Jump to content

3d printing crew figures


Recommended Posts

Greetings all,

While I am pretty sure posting anything made from a 3d printer is probably bad form here I wanted to share a side project I worked on over the weekend. I personally love seeing crew figures on model boat/ships but always have a hard time finding them in the scales or poses I want. This weekend I digitally drew out 4 "age of sail" style crew in 4 poses in my 3d aoftware. I then printed them in 1/48 ish scale. The awesome part about having these designs is I can size them up to 40mm or down to 3mm tall.   I think they would look at home on a pirate ship or navy vessel depending on how they get painted. In the second photo I have compared my prints to an Amati figure (right) and a 1/48 scale figure on the left. The figure with the saber was literally transposed from a Captain Morgan rum ad! The UV light is used to cure the resin.

 

Has anyone else done this?

 

IMG_20200524_115125509.jpg

IMG_20200524_233050861.jpg

IMG_20200524_230844640.jpg

IMG_20200524_233418012.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your figures came out very well.   Use of a 3D printer shouldn't get you any flack.   I used the search feature at the top of page (make sure to change the setting to "this forum" and used "figures".   Quite a few hits actually and I'm pretty sure there's more in other sub-forums.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those look really nice especially if you were able to whip em up over the weekend.  Properly scaled figures always add life to a static model and really help with visualizing the scale of the project

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently bought the same printer you have and have used it to make davits and lifeboats for a cruise liner I am making. It produces amazing results doesn't it? Being a newcomer to 3-D modeling I am impressed with your figures. Can you briefly tell how you made the computer models?

From about as far from the ocean as you can get in North America!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
22 hours ago, highlanderburial said:

At first I spent about 6 hours in the free blender program but then just used Hero Forge miniature maker (super fun!) and spent about 20 bucks for the files!

That's an amazing website. Here's a link to their website.

 

Please, visit our Facebook page!

 

Respectfully

 

Per aka Dr. Per@Therapy for Shipaholics 
593661798_Keepitreal-small.jpg.f8a2526a43b30479d4c1ffcf8b37175a.jpg

Finished: T37, BB Marie Jeanne - located on a shelf in Sweden, 18th Century Longboat, Winchelsea Capstan

Current: America by Constructo, Solö Ruff, USS Syren by MS, Bluenose by MS

Viking funeral: Harley almost a Harvey

Nautical Research Guild Member - 'Taint a hobby if you gotta hurry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don’t see why that would be bad form, thanks for posting. 3D printing is here to stay,  for finished products and for making masters for moulding. That you only needed a few hours to whip that up is enough proof of concept.

 

One question from someone who only has space for small models - down to what scale do you think your equipment would be able to produce sharp results? I guess 1/64 should work if 1/48 looks that good, but what about 1/100 and 1/200ish? I’m curious what hobby-modellers as us would be able to do - I’m sure there is expensive industrial machines which can do it but that is another topic really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The biggest factor for 3d printing figures is the starting digital model (high res or low res) and how fine the printer can print per line. My printer can do lines down to .01 microns (1/10th a human hair roughly) so it can make them pretty fine. To succinctly answer your scale question there are presently 1/350th scale sailors for sail as a low res digital file. For that size it is probably more than adequate for a viewer to see guys with covers arms and legs in various poses that look the part. My biggest concern would be getting something this small off the print bed which usually involves a small flat head screw driver. I am learning to print with supports that make this process less damaging but it is still a learning curve. I would easily think a figure designed for 1/48 could be scaled down to 1/100 with a pretty fair amount of details retained. In the picture is one of my print failures (due to file corruption on the leg). In the picture I printed a female Archer at 1/24th scale, 1/35, 1/52, 1/48. Not pictured was the Archer in 1/87 and 1/96.  These were all done using the same file and at the same time. At 1/96 the bow was VERY thin but most of the details translated well. Keep in mind I got this printer with resin for around 275 dollars American. It is NOT the too if the line but will easily do what I need it to. I hope this helps!

IMG_20200517_101436543.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Oh wow!  I just purchased an Elegoo Mars resin printer to do exactly what you are doing!  So glad that I found your post.  I'm having a blast testing out my printer and can't wait to create some crew, fabricate parts and make ornamentation for my models.  

