpws.me/3grH
1:6000 shpws.me/3grM

Note: On the 1:2400 scale, the main mast is about 50% too thick and too short, but I included it to help the overall look.

Sjolly,
Be careful before you paint the Type 071.
The brownish flightdeck was on the ship's builders trials before the non slip surface, helo spots and recognition numbers were added. The attached video has the completed version at the 52 second mark:

YouTube link

Cheers,
Bertie

Yes, I bought the White Strong & Flexible ships. The grainy look isn't so bad in real life, I think the flash on the camera exacerbated it. Plus, when playing Harpoon they're a bit further away than when using macro mode on the camera. Anyway, I assume the more expensive Shapeways options give sharper results. I'm happy with what I got for the price.

Bertie,

Thanks for the tip! I thought the brown was a little odd, but it's the PLAN, so who knows!

Steve

Collins,

I'm glad to hear the WSF isn't as bad as I thought.

Steve

I'm glad to hear the WSF isn't as bad as I thought.

Me too. :-)

About half of my orders for 1:3000 and 1:2400 are in WSF, which seems to hit the right tradeoff between cost and detail for gaming use.

There is also a "polished WSF" material which is a little more smooth. I ordered a couple in the material and didn't see too much difference, but for craft with big flat surfaces (like carriers) it can help a little.

Some fleets:

French Fleet 1:
F70 Leygues Frigate x8
FREMM x8
Mistral x4

1:6000 shpws.me/3gwL (20 ships for $20)
1:4800 shpws.me/3gwK (20 ships for $25-32)

French Fleet 2:
La Fayette 20 lafayette_6000 x10
Clemenceau 2 STL x2
Jeanne D'Arc x1
Suffren x2

1:6000 shpws.me/3gx4 (15 Ships for $16)
1:4800 shpws.me/3gx0 (15 Ships for $21-25)

French Fleet 3:
La Fayette x5
FREMM x11
Mistral x4

1:4800 shpws.me/3gSc (20 ships for $36)
1:6000 shpws.me/3gSf (20 ships for $22)

Indian Fleet:
3 Brahmaputra
3 Godavari
3 Delhi
6 Talwar
8 Kumbhir
12 Veer
1 Vikramaditya

1:4800 shpws.me/3gQn (36 ships for $23)

Korean Fleet:
3 KDX-I (Gwanggaeto the Great class destroyer)
6 KDX-II (Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin class destroyer)
3 KDX-III (Sejong the Great class destroyer)
4 Dokdo amphibious assault ship

1:4800 shpws.me/3gQK (16 ships for $24)

Generic Merchant 5660 Deadweight Tons, 108m long:

1:2400 shpws.me/3ho6
1:3000 shpws.me/3hoh
1:4800 shpws.me/3hoh
1:6000 shpws.me/3hop

Generic Bulk Carrier, 180m long:

1:2400 shpws.me/3ht5
1:3000 shpws.me/3ht6
1:4800 shpws.me/3htm
1:6000 shpws.me/3htu

These offerings create some fascinating possibilities for gaming in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

Thanks Ken! Do you know if there are any rulesets there which might be useful for that or offer some relevant scenarios?

Shapeways is adjusting its pricing structure:

link

The big change is that they are dropping the minimum $25 USD order in favor of a more standard shipping fee ($6.50 to the US, Canada, and Netherlands; $9.50 USD to the EU). The cost of the "Frosted Detail" materials is staying the same, the "White Strong and Flexible" material is going down a little bit.

arodrig,

Sea of Dragons for the Harpoon4 system covers the Asian countries, and has four different campaigns.

Check it out here: link

Finally got my order for the Absalon and celebrated by getting of my largest order yet.Actually,can't resist one more shot at free shipping.Hopefully we won't get hit too hard by the price changes.I've bought several FFG/DDGs in decent numbers and will continue to but always need the single pack(or 3) to flesh out an order.I'm probably gonna send Arun some art on the Meko A100s of the Polish/SAN.I may send some decent pics on thr latest Isreali corvettes.
Hope the Danish Huitveldt is still on the to do.I was checking out my Navwar Nansen class.Although they did a pretty good job on the mini,the radome is not so good.Would like to see some modern Germans,like the F124/125.The Navwar F124 is OK but she is not as good as the Nansen.

