Kabuto Models; Details for your layout!

[kvp]

A mallet locomotive can be built from multiple B, C or D motor frames when the motor is built low enough into the frame. Also you can use one motorised frame (the fixed back one) and one unmotorised (or demotorised) one (hinged at the front) to create a mallet design. The ARU 9 kits are good candidates for this. Hinging the first one correctly to allow turning and side movement is also tricky, but at least you can mount the front coupler on it easily. (using a drawbar between the fixed and the moving drive unit and a slide block top cover for the moving drive is usually enough, hinging it at one point won't allow running through S curves)

 

The problem of home built mechanims is that you can't reliably 3D print anything moving for them, so you have to use stamped metal parts and custom wheels, which are usually cast or machined. (and don't get me started on quatering and synchronising the steam driving wheels to allow free motion)

 

ps:

One mallet locomotive i would really like to see in N (but i know that it's mechanism really complex):

http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/MÃV_601_sorozat

A more simple one (possibly buildable with the new ARU 9 mechs):

http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/MÃV_651_sorozat (and an 0 gauge modell of it: http://users.atw.hu/pecsigyors/kepek/kep004.jpg)

[cteno4]

Yes pictures are hard of the frosted detail as it tends to sparkle and its hard to get a really sharp focus on it and depth of field gets tiny as if you flood it with a lot of light the white frosted plastic really washes out. Also the parts are tiny usually and down to the size it's best to really use a macro lens really. I tried several lights and backgrounds and a black background worked the best on the toriis and then fiddled with brightness and contrast to make it pop the best. Sharpening or unsharpmask doesn't work well with the sparkle effect.

 

So yes painting is a good idea, but on tiny bits I takes care to not overpaint and blob out the details. I have not had the time to sit down for a while to do some painting on these like I wanted to.

 

Like toni said the detail is great. I did a batch of the tanks and trash cans at both ultra frosted and extreme frosted detail and while there is a bit better smoothness to the extreme detail, I don't think it's needed, especially after painting. In many cases the tiny bit of surface roughness is nice for many items texture. Also not noticing any stair stepping so the ultra frosted liquid polymer seems to be at a resolution now that the levels are small enough to not be seen by the eye on small bits.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Kabutoni]

3D printing moving parts is still hard to do, that's why I mentioned the potential cooperation of other people. There are quite a few garage manufacturers who do these kind of activities, so if all parties are motivated (be it financially, emotionally or otherwise), realising a complex project like this should be done in a group and not individually. However, I expect within a few years that steel printing for small moving parts is also commercially feasible (yes, it is possible already).

 

Today and tomorrow typhoon 11 is crossing over, so I'm only able to prime the first prints and not go out to get extra paint and small pencils for detailing. I already discovered the air conditioners and boilers need a little overhaul to improve on the quality. They look good, but it can be better.

[Kabutoni]

Some crummy painting on my behalf. I first sprayed the orange and hand painted the silver. I think it'd be better to do it the other way around. The double-mirrors will be done like that. Pictures will follow soon! DONE!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2015 by Toni Babelony

[JR 500系]

Nice printing! I cant wait for my air-conditioner units and tori gates to arrive!

 

* Dang the Kanagawa bus is really looking good!!

[HantuBlauLOL]

Im thinking about attaching a back shiny side of snack plastic pouch (dunno what this thing is called, lol) for the mirror effect..

[Densha]

You mean aluminium?

Edited July 18, 2015 by Densha

[cteno4]

Mylar

 

Jeff

[HantuBlauLOL]

This one, its inside side is shiny.

 

[cteno4]

Mylar!

 

Jeff

[marknewton]

BBQ beef chips!  :love10:

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Kabutoni]

So, I learned that 'kentang' is 'potato'. Thank you xD

 

I look forward to the results! Next week new shipments of print examples should come in.

 

P.s. a preview of the next model. A bit simpler to make than the Rotterdam MG2 and holding a bit more nostalgic feeling for me. The 'faltenbügel" Stadtbahnwagen B100 of the KVB, SWB and SSB in Cologne and Bonn in Germany. I know there are H0 models available from Shapeways, but because I have developed a chassis already for these kind of trains, I want to release an N-gauge version.

 

Edited July 18, 2015 by Toni Babelony

[HantuBlauLOL]

Thanks Jeff!

 

Mark, that one is tasty :P

 

 

Yeah Toni, kentang is potato. Interested on Indonesia too? ;)

[marknewton]

One of my workmates is originally from Indonesia, and he's heading over there in a fortnight for a holiday to visit relatives and friends. He's promised to bring me back a couple of packets of these chips, so I'll let you know what I think of them.  :)

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

Edited July 18, 2015 by marknewton

[Kabutoni]

Yeah Toni, kentang is potato. Interested on Indonesia too? ;)

 

Yes, I'm 1/4th indonesan (half 'Indo'), so that is natural to me ;) I studied Indonesian for a semester on an emotional whim, but it wasn't practical for me, so I quit. It was also a bit hard to do as a 6th language... At the moment, I'm also working together with Nanyō Bussan on an Indonesian train project in N-gauge (KRDE by BN/Holec).

