Defined Green Lantern Comic Rings

[DexAntares]

At long last, the collection is complete. And I've been very busy making more rings for clients too! Plus I finally found a manufacturer that can do red, orange and black anodizing on aluminum for a reasonable price. Already working on my first red anodized ring.

 

[Gregatron]

Gorgeous.

And, in an incredible coincidence, I was coming to this thread to mention that I just placed another test print order, this morning. This’ll be my first ring order from a service through Craftcloud, so we’ll see how things go.

 

[DexAntares]

Oh sweet! Glad to hear it, man! I can't wait to see how it turns out

 

[Gregatron]

Oh sweet! Glad to hear it, man! I can't wait to see how it turns out

I’ve been on a long break, so I printed the designs just as I’d last left them. We’ll see how they look with a fresh eye.

 

[Pursuit]

I’ve been on a long break, so I printed the designs just as I’d last left them. We’ll see how they look with a fresh eye.

CAn't wait to see the new prints

 

[Gregatron]

CAn't wait to see the new prints

We’ll see how it goes. With Shapeways, I had consistent results printing the designs in PLA. With Craftcloud, numerous manufacturers/materials/prices are offered.

I ordered the prints in black PLA, with the color serving as a better base for painting. But i dunno how the quality will be in terms of accuracy, print lines, etc.

I will say that the pricing was far better than my previous Shapeways orders. More designs for a lower price. But, will quality be the trade-off? I dunno.

 

[DexAntares]

In my experience with CraftCloud, quality varies greatly by manufacturer. I've had some truly awful printouts, TBH. The good news is most manufacturers seem perfectly fine issuing refunds for bad prints. Even some of the metal ones I've gotten. Please don't take this to mean you're likely to get crap printouts - quite the opposite. In general I've been very pleased with the results I've gotten on CraftCloud, and screw ups are few and far between.

 

[Gregatron]

In my experience with CraftCloud, quality varies greatly by manufacturer. I've had some truly awful printouts, TBH. The good news is most manufacturers seem perfectly fine issuing refunds for bad prints. Even some of the metal ones I've gotten. Please don't take this to mean you're likely to get crap printouts - quite the opposite. In general I've been very pleased with the results I've gotten on CraftCloud, and screw ups are few and far between.

I appreciate how they organize the manufacturer options with star ratings, "best price", "recommended", etc.

 

[publiusr]

I really envy the orange one…

 

[Gregatron]

Prints came in. Need some cleanup, then I'll give them a shot of paint.

I like what I see, so far.

 

[Gregatron]

Cleaned up the prints by removing flash and whatnot. Just game them a coat of filler primer. Might need to do some more sanding, and maybe even use some filler putty in spots before I paint them.

I’ve have to try a different material/finish for the next prints. These prints are fine, but the print lines are a bit much, in spots.

 

[DexAntares]

I do hope we get to see pics soon.

 

[Gregatron]

I do hope we get to see pics soon.

Patience. It'll be worthwhile to wait until they're painted and assembled.

 

[Gregatron]

Been removing burrs from the rings. Filled in the worst print lines with putty, and gave them a few coats of filler primer.

Next up will be painting and assembly.

In retrospect, these prints are fine, but I need to rethink the material for the next batch. This particular PLA seems a lot like ABS.

 

[Gregatron]

Primer still needs time to fully cure, but I’ve been test-assembling and examining the rings in the meantime, before paint and final assembly.

I am exceptionally pleased, thus far. Very little is popping out at me, in terms of things to tweak.

I can say with great confidence—and without ego—that, after five long years of R&D, and a lifetime of nerdy dreaming, that these are the most comic-accurate Green Lantern ring designs on the planet. Which was the goal from Day One.


Once the rings are painted and assembled, we’ll get into the specifics of evaluating them.

 

[Gregatron]

Very pleased with these. Gonna need some time to study them before I determine what tweaks—if any—are needed.

I should also note that they’ve been exceptionally difficult to slip on and off of my finger. Whether that’s due to the hot summer weather, normal finger swelling, or the extra mass of the primer/paint, I can’t say. I need to print the next batch in a different material, and without any paint in order to determine if I actually need to adjust the finger-hole sizing.

 

[Pursuit]

I am loving all of these! They look incredible.

 

[DexAntares]

Very pleased with these. Gonna need some time to study them before I determine what tweaks—if any—are needed.

I should also note that they’ve been exceptionally difficult to slip on and off of my finger. Whether that’s due to the hot summer weather, normal finger swelling, or the extra mass of the primer/paint, I can’t say. I need to print the next batch in a different material, and without any paint in order to determine if I actually need to adjust the finger-hole sizing.


View attachment 1945600View attachment 1945601

This is.... just beauty o_o They look amazing all lined up like this! Wonderful work, sir!

 

[Gregatron]

This is.... just beauty o_o They look amazing all lined up like this! Wonderful work, sir!

Thanks!

I'd like to do another batch soon, but in a different material. Still having trouble slipping them on. It's not as if I suddenly got fat. It's gotta be either the summer heat making my finger swell, or the sanding/putty/buildup of paint making the finger-holes slightly smaller.

I need to choose a material which precisely reproduces the dimensions of my models so I can be sure they don't need to be resized.

 

[Gregatron]

Having had some time to study and wear and think about the prints, here are some thoughts:


Might have to reconsider the thickness of the bands. Most of them feel comfy, but some seem a little too thick. I’ll have to experiment with slimming them down slightly.


V1: Very pleased with the shape and overall look. Might add a smidge of thickness to the platform that the disc sits atop. The disc itself might also look better if it was slightly smaller. As noted many times, the comics always seem to show it as BIG, but maybe something a smidge smaller would be better and more realistic.

V2: Very pleased, although I’m still not 100% sold on the size of the symbol-charm. Also I think the domed gem could stand to be a little flatter and less protuberant.

V3: Same thoughts on the gem as on the V2. Might also want to reduce the curvature of the sides of the band as they blend up into the symbol-face, for a sleeker and more comfy fit.

EMERALD DAWN: Close to perfect. Might play with the disc size to try for consistency with the V1 and Gardner.

GARDNER: Pretty much perfect, although I may again reconsider the size of the disc and gem. The current print looks great, but, as noted, the comic art varies wildly, and a slightly smaller disc might be a little classier and more realistic. Also, I dunno how much the “G” symbol will be magnified with a resin gem set atop it, and so pinning down its proper size to look “right l underneath the gem is tricky.

TRI-BAND V2/RAYNER: Close to perfect, although the symbol-charm size may yet be reconsidered. Again.

REBIRTH: Pretty much perfect.

SINESTRO: Pretty much perfect, although I may have to rethink the attachment peg system.

VAN SCIVER 2.0: Pretty much perfect, although the bezel surrounding the symbol could use a smidge more thickness and definition.