Turbo Laser components.

First Turret Mockups.

Only three more to go.

Atmosphere Brakes added.

Thats enough for tonight its Thorsday, time for Vikings!

Haha, I'll be turning that on as well.. bout 10 minutes to go..

Greaat work here, they are turning out really good.

What is another resource for picture uploads?

Flickr Sucks!!

Working on turrets.

Looking awesome, man. Been following this build religiously. As a side note, have you any in-game pics with your Gozantis?

Well first turrets on and I managed to make them swivel.

As far a pictures of games, I never really thought to take any. X-Wing, beer, camera. . Interesting.

As far a pictures of games, I never really thought to take any. X-Wing, beer, camera. . Interesting.

I'm going to comment here just to keep this topic easier to find. Those ships are awesome! It shows how to think outside the box!

Working on Turbo Laser mounts; upper, and lower.

You got mad skillz bra! srsly,you need to be working in scifi films as a model maker...

Going to put airlocks on the starboard side as well?

I like the turrets.

You got mad skillz bra! srsly,you need to be working in scifi films as a model maker...

I'd fully agree if it weren't for the fact that model building is going to be a thing of the past with the rise of 3D printing.

You got mad skillz bra! srsly,you need to be working in scifi films as a model maker...

I'd fully agree if it weren't for the fact that model building is going to be a thing of the past with the rise of 3D printing.

I'd rather have a handmade cupboard than a factory produced flat pack. Better quality as there is both skill and heart behind the work.

I'd rather have a handmade cupboard than a factory produced flat pack. Better quality as there is both skill and heart behind the work.

Which is not to say that model preparation, for movies, architecture, or design purposes isn't going to shift to 3D printing. It's faster, cheaper, the necessary skills are more easily taught, changes are implemented sooner.

A mass produced piece of furniture is going to be a lot cheaper than handmade, custom designed stuff. For the price of the bookcase in my living room I could easily have bought three times as much storage space. .

It's a shame really, as it means that modellers such as here are less likely to be able to turn their hobby and skills into a fulltime career.

It's a shame really, as it means that modellers such as here are less likely to be able to turn their hobby and skills into a fulltime career.

No fair. But when it comes to "just a hobby", even I look for bargains where I can since it's not "essential to my future wealth, health and happiness".

Still sucks!

I'd rather have a handmade cupboard than a factory produced flat pack. Better quality as there is both skill and heart behind the work.

Which is not to say that model preparation, for movies, architecture, or design purposes isn't going to shift to 3D printing. It's faster, cheaper, the necessary skills are more easily taught, changes are implemented sooner.

A mass produced piece of furniture is going to be a lot cheaper than handmade, custom designed stuff. For the price of the bookcase in my living room I could easily have bought three times as much storage space. .

It's a shame really, as it means that modellers such as here are less likely to be able to turn their hobby and skills into a fulltime career.

That's actually not a fair assessment of 3D printing and how it's used in the film industry.

They don't use it all that often for starship minis, or miniatures in general, for several key reasons:

1) The model's size is severely limited by the size of the machine. They'd have to print several pieces and assemble them to get the level of detail required for a filming miniature, because larger sizes are highly desirable for making the model look realistic.

2) 3D printed pieces are not usually as resilient as filming minis, which are made from strong materials like brass and steel that are covered in sheet plastic so parts can be glued on and the surface can be scribed. They have to be robust, because they are often handled by stage hands who are more concerned with getting the model in position and shot than being careful with the model.

3) You can't create a model that is ready for lighting with 3D printing. Not to say they can't put in tracks and such for the lighting rig, but that the model will have to be capable of disassembly. They can build this into the 3D part of course, but the thinly printed material which would result from a hollow model is fragile, and fragile models are undesirable for the previous reason.

4) It's much more expensive than simply paying a craftsman or a crew of craftsmen to build a model. 3D printing takes hours, sometimes days for large pieces, and this translates to millions of dollars because you're paying for the model and the person who had to design it.

5) 3D printing requires much more fore-planning than a comparable traditional model, because you have to account for material type and thickness beforehand, as well as the mass of the part. The size of a typical miniature is somewhere between 15"-30", with some monsters like the Millennium Falcon hero model being over 50" long. When you're talking large-scale miniatures, the complexities of material type and strength become much harder to predict, and you can't necessarily plan for them, even if you engineer for them.

6) Typically a traditional model is built around a large armature, which allows it to be mounted from at least three and up to six sides. This is not possible with a 3D printed model, because you can't print around a metal armature. It would be impossible for the print head to get under the metal bits. Of course, you could print the model in two halves, but this isn't always possible for more complex shapes, and you need some way of attaching the model to the armature, which requires even more breakdowns, and then the costs mount for each individual part (because you have to model them separately), as does the complexity of the model (because you have to ensure each piece not only fits together, but also matches the pre-made armature), to the point that it becomes more feasible to simply build the model from scratch.

7) The technology for 3D printing is still unable to print fine enough details for a high quality miniature. Yeah, the ones you can get from Shapeways are great, but I dare you to get them to print 0.5mm sheets that are opaque to light and robust enough to withstand handling. You can't. It's impossible for current 3D printing technology. But it is possible with the much cheaper process known as photoetching, which can create amazingly complex patterns in brass sheet that can be used to add layers of deep detail. You also can't produce fine and strong wire with 3D printing, but you can buy piano wire and a good pair of snips.

You have to look beyond "Ooo! It's faster! And the changes are made much more easily!" before you phase out traditional methods of model making for a new technology which is still very much in its infancy. 3D printing does have a place in film, but it definitely takes a back seat when it comes to making filming miniatures, and until molecular manipulation is possible it will continue to do so for decades.

3D printers don't design the models that they print...