KNOSSOS: Thanks for the order! I look forward to the art on the new ships. The Huitfelt and Holland are still on the list.

I'm curious what the shipping rate changes will do to sales. Hopefully I'm at the point that I can start doing some fleets to help alleviate the changes.

New Releases:

Brahmaputra & Godavari

1:4800 shpws.me/3li7

The Takanami class destroyer of the Japanese JMSDF, successor to the Murasame:

1:2400 shpws.me/3kHy
1:3000 shpws.me/3kHz
1:4800 shpws.me/3kHA
1:6000 shpws.me/3kHB

The Sōryū or 16SS class submarine is a diesel-electric submarine built in Japan for use by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)

1:2400 shpws.me/3lhs
1:3000 shpws.me/3lhu
1:4800 shpws.me/3lhv
1:6000 shpws.me/3lhw

JMSDF Fleet 2:
1 Hyuga
2 Atago
2 Kongo
1 Murasame
1 Takanami
1 Soryu

1:3000 shpws.me/3lhA (8 ships for $22.00 USD – $48.35)
1:4800 shpws.me/3lhx (8 ships for $16.10)
1:6300 shpws.me/3lhy (8 ships for $10.10)

Hello all, been busy but finally got a chance to get some more models out:

New Releases:

Gepard class (Project 1166.1) export version 3.9 built for Vietnam by Russia:

1:2400 shapeways.com/model/334876
1:3000 shapeways.com/model/334877
1:4800 shapeways.com/model/334878
1:6000 shapeways.com/model/334879

Dapper class. Mid-1800s Gunboat:

1:1200 shpws.me/3bXs

The Victory class missile corvettes of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN):

1:2400 shpws.me/3li1
1:3000 shpws.me/3li2
1:4800 shpws.me/3li4
1:6000 shpws.me/3li5

Singapore Fearless. 55 meter Fearless Class patrol ship built by ST Marine for the Republic of Singapore Navy.

1:6000 shpws.me/3lNQ
1:4800 shpws.me/3lNP
1:3000 shpws.me/3lNR
1:2400 shpws.me/3lNS (Actually, 1:6300 to comply with Figurehead line)

Singapore Endurance Class. Republic of Singapore Navy's Endurance class landing platform dock ship, build by Singapore Technologies (ST) Marine:

1:2400 shpws.me/3lOh
1:3000 shpws.me/3lOj
1:4800 shpws.me/3lOl
1:6000 shpws.me/3lOm (Actually, 1:6300 to comply with Figurehead line)

Just released:

HMS Endurance (1967). Royal Navy Ice Patrol Vessel, played a notable role in the Falklands Conflict. Formerly the Anita Dan.

1:2400 shpws.me/3lSd
1:2400 shpws.me/3lSe (less expensive WSF material)
1:3000 shpws.me/3lSh
1:4800 shpws.me/3lSf
1:6000 shpws.me/3lSg

HMS Caesar (1944) (Ca-Class). Example of the C-Class Destroyers, Ca-subclass.

1:2400 shpws.me/3lW7
1:3000 shpws.me/3lW9
1:4800 shpws.me/3lWb
1:6000 shpws.me/3lWc

New releases:

Juan Carlos I (L-61), a multi-purpose warship of the Spanish Navy. Capable of launching STOL aircraft and landing craft. Also known as the Buque de Proyección Estratégica (Strategic Projection Vessel) or BPE. Two will also be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy as the Canberra class LHD.

1:2400 shpws.me/3mCH
1:3000 shpws.me/3mCJ
1:4800 shpws.me/3mCL
1:6300 shpws.me/3mCM

The Buque de Acción Marítima (BAM) is an offshore patrol vessel of the Spanish Navy. Nine ships in this class are planned, with the first being the Meteoro (P-41). There are some photos of this ship, and several sets of contradictory schematics, so this model may be updated over the years as more are built in the class.

