Nintendo! (Now 1:5 SCALE) Miniature Consoles

Doctor Octoroc

Doctor Octoroc

Sr Member
I've done a lot of 3d printing with the plain white plastic material (WSF) from Shapeways but have had minimal experience with the frosted ultra detail (FUD) plastics that offer a much more detailed look for smaller scale models, mainly due to the price being 4 times as expensive. However, for miniatures and smaller scale models, the price is right. I've been working on a few 1:10 scale models of various Nintendo consoles but was planning to do a whole lot more - I just wanted to see what you guys thought of these so far. I'm planning to do the main console, a cartridge, and one controller for each set, that contain 4-8 pieces split up by the halves of objects and/or what makes the most sense for painting parts that are different colors. I haven't had any examples printed yet but here are the models on Shapeways as of now:

Nintendo


Super Nintendo


They're not much to look at since they're broken into pieces, but you can imagine how they go together.

Also, they're super detailed. I'm not entirely sure how small bits will turn out, but every single hole, vent, etc is all modeled into the CAD files to be as accurate as possible to the nearest .125mm. Of course, the models are at 1:10 scale so that means that they're accurate to the nearest 1.25mm on the 1:1 scale. The material datasheet says that .3mm is the minimal wall thickness and .1mm is the minimal embossed/engraved detail, so since all my walls are .375mm or greater and all details are .125mm or greater, they should all turn up on the final models. The surface texture is also much smoother since they're made from a waxy substance instead of a fused plastic powder.

I'm excited to print and paint these as soon as I get a little extra bank.
 
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Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

neato! i'm curious to see how these turn out. maybe put them on a tiny carpet in front of a tiny TV? :p
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

I'm going to be following this with interest. There's 1/6 scale famicoms on ebay from japan but they're 10.00 or more. Will you be offering these on shapeways?
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

Wes R said:
I'm going to be following this with interest. There's 1/6 scale famicoms on ebay from japan but they're 10.00 or more. Will you be offering these on shapeways?
Click to expand...

That might be the best bet. I recently did a run for Doctor Who props using the WSF material and found that by printing a bunch at once instead of separately, the price per model went down drastically so I could offer them for less if I had them sent to me then sent them out. This also cut back on the flat rate shipping they offer so that people were able to get the props for 75% of the one-off cost on some models, more on others. At the smaller scale, however, and in a different material, I'm not sure if the same method would prove to be as beneficial versus just letting people grab the models directly from Shapeways. I'll definitely be looking into it!

Next up, N64! Then I might bridge into other systems. It would be fun to have a whole army of mini consoles on my desk!
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

There's enough old consoles out there to keep you busy lol. If you go for the old old ones i have a few here i can photo for you. I even have a Sears brand pong machine lol
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

Wes R said:
There's enough old consoles out there to keep you busy lol. If you go for the old old ones i have a few here i can photo for you. I even have a Sears brand pong machine lol
Click to expand...

Sweet! I haven't gotten my hands on any of the old Pong machines yet, but I do have a pretty substantial collection of consoles - around 250 of them. It's one of my OTHER other hobbies, lol. For anyone who's curious, here's the FB page I started for all of them. I'd actually like to start a museum one day.

https://www.facebook.com/classicgameconsolemuseum

Here's the direct link to photos of all that I have collected thus far:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.326673294099174.59035.326656984100805&type=3
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

You got me beat, i'm only going for two of each of the same system unless there is a major change in something though i do plan on getting a Play it loud gameboy at some point. i need to get some photos up.
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

No N64 yet, I'm struggling with the controller modelling, but I have done a few others. below is what I have thus far, with edits to the NES and SNES I previously posted. I decided in many cases to model the text that would normally be a label directly on to the systems, that way they would be raised and hopefully easy to paint. I ordered the SNES to test out the tolerances of details and to paint myself to see how accurate I can get these mini consoles to be at a 1:10 scale - if things print out the way I plan, they will be super accurate even at that scale!

