Yellow Admiral | 06 Aug 2020 5:24 p.m. PST |
The Figurehead line of 1/6000 WWI vessels is amazingly large and covers all of the major units of WWI and even many of the designs which never got off the drawing board… but still does contain some gaps. For instance, many of the older and smaller ships in the French Marine Nationale were never sculpted (old cruisers, old DDs), and I would really like some of the older Italian ships which were in service auxiliaries in the Great War (Lepanto & Italia became troop transports; Duilio, Dandolo and Andrea Doria became guardships; etc.). I haven't yet found any WWI or pre-dreadnought 3D prints. If there are some available, I'd love to know about them. - Ix |
gamershs | 07 Aug 2020 2:54 p.m. PST |
Once you have a 3D image you can downscale it. Check to see if someone has an image in a larger scale and see if they can produce a copy for you. You could also contract for a 3D sculptor to make a custom order for you. This was a major problem in the pre 3D times. Why sculpt/cast a model of a ship that was unique and not well known. Many ships made in the 1880 thru 1910 were somewhat unique and not made in large classes. Why make a model that will have limited or no sales. |
hindsTMP | 08 Aug 2020 11:23 a.m. PST |
One problem with 3D printing in 1/6000 is that the print resolution is marginal, especially for smaller ships. So 3D printing sounds good in theory, but in my experience, it isn't there yet for 1/6000. For example, I created plans to help one of the popular Shapeways artists create a 1/6000 model of the French sloop Marne, which was a WWI ship which also fought in WW2. The printed result was not impressive. I suppose I could clean it up, but scratchbuilding would produce a better result for me. Remember, those 3D renderings in Shapeways are not the actual prints. My current 1/6000 aircraft project is scratchbuilt in the initial phase, and hopefully can be transitioned to photo etching. Given my 3D printing experiences, I never even considered 3D printing for this. MH |
Yellow Admiral | 08 Aug 2020 2:45 p.m. PST |
Thanks Mark. That's disappointing, but I value your opinion. One of the reasons I started looking for these is because there is an ever-growing range of 1/6000 ships on Shapeways, and I'd hoped there might be a hidden ecosystem of Figurehead enthusiasts filling in the niches of the pre-dreadnought range. Maybe not. I can live without all the rare French cruisers, but I'd really like to have Lepanto and Italia (as WWI armored transports – one actually did that duty). I'll have to try scratchbuilding them. If I leave off the guns, they're pretty simple designs. - Ix |
hindsTMP | 09 Aug 2020 7:05 p.m. PST |
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gamershs | 09 Aug 2020 11:07 p.m. PST |
Been reading up on 3D printers and there is a wide range of detail in the printers. Lets face it, a sculpt for a 1/6000 scale ship is not going to have the greatest of detail to show. This may sound a little heretical but if you can't see it does it matter. while painting 1/300 scale infantry I do not make dots for eyes and only do basic painting. in 1/2400 ships scale I have the Titanic (Britannic/Olympic) and don't care too much about some lost detail. For game purpose I only need to be to tell the type and the general class (five gun turrets and two quintuple mounts torpedoes on destroyer if it is Fletcher class for example). Some loss in detail is OK as the scales get smaller. |
hindsTMP | 10 Aug 2020 8:05 a.m. PST |
@gamershs Remember there's a difference between theory (your "reading up on 3D printers") and practice. FWIW, based on my personal experience as a 1/6000 modeler and Figurehead/Shapeways purchaser, to date Shapeways isn't as good as the original Figurehead castings. This includes limited shape resolution, fragility, lack of weight, warping, and wax impregnation for some Shapeways materials. The TMP guy who seems to have gotten the best results from 1/6000 3D printing is NCC1717, but IIRC his models are of the larger 1/6000 ships, are only partly 3D-printed, and they are based which helps with the warping and fragility. MH |
hindsTMP | 10 Aug 2020 8:31 a.m. PST |
@gamershs WRT the "you can't see it" argument against 1/6000, my usual response is to get closer. If you typically view 1/2400 ships viewed from 7 feet away, you would need to be inside 3 feet to get the equivalent in 1/6000. That means either sitting by the side of the gaming table, or bending closer from time to time. BTW my 68-year-old eyesight is almost certainly worse then yours. :-) MH |
Yellow Admiral | 11 Aug 2020 9:18 a.m. PST |
I think the "can't see it" argument about 1/6000 misses the point entirely. The scale is best at depicting fleet-sized maneuvers in their full sweep and glory with minimal scale distortion. A table of dozens of little ships maneuvering by divisions is a different kind of joy than a single nicely-painted miniature. You don't need to see any of them up close when what you're studying is formations, ranges, speeds and bearings. - Ix |
