28mm Battletech

[Love_the_Lash]

So I’ve been working on a new project for the last few months, inspired by the 4Ground battletech set up I’ve been working on some 28mm mechs of my own.

Luckily I got a 3d printer last Xmas and thingiverse is full of Battletech stl Files so it’s a pretty good time to do such things. I thought you guys might be interested anyway, this is my first finished Lance consisting of a Stinger (kitbash) Flea, Jenner and Commando (all 3d printed).

[Love_the_Lash]

 Oops sorry they are on the skewif folks!

[YPU]

Even on their sides, those are both amazing prints and paint jobs!

[OSHIROmodels]

Great painting 

[Belgian]

Those look splendid, which printer do you use?

[Inso]

Those look the business . Both the print quality and the paint-work .

Would you please share how much each one cost you to make (files plus materials/printing power)? I'd  be interested to find out.

[eilif]

Holy smokes those are beautiful!

I have a penchant for 28mm mecha myself...
https://www.chicagoskirmishwargames.com/blog/2018/04/24/adepticon-2018-showdown-at-valstetech-airfield/
... but mine aren't nearly as nice as those. How tall are they?
I'd also be curious to hear how long they took to print and how much the materials cost.

Ace work!

[Love_the_Lash]

The printer is a prusa i3 from Wanhao, as to the cost of the prints probably about £4 each but they take at least about 30 hours each to print all in. The files were scaled up from models on Thingiverse from Minimalistix (printed at x2..

edited to add: they stand about 7 inches tall each and are on 120mm bases to give you a feel for size!

[Inso]

The printer is a prusa i3 from Wanhao, as to the cost of the prints probably about £4 each but they take at least about 30 hours each to print all in. The files were scaled up from models on Thingiverse from Minimalistix (printed at x2..

edited to add: they stand about 7 inches tall each and are on 120mm bases to give you a feel for size!

Thank you . They are exceptional quality for the small price... I can't wait to see more of them from you .

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice job on them.

[Daeothar]

That's awesome! (now print an Awesome )

I've been tinkering away for years, very on and off, at a couple of lances of Mechs in 1/100 (or 15mm) scale myself. I am mostly using plastic kits, enlarging them where necessary. It's a very time consuming and painstaking process, but I'm a stickler for scale, and they had to match the fluff as much as possible. I read all the books and other source materials, and made tables stating heights, tonnages etc for all the mechs I wanted to build.

Most of the Mechs are Unseen, and therefore model kits from their respective (anime) sources usually are available, but it's always a challenge to find correctly scaled ones. It does not help that the different sources often have their mechs/mechas sizing/scaling differently than the Battletech equivalents.

So a Macross/Robotech Valkyrie is considerably larger than a Battletech Wasp/Stinger, but they both are the same model! I had to source very rare Japanese 1/170 scale kits to get them to correctly scale as 1/100 Battletech mechs for instance.

Others I've had to enlarge considerably, by adding plasticard spacers in three dimensions, to each separate limb, torso, head, etc. So glue two halves together with a plasticard spacer (X-axis). When dried, cut it in half lengthwise, and add the same plasticard (on the Y-axis). Let dry again, and then do the same in the Z-axis. Filing into shape of the plasticard is obviously required at each stage.

It is very labour-intensive, but the results do look good.

And then you come along, 'simply' printing them! When I started out with this project, almost 10 years ago, 3D printing was not at all as available as it is now, so I automatically turned to model kits. But your results are absolutely stunning, so I will now have to investigate this medium further, in relation to this project of mine. Because this opens up all kinds of possibilies now!

It would be possible to make mechs that no kits exist of now. Obviously scratchbuilding is also a possibility (and I am doing that as well), but this would be so much simpler and faster. I now wonder if ripping the models from PC games and using those as a basis for a 3D-print would be possible...

More expensive I assume, but in this day and age, time is money also, so the math checks out...

[eilif]

The printer is a prusa i3 from Wanhao, as to the cost of the prints probably about £4 each but they take at least about 30 hours each to print all in. The files were scaled up from models on Thingiverse from Minimalistix (printed at x2..

edited to add: they stand about 7 inches tall each and are on 120mm bases to give you a feel for size!

Fascinating!
That size is spot-on for what I do.
Such an odd combination of low priced material but long print time makes it clear why folks can do this kind of thing themselves affordably but buying commercially produced large 3d printing still costs a good deal more.

However, when you price out large Battletech models elsewhere, if you want to make a few lances it kind of makes it worthwhile to buy your own printer. I've got alot of Mecha and many still in kits, but if were starting from scratch today, maybe I'd buy a 3d printer...

Keep up the good work and be sure to show us any more that you make!

[tomrommel1]

really nice indeed

[Tactalvanic]

Utterly superb,

I keep thinking about a mech project, have a few in a box somwhere.. but manage to not start it yet, but this, really good work

and your painting of them is top notch

More please - +1 for an Awesome!

[Marine0846]

Wow, 28mm Battletech.
They look great.
Look forward to seeing more.