STUDIO SCALE 3D PRINTED AT-ST

[SCUDMAN]

Nice print. You really must have you machine 'dialed-in' to get that kind of quality without warping or artifacts.

TazMan2000

Hello TazMan2000. Thank you for the feedback, the 3D print quality of this kit is excellent. I purchased this 3D printed model kit from SCIFI STUDIO SCALE MODELERS, which is on Facebook. They use a company named Panda 3D Sculpture Studio to print the model kit, which was then shipped to me.

 

[TazMan2000]

Hello TazMan2000. Thank you for the feedback, the 3D print quality of this kit is excellent. I purchased this 3D printed model kit from SCIFI STUDIO SCALE MODELERS, which is on Facebook. They use a company named Panda 3D Sculpture Studio to print the model kit, which was then shipped to me.

Oh. My mistake. I thought you printed it out yourself.

TazMan2000

 

[SCUDMAN]

Hello TazMan2000. Thank you for the feedback, the 3D print quality of this kit is excellent. I purchased this 3D printed model kit from SCIFI STUDIO SCALE MODELERS, which is on Facebook. They use a company named Panda 3D Sculpture Studio to print the model kit, which was then shipped to me.

Oh. My mistake. I thought you printed it out yourself.

TazMan2000

Hello TazMan;
No worries my friend. I appreciate the input and feedback. I just wanted to clarify that I didn’t print the kit and give credit where it is due.
Kind Regards;
Scudman

 

[SCUDMAN]

Oops, I accidentally broke one of the parts.

I repaired the broken part with baking soda reinforced super glue. I also used baking soda and super glue to build up the thickness of the unbroken part so that both parts match.

While the baking soda and super glue were still wet, I shaped the parts with sanding sticks.

I let the baking soda and super glue cure for a few days then I gave the rebuilt areas a coat or Mr Hobby 1500 to even out the surface.

I primed the repaired parts with Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover Flat Gray Primer spray paint, which I decanted from the spray can and shot through my airbrush. I used a ratio 50% paint to 50% Testors Enamel Thinner at 60psi.

Here is the AT-ST test fitted together with the taller leg position. At this point nothing is glued and the model is held together with a friction fit or double sided tape. Now that the model is taller, its top heavy and it has to be supported by the aluminum rod.

The designer of the model kit designed the kit with a round hole on the bottom of the drive engine to accept a support rod. This is a very convenient feature and two thumbs up to the model kit designer. However, if you choose not to support the model in this way, there is a part that comes with the kit to cover up the hole.

More to come soon and thank you for looking.

 

[joberg]

Looking real good and thanks for the mini-tuto on repairing that oopsie part of the build

 

[SCUDMAN]

Looking real good and thanks for the mini-tuto on repairing that oopsie part of the build

Hello Joberg;
Thank you for taking an interest in my project and for your feedback. It is very much appreciated.
Best regards;
SCUDMAN

 

[SCUDMAN]

Today I glued the legs together and for extra strength and rigidity I pinned the joints with metal rod.

I did the same for the knee joint.

The gluing surface for the hip joint skid plates is a little small and I can foresee that if I use glue alone these little parts might get knocked off during the painting and weathering process. For extra holding power I pinned these parts as well.

I also glued and pinned the hip joint.

The legs are all glued together and ready to be painted. However I decided to hold off on glueing the skid plates in place until after the legs are painted.

Thanks for looking. More to come soon.

 

[joberg]

These legs are going to be solid for sure

 

[SCUDMAN]

These legs are going to be solid for sure

Hello Joberg; thank you for your feedback. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the glued joints will hold over time. I have been taken by surprise in the past when a glued part fails to hold.

That said, the skid plates on the drive engine also have a small gluing surface so I decided to use metal pins to help hold them in place as well.

…..And I used metal pins to help hold the power cables in place.

The drive engine is ready to be painted, but I’m going to hold off on gluing all the small parts in place until after it’s painted. More to come soon, thank you for looking. P.S. I’m really enjoying building this model, the details are excellent.

 

[joberg]

You're pessimistic about parts falling off...but no need to worry with all of those pins holding them together

 

[SCUDMAN]

You're pessimistic about parts falling off...but no need to worry with all of those pins holding them together

Thanks Joberg. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[SCUDMAN]

Hello all; I have a quick update to share.
This kit came with these 3D printed power cables for the under side of the head.

The 3D printed parts are nice, but I wanted a more hanging, slung appearance. I used styrene rod to fabricate the power cables.

The power cables are still high enough for the head to rotate freely.

I wanted the weapons to be pointed slightly downward towards the ground, so I installed some styrene block at the front of the main gun to change the mounting angle. I also installed metal pins to hold the gun in place.

At this point, everything is held in place with a friction fit and nothing is glued.

I also installed metal pins in the roof top grab bar to help hold it in place.

More to come soon. Thank you for looking.

 

[joberg]

Beauty How did you bend your pipes with such clean curves?

 

[SCUDMAN]

Beauty How did you bend your pipes with such clean curves?

Hello Joberg; Thank you for the question.

I use hot water to shape the styrene rod. Specifically, I used a medium size bowl filled with tap water and I heated the bowl of water in the microwave on the high setting for 5-8 minutes. Then I dipped the styrene rod in the hot water to make the plastic pliable.

SAFETY DISCLAIMER- If you choose to use this method use extreme caution because there is a phenomenon called “superheating,” where water heated in a microwave exceeds the boiling point but doesn’t boil and the water can be explosive if it’s disturbed right after heating. That said, the water is so hot it makes the styrene plastic very soft and pliable very quickly.

 

[SCUDMAN]

I did a little work on the AT-ST today-
I’ve had good results with spraying decanted canned spray paint through an airbrush on other projects, so I’m going to do the same with the AT-ST. I’m using Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Ultracover Aluminum Metallic Enamel Spray Paint which I decanted from the spray can to prime the model. One can of spray paint yields approximately 1/4 pint of paint.

Rusto-Oleum metallic paints have a fairly thin consistency, so I thinned the paint with Testors Enamel Thinner at a ratio of 75% paint to 25% thinner so I could shoot it with my airbrush. I like using metallic paints as a primer because it highlights any surface imperfections and irregularities that need to be corrected. Pictured here are the kit parts, cleaned up with a finish coat of the enamel Aluminum Metallic paint.

More to come soon. Thanks for looking.

 

[joberg]

Wow...that chrome paint really highlights everything

 

[SCUDMAN]

Wow...that chrome paint really highlights everything

Hello Joberg. Thanks for the feedback. That Rust-Oleum paint is good stuff.

 

[Duncanator]

I'm curious how you decant the spray cans. Do you just hold the button into a can?
Or do you have another, more efficient way?