Models you wish were made

[lovegt40]

918?..there is a STUNNING welly die cast model around.

[24hrs]

Originally Posted by lovegt40

918?..there is a STUNNING welly die cast model around.

Yep. A 918. With the martini livery. Styrene kit by tamiya or fujimi. Then let the aftermarket companies have a go at the detail set!

[CrateCruncher]

Originally Posted by 24hrs

The new Porsche 918 would be nice if tamiya would make it! Any rear engined and air cooled Volkswagen other than the bug and bus would be nice too!

After going thru this list again, I see that as modelers, we are a pretty diverse bunch. From choice of subject matter, to choice of manufacturers. Now...

Just a thought... What if ... You took the top ten scratch builders from AF, gave them all the toys they need like scanners, cnc 5 axis machines, cnc lathes and mills, etc., and you ask them to manufacture a kit, what would it be? A race car? Street? I'm pretty sure it would be multimedia. How detailed would it be oob? What scale? maybe this should be a new thread?

Of course I'd like to be present when they deliberate on which car it would be!

Interesting thought Verdana,
The way 3D printing is growing I don't think it is far fetched to envision a day when casual modelers design their own parts/kits and upload them to a 3D workshop for free public download (like iTunes, android apps, Steam Workshop, etc.) As more content accumulated on the site a review system would help people figure out which designs are the best. After deciding, that file would be emailed to Kinko's for a $9.99 printout on their latest $40,000 Stratisys printer and mailed to you in a box. Yes, it's a few years away but the technology and business model(s) already thrive. I can't believe no one has done it yet!

[jano11]

Originally Posted by CrateCruncher

Interesting thought Verdana,
The way 3D printing is growing I don't think it is far fetched to envision a day when casual modelers design their own parts/kits and upload them to a 3D workshop for free public download (like iTunes, android apps, Steam Workshop, etc.) As more content accumulated on the site a review system would help people figure out which designs are the best. After deciding, that file would be emailed to Kinko's for a $9.99 printout on their latest $40,000 Stratisys printer and mailed to you in a box. Yes, it's a few years away but the technology and business model(s) already thrive. I can't believe no one has done it yet!

Well, for a start the printing alone for a full 1/24 scale kit would cost about 200 USD right now, and that for the cheapest SLA printing with least detail.
If you go for high detail printing then you are looking at 300 USD. Which is about as much as a MFH kit and you get no decals and PE parts. And what about the clear parts?

High detail 3D printing price needs to drop by at least 70% to make this business model viable.

And then let's talk about creating the 3d models for the printing. How many people around here have the knowledge to make accurate CAD or 3DS models?

If you search the board you'll find that I made the first set of 3D printed wheels available around here more than 3 years ago. More then 3 years later and the process still didn't become mainstream. And I believe it will take at least 5 more years before it starts becoming popular, and 5 more before most model kit builders will adopt it.

[24hrs]

It was just a "what if" thing for me. My idea entails that the majority of the kit parts are still made of styrene to keep the cost reasonable. Since I'm only dreaming, I guess price would be no object anyway. I just can't imagine what would happen if the top 10 builders here in AF got together to design a kit. I'm just curious what the model will be like no?

Let's just imagine for a while that they are given access to the machines and personnel of either tamiya or fujimi, and told that they can have a clean sheet or they can just take 1 kit and improve on it all they want, what would the car kit be like? Remember, in the dream world, price is no object!

[CrateCruncher]

Originally Posted by jano11

Well, for a start the printing alone for a full 1/24 scale kit would cost about 200 USD right now, and that for the cheapest SLA printing with least detail.
If you go for high detail printing then you are looking at 300 USD. Which is about as much as a MFH kit and you get no decals and PE parts. And what about the clear parts?

High detail 3D printing price needs to drop by at least 70% to make this business model viable.

And then let's talk about creating the 3d models for the printing. How many people around here have the knowledge to make accurate CAD or 3DS models?

If you search the board you'll find that I made the first set of 3D printed wheels available around here more than 3 years ago. More then 3 years later and the process still didn't become mainstream. And I believe it will take at least 5 more years before it starts becoming popular, and 5 more before most model kit builders will adopt it.

You're right. This technology hasn't exactly taken off with model builders and the CAD learning curve is a big reason. But the cost of printing is coming down and CAD software will become more accessible with time. Since my first post I found a website called Shapeways that comes close to what I described: http://www.shapeways.com/makerdiy/me...l-parts?li=nav

The first applications will be mods of existing kits to keep the cost down but who knows after that. TDR Innovations has some interesting modified parts kits for purchase. There is a Jaguar D longnose body for $50 that could work with the Revell XKSS kit. He also has a Barchetta body, carbs, blowers, in several scales.