Great job!

- Gabe

 

Current builds:
Harvey, Baltimore Clipper - Artesania Latina
HMS Triton Cross Section, 18th Century Frigate - online scratch build
HMCS Agassiz, WW2 Flower-Class Corvette - HMV - card model
 

Completed:
Swift, Pilot Schooner - Artesania Latina --- Build log --- Gallery

Skeeter, Ship-in-Bottle - Ships a Sailin' kit --- Build log

Santa Maria, Caravel - Artesania Latina --- Build log

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is exactly what I would like to do too. The quality of prints made with resin printers is way better than ones produced with machines using filaments. Also the cost of these printers begins to be acceptable.

But what is still prohibiting me to step on this path is the problem to learn to use a 3D design software so brilliantly that I could be able to produce something that I could be happy with.

I have a hobbyist's free version of Fusion 360 software which I have tried to learn, but still after a few month's practize I am still far from being able to design parts for ship models I would like to print.

So my question is, which software you guys are using to design your parts or crew members, and how have you learned to use it properly so that the quality of prints is acceptable?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Gabek said:

Can't wait to create some crew, fabricate parts and make ornamentation for my models. 

- Gabe

 

Please post some pictures of your work when you create them.  3-D is here to stay and we are in the infancy of this new technology.

Ryland

 

Member - Hampton Roads Ship Model Society

            - Ship Model Society of New Jersey

               - Nautical Research Guild

       

 

Current Build - Armed Virginia Sloop, 18th Century Longboat

Completed Build - Medway Longboat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/14/2020 at 10:15 AM, Ryland Craze said:

Please post some pictures of your work when you create them.  3-D is here to stay and we are in the infancy of this new technology.

Thanks for the replies.

With respect to figures - I have been investigating several online figure creators that allow you to download an .stl file for 3D printing. Most of these are geared toward fantasy and model railroad figures and kind of miss out on 18th and early 19th century maritime figures that I'm interested in.  I managed to make a "navy-like" officer in Hero Forge (heroforge.com).  The process is fairly straight forward - you  pick and choose pre-made bodies, parts, clothes, poses to assemble a figure.  You can customise the pose and, when you're ready, you pay $7.99 (US) to download the .stl file.  You can actually have them print the figure for you for $19.99.  They state it is roughly 1:48 scale. (25mm or 30mm). 

Hero Forge creator window

 

I bought the download (emailed to me in maybe 30 minutes) and opened it in ChituBox software (free) in order to create a file for my Elegoo Mars resin printer.  i added supports (easy) to make sure that the model prints correctly.

Chitubox screen shot

There are many types and colours of resins you can use for the printing. I purchased a standard grey UV-sensitive resin which must be cleaned in 100% ethanol/isopropanol and, since my workshop is next to my furnace, I quickly purchased a water-washable resin.  (Winter is coming and I don't want to wash parts in 100% alcohol outdoors when it's -25C!)  Here are the results using the two resins:

Officer.thumb.jpg.c932289b24494bf2122bdb91eba7eae3.jpg

Back to the ChituBox software to scale that figure to 1/92.  I'll print that size shortly and get back to you folks.

screenShot_Officer_supported_smallerscale.thumb.png.d4365e18148dad5cb5330be894d71c34.png

Clear skies!

Gabe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current builds:
Harvey, Baltimore Clipper - Artesania Latina
HMS Triton Cross Section, 18th Century Frigate - online scratch build
HMCS Agassiz, WW2 Flower-Class Corvette - HMV - card model
 

Completed:
Swift, Pilot Schooner - Artesania Latina --- Build log --- Gallery

Skeeter, Ship-in-Bottle - Ships a Sailin' kit --- Build log

Santa Maria, Caravel - Artesania Latina --- Build log

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is so good. Having just hand-carved 48 mediaeval Byzantine oarsmen (nobody makes and sells these!) for my 1:50 scale dromon out of pear wood, I could have done with this technology. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy carving, but that was rather more than I'd been wanting to do . . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back from the cottage and I printed off a 1/96 version of my Hero Forge figure. It took only a few minutes to rescale the original in the Chitubox software that the Elegoo printer uses.  I did increase the resolution as well.  Now it’s more in line with my "micro" HMS Triton cross-section in progress (please pardon the jig I have currently attached).  Also, when I created the figure I didn’t pay attention to my options for the base, some of which would have been much easier to cut off when the time comes. 
 

