"Dominion: Tank Police-inspired alien tank" Topic

I always liked the police tanks from the 80s anime "Dominion: Tank Police" even if the trackballs instead of treads don't actually make sense. So for my first non-fleetscale Shapeways project I thought I'd make a alien tank based on them:
shapeways.com/model/1081743/15mm-alien-tank-body.html?li=productBox-search
It's actually 3 parts, and unfortunately a bit pricy- I haven't been able to save up for a test print yet, but I'd be interested in any feedback on the design.

I dig it. But then I pretty much always dig anything anime inspired. Maybe I have a Japanese soul. Would have bought it right now if it were in 28mm that's for sure.

Theoretically, the trackball treads/wheels should work. I know Bridgestone/Firestone (Goodyear?) was messing with this a while back.

Ya 33.00 for just the chassis is a bit too much

That is an interesting design.

I suspect, unless you want just one for display, that the only way to really make it affordable is to get the parts printed, and then get someone to make a mold of it.

Once that's done, you can then sell models to either defray your expenses for the above, and/or to make a bit of money.

The latter may or may not pan out, depending upon the level of interest, what the molds and casting fees are, raw materials, etc., but it might be worth a shot.

I didn't know they used tanks in the Dominion War?

link

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Dan

Aye, I've already roughly hollowed it out, although I made the walls a little more than the 1mm minimum thickness because I wasn't sure about pushing the envelope on something this large. I might be able to optimize it a little more but nowhere near what say Khurasan is charging for tanks, sadly.
If anyone selling resin scifi models out there would be interesting in producing it, I'd trade the mesh for a couple of copies when they were done. I've done that before for some spaceship minis.

Well, Vorta design changed over the course of the war…

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion:_Tank_Police

Incidentially, what program are you using for this? I've been wondering what the learning curve on something like this might be – I have solid experience in 2D AutoCAD LT.

That's an impressive start, well done.

Nice, I like it alot, I hope you can get your production issues settled like to see more like this.

Oh and your Tanks too I meant to say :D

I really like that tank as it is very original and alien looking,they could be used with quite a few alien miniature ranges.For what its worth i think one of our friendly miniature companies that visit the site should get in on the act here…

Why don't you get one printed and send it to a mouldmaker and see what he'd charge you for the mould and then his per-piece charge? Then ask him how much life would be in the mould.

Let's say the mould is $120 USD, and his per piece cost is $3.50 USD, and he can get 40 castings before the mould is shot. $120 USD/40= $3 USD, plus $3.50 USD per piece is a cost to you of $6.50 USD per piece. Mark it up so you get something for your trouble. $11.99 USD maybe? That's not a bad price for an AFV.

Only thing to consider then though is you're now a retailer, and that can be a hassle. I'm sitting here writing this at 12:30 in the am having just finished packing for the night! . I need to get up at 7 to go to work….

It's gotta be cheaper to get a master printed in Frosted Ultra Detail and then make production castings in resin.

Hey, Khurasan! You need to take a look at this one!

I'll let you take it Lion -- economics are all laid out.

Well if all else fails i would do as Lion in the Stars has suggested save up to get a master printed and try to cast them in a good quality resin, then do as khurasan miniatures have said work out the productions and postage costs to price up the tank add a few dollars on for yourself to make it all worth your while and then sell them to order…

I hear that Antenocitis (?) is planning a new range including a neat roller-ball type tank. It will be a while before its made however and potentially even longer for them to remake it in 15mm. But you can be confident that it will be a top-quality end product.

Impressive. Would love it in 6mm (Of course :) )

Augustus – I use a program called Carrara, which I got many years ago in better economic times. It's available at daz3d.com I found it way easier to use than Maya or 3D Studio Max, although I'm sure it's got far fewer features. I used an old version of AutoCAD in high school, from what I remember the Carrara interface is more intuitive than AutoCAD also, probably easier to learn.
Also, I shudder to think what this would cost in 28mm!

Khurasan – Love your minis, part of why I did a 15mm tank was to go with what I've ordered from you. You've got a good collection of vehicles – Is a mold about $120 USD for a tank-sized piece, and is 40 castings a good average lifespan? Would I need a mold for each of the 3 parts? If I could nail down a reasonable cost estimate I might take a stab at funding it with preorders.

Covert Walrus, I could probably do 6mm… I don't know if I could get away with just shrinking this mesh down or if I'd have to do a new build, but if you'd seriously order some I'll see what I can do.

It really depends on the caster, but I think those numbers are not totally off. The mould should accommodate all three parts but again it depends on how the mouldmaker works.

The initial cost you'd need to incur would just be getting one printed. I've never had one of those shapeways prints in my hands -- do they have print lines on them? If so you'd need to clean them off. But you could get a print then send it to a mouldmaker or two so as to get estimates, then go from there.

Glad to read you like the vehicles you got from me, thanks.

K, you just ninja'd me…

I wish I was in a position to afford the mass production, since I'd want a few personally, anyway.

I've never had one of those shapeways prints in my hands -- do they have print lines on them? If so you'd need to clean them off.

Yeah Shapeways pretty much sucks for masters.
Even FUD needs a lot of tidying up/sanding.
If you are Stateside try and get it printed at Moddler somehow.

K, you just ninja'd me…

Uh oh, what did I do?