3d printed and painted Berlin facia (1 Viewer)

[Bellarus]

Not sure whether this is allowed but this is my first post in the forum. I've been 3d printing and painting pieces for a few of the members now who were kind enough to post pictures in various sections of this forum (European house/farmhouse being one). The posts obviously received a fair few comments in particular about how the hobby is moving and how 3d printing can help it move forwards with bespoke pieces you probably can't get any other way. What I plan on doing is posting images on here of pieces I've either printed and painted or where I've been asked to design a bespoke piece for someone based on images they've sent me. All pieces shown are in 1-30/1-28 scale. The main aim of this is to increase awareness of the versatility of 3d printing and hopefully answer any questions people may have or even support anyone looking at dabbling in this themselves.

The first pieces I'll show is a double Berlin style facia that I did for one of the Treefrog members in the UK. One of the pictures is the one I sent him to show the finished piece once I'd printed and painted it and the other picture is the one he sent me with his models. Hope you like.

 

[villagehorse]

The sky is the limit. Now so many possibilities, very exciting. Affordability is the next thought. Thanks for sharing. Robin.

 

[marco55]

They look great. 3-D printing is the future. Please show us more.
Mark

 

[Bellarus]

They look great. 3-D printing is the future. Please show us more.
Mark

Thanks for that Mark. Here's a few more pieces I've done, all in 1-30 scale:




Regards
Paul

 

[marco55]

You paint these? What do they look like before being painted?
Mark

 

[Bellarus]

You paint these? What do they look like before being painted?
Mark

I do all the painting but I have plenty of people ordering pieces that they wish to paint themselves. Below is an example of what they look like when printed. It basically depends on what colour filament I have in at the time. I have multiple printers so it's not unusual to see stuff from me in different colours . Doesn't really matter what colour I print in as I prime them all with a base grey car primer before painting anyway.

 

[Bellarus]

They look great. 3-D printing is the future. Please show us more.
Mark

Another example is this one where someone wanted a bespoke Wake Island Command Post bunker facade for their K&C figures. I designed, printed and painted the piece based on images they sent me of the actual command bunker. He sent me these pictures back once he had put his figures in it.

 

[Barkmann]

.View attachment 282139
View attachment 282138[/QUOTE]

Looks nice, but quite impractical, figures are 50-60mm high, vehicles 150mm high for example, why do you need such a high structure? Plus very limiting in display, the height of it again, i have cabinets and this would just take up too room i would have to remove too many shelves to fit it in at height. Display space is one the two restrictions we collectors have, lack of funds the other. What would be the postage costs? The box dimensions would be huge, plus i think, knowing the postal service, a high percentage would arrive damaged. If it came in pieces and collectors would have to glue and assemble that would not work as TS collectors want, tend too, completed items. At a visual level it is too overpowering, i collect toy soldiers and vehicles, not buildings, the building are to enhance my collection.

I advise a step back and think, try some smaller pieces, built on photographs, vidoes etc. Too much of this 3D stuff i see is not based on actual buildings or structures. There is someone in the UK selling 3D German bunkers on ebay, except for 2 they are not bunker design i have ever seen! They look like they were designed by a child.

The TS market is also very 'brand' focused, many of us will not buy if it is not in the box. If you are looking at making some for the TS market i would take a holistic approach, think about how they would be displayed, cost of transport etc, survivability where they get thrown all over the place during delivery, you would sell more painted.

Build Arama and JG Minitures dio some great stuff but most of it is/was small and there to enhance a collection, not part of it. David at TM Terrain is an 'artist' and his stuff is on another level.

 

[Barkmann]

View attachment 282186


Nice but just looks 'odd', the damage does not look realistic, whats holding the roof tiles up? How can an explosion destroy half a cabinet? While leaving the pottery intact, the wooded upper floor is way too think, it is also 'very clean', it need the rubble etc added too it to make it actually realistic.

 

[joesgis]

They look great. 3-D printing is the future. Please show us more.
Mark

I agree Mark. There is just so much more detail, precision and depth with 3D printing when compared to foam or clunky polystone structures. The medium is durable and yet light weight too.
Paul is a great pleasure to work with, and his models and painting skills are exceptional.

