Kabuto Models; Details for your layout!

[railsquid]

A pleasure :) After a year I've finally got to the point where I can start work on at least part of my layout, and apart from these trains it's the every-day scenic details I want to capture. Even just little things like adding air-conditioners to Tomytec houses.

 

A couple of other ideas:

• washing line poles and supports
• those little rubber/metal ramps people use to overcome the "kerbstones"
• the kerbstones themselves, you know the ones I mean? Usually line both sides of a street with drain grates every now and then
• carports
• roof-mounted solar panels

[railsquid]

Hmm, apparently the wall set won't print, though that's the one I have least use for.

[katoftw]

any chance of the lantern, light thingos also?

 

[Kabutoni]

• washing line poles and supports
• those little rubber/metal ramps people use to overcome the "kerbstones"
• the kerbstones themselves, you know the ones I mean? Usually line both sides of a street with drain grates every now and then
• carports
• roof-mounted solar panels

 

Thanks for the suggestions! For the kerbstones, I can create a kind of roll (I've seen them before on Shapeways) that you can put on a clay, papier-mâché or any other surface and create a street with curbs. The texture of the material can also add to the texture of the asphalt.

 

Hmm, apparently the wall set won't print, though that's the one I have least use for.

 

The problem seems to be the connecting pieces of the walls, so no structural integrity issues luckily. I've also been thinking about removing this item, since it's better suited for laser cutting. 

 

any chance of the lantern, light thingos also?

 

Yes, these are also in the planning. I want to do at least two or three different designs here as well (wooden and stone).

[Guest ___]

I'm debating ordering now or waiting till I get to Tokyo and stocking up on toriis there ^_^

 

IDK, if this is feasible or not, but isnce you can 3D print small stuff, what about figures? mascots per say. (Non-trademarked) Since, I usually get accosted by mascots (not masochists, but those people dressed up in like Domo-kun or other TV station mascots)

[velotrain]

I usually get accosted by mascots 

 

Well - no wonder, if you have purple skin and four arms!

 

 

[velotrain]

^{Kato - My turn to give you a source ;-)}

 

^{http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10312039}

[Kabutoni]

I'm debating ordering now or waiting till I get to Tokyo and stocking up on toriis there  ^_^

 

IDK, if this is feasible or not, but isnce you can 3D print small stuff, what about figures? mascots per say. (Non-trademarked) Since, I usually get accosted by mascots (not masochists, but those people dressed up in like Domo-kun or other TV station mascots)

 

At the moment, all products are direct order only from Shapeways or DMM.make (less choice there though), but I have a little plan to be on a convention with mass-produced stuff later. It might be next year or in two years, but the plan is there.

 

Mascots are a good idea, but since I have no experience yet with organic forms, I think I'll leave it out for the moment. All mascots are trademarked in Japan though, so I'd have to come up with fantasy mascots.

 

^{Kato - My turn to give you a source ;-)}

 

^{http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10312039}

 

Low detail and a very simple form. I can do better.

[katoftw]

^{Kato - My turn to give you a source ;-)}

 

^{http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10312039}

Thanks but not suitable.  Not enough lanterns and too many portable shrines I'd have in the end.  Thanks though for trying.

[velotrain]

I don't know Toni - the Japanese seem to love their A/C so much that those 64 units won't go very far ;-)

 

 

 

 

You have the boilers for hot water, but what about the heat pumps?

This is a Fujitsu unit at a house on Martha's Vineyard, in case you're wondering.

I also found images of these installed indoors, so don't know what the full story is.

 

 

[Kabutoni]

Depending on the need, there can be a request by customers for more.

 

Anyway, I've made a set of Tōrō. These were the shrine lanterns that were suggested a few days ago and announced earlier.

• Toro shrine lights (32x), N-gauge

 

EDIT:

 

Thank you very much for your purchases this week! The special sales event of Shapeways was an overwhelming success and I hope all buyers will enjoy their tiny details for their layouts. This was very motivating for Kabuto Models to keep on going and to produce new awesome tidbits and rolling stock.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Toni Babelony

[cteno4]

Nice! Set ordered!

 

Jeff

[Kabutoni]

Thanks! I've also ordered them (next to almost all things I made) during this campaign. I'm very curious as how they will feel and look. It's not hard to imagine, but I'm always busy digitally that I feel I have lost touch with the analogue world. Next to that, this amazing technology never ceases to amaze me.

[Kabutoni]

A little update on a second rolling stock project I'm working on at the moment:

 

 

This is the first metro train in the Netherlands, an MG2 series from the Rotterdam metro. Me and friends have good memories of these pretty units, so I decided to make them in both N and H0 gauge. Development is now halted until I receive the chassis of the previous project, because I want to use it for all trains that have Jacobs bogies.

 

In this picture are all three versions. From 1966, 1969 and 1972. The first two series were made by Werkspoor in Utrecht (my hometown), the Netherlands, whereas the last units were made by Düwag (now part of Siemens) in Germany.

 

UPDATE:

 

And continuing with Japanese stuff. More public details in development!

