Saturday, January 7, 2017

The Observatory - Latest 3D Print

Over last weekend I printed Winterdale's Observatory on my Wanhao. This is the largest building to date and comprises five main structural sections plus balconies, doors and the telescope.

The final piece stands 10" high - 12" to top of telescope. I've put one of my BB Gutter Runners (32mm base) on the steps for scale.

The only real problem I ran into was printing the balustrades that were part of the balconies. They proved difficult to print and in the end the finished result was too flimsy for tabletop use. I removed them assuming workplace health and safety wasn't a big issue in the Old World.

The piece has detailed interiors but I have chosen to construct it permanently as one piece to make it more solid. The surface has been painted with a finishing agent to smooth out some of the striations.

My intention is to mount it on a hill.

Check back over the next week as I paint it up.

For those interested in cost and printing time. I estimate it cost me about USD$3 and was printed over a 60 hour period. Cleanup was half an hour plus another hour to treat the surface and glue the pieces together. So all in all about 2.5 hours of my time.

 

1 comment:

  1. Certainly getting better and better with that 3d printer. I think leaving the balustrades off will make it better if you play skirmish games - looks like the 32mm base just fits without them

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