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. Aotrs Shipyards also takes direct printing commissions.
For the last release this year, we have the Spähpanzer Luchs in 144th, modelled, this time by UshCha! This is the prototype for the locking turret, and as such, both Shapeways and Replicator 2 versions have this feature – as will all subsequent new models I create and release.
I will not, for the moment, be updating the old vehicle's Shapeways versions to V2 locking turrets. Doing so is a relatively simple and quick job, but it's another one in a long list of jobs doing the conversion. If, as usual, anyone really wants the V2 model from Shapeways, just contact me through the usual channels and I'll do it on request. Otherwise, that is going to be a job left until I've got the catalogue up to spec and the revisions all done.
Spähpanzer Luchs
link
Aotrs Shipyards direct price: £4.90 GBP
Photo of Replicator 2 direct print version.
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As I start to go back through the catalogue (I have to re-print EVERYTHING at least once to log the time anyway!) and upgrade the direct (Replicator 2) versions to the new locking turret, I am trying to take new photos of everything as well, since the quality is now so much better.
Here's an example – today's somewhat tedious and involved job is to do all the BMP-1/2 models (and their swimming versions). You can see the improvements in production quality here on the BMP-1 and the BRM-1K.
Old, version 1 print on MakerBot:
New, version 2 print on Simplify3D:
Note that on the Luchs and bottom images, I've had to enhance the contrast using PaintShop Pro 8's autocontrast so you can see the details better. (Which has the side-effect of making the lines look more visible than they really are). The "grey" plastic we're currently using is nearly white and like WSF, it doesn't like being photographed much! We've got some more brown for when this runs out, which seemed to work better – we can't get the mid-grey like we used to – and we're going that have an experiment with blue, to see if that's any improvement.
But as a comaprison, here's the BRM-1K with both turrets, both before and after I fiddlied with it.
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Next month is likely to be the Iltis, and February the Scorpion and Scimitar, depending on how I get on; most of the rest of December is fairly busy with other things, and if I plan to have a sci-fi ground force for Hammerhead at the very start of March I'll have to get a move on, so I may not do any more moderns until that's out of the way with this current backlog. (On top of the admin, which is mostly what I'm going to try and do over the rest December!)
There will, however, be another Galactic Terrorists release next week and this month's sci-fi release, all being well!