[Kabutoni]

It moves! The first chassis designed by Kabuto Models is alive and well. Because of the massive cables, going through curves is a problem, so replacing those with thinner wires will most probably solve that issue. I just haven't found a good place yet to buy some. Maybe tomorrow or later this week I'll hop into a hobby shop, as the 100 yen stores don't seem to stock these things...

 

 

Yes, the chassis looks dirty and messed up, but this is mainly due to the experimenting with several methods of connecting electrical conducting material. The simplest solution (connect wires) is the best solution as in most cases.

 

Pictures of newly arrived products will be uploaded later, as they are still in the cleaning stage. I've also revised the design of the LPG/propane tanks once again because some damage during transport has occurred...

Edited July 22, 2015 by Toni Babelony

[HantuBlauLOL]

It's no surprise if you also had an Indonesian blood.. :p

 

Sato san posted the KRDE cab on FB some days ago.. It looks good. But I'm not sure yet how the side window ventilation would look like.. It's a bit complicated.

 

For the chassis I recommend you to use a non solid core wire (again, I dunno what this thing is called, argh), or a car jumper cable, but only use one piece of copper.

 

How did you paint the FUD material? My friend said its hard..

[kvp]

I think the best bet here would be either the thin wire used for decoders or something equally thin an flexible. If you add a loop into each wire, they would flex more easily when the bogies are turning. The wire type is called isolated stranded wire and even some scrap thin ribbon cables are good.

[Kabutoni]

Sato san posted the KRDE cab on FB some days ago.. It looks good. But I'm not sure yet how the side window ventilation would look like.. It's a bit complicated.

 

For the chassis I recommend you to use a non solid core wire (again, I dunno what this thing is called, argh), or a car jumper cable, but only use one piece of copper.

 

How did you paint the FUD material? My friend said its hard..

 

I saw some photos of the KRDE on his FB, but it's hard to find decent frontal and side pictures of the KRDE. I've redone the model several times with some basic data in mind, but it's quite a hard model to make.

 

I paint FUD after cleaning and putting primer on it. You have to be patient and really careful when handling the material anyway. If the paint is put on well (be very patient with it, I have problems with that), it will stay, but be careful not to scratch it. It needs more care than regular plastic models.

 

I think the best bet here would be either the thin wire used for decoders or something equally thin an flexible. If you add a loop into each wire, they would flex more easily when the bogies are turning. The wire type is called isolated stranded wire and even some scrap thin ribbon cables are good.

 

Yes, I'll be looking out for that tomorrow. TBH, this is Tomix cabling, which was the most flexible I had laying around yesterday... Not very good, but good enough for testing functionality.

[HantuBlauLOL]

The cab looks great actually. I found its 3D model for trainz game usually not done right, just awful.

 

What did you use to clean it?

 

 

Btw some days ago I managed to obtain a .stl format copy of some 3D models that used on trainz 2009 game add on from its owner. (it comes as .3ds at first, I converted it to .stl). How to make them 3D printable? I think I just need to make the walls "fatter". Will it works? Also I need someone to do it lol, my 3D drawing skill is bad.

[railsquid]

Cool, my shipment is on its way.

[Kabutoni]

The cab looks great actually. I found its 3D model for trainz game usually not done right, just awful.

 

What did you use to clean it?

 

Thanks. I can't find the picture on FB though, can you link me through to it?

 

For cleaning I used simple soap for doing the dishes. If a milky substance emerges from the printed parts it should be fine. That is the wax residue. Ultrasonic cleaning is even better (in combination), but simple and non-aggressive soap will do fine.

 

Btw some days ago I managed to obtain a .stl format copy of some 3D models that used on trainz 2009 game add on from its owner. (it comes as .3ds at first, I converted it to .stl). How to make them 3D printable? I think I just need to make the walls "fatter". Will it works? Also I need someone to do it lol, my 3D drawing skill is bad.

 

I use Autodesk 123D Design, which is free, but will not be able to clean up .stl files. I think for this Sketchup may be a better option. In 123D Design you however need to work completely from scratch. I think however that is much better, as you learn to develop basic 3D modelling skills very quickly and learn the printing limitations of the material, as you apply the thickness of the materials yourself and can see mistakes quickly.

[HantuBlauLOL]

It was on KRL mania group.. And I lost the link to that post, because my notification somehow ends at 3 days ago..

[beakaboy]

A friend who designs 3D railway models for NZ120 (TT) uses toothpaste to clean his models and they seem to come out alright. One of his buildings was made with a different plastic material to all his others(Not sure what it was called) and it was very oily, even after several cleaning attempts. Took a long time for paint to dry and also difficult , at first, to get paint to adhere.

[Kabutoni]

It was on KRL mania group.. And I lost the link to that post, because my notification somehow ends at 3 days ago..

 

There we go: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153534703733804&set=o.46074436978

 

A friend who designs 3D railway models for NZ120 (TT) uses toothpaste to clean his models and they seem to come out alright.

 

Very interesting! I think it might depend on the brand, but fluoride could help as a catalyser for cleaning. For me, soap works fine so far with polymer acrylic.

 

And a little update on the drive system. I found something better than wires: springs! 1mm in diameter, sturdy yet flexible and balances the weight over the bogies:

 

Edited July 23, 2015 by Toni Babelony