"Aotrs Shipyards Jan 2017 Release: M60A1 variants (144)" Topic

Aotrs Shipyards is a webstore on Shapeways.com, a 3D print house which had production and shipping facilities located in the USA and the Netherlands.

For the next month or two, you can expect (fairly simple) variants of existing models, as starting next week, the thrust of my work is going to be doing a couple more casting master commissions for Kallistra.

This month, then, because it was (relatively!) quick and easy, we have some new (144th) versions of the M60A1, with searchlights and/or smoke dischargers.

Now, when I came to look at this – and this is partly why I didn't put them on the first time – it's difficult to ascertain what tanks had one, both or neither! There wasn't really any consistency in any of the photos I found. (Nor was any of the written texts very helpful!)

In fact, at one point, I found a photo ostensibly of the front shot of an M60A3 and M60A1 side-by-side and I'll be fragged if I could see any differences between the two aside from the former not having a searchlight!

So I decided I might as well do three versions, one with both and one with one or the other and you can take your pick!

(But if anyone wants to enlighten me – with some pictures! – of the visible external differences between a M60A1 and M60A3, that could also go in the queue. My cursory searches suggest that principally, the difference is the gun barrel has a thicker portion that is the thermal sleeve, but that's about it.)

So then:

M60A1 with searchlight and smoke dischargers

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M60A1 with searchlight

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M60A1 with smoke dischargers

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Photo is of the Rep 2 prototype. Only the one photo, since it shows both parts and I didn't think it was worth printing all three versions for the sake of it!)

(This one, by-the-by, has the production-standard slightly thicker barrel I mentioned on the original M60A1 release, that the older prototype didn't.)

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Next month's release with be the Mk 3 Centurion (with and without skirts), in time for Hammerhead 2017. (Where UshCha will be putting on a Maneouvre Group game of alternate history World War II, in 1946.)

I believe the M60A3s had image intensifiers at first, and/or perhaps thermals later, so no longer needed the searchlights.

Most of the M60A1s I've seen in the European theater from back in the day had the searchlights.

Thanks for producing these.

Can't wait to buy some.

Still hoping for Cold War era West German Marders, e.g. Marder 1, 1A1, and 1A2, and the little Spz Kurz with 20mm cannon for the early – mid Cold War, Bundeswehr army.

My one 'big' issue with Shapeway products, it seems most if not practically all, will tell you; "have a grainy feel to them".
And I have see a very few, that had been primed, that grainy finish really stands out then.

But to be fair, some of the mini's they've turned out, are very impressive. I'd tell any friend that was thinking about buying from them, just read carefully before you make in 'big' investments'

I must admit I have lots of Shipyaeds stuff. We have commisioned some of it. I use 3D printer stuff and some from Shapeways. Compared to the poor qualityt metal castings at this scale by some manufactures, with flash and ill fitting parts its superb. If you look at the stuff from 2" maybe you will see something. They are wargames models and in some ways better than injection moulded, their fine detail is not sutable for wargaming. You pays your money and takes your choice.

(Photo-heavy warning.)

@Part time gamer

All I can say is have a look at some photoes of painted models. It really isn't a big issue by the time you've painted them. The Shipyards store has a lot of photos of the painted models of sci-fi (especially the slightly older stuff, like SSA, Stone Portal and Vivrathk fleets and the Jalyrkieon, sci-Soviet and Strayvian ground forces).

(A fair bit of the newer photoes are often done from Replicator 2.)

Bear in mind those are, however, effectively "peering at" close-up distances (where even the paint job don't hold so well); so here are a not-a-few more pictures from various convention games, with the figures in situ, to give you some idea.

(All of the models in the following are WSF)

(Rocket pods, hulls are Rep 2)

(Big ship and its flanking deltas are WSF, the rest of a mix of other manufacturers.)

This was a convoy from Hammerhead 2014, where the vehicles were a mix of Replicator 2, Shapeways WSF, regular cast and injection moulded and we challenged the punters to work out which was which.

(And it wasn't obvious there was a mix until we told them.

Actually, the only reason *I* could the difference between the painted WSF and Rep 2 prints without actually picking them up was because Dad's mate had used a different varnish and I happened to note it at the start of the day…!)

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Finally, the only thing else I can say is that anecdotally, in the five-odd years we've been showing stuff at conventions, to my memory, no-one has ever commented on about the finish (or even noticed unless it was pointed out to them).

So, yeah, if you are the sort of painter that uses an airbrush or something (and paints to a level far beyond what us lesser mortals can do), then the finish is probably a bother (but at that level, cleaning flash off castings to a sufficient is no small job, either!)

For your average wargames-standard model, you won't even notice once its on the board.

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As a material, I find WSF to be a better structural materials by FAR than the plastic of metals. Its light (and for sdtarships tored on their flight stands that is a HUGE plus*), its flexible and damage (and even somewhat drop tolerant).

Mako11 has said he's had some problems with WSF sturctually, which geniunely surprises me, since we have hundreds of WSF models at this point; the only 3D printed models I actually had to chuck away was the experimental ones I had in Frosted Detail which turned up with a worse finish and when the broken they wouldn't even glue back together! (And I replaced them with SF and have never had a problem!)

*I have yet to do any major repairs on any WSF fleets, whereas its an occupational hazard for metel starships, which fall over so much more easily. I can lift a box of WSF (stands magnabased on steel paper) and rattle it around without any concern, something I will NOT do with my GZG fleets!)

I generally agree with the above.

The real plus thing with the 3D printed minis is the superb detailing on them, and the fact that they come virtually preassembled, so no need to try to fit and glue on tracks, wheels, hull pieces, etc., etc..

They are a bit grainy, but I'd read that can be reduced a bit with some liberal priming. Just mind the spray so as not to wipe out any of the lovely surface detailing.

There's some minor stair-stepping too, on some sloped surfaces, but surprisingly none on others. Not really sure why that is in some cases, and not where you'd expect it more on others.

The one issue I had was with a droopy, thin 20mm gun barrel, printed in WSF (all the others I've received have been fine). Thankfully, Shapeways has reinstituted their replacement guarantee, and they promptly shipped me a new one, after I showed them a photo of the bad one.

I tried very gently to straighten it, by applying the most gentle, ever so slight pressure, and it snapped in half, hence my new acronym "WIF", which stands for White Inflexible Fragile, in jest. Note – that's Copyright 2017, by me.

;-)

I'd really love to see some BTR-80s, BTR-82s, Spz Kurz with 20mm cannon (used up until the mid-1980s apparently, in very considerable numbers), Marder, etc., etc.. M38 Jeeps, M151 Mutts, Iltis', Mungas, Russian/Soviet Jeeps, 2S3, and generic Cold War motorcycle riders would be appreciated too, amongst others, for the above reasons.