1:2400 shpws.me/3mDm
1:3000 shpws.me/3mDo
1:4800 shpws.me/3mDp
1:6300 shpws.me/3mDs

Also, a repackaing of the 1:300 FREMM, which now comes in a set of one or two FREMM:

1:3000 shpws.me/3mog (set of 2)
1:3000 shpws.me/2LLs (set of 1)

Thanks!

so before I send my hard earned shillings to shapeways what is the consensus on the best material for 1/3000 and 1/6000?

My $0.02:

1:3000: Frosted Ultra Detail gives the best quality, but if you are just looking for a "gaming piece" and don't want to spend as much, the "White Strong and Flexible" is servicable.

1:6000: Frosted Ultra Detail. I generally don't bother making 1:4800 and 1:6000 in anything other than the "Frosted" Materials. You can save a few cents by going with regular "Frosted Detail" over 'Frosted Ultra Detail" but the savings are minimal and the quality much less.

Just Posted:

Spanish Jupiter class minelayers (1935-1977) were used more like destroyers for much of the Spanish Civil War. Four were built.

1:2400 shpws.me/3mKD
1:3000 shpws.me/3mKG
1:4800 shpws.me/3mKH
1:6300 shpws.me/3mKI

Took the plunge, 8 Maestrale and one Cavour on my way in 1/3000. I will comment and put pictures when they are in my greedy hands.

Great selection Arrigo.I need to pick up a pack of those Maestrales also.I have Navwar's but Arun's models usually are so much better.His Cavour certainly is.I went with the Italian FREMM for the Cavour escorts.
I have just ordered the Juan Carlos I and BAMS with the WW2
Jupiters for the Armada and a JCI for the RAN.
I pulled out my Norweigian WW2 Fleet pack from Navwar to get the Aeland DDs out and found parting lines so bad I may not be able to use them.I do love the old coastal BBs though.

Knossos,

I think the basic package for the cavour is the carrier, one Orizzonte destroyer and 2 Maestrale for ASW protection.

I'll keep that in mind.My old Maestrales have saw some heavy escort duty.The Lupos have saw some serious anti ship use.I hope we may see some of the Commandante/Minerva types down the road.

Hey Arun,

Looks like you now have enough Spanish ship types for a good fleet pack…perhaps the same with the Dutch and the Italians? Also, a Vietnamese fleet pack is a possibility since you have Gepards and Tarantul corvettes. It would be great if you could add the old Petya class ships. I am not sure whether or not Hallmark/Figurehead made that ship though. Kilo class subs would be needed too…and they are needed for a great number of today's navies.

Thanks for all you do. Waiting on my last order to arrive before another one goes out, but I have been a steady customer!

Just posted:

Spanish Oquendo Class:

Authorized in 1943, the Oquendo Class was not built until 1951 and served until the 1980s. Three were built: Oquendo (D-41), Roger de Lauria (D-42), Marqués de la Ensenada (D-43)

1:2400 shpws.me/3oun
1:3000 shpws.me/3ouq
1:4800 shpws.me/3our
1:6000 shpws.me/3ous

Sudwind – Good idea about modern Spanish, italian, Dutch, and Vietnames fleet packs. I think I have a few more individual classes for some of them, but then I'll have to put together a pack.

thanks!

Received my Juan Carlos/BAMs today.Great minis!The JCI is a very useful design.Built for power projection,with a large flight deck with ski jump.While a great addition to the Armada,the RAN has made a good decision buying a couple of these.The flight deck is quite large,should carry a nice air group.I'll be painting up a few F35s in Armada/RAN colors for some Saturday campaigning soon.The BAMs would make decent light escorts with some tubes/armed helos and the WW2 Jupiters are a great addition to my large Armada of that era.Can't wait to add the Oquendo DDs.I have the Navwar types,but they are based(loosely) on the a French prewar design.They are not bad though.