3D Miniatures Set Stage for Larger Models

Today we've got more physical models in the news. Not everyone is up to building a giant intricate model by hand, but 3D printing is a much more accessible way to go about creating something of your very own. L.I.F. has started down this path and his first creations are the Excalibur and Rapier. They look pretty solid for an initial effort with an impressive level of detail retained in a small package. He's done some non-WC tests next, and with those learnings in hand, he'll be moving on to a bigger Excalibur next!

We got our first 3D printer at our family workshop, and after calibrating it with a provided file, my first move was to test it with a more... complex shape, AKA Klavs' very own Excalibur. 6 centimetres long for a first run to see how well it'd work and what additional actions I'd have to take, but it's looking pretty nice already even if I´ll have to ensure the layering leaves no holes before smoothing out a full-sized ship.

It's definitely a first attempt to understand the specifics of 3D printing. I've shown it to my 91-year old grandfather, who's the family specialist in CAD and 3D design (he'll be the main user of the printer) and we've agreed that the next move should be to print a slightly larger test version vertically after he adds an easily-removable base to the model's rear. This should seriously reduce the issues concerning excess material.