I've got a few more software tools I'm going to explore to create more poses and ratings and get back to you folks.
 

Clear skies!

- Gabe

E28E3F90-57F7-4940-B68A-ACB72E0AF666.jpeg

85C29E78-E2FE-4C7F-B65D-26C506496449.jpeg

A7FD0162-DC10-479E-90DA-7336AD0EBE0C.jpeg

Current builds:
Harvey, Baltimore Clipper - Artesania Latina
HMS Triton Cross Section, 18th Century Frigate - online scratch build
HMCS Agassiz, WW2 Flower-Class Corvette - HMV - card model
 

Completed:
Swift, Pilot Schooner - Artesania Latina --- Build log --- Gallery

Skeeter, Ship-in-Bottle - Ships a Sailin' kit --- Build log

Santa Maria, Caravel - Artesania Latina --- Build log

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/25/2020 at 1:40 PM, MEDDO said:

Those look really nice especially if you were able to whip em up over the weekend.  Properly scaled figures always add life to a static model and really help with visualizing the scale of the project

I couldn't agree more,   but heck Im baised/biased even     😉

 

OC.

Current builds  


28mm  Battle of Waterloo   attack on La Haye Saint   Diorama.

1/700  HMS Hood   Flyhawk   with  PE, Resin  and Wood Decking.

 

 

 

Completed works.

 

Dragon 1/700 HMS Edinburgh type 42 batch 3 Destroyer plastic.

HMS Warspite Academy 1/350 plastic kit and wem parts.

HMS Trafalgar Airfix 1/350 submarine  plastic.

Black Pearl  1/72  Revell   with  pirate crew.

Revell  1/48  Mosquito  B IV

Eduard  1/48  Spitfire IX

ICM    1/48   Seafire Mk.III   Special Conversion

1/48  Kinetic  Sea Harrier  FRS1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve been stalking the 3D printing forums trying to justify the purchase and space allotment for and printer. Not sure if my spouse will allow the annexation of the powder room adjacent to my cave for setup.  The Mars looks pretty nice and will likely drop in price now that Saturn will/is out.  Any thoughts on the wash/cure Photon station?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the Anycubic Photon. It takes up the same space as a blender. I use a tupperware pickle strainer full of isobutyl alcohol to clean the parts. After cleaning I have a UV Spotlight that shines down on a lazy susan which I can spin to move the object. The total space is maybe 3 feet by 2 feet. I HIGHLY recommend getting a 3D SLA printer to make even routine parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The real art is in the original 3d sculpting, from a digital ball of clay, a figure that not only looks realistic but is recognizably a historical figure. I know a fellow in Spain who can do that-   here's "Papa" Hemingway in 1:12 scale.

 

.

PapaParts.JPG

Pilar_13.jpg

Pat M.

Matthews Model Marine

Model FUNCTION as well as FORM.

Get your boats wet!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi.

I also have purchased a 3D Printer (Elegoo Mars pro. )

I have used the printer for Model making components (Not ship).

Hero Forge is by far the best Figurine shop I have seen. So many choices of kit. clothing. posture. and the list is endless.

With the Figurine's available I will be putting some on my Ships as well. And being scalable they will adapt to any model I build. 

 

Regards Antony.

Best advice ever given to me."If you don't know ..Just ask.

Completed Mayflower

Completed Fun build Tail boat Tailboat

Completed Build Chinese Junk Chinese Pirate Junk

Completed scratch built Korean Turtle ship 1/32 Turtle ship

Completed Santa Lucia Sicilian Cargo Boat 1/30 scale Santa Lucia

On hold. Bounty Occre 1/45

Completed HMS Victory by DeAgostini modelspace. DeAgostini Victory Cross Section

Completed H.M.S. Victory X section by Coral. HMS Victory cross section

Completed The Black Pearl fun build Black Queen

Completed A large scale Victory cross section 1/36 Victory Cross Section

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

HeroForge indeed has a lot of choices, but they are mainly for the war-gaming community and the figures have this kind of stocky appearance that this community seems to like, though it can be modulated somewhat.