[roymattblack]

There are LOADS of websites where you can obtain incredibly detailed '3D' models of almost any car on the planet. These files can be read by just about any 3D printer, in any scale you choose.
If several people chipped in to pay for the files, it wouldn't work out too expensive, if you know someone with a 3D printer.
Have a peep at this one:

http://www.the3dstudio.com/product_d...product=682066

The only trouble is, you would get a 'solid' kerbside model.
That's ok if you want kerbside, and don't mind blacked out windows......

Roy.

[24hrs]

Originally Posted by roymattblack

There are LOADS of websites where you can obtain incredibly detailed '3D' models of almost any car on the planet. These files can be read by just about any 3D printer, in any scale you choose.
If several people chipped in to pay for the files, it wouldn't work out too expensive, if you know someone with a 3D printer.
Have a peep at this one:

http://www.the3dstudio.com/product_d...product=682066

The only trouble is, you would get a 'solid' kerbside model.
That's ok if you want kerbside, and don't mind blacked out windows......

Roy.

Didn't know that! But are there 3d models of turbos, cylinder heads and covers, gearboxes, etc? I wouldn't mind getting solid pieces of these! A modeler could just print a 3d version of an accurate part that he needs bor his build no?

Because as a builder who has limited scratch building skills, it is very convenient to have parts that are already accurate. Looking at the great builds here in AF, I can see that the majority of build time is in accurizing parts! My 2 cents.

[JeremyJon]

Though 3D printing works well for some applications, there are many shortfalls yet in it's use for precise scale model reproduction

I use a couple of services, and shapeways is so far the most used, mostly due to ease and cost

The two most immediate issues are the aforementioned print quality (i.e. smoothness) and cost, but there is a third

I can tell you first hand, that using even the finest resolution material & printer they have available, there is definitely a fine grain
I order only using the "ultra-fine" material, and even then still it requires me to do some degree of sanding and priming to finish the part smooth enough in appearance

Second is cost, for example, one set of printed wheels (1/24 scale example) in the finest resolution, and after duty+taxes upon delivery, the cost is at least $50
That's for just a set of wheels, so you can imagine that printing a complete model car, given the amount of material mass, the cost would be significantly more than even just $300, closer to $500 in actuality, and even still there would be the mentioned finishing work yet to do

Last is the digital design stage, and the amount of work involved in that is not small nor quick as many might think it is
For some more experienced like Johan that I've been working with, he can generate a design that is far superior to my own efforts & in a shorter time frame too, but even still he likely has several hours in a single wheel design before it's ready to print!

To digitally design an entire model would be hundreds of hours, and even then the other shortfall is the necessary trial printing - trial & error - to get components just right, to work proper and most importantly to "look" correct
That trial & error means wasted prints in experimentation, and that costs $$


I have only just begun to try some digital design work myself, and though some basic components, it really does take a few hours for even just the simplest designs

Here's in one I've been working on, a tire tread pattern, to make a correct scale master molding tire
I have probably 25+ hours in this now, and I won't truly know if it works properly until it returns from the printers?

[jano11]

Originally Posted by CrateCruncher

You're right. This technology hasn't exactly taken off with model builders and the CAD learning curve is a big reason. But the cost of printing is coming down and CAD software will become more accessible with time. Since my first post I found a website called Shapeways that comes close to what I described: http://www.shapeways.com/makerdiy/me...l-parts?li=nav

The first applications will be mods of existing kits to keep the cost down but who knows after that. TDR Innovations has some interesting modified parts kits for purchase. There is a Jaguar D longnose body for $50 that could work with the Revell XKSS kit. He also has a Barchetta body, carbs, blowers, in several scales.

Shapeways were the first 3Dprinting service that I ever used about 4 years ago, since they have improved in terms of printing quality, however their customer service quality has decreased while their customer base was growing.
Then I used Print a Part, a branch of Fine Line Prototyping, who then were closed and then I used Fine Line Prototyping (a tad more expensive) both with excellent print quality and great customer service.

I am now thinking about giving Shapeway another chance we'll see how it goes.
The list of projects that I have in progress is rather large and now I need to focus on finishing a couple of these (mainly wheels, tires and an engine kit).

[lovegt40]

shapeways service is cool but their quality is still not acceptable for modelling purpouses (meant at our detail level).
the surface is always too crispy, on curved lines is a mess to keep it flat. Think is good only for squared details. surely it is just the beginning of a new mould era, but we are still very far away from any old plastic done with steel moulds.

[Some_Kid]

I think two kits that would absolutely sell if Tamiya would make them would be the Maserati MC12(sister to the enzo) and the Saleen s7. I would make those any day over the Mclaren G1.

[roymattblack]

I've already said this before, but the BIGGEST sellers would surely be the iconic classics:
Jaguar C and D type, Aston DBR 1,2 & 3, and some of the early Ferrari and Alfa racing/sports cars.

RAoy.

[gridjockey]

i would like for a 1969 amc javilen amx to be reissued in one sixteenth scale. it may have been a johan or an aurora build not sure but it was a decent model for those days.

[generationx]

A Toyota TS030 in plastic 1/24th please!