1x6000 | 12 Aug 2020 2:15 a.m. PST |
I have done most of those ships as resin castings, and I am selling them for short money. I have done some larger scale 3D-designs but I simply have a interest in old school modelling, so I won't do any more shapeways stuff. Later, I can post some more pics. Here's a starter:
HMS Collingwood
HMS Inflexible
HMS Hawke |
1x6000 | 12 Aug 2020 2:18 a.m. PST |
There's a small range of SpanAmWar-stuff available on shapeways in 1/6000. Without intention of being nasty: these designs aren't good, and Shapeways means dcereasing quality and a lot of cleaning work. |
1x6000 | 12 Aug 2020 2:22 a.m. PST |
@Yellow Admiral: I have done Italia years ago and consider doing a new master for Lepanto for a proposed display of the whole Spithead Naval Review 1897 |
1x6000 | 12 Aug 2020 2:32 a.m. PST |
I managed to cast fighting tops (with some exagerration but yet less than Figurehead) and intricate sharp detail. Once I sold some ships with added masts but abandonded this as it sadly looked too clunky and was a hell of additional work. No warping, but the ships need to be sanded down to waterline due to my way of casting. Resin in this scale, though, is more brittle than metal casting but still OK. Years ago, I sold some ships already painted to the standard as to be seen above. |
hindsTMP | 12 Aug 2020 7:22 a.m. PST |
@1x6000 If those are 1/6000 resin castings (can't recognize the coin), then I'm impressed. The last shows undercuts around the lifeboats. Are they spin-cast? MH EDIT: Also if you're selling them, do you have a list? |
Yellow Admiral | 13 Aug 2020 1:00 a.m. PST |
Very cool! I'd be interested in a list as well. If it's up to me to provide a wishlist for custom work, I'll have to compile one. Lepanto and Italia will be at the top, though. You can email me at shipbuyer@ixtraneous.net to discuss particulars. - Ix PS: Whatever I decide on, shipping will probably have to wait. Germany halted shipping to the USA in March or April due to the pandemic (which I found out by having an eBay order delayed and eventually canceled). |
Yellow Admiral | 13 Aug 2020 1:17 a.m. PST |
(can't recognize the coin) Deutscher Pfennig…? Nur eine Vermutung. It's the obverse of a small denomination German Euro coin, but I can't tell which one. The BRD used oak leaves on €0.01 EUR, €0.02 EUR, and €0.05 EUR coins. They're all different diameters too. |
1x6000 | 13 Aug 2020 1:22 a.m. PST |
Haha, good! It's the € 0.01 coin. Diameter = 16.3mm |
1x6000 | 13 Aug 2020 1:37 a.m. PST |
@MH Yes, I have a list which I am happy to share! Please get in contact or send me Your adress. I developed my own casting process using a small vacuum chamber which can be turned 90°. First the pressure is lowered, then the mould is filled with resin by turning the whole chamber, at last the resin is pressed into the mould by the returning atmospheric pressure. Took me a while to fiddle it out… At first, I wanted to build the missing victorian ships for the Figurehead range, but soon I started to do ships which already had been done by FH to have them in similar quality. I never was a wargamer, I see myself rather as a classic modelbuilder with minimal space and a big interest in displays. Cheers! |
1x6000 | 13 Aug 2020 2:09 a.m. PST |
So here is some more:
Sardegna, Partenope, Staffetta, HMS Terrible Those are my newest masters, done this spring and not yet cast. Sardegna has 91 parts. I try to depict every bulwark and exaggerate some details. For example, the main guns and barbettes are made with 9 parts.
Italia, Duilio, Ruggiero di Lauria All done 2013-2014. By mid-2015, I started to do better boats and overall design, so I am not very pleased with those old models anymore and rebuild or replace most. Lepanto and Ruggiero will surely be done as I need them for two projects
HMS Edinburgh My fourth model in 1/6000 scale, modelled in 2013 (front, 23 parts) and 2019 (back, 57 parts). Better plans, more experience, finer modelling skills. The whole thing is a full-scale display of the sinking of HMS Victoria in 1893 with every ship involved, seconds before the impact:
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hindsTMP | 13 Aug 2020 9:31 a.m. PST |
@1x6000 My junk email address is mark dot hinds@yahoo.com. If you are able email me there, I can send you a more secure mail address. Mark H. |
hindsTMP | 10 Nov 2020 8:19 p.m. PST |
@1/6000 If you are interested, the IO Groups 1/6000 group is finally seeing some activity. In particular, they have a list of 1/6000 manufacturers here groups.io/g/NavalWargaming6000/wiki/24167 You might want to add your contact info to that list. Mark H. |