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 5/24/2020 at 11:54 PM, highlanderburial said:

Greetings all,

While I am pretty sure posting anything made from a 3d printer is probably bad form here I wanted to share a side project I worked on over the weekend. I personally love seeing crew figures on model boat/ships but always have a hard time finding them in the scales or poses I want. This weekend I digitally drew out 4 "age of sail" style crew in 4 poses in my 3d aoftware. I then printed them in 1/48 ish scale. The awesome part about having these designs is I can size them up to 40mm or down to 3mm tall.   I think they would look at home on a pirate ship or navy vessel depending on how they get painted. In the second photo I have compared my prints to an Amati figure (right) and a 1/48 scale figure on the left. The figure with the saber was literally transposed from a Captain Morgan rum ad! The UV light is used to cure the resin.

 

Has anyone else done this?

 

IMG_20200524_115125509.jpg

IMG_20200524_233050861.jpg

IMG_20200524_230844640.jpg

IMG_20200524_233418012.jpg

Impressive technique! I love it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't want to get into 3D printing but I can't find any sailor figures in 1/48 scale which is what I do. Seems to me that someone could make a nice side business in making 3D figures in the various scales we work in. I'm sure that there are plenty of builders out there who would be happy to buy some to add to their build. Checked out Hero Forge but they don't offer the kinds of figures I want for my builds.

Edited by barkeater

Completed scratch build: The armed brig "Badger" 1777

Current scratch build: The 36 gun frigate "Unite" 1796

Completed kits: Mamoli "Alert", Caldercraft "Sherbourne"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will have some news about scale 3D printed figures sometime in the next couple of months.

Kurt Van Dahm

Director

NAUTICAL RESEARCH GUILD

www.thenrg.org

SAY NO TO PIRACY. SUPPORT ORIGINAL IDEAS AND MANUFACTURERS

CLUBS

Nautical Research & Model Ship Society of Chicago

Midwest Model Shipwrights

North Shore Deadeyes

The Society of Model Shipwrights

Butch O'Hare - IPMS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/5/2021 at 5:30 PM, kurtvd19 said:

We will have some news about scale 3D printed figures sometime in the next couple of months.

"Oh Yes......you secretive devil you"😃

 

OC.

Current builds  


28mm  Battle of Waterloo   attack on La Haye Saint   Diorama.

1/700  HMS Hood   Flyhawk   with  PE, Resin  and Wood Decking.

 

 

 

Completed works.

 

Dragon 1/700 HMS Edinburgh type 42 batch 3 Destroyer plastic.

HMS Warspite Academy 1/350 plastic kit and wem parts.

HMS Trafalgar Airfix 1/350 submarine  plastic.

Black Pearl  1/72  Revell   with  pirate crew.

Revell  1/48  Mosquito  B IV

Eduard  1/48  Spitfire IX

ICM    1/48   Seafire Mk.III   Special Conversion

1/48  Kinetic  Sea Harrier  FRS1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Guys, I’m about to purchase a 3D printer I think and it seems like resin is the way to go for detail. Seems like the anycubic photon is a hot item. Can any of you experienced modelers give any advice? Also curious about sculpting software, I’m currently running rhino and considering stepping up to version 7, is there any good plug ins for producing good carvings?

Thanks for any input.

JJ 

Current Builds: HMS Winchelsea 1764 1:48 - 5th rate 32 gun frigate (on hold for now)

 

                         HMS Portland 1770 Prototype 1:48 - 4th rate 50 gun ship

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Daniel has become already pretty good with UV-curing resin printer and I have been bugging him to re. printed blocks, but the main problem is not the printing as such, but producing the digital sculptures (as someone last autumn already noted). It is a long way from turning your manually sculpted figures into printable files. Someone has to do that. As far as I know, Daniel is not really into 3D figure sculpting.

 

Such things are always commercial questions, but it would be interesting to have a system similar to the abovementioned 'Hero Forge', where the basic animated figurines can be kitted out for different periods. There would be a range of basic poses that do not really change from century to century, but the attire will change more or less, say a group of sailors pulling at a halliard, going up the mast, furling sails, holystoning, etc. etc. If done in sufficient detail to cover say the 54 mm (=1/32) scale, they then could be printed in any smaller scale.

