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JPZ66

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About JPZ66

  • Birthday 03/07/1966

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Belfair, WA
  • Interests
    Classic sail
    Rum runners
    US Navy small craft, WWI-WWII
    Pirates
    Herreshoff yachts
    History in general

    Kayaking

Contact Methods

  • Yahoo
    us103_z_man@yahoo.com

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  1. Walton, I am talking about a Centrifugal casting machine that spins a 9" or 12" circular mold....it is absolutely designed for production work. No, it is not for the typical "home hobbyist". It is THE way to cast pewter for production of small model parts. This not the "broken arm" type centrifuge. When I was casting small model ship parts, say, 20mm deck guns in 1/350 scale, I could easily get 100 parts per spin in a 9" mold. A spin cycle takes about 2-3 min. My spin casting machine sits right next to a melting furnace crucible pot that holds 150 lbs of pewter. I have other equipment for investment casting. Joe
  2. Just a quick note.....we have been making some fine tuning adjustments on the 3D printer, and the test figure is more sharply defined. Additionally, we have done output in 32mm, 35mm and 54mm. In 54mm, you can even see the wood grain in the axe handle quite nicely ! We are going to run some tests on even smaller scales soon as well. Aardvark Miniatures, LLC should be releasing some of the first figures at the beginning of 2017. -Joe
  3. The next figure I'm working up is going to be a crewman in rowing pose ( actually, going to create a couple different, but similar poses / dress for this ) Expect an update in a few weeks on this one. Also, I should have the 35mm figure back in a day or so to inspect. That will work nicely for 1/50-1/48 scale. Thanks all, Joe
  4. Actually, the proportions of most wargames figures are for ease of painting...notice how often you see heavy layers and oversized details on uniforms? ..they do also like to have beefy weapons to help against breakage though and to make the castings a bit easier to produce....I'm told...though I find that to be an excuse. As such, they tend to "swell" the figure to match. I call them caracatures. Sadly it is the accepted 'standard' there. My goal with these is to keep them on the more proportioned and realistic side as much as possible. ( understand that the digital sculptor I'm working with comes from the gaming side of things It is another reason why I value the feedback on the figures when I post pictures. I prefer the scale aesthetic. Thanks, Joe
  5. Wefalck, Yes I initially thought the same, as the nature of the pose, and my lousy photography ( paper in front of bulb to try and diffuse the light and an older cell phone camera ), do sort of make it appear that way. It does actually measure out properly. The figure is also a little 'stocky' to my eye, and now that we have a printed prototype, I will be discussing a few adjustments with the artist. Neither of us were quite sure just how well the details would hold up in this 28mm size given the printer we used to output it and we are establishing a baseline. This also illustrates why creators of figures in small scales tend to exaggerate some features - though not correct, to provide what many consider to be a visually appealing look. Sort of like plank nails being shown for effect, when in reality ( for small scales ) you would never see them. One company, in my opinion, that makes really good looking figures without this sort of distortion, is Preiser. Unfortuntately they don't make figures in this genre that I am aware of. I appreciate any and all feedback, as the goal is to create good looking figures that people will want to use to crew their ships. I will be posting more images in the coming weeks and months as we get more figures done. Thanks, Joe
  6. Ok, so I picked up a few prints and after a quick trimmimg of supports and no further clean up....... Here is the test 28mm figure ( 32mm and 35mm coming later this week ) The detail is quite good, rather hard to see here, and perhaps I will try an ink wash to show the recesses a bit better. -Joe
  7. Wefalck, Good suggestions. I will be looking over the prototype print in just a little while. Additional model prototypes are being run in different scales. We are looking at what happens to the detail level. I'm not a fan of bases either, so there will likely be an option of with or without bases. The base came about as these figures can be used for wargaming. The other option I'm looking at, is making them available as already cast pieces, or as a downloadable file that one may print either at home or through a service. One problem with making files available through an outfit like Shapeways for example, is that the creator gives up Intellectual Property Rights as I understand it....I'm looking into that to get the facts. Some figures planned will not have a base option, as they are "in action" , i.e; sail handling on the yard, or climbing the rigging, etc. I will post some photos later today of the printed prototype. -Joe
  8. Hi all, I have found a 3d sculptor to work with and am currently running some test output on an SLA / 3d printer. Currently the test figure shown here is being done in 28mm, but can be scaled up or down a bit fairly easily. The goal in this project is to create several limes of figures in a few scales ( covering 1/60 - 1/48 range ) initially and that they be in "action" poses, not simply standing around. The figures will be prototyped with 3d printing, molded, and then cast in either resin or pewter. These will be officer and crew figures of the 18th and 19th century period. - Joe
  9. I vote for bands as well, but maybe you can use a 'gun metal' shade instead of black ? Maybe reduce the stark contrast a bit.....not sure if that would be correct though. Joe
  10. You might wish to try photo-etched parts. Bolt heads and nuts come in a huge range of sizes. Some are available in nickle, stainless or brass. I quick search for scale model photo etched parts will turn up plenty for you to check out. Quite popular with car, railroad and armor modelers ! You can find them in round, square, hex and most sets include washers.... Joe
  11. Frank, That is an absolutely splendid job you're doing ! The weathering depth and tones, and attention to detail present a truly realistic appearance ! -Joe
  12. Tadeusz, Thank you so much for this continuing effort and wonderful posts ! All of it has been a fascinating view of ships and ship building. Very highly interesting !! -Joe
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