Joe

 

[joesgis]

.View attachment 282139
View attachment 282138

Looks nice, but quite impractical, figures are 50-60mm high, vehicles 150mm high for example, why do you need such a high structure? Plus very limiting in display, the height of it again, i have cabinets and this would just take up too room i would have to remove too many shelves to fit it in at height. Display space is one the two restrictions we collectors have, lack of funds the other. What would be the postage costs? The box dimensions would be huge, plus i think, knowing the postal service, a high percentage would arrive damaged. If it came in pieces and collectors would have to glue and assemble that would not work as TS collectors want, tend too, completed items. At a visual level it is too overpowering, i collect toy soldiers and vehicles, not buildings, the building are to enhance my collection.

I advise a step back and think, try some smaller pieces, built on photographs, vidoes etc. Too much of this 3D stuff i see is not based on actual buildings or structures. There is someone in the UK selling 3D German bunkers on ebay, except for 2 they are not bunker design i have ever seen! They look like they were designed by a child.

The TS market is also very 'brand' focused, many of us will not buy if it is not in the box. If you are looking at making some for the TS market i would take a holistic approach, think about how they would be displayed, cost of transport etc, survivability where they get thrown all over the place during delivery, you would sell more painted.

Build Arama and JG Minitures dio some great stuff but most of it is/was small and there to enhance a collection, not part of it. David at TM Terrain is an 'artist' and his stuff is on another level.[/QUOTE]

Begin response:
Keep in mind that 3D printing allows you to buy smaller segments of models, and is really unlimited in that regard. You don't have to buy the whole structure. 3D models can be revised, and assembling them is really quite simple because of the precision of the manufacturing, and there aren't that many pieces to assemble if any at all. I think the image of the large German facade was just an example of what can be done, and I find it really impressive. The cost is also quite reasonable.

As much as I love toy soldiers, and I've never been brand focused. Over the years I've grown to prefer models and miniature art over a lot of what TS manufacturer's are producing these days. Whether or not it comes in a branded box doesn't matter at all to me. I've never displayed a box.

Joe

 

[Barkmann]

View attachment 282183


This is wrong, there are loads of pictures of the building and the damage is incorrect and the windows are just not right.

Sorry, not being harsh, just an opinion, you look as if you have spent a lot of time, resources and money to create these, with an idea to take it a step further and possibly spend yet more time and money to manufacture more and sell, with everyone giving great feedback that might spur you on, but there is a lot more to this than that. The promotion etc, in my jobs I have met loads of people who have great ideas/products and think people are just come and buy it, people have to know it is available to buy it! Packaging, not just the box, but the internal foam or plastic to keep the item safe. Postage costs [what would one of these be to send to continental Europe, the USA or Australia. I posted a single K & C figure to the US last week, in the smallest K & C box and that was £18. Pricing as well is an issue and profit margin, have you thought about the amount of time you spend painting each one and factored that in? There are clever people who know the market which have failed - Empire Minitures for example, great guy, nice product, but just did not make a success of it.

As a cottage industry i think there is a market, but for smaller pieces, designed around something that actually existed, designed with markets and distribution in mind, fits into a box small enough to be classed as a Royal Mail small or medium parcel [someone has to pay for postage], branded in its own box, have a look through google for Build Arama stuff. Priced accordingly at accessory levels, such as JG Minitures trees.

Final comment - buildings, trees, diorama mats, etc. They are classed as 'accessories' for many in the TS market and not as mainstay collectable pieces, complementing the toy soldiers and vehicles we collect, none or very few people collect buildings.

I see you are from East Yorkshire, spent sometime living there a few years ago, as they say "It Never Dull in Hull", loved the people there, bit rough around the edges, but salt of the earth. For those that do not know Hull, industrial city, bit rough in places, so rough the Amazon delivery drivers have rear gunners in their vans and the RAF provide 'top cover CPs'.

 

[Bellarus]

This is wrong, there are loads of pictures of the building and the damage is incorrect and the windows are just not right.

