Shapeways Lasalle Armored Car (photo)

[Schogun]

Thanks to the post by mpennock: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=36502.0
I finally got around to ordering a Lasalle Armored Car from Shapeways (photo below).

Being a 3-D printer-generated model, it amazingly came in only two pieces -- the car itself, complete with axles and wheels, and the turret with attached MG.

It's very lightweight, but the walls are thick enough to not be fragile, and hollow! No mold lines. No flash. No bubbles. No overcast. Nothing to clean up! Not sure whether I should wash before priming though.

The model comes with either surface polished or as is. I chose as is to save a few dollars. The surface is slightly pebbled, but not so much that primer and a coat of paint shouldn't fill.

Detail is very good. Highly recommended. (I'll have to add rivet detail though.)

BTW -- Shapeways built and delivered in 9 days.

[Traveler Man]

Phenomenal!    The Shape(ways) of Things to Come...

[Sangennaru]

That's very interesting! can you make some closeups for the texture detail? =)

I'm gonna make another order from shapeways very soon!

[Schogun]

Extreme close-up to show surface detail. It looks far worse than it actually is.

[Sangennaru]

that's good enough! =) thanks Schogun!

[Remington]

Wow, not bad. Does "polished" actually make a difference concerning the surface?

[Sangennaru]

Yeah, i have some polished pieces, the difference is that they remove some part of the surface, instead of filling the holes like a primer can do.

So the sharp edges will be smoothed, and that could be a problem for a mechanical piece. =)

[Remington]

Hmm, sounds counter-productive from a painter's point of view. I guess the un-polished version would be the way to go then.

[Sangennaru]

It depends on the shape of the object. If there are no narrow pieces (like a plane) it could be ok!

You have also to consider that the shapeways quality is very variable, so sometimes it is much better than others.