1:800 Scale Resin Printed USCSS Nostromo (WIP)

[skahtul]

My printer is not large enough but I thought I would give Meshmixer a test run just to see what it would look like if some of the parts were combined. While the wing is too large, a few smaller parts would be perfect for this.

 

[32buds]

Okay, we are printing now! Thanks for all the feedback, it has really helped me get some great prints. I ran out of resin a while ago so this was paused for a few days but that is all in the past now

View attachment 1411951

That's good resin. The mint green gives very good results.

 

[skahtul]

That's good resin. The mint green gives very good results.

Agreed, and I find it shrinks less than the grey, which is nice but it then does not match up exactly... Still navigating all the ins and outs of resin printing

 

[skahtul]

Even though it goes against a lot of what I am reading online, I have started printing these larger parts flat on the bed with a small pad and the results are fantastic. No matter how I orient the part, some edges do not come out great. I am sure there is another way but I am wasting a lot of resin re-printing this so this is my method for now.

I am just not happy with the current print so I am now reprinting the entire kit to see if I can get better fitting parts. I will still assemble the first print (without the guns, antenna and engines) to test out primers and a first run at the paint job.

The parts get stuck pretty good, especially with this 'sand blasted' pro plate, but I find a bit of hot water on the build plate lets me pop them right off.

These engines were all printed straight up with supports on the sides and they turned out perfectly. The bit grey PLA print is for another project that my mini is currently churning out...

 

[Hunk a Junk]

I've been playing around with Meshmixer. I figured out how to slice things into buildable chunks. Now I need to figure out how to combine them.

 

[skahtul]

I've been playing around with Meshmixer. I figured out how to slice things into buildable chunks. Now I need to figure out how to combine them.

Nice, yeah, I played around a bit and was able to mesh some pretty large parts into a single print which would get rid of seam lines for sure. My issue is that at this size I am not sure I can get it off the bed and I would be afraid it would really damage the FEP film... Plus while this would technically fit on the printer bed, I am not sure it would fit inside the UV curing chamber. This would be suitable for a much larger resin printer.

 

[skahtul]

Now, these are seams I can work with! I need to sand away a bit of the sacrificial pad which is why it looks a little gummed up, but all facets are 100% sharp and crisp. I am currently printing the larger upper halves, hope I can get them off the build plate

I really like this clear resin. It's a bit harder to see what you have until you prime it or really inspect it close, but it cures nice and I feel that since it's translucent I don't have to worry much about the interior not curing if that is a thing.

 

[joberg]

Very nice for sure

 

[skahtul]

This phase of the project has come to a close. With the shape of these objects (being so blocky and square), they are just not working out. I have spent weeks and weeks trying to get these parts even halfway where they need to be and it's not working.

I did end up getting the main hull near perfect only to discover a bit of resin left in the print, which as you know destroys the print in no time:

I am sure with time and practice I will be able to get these parts to print in resin but for now, I am focusing my efforts elsewhere, time to get my 1:24 B-Wing finished up! I am always up for a challenge but I also can 'eventually' recognize when I am not making any real progress and it's time to re-focus. As hard as it is to dump all the parts and move on, I do this to relieve stress from my day job and if I find myself obsessing too much on this then I know it's time to move on, I have so many projects in the work that are not moving because of this one...

However, that does not mean this project is dead... I am currently printing this model but it's going to take months as I am printing it at 1:400 out of PLA and to say that is a bit larger would be a massive understatement! This will be 25" long when completed!

 

[skahtul]

For now, I will use my resin printer for what "I feel" is the best use case for me, complex smaller prints. Here is the cockpit for my 1:34 Razor Crest which turned out amazing:

Sneak peek of the 1:400 kit, it's hard to convey how large this part is and it's only a slice of one part (and if you have followed any of my other projects, those print lines are not an issue for me, you will not see the in the final product)...

Thanks to all of those who have left suggestions so far, it has helped me a ton so far on my resin journey!!