"Aotrs Shipyards: Aug '18 BTR-80A and BTR-82A (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.

I managed to squeeze in, between holidays, illness and convention preparations, some time after all, so this month I can proudly present the BTR-80A (as has been requested) and the BTR-82A, in 144th!

These presented something of a challenge – the BTR-82A turret especially – due to the relative rarity of decent photos and the somewhat complex shape. However, I think I am, for rare occasion, perhaps going to slightly one-up the 35th scale kits. As far as photographs I have seen, the BTR-80A only has the three firing ports on the right-hand side, unlike the regular BTR-80's four. I actually noticed because the BTR-82 very definitely only has the three in all the photos. The model kits of the 80A, however, all seem to have the 80 hull!

(It was also weird that I found in a couple of places an identical photo of the BTR-82, only someone had flipped the image. But it took a while for me to spot the one that was right=way around and caused me some consternation as to whether there was a handed-ness to BTR-82 turrets!)

Also a note – Shapeways has redesigned their website – badly, as is sadly typical for Shapeways. I apologise for it being considerably worse (the button, by-the-by for shopping you have to scroll down and click on explore on the main screen). Rest assured, now the release is out of the way, I will be voicing my concerns directly to the CEO later this week.

BTR-80A

link

BTR-82A

link

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Photos, as usual, of Replicator 2 prototypes. A result of the new software, unlike the previous versions of the BTRs, I could actually print them as one piece, rather than one and bottom like I used to have to. The wheels are still a bit iffy, but not hugely more so than for the two-piece prints – and, as usual, Shapeways prints won't have that problem either.

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No immediate plans for next month (the ZBD-03 remains a possibility), so we'll just have to see where we go!

We will be at Other Partizan on the 19th of August under our usual banner of the KB Club. We might possibly be at Chillcon in September, but we haven't had confirmation yet and we did book in at the last minute, so we'll see!

I'd rather put a bar of soap on the gaming table then that…

They look serviceable to me, I would guess that if printed in the fine detail it comes out nicely…just gets a little spendy.

shirleys painting, I'm not playing with an idiot that puts soap on my table, so your opinion is worthless (and rude).

OK.

I have always made no bonus about the photos that I post are the Replicator 2 prototypes. I can have up to seven models between both moderns and scifi releasing every month, and, honestly, I just don't make enough at the moment that I can afford to have Shapeways models printed solely for photographs (since I myself am not a moderns gamer). (And it would add significantly to the release turn-around, for that matter.)

So my compromise has always been that is far better to show something REAL than a render, even if that is something that is sixteen times the size of the real thing (on my 1920x1080 monitor), warts and all with home printers; especially as the renders are available for viewing through the links.

But let it not be said that I don't listen to feedback. So I'll throw it out to customers of the Shipyards and the wider market – would you rather see more photos of the prototypes or the renders, or both? Are then any other modifications to my release presentation you'd prefer that I do?

@MiniPatton: As always, while I support it as an option, I do not recommend the higher cost smooth detail materials[1], as I find that the WSF, sorry, the Versatile Plastic is more than sufficient for wargames usage, as is comparible to the market range (a touch under £7.00 GBP for the models in question). As I so often say, anecdotally, we have never in the seven years we have been showing the models at four to five shows a year, had anyone notice the finish without us tellign them. (And the strength of the material more than makes up for the deficiencies in that area in the detail plastics. WSF *bounces* if, for example, you drop your starship the first night you have it on the hard-wood floor of your wargames club on its protuding ventral turret…)

[1]I keep the profit margin the same regardless of materials to migitate the prices a little, so the only ones that make more money off it are Shapeways.

Thanks for the heads up – I ordered some German trucks from you to get an idea of what they are like.

We could do with a company on Shapeways making 6mm vehicles that the mainstream manufacturers have ignored.

Formerly 298TYR,
That probably becuase there is no money in them, they are not going to sell enough. We have commissioned AORTS Shipyards to do a specific 3D file in 10mm but its expensive probably 50 GBP but you get a unique model you will never get otherwise.

The quality of the Shapeways prints are better than shown above.

Looking forward to these, for battles in Eastern Ukraine.

Still hoping for some little, Spz Kurz vehicles for the West German Army, especially the one with the 20mm cannon, but an 81mm Mortar Carrier, and a Beob observation vehicles would be nice too.