"Printing some 15mm armor" Topic

I have one Prusa printer going full time printing some Old West buildings so to keep things lively I started printing some 15mm armor on the other Prusa printer. I am using the files from Bergman you can find on Thingiverse.com The range he has developed is remarkable.

So over the last week a printed a trio of Stuarts, 3 different versions of Shermans, a M8, M10, Ferdinand, Tiger II and as I call it, a rocket Skid Fizz. The barrels are a bit out of scale but nothing I can't live with. The based vehicle is a Command Decision metal Sherman from OG25s. Using a .10 detailed layering each hull takes between 3-6 hours and the turrets around 1 hour. Now I just need to focus on a particular TOE instead of just randomly printing neat stuff.

WOW, those look great. Hope we get to see them painted as well.

What is your cost on a vehicle that takes 4 – 7 hours to produce?

The filament I used runs around $20 USD a kilo so about 2 cents a gram. The M10 for example weights 16 grams plus probably another 2 grams for support material that gets cut off. So in terms of material around 36 cents. A 28mm old west single story building comes in at 200 grams using a slightly cheaper filament for a cost of $3.60 USD

The time factor could be reduced by sacrificing quality but I choose to go for high quality on vehciles over quick results. Buildings are printed much faster but at the same time are much larger.

I don't factor in the cost of the printers since this is my hobby. Matter of fact I funded the purchase of the printers by liquidating an old hobby of mine, Magic the Gathering.

Great looking models. Which Prusa printer do you own? Are they easy to use? Any problems worth mentioning? I am interested in buying a printer. Any advice you would like to share?

Thanks,

Al

They look fantastic, if I ever ventured into another game tanks would be it, brings back childhood memories.

I have a Prusa Mk2 and a Mk3. Both are easy to use but the new Mk3 is much more so. The Mk2 is the one dedicated to quick large models and the Mk3 for more detailed work. Of the two I recommend the Mk3. It improved speed and it has a detachable metal build plate which flexes to remove the printing. The Mk2 relies on either prying or concussing the print off. The Mk3 also has some programming features that are handy, like automatically pausing the print when the filament runs out, then resuming when you load the new plastic. With the Mk2 you have to manually keep an eye out when you get to the end of a rol.

They are built in the Czech Republic by the person who created the open source version. They are more expensive than other versions of his printer but the quality of the build is superb. My Mk2 had one part break during a print and I easily replaced it by asking someone in the Prusa community to print a new part for me.

My main advice is research, research research. There are some more inexpensive models out there like the CR10 which get good reviews. You can even buy the Prusas in kit form if you are good at assembling electronics. Small scale humanoid figures would be a problem with either printer and are best served by a resin SLA or DLP printer.

The main problem with either printer is watching the beginning of the print run. If the print comes loose from the print bed you will either have a spaghetti monster mess or a blob surrounding your print head. Once the first few layers are down and secure it is mostly a print and forget process.

Check out the 3d printing review websites. They were invaluable in helping me make a decision.

Wow. That is dirt cheap.

Those look pretty good.

Someone producing metal gun barrels for various vehicles, for sale separately, could make a killing, I suspect.

Can you post some building pics? I am thinking of a printer just for making terrain.

I'm amazed by the barrels. Did you print them vertically or horizontally?

Someone producing metal gun barrels for various vehicles, for sale separately, could make a killing, I suspect

They do for 1/72 (20mm) kits but at anywhere from $4 USD-$9 depending on where you buy and what barrels you quickly eat up any savings from print your own. Could go with simplified, make your own (like with brass tubing) but quality might suffer a bit.

@Oldguy, the turrrets are printed vertically

@Nick Bowler Here you go, works in progress:

More at link

That's a lot for barrels.

A shame someone doesn't offer them for a more reasonable price.

Waco Joe -- WOW. Like really, WOW!

For the buildings, where did you get the files from? Or did you design the models yourselves? And what size plate do you have? I am assuming grey PLA for the printer.

@Nick
These particular buildings come from a Kickstarter i Backed by Paul Long Jr. If you google his name and old west it should take you to the kickstarter where you can contact him. He has a couple of his designs on some other sites as well. I also have some buildings from Printable Scenery printablescenery.com and Thingiverse Thingiverse.com. I don't do any original designs myself although I will do some cutting up to fit my printer or give me a better angle for printing with minimal supports.

My print bed is 25x25 cm. The models above pretty much maxed out the print area. Yes, after a bit of trial and error I have settled on grey PLA as my go to filament. I find it gives my eyes the best contrast on details and takes various colors of primer paint well. My other favorite is the olive green that the armor are done in. The shade is not true in the photo, probably due to the led lighting in my workroom. In addition to armor I use the green for movement trays like you see in the background.

Are they 15mm buildings? It all looks amazing. Very envious.