Atari 2600
674x501_1325824_1274391_1378366383.jpg


Nintendo Entertainment System
674x501_1325828_1274399_1378366580.jpg


Super Nintendo
674x501_1325846_1274417_1378366906.jpg


Sega Master System
674x501_1325848_1274415_1378366837.jpg


Sega Genesis
674x501_1325852_1274421_1378367014.jpg


A lot of these also have the details of design molded into them as well, 1/16 mm raised from the surface, same as text. For the Master System, I recreated the front label that can be printed and adhered to the front. I've also been arranging various game labels that can be printed for the cartridges.
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

Awesome project! I was thinking about doing a similar thing with some Apple products. :)
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

PC Engine Super Grafx would be awesome, its a crazy looking console, fond memories of it too!

lee
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

I got my first 3d print of the SNES! This was a general test to see how the details showed up at such a small scale, as well as for paint. Acrylic didn't turn out as well as I hoped so I need to acquire the appropriate colors in enamel and try again, but here are the results!

IMG_2788.JPGIMG_2789.JPGIMG_2792.JPGIMG_2794.JPG

The first two were taken with a macro lens to show the super close up detail. As you can see, even the raised text detail (a mere 1/8mm from the surface) shows up nicely. it's not very readable but very suggestive of the actual text, and it makes it easier to paint so it appears to have the text label like the original. I haven't printed the label for the cartridge yet :p
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

ralphee said:
PC Engine Super Grafx would be awesome, its a crazy looking console, fond memories of it too!

lee
Click to expand...

My buddy had one rented for his birthday one year, they always got what they wanted like that, and it was great console but man the price tag back then was way ahead of it's time lol. These look really good, the clear would be interesting with scale guts put in it sort of like a cutaway.
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

Wes R said:
My buddy had one rented for his birthday one year, they always got what they wanted like that, and it was great console but man the price tag back then was way ahead of it's time lol. These look really good, the clear would be interesting with scale guts put in it sort of like a cutaway.
Click to expand...


It was a bit of a beast, kinda missed the jump to 16bit TBH though and yeah, had a major price tag in the day, in MINT condition they fetch a bit now, though adding a CD drive took over the room lol.
I still use my Core Grafx now and then, its such a cute system. I agree though, some clear casings would look killer!

lee
 
Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

Mike J. said:
So is this Frosted Ultra Detail?
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Yup! I'm tempted to order one in regular FD to see the difference but based on the examples I've seen comparing the two, I think this small of a scale model benefits from as much detail as possible, and only the FUD plastic can offer that amount of intricacy. Maybe if I printed one at 3:20 or 1:5 scale, FD would suffice (cheaper than FUD as well).

I finished modeling the Game Boy as well. Smallest one yet!

674x501_1337869_1288521_1378880097.jpg


With most of the consoles, the buttons are modeled separately so they can be easily painted then assembled. With the Game Boy, all of the buttons, as well as the bottom headphone jack, were modeled into one piece that fits between the front and back of the system. The frame around the screen was also modeled as a separate piece. In addition, the screen was modeled as a separate piece so that it can have a sticker of a screen shot from a game applied to the front before it's put together with the rest (or for the really creative, painted with clear paint and have an LED behind it! All the controls along the side and top of the system (volume, contrast, power button, etc.) were modeled into this screen piece so they can be painted separately.

And I ordered one of everything I made. You can see all of those pieces laying out together in this image. How fun!

674x501_1337884_1288548_1378881524.jpg
 
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Re: Nintendo! 1:10 Scale Miniature Consoles

Just finished the Game Cube. I haven't modeled the controller yet, those rounded shapes are a pain to work with! I also still need to model a Game Boy cartridge as well as the disc for the GC - not sure if that one will be too small for the printers...

674x501_1344075_1298131_1379094368.jpg
 
So my original project wasn't very successful. At the 1:10 scale, they just weren't strong enough to handle the assembly process, and the material was far too expensive for the size. So I'm trying my hand at re-modelling them all in SolidWorks much more accurately and printing them at 1:5 scale instead of 1:10 scale, in a less expensive, more durable material. I've already ordered a print of the first console I re-designed - here's a render of the good old NES, with materials!

nintendoEntertainmentSystem.JPG

The model is in 4 parts (top of case, bottom of case, front black detail section and rear black detail section. They're designed separate to make assembly and painting easier, and to allow the main model to be hollow and cut back on printing costs. No glue should be needed, as the parts are designed to fit snug into place, but I'll know for sure when I get my first order.
 
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Ruddigger said:
Very cool. 1:10 was so small!
Click to expand...

WAY too small. I was really just pushing the limits of how small I could make them, and since the material I printed them in was pretty pricey, I wanted to cut back on material costs. This size should be perfect for both the material and ease of finishing.

Just finished another model - Super Nintendo!

nintendoSuperNintendo.JPG
 
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