Sorry, not being harsh, just an opinion, you look as if you have spent a lot of time, resources and money to create these, with an idea to take it a step further and possibly spend yet more time and money to manufacture more and sell, with everyone giving great feedback that might spur you on, but there is a lot more to this than that. The promotion etc, in my jobs I have met loads of people who have great ideas/products and think people are just come and buy it, people have to know it is available to buy it! Packaging, not just the box, but the internal foam or plastic to keep the item safe. Postage costs [what would one of these be to send to continental Europe, the USA or Australia. I posted a single K & C figure to the US last week, in the smallest K & C box and that was £18. Pricing as well is an issue and profit margin, have you thought about the amount of time you spend painting each one and factored that in? There are clever people who know the market which have failed - Empire Minitures for example, great guy, nice product, but just did not make a success of it.

As a cottage industry i think there is a market, but for smaller pieces, designed around something that actually existed, designed with markets and distribution in mind, fits into a box small enough to be classed as a Royal Mail small or medium parcel [someone has to pay for postage], branded in its own box, have a look through google for Build Arama stuff. Priced accordingly at accessory levels, such as JG Minitures trees.

Final comment - buildings, trees, diorama mats, etc. They are classed as 'accessories' for many in the TS market and not as mainstay collectable pieces, complementing the toy soldiers and vehicles we collect, none or very few people collect buildings.

I see you are from East Yorkshire, spent sometime living there a few years ago, as they say "It Never Dull in Hull", loved the people there, bit rough around the edges, but salt of the earth. For those that do not know Hull, industrial city, bit rough in places, so rough the Amazon delivery drivers have rear gunners in their vans and the RAF provide 'top cover CPs'.

While I'm always happy to receive constructive feedback I think I may need to correct some assumptions you've made. Despite me being new to this forum I am not new to 3d printing, painting or selling pieces and have been doing so as a small side business (cottage industry) for some years now. I normally concentrate on the 1/100 and 1/56 market but only started in this 1-30 market a couple of years ago based on people's requests for my pieces in a larger scale for TS. Most of the pieces are originally aimed at the wargaming market where historical accuracy is not the key factor and buyers are happy with a 'representation' of the model that looks good on a gaming table. I simply had multiple requests for pieces to be scaled up to 1-28/ 1-30 scale so started producing larger pieces for people as a result.

Not all of the designs are my own designs as I fund numerous Kickstarters for 3d buildings / terrain and buy the licences to print and sell the models. However, where modifications are needed, especially for the 1-30 market, I do these modifications/adaptations in collaboration with the end buyer and to their specification so they end up with a tailored piece that matches their expectations or requirements. In a number of cases (the Wake island bunker / the Italian cinema) the 3d files don't exist so I design them myself based on images the buyer sends me. Some of your comments regarding impracticality of the pieces may be correct but, if they are designed/modified to the specifications of the end buyer, then who am I to disagree? The one thing I do ensure is that the end buyer gets exactly what they request and that they're fully happy with piece before any money ever exchanges hands.

If I've misworded my original post then I apologise but the only reason for posting these images on this forum was simply to raise awareness of the versatility and flexibility of 3d printing as an alternative way of everyone enhancing the TS hobby, and showing that collectors can access pieces for their displays / collections that may not be available in any other way and also at a cost that would be significantly lower than you normally find from the 'branded' suppliers. The other reason for posting them here was because a fair number of people who I've worked with and sold pieces to in a number of countries, are members of this very forum and some of them have suggested I post on here for the aforementioned reason. Hope that clarifies things a little for you.

Paul

 

[theBaron]

The great thing about a free market, and discretionary money, is that those who like a product can buy it, and those who don't like that product, don't have to. From the number of positive replies, it looks like you have a relatively profitable product there.

Prost!
Brad

 

[bradleyl30]

While I'm always happy to receive constructive feedback I think I may need to correct some assumptions you've made. Despite me being new to this forum I am not new to 3d printing, painting or selling pieces and have been doing so as a small side business (cottage industry) for some years now. I normally concentrate on the 1/100 and 1/56 market but only started in this 1-30 market a couple of years ago based on people's requests for my pieces in a larger scale for TS. Most of the pieces are originally aimed at the wargaming market where historical accuracy is not the key factor and buyers are happy with a 'representation' of the model that looks good on a gaming table. I simply had multiple requests for pieces to be scaled up to 1-28/ 1-30 scale so started producing larger pieces for people as a result.