 

 

Classic shopping street lamp posts. This is one of a few designs I want to produce. Start with a simple one and get more intricate designs later.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Toni Babelony

[kvp]

I would like to add that you might want to think the trailer bogie over a bit. The axle holding arms have their shorter pieces at the top, instead of at the bottom. When a train is running, the shorter piece would be having all of the load and the cut out part could get rubbed too much (depending on the direction of travel). If you move the slot down (by essentially swapping the top and bottom arms), then the axle could sit in the groove of the upper arm when the weight of the train is on it. This would lessen the chances of the axle popping out under load. Also the friction (and thus rolling resistence) of the axle is much higher this way than with a tip bearing bogie. You can try to make the space for the axle a little bit looser in the vertical direction, so when placed on the rails only the top of the axle is rubbing on the bogie frame.

[HantuBlauLOL]

Werkspoor? I love their SS 1000..

[Kabutoni]

I would like to add that you might want to think the trailer bogie over a bit.

 

Yes, for the next design, I think I'd have to swap the arms upside down. The axle is relatively free in the arms already with the first design, but doesn't really run very freely. I've already adjusted this in the renewed design, but because the design is very precise, as the wheels are partially hiding behind the body shell, there is very little space for margins.

 

Werkspoor? I love their SS 1000..

 

Steam locomotives are also on my wishlist to do, but that'd require me to completely develop a drive system or cooperate with another person/company to develop this. It's not impossible, but it will take a few months of intense developing... I'm especially interested in making those awesome mallett-type locomotives that ran in the Dutch Indies.

[Kabutoni]

Yay! The first shipment from Shapeways arrived! Here are the new children. Meet:

 

Community Signs:

 

Corner Mirrors:

 

Flower Pots:

 

Air conditioner and boiler:

 

Beer Crates:

 

All had (some of) the sprews removed and didn't undergo any cleaning, priming or painting. It's the pure thing. I'm astounded at the level of detail 3D printing can achieve! Seeing them in real life doesn't do it justice. Taking a photograph just zooms in on the detail of the parts and leaves nothing to the imagination. Especially the detail on the beer crates and bottles blew me away. I can't begin to imagine how they look like after painting. I think I'd have to get some more materials to be able to do these objects any sort of justice.

[HantuBlauLOL]

Yeah those mallets are very cool.. From BB10 to DD52.. But sadly only one pic of DD51 exist, and the DD50 don't even have any photograph at all.

[cteno4]

Toni,

 

Man you got yours so fast! Mine are not even printed yet! Look really nice!

 

Jeff

[Kabutoni]

They are of astounding quality again. When in the designing stage, I can never imagine the size of the details when printed, so I always am amazed at how they turn out to be.

 

I hope yours arrive soon as well. I think Shapeways has a positive discrimination policy, as they seem to prioritise creators to be able to review their products and put up pictures of the printed pictures a.s.a.p. on the product pages.

[Kabutoni]

Yeah those mallets are very cool.. From BB10 to DD52.. But sadly only one pic of DD51 exist, and the DD50 don't even have any photograph at all.

 

I'm not entirely sure, but I think there must be a Werkspoor archive somewhere with photographs and drawings. Somewhere...

[velotrain]

Steam locomotives are also on my wishlist to do, but that'd require me to completely develop a drive system or cooperate with another person/company to develop this. It's not impossible, but it will take a few months of intense developing... I'm especially interested in making those awesome mallett-type locomotives that ran in the Dutch Indies.

 

What many designers (at least the better ones) seem to do is design the printed elements around a (hopefully) commonly-available, reasonably-priced, decently running existing mechanism.  Creating a brand new mechanism is a very difficult and time-intensive process - particularly for steam engines.  It's also important to try to select one that will be produced for years to come, or that was produced in sufficient numbers to show up regularly on the used markets.  You don't want to spread yourself too thin - focus on what you do well, and don't try to design N-scale steam mechanisms.

 

On another note - since you mention photos, have you seen the products of Ngineer?  Not only does he have photos, but they're of the painted product - in a typical setting.  I complimented him on this, and he said a large part of why he paints them is the difficulty of getting a decent image of the bare frosted products.  I think this would help you move product - a photo of a painted product in use will help potential customers envision the product on their layout - or floor, as the case may be.

[Kabutoni]

I want to push my limits, which does not mean that I stick to what I do best. What I do best, I want to improve. What I want to achieve, I want to learn and do. Even if it means developing something new. Mallet mechanisms are spread thinly, especially in Japan, so it either means importing something (which might be unreliable and expensive), try to obtain something domestic (which is either hard to find or ridiculously expensive), develop something yourself (which is time consuming), or get together with a few people and try to develop something together. The latter option looks attractive, since I'm slowly developing a good network. I will not be dictated by conventions.

 

Photos of painted products follow later this week or beyond. The photos were taken literally less than 30 minutes after arrival of the package.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Toni Babelony

[HantuBlauLOL]

I'm not entirely sure, but I think there must be a Werkspoor archive somewhere with photographs and drawings. Somewhere...

I had the blueprint. But still, without a photograph I can't imagine how the real thing looks. The 50 and 51 were made by Alco