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

I haven’t been working on my models much but I sure am playing with my resin printer! I went to Heroforge to create some more poses for figures and have been playing with scaling.  
 

My rendition of a bosun with a rope's end. The knife is too chunky…I may file it down.

6A70DC23-C045-4350-A696-13828A1F1CD3.thumb.jpeg.eb0d82d11ec3d7274141abde4a046837.jpeg
 

Bosun, midshipman, and two seamen in 1/96. Printed in grey and white with one primed figure to show details better:

F51123B1-BA59-4D87-AD30-A2EBB2E87A6C.thumb.jpeg.259e6bbe2c468579a1fa2edfda01b069.jpeg7A7F1D28-D771-4829-A54F-6E4F2B502108.thumb.jpeg.d138989b69b960d118de689be26dd130.jpeg


My lieutenant “Number One" in 1/48 and 1/96:

 

AC9CAC52-2B03-40CD-910F-4630D475C7CD.thumb.jpeg.26ba2c70fd4df64314cc3b950159d3c1.jpeg82D3F93C-C6B8-431A-9825-5CF9FAD42A2A.thumb.jpeg.9c5d69d98dd9e6e8c66b0838dd8f3dd4.jpeg
 


I totally agree that a figure on a model looks great.  Here's my 1/50 Swift (Artesania Latina) with 1/48 "Number One” giving orders. 
 


4AC6486C-8AC7-4631-8A73-29DA9E3E75BB.thumb.jpeg.806f94beb5cad80ab553f96ae7630b8f.jpeg04639BC8-9147-49B5-8348-2735170FAD8B.thumb.jpeg.3925895041a9b3778c3184a6c9a6c8e6.jpeg
 


Number One and Mini Number One and my 1/96 HMS Triton cross-section in progress.

2DA33697-0267-4ECE-837D-C7361B26B07D.thumb.jpeg.dd59b2f1cc054bd3dfb7295266c9ea33.jpeg
 

Lastly, I drafted up iron ballast with the broad arrow in Fusion 360 and printed them in singles and in gangs at 1/96.  Not painted yet but I had to them check out on the Triton.  Many more to be added, but I can produce them fairly quickly:

 

 

FA16855A-19BC-46E2-8730-7BDA6494BB9B.thumb.jpeg.ff85080ae05751309030d113ae3ec78e.jpeg9E78EFEA-85DA-4C33-8CDC-413567B69419.thumb.jpeg.062c87cd704550c66ffe377895c8b0e3.jpeg
A2BA50FE-E97A-46A1-AF6B-ED7E9EA487DC.thumb.jpeg.8601c6049a906cff2c17e106bbda8990.jpeg
 

Clear skies and sharp tools!

- Gabe

13AD0F57-B618-4ECA-8239-132E9142EEF6.jpeg

Current builds:
Harvey, Baltimore Clipper - Artesania Latina
HMS Triton Cross Section, 18th Century Frigate - online scratch build
HMCS Agassiz, WW2 Flower-Class Corvette - HMV - card model
 

Completed:
Swift, Pilot Schooner - Artesania Latina --- Build log --- Gallery

Skeeter, Ship-in-Bottle - Ships a Sailin' kit --- Build log

Santa Maria, Caravel - Artesania Latina --- Build log

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice modelling!

 

However, I find that these Heroforge figurines look to much like 'wargaming' figurines (which they probably are) - their proportions are too stocky built, too long extremities and too big head for the body.

 

Also the trousers look a bit strange, the crotch sits too high to be comfortable not to say that they would impede the movement up in the rig. At that time trousers were cut very high on the waste, so that the body is well-covered by the relatively short 'monkey'-jacket.

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I enjoy painting military figures.  I am currently finishing a series of Union Civil War Cavalry figures.  I like 54 mm metal figures produced by Imrie Risley, now sadly out of business.

 

A question?  Why are War game figures misproportioned?  The only reason that I can think of is that by making them intentionally too short they are more stable.  The better proportioned 54mm figures are easily knocked over.

 

Roger

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...