Not all of the designs are my own designs as I fund numerous Kickstarters for 3d buildings / terrain and buy the licences to print and sell the models. However, where modifications are needed, especially for the 1-30 market, I do these modifications/adaptations in collaboration with the end buyer and to their specification so they end up with a tailored piece that matches their expectations or requirements. In a number of cases (the Wake island bunker / the Italian cinema) the 3d files don't exist so I design them myself based on images the buyer sends me. Some of your comments regarding impracticality of the pieces may be correct but, if they are designed/modified to the specifications of the end buyer, then who am I to disagree? The one thing I do ensure is that the end buyer gets exactly what they request and that they're fully happy with piece before any money ever exchanges hands.

If I've misworded my original post then I apologise but the only reason for posting these images on this forum was simply to raise awareness of the versatility and flexibility of 3d printing as an alternative way of everyone enhancing the TS hobby, and showing that collectors can access pieces for their displays / collections that may not be available in any other way and also at a cost that would be significantly lower than you normally find from the 'branded' suppliers. The other reason for posting them here was because a fair number of people who I've worked with and sold pieces to in a number of countries, are members of this very forum and some of them have suggested I post on here for the aforementioned reason. Hope that clarifies things a little for you.

Paul

Other people are welcome to their opinions. I personally love the piece I got from you and think the damaged house is great. Definitely see myself getting that after the holidays. Yes, it will need some rubble but that seems a small hill for a high stepper.

Thanks for showing us the possibilities and hope you remain an active part of the forum and 1/30 hobby.

Hi-ho! Off to work I go!

 

[mikemiller1955]

everybody is entitled to their own opinion...
as am I...and I love what Paul sent me...
VERY HIGH QUALITY!

 

[Bellarus]

The great thing about a free market, and discretionary money, is that those who like a product can buy it, and those who don't like that product, don't have to. From the number of positive replies, it looks like you have a relatively profitable product there.

Prost!
Brad

Thank you for that Brad and that's the point exactly. 3d printed pieces in this market are never going to be popular with everyone but, given how many people are showing interest and ordering custom pieces, there is clearly a demand or it. There doesn't seem to be many people out there offering this sort of service in this scale so we'll see. For me at the moment this is very much still a hobby as I have a full time job already. Maybe longer term it will become more than a hobby for me but we'll see. For now I'm of the opinion that if I can provide a service that further enhances other people's hobbies / collections / pastimes then all is good and everyone wins
Regards
Paul

 

[Bellarus]

Other people are welcome to their opinions. I personally love the piece I got from you and think the damaged house is great. Definitely see myself getting that after the holidays. Yes, it will need some rubble but that seems a small hill for a high stepper.

Thanks for showing us the possibilities and hope you remain an active part of the forum and 1/30 hobby.

Hi-ho! Off to work I go!

Many thanks for that and I've no plan in changing anything I'm doing at the moment. I'll keep posting pieces on here as I go, again I suppose just to show the sheer variety of things I've been asked to produce. That's one of the best parts about my own side of the hobby as I'm rarely doing the same thing again and again as everyone has their own ideas and requirements that suit them.
Regards
Paul

 

[bradleyl30]

Many thanks for that and I've no plan in changing anything I'm doing at the moment. I'll keep posting pieces on here as I go, again I suppose just to show the sheer variety of things I've been asked to produce. That's one of the best parts about my own side of the hobby as I'm rarely doing the same thing again and again as everyone has their own ideas and requirements that suit them.
Regards
Paul

Love it. Sounds powerful.

 

[theBaron]

This thread has revived an idea I had some years ago for a display of an upscale cafe or restaurant in Berlin circa 1910. I thought of showing the exterior and the interior, with my 54mm figures from Rose, Stadden, Sanderson, etc. It would be a building similar in layout to Alexander Toy Soldiers' Rose Public House, with its entrance facing a street corner. If you've ever seen "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", or "Der Hauptmann von Koepenick", I picture interiors like that. 3D printing makes it more possible to execute that idea.

Prost!
Brad