3D Printed Starfighters

A little sanding can bring the appearance of the sharp nose back on the Arrow, so no sweat there. As I said these are raw, hope they didn't actually drop it. Packaging was rather thorough for protecting during transport so it's likely a print issue. My father hung on to all my model kit paints and coats for me (since he's something of a hobbyist in his spare time, what little he gets and I don't have a garage anymore) so the next time I see him I'm going to snag some chemicals, including that dull-coat, and pretty them up a bit. Still dealing with family issues in the hospital so it'll be awhile before I have time to tackle it but it is on my mind once our medical nonsense is cleared up. For now they sit on my repair desk making my son drool, but even he knows, mitts off. :D
 
So, a friend of mine linked me here due to a project I started fiddling with. I just decided to dig into the possibilities with Shapeways recently, and figured I'd try something easy to start with and see how the materials work. Cue me digging through old game models I had, and I found my old WC3 Excalibur I made for X-Wing Alliance (about 12 years ago now).

This one's quite a bit bigger than anything else here (going by the game spec of 32 meters, this would be about 1/180 scale), and a good deal more expensive, but I wanted to see what I could pull off. Amazingly, it came out without a hitch. This is in their strong white flexible plastic, polished I think.
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Instead of a single print object, I opted for a kit-style set of pieces so I could hollow the pieces out. I'm not sure how to set up the colors, so I didn't try that, but it might be worthwhile. I was mostly just interested in getting the actual body built, and I intend to detail it up myself. I might try cutting some details into it and printing another, but this came to about $70 after shipping, so I might wait a few months to save up, or just finish the one I have now.

I've refined it a bit, and it should still be printable, so if anyone feels the need to attempt building it up, I can put it up for sale, but I do want to see how much panel lining I can put in it. As a warning though, you can get some significant stair-stepping on the tail fins, and the plastic I chose takes a massive amount of work to sand.

When you start talking about making bigger kits with Shapeways, it becomes much more useful to print out a single model, and then recast it like many garage kits are made.
 
looks great!!!
I have been using out universities Zprinter and to be honest that his how I RP building designs, as a kit of parts rather than a lump model.
 
The model was actually built straight from the planform views in the WC3 documentation. They're not true plans, but they worked well enough. I upped the polygon count significantly for this model, but it's small enough that it might not have mattered.

Finish is actually not terribly rough (except for a few parts that are stair-stepped), but you won't get a shiny finish on it without a lot of sanding and polishing, which is fine by me. I plan on cutting some details into the surface for a second printing later, once I figure out how much I need to cut away to make the lines visible. For now, this one's just a learning model so I can figure out how hard the plastic is to work with.

If anyone wants to take the plunge and try to build one up without any panel lines, I've got it set to available on Shapeways, listed under "Excalibolg."
 
Got a little something-something today at work! Best Ferret surprise ever.

I have both this, and the HQ/Frosted detail model, and I actually like this one more. The detail is just fantastic.
I ordered an Arrow and one of the Homeworld fighters.

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That's high praise coming from you Howie, thanks! Big update dalelayed a bit while i finish some things. Stand by for a week or so!
 
Seeing some new designs go up on Shapeways..! :D (and new artwork thumbnails?) Let us know when you're done (and what is new or changed); can't wait to snatch up another set!
 
Okay you guys! Standard disclaimer, I haven't prototyped any of these, so I don't know if they'll work! Again, if they don't, I'll fix em so they do! More liveries are coming, and as always, suggestions for paint schemes you'd like to see are welcome! I'll try to get to it eventually!

Dralthi IV: Updated and decreased in size somewhat to make it more affordable.
Gratha: Updated to make it more affordable.
Sabre: New Release with classic TCS Concordia Livery!
Epee: New release with classic TCS Concordia Livery!
Broadsword: New release with classic TCS Concordia Livery! (This one is BIG, but in scale with the other ships)
Broadsword (Small): Small scale version of the above. (This one will be a little bigger than your Rapier at this scale, but more affordable than above

Coming soon:
Morningstar (Test Livery)
Arrow (Peacetime Livery)
Excalibur
Krant
Jalthi

Anything ELSE you guys would like to see? I'm running out of Confed Fighters!


http://www.shapeways.com/shops/terranfleetsupply
 
New batch on the way! Still debating with myself whether to keep them all in scale or go for the smaller size Broadsword. Before I convince myself: would a smaller size Raptor be possible? Would like to keep these below the EUR 40 mark each...
 
Whats missing?

The T-Bolt
Longbow
Crossbow
Wraith
Stiletto
Gladius
Banshee (Armada)
Phantom

and then the Prophecy fighters

Lot of confeds ;) What I like to see (if Howard gives the permission) would be the Corsair and Wildcat from Pioneer.

Order now the Epee, Ferret and Sabre..my girlfriend kills me!!! *scary*
 
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