Tron 1 Lightcycle model kit
- Thread starter Davlin
- Start date
Davlin
Well-Known Member
@ Nwerke : Thank you for the bump, I hate doing that myself just to get some attention. But, I was starting to think my thread had sunk down in the abyss of the forum for good. 
I haven't use clear materials as well, so that will be a first for me. Thanks for the tip !
@ Dangerstudios : Thanks for the offer, could you detail a bit what you have in mind please ? I had some idea for a cool stand, so it would be interesting to see what people are thinking in their side.
@ Talisen : Thank you very much. Yup, I intend to light up the light walls. Could you tell me what price would you consider to be reasonable, in your opinion ? I'd be interested to know some price range.
@ Modelnutz : PM received, thank you very much for all the information you shared. I contacted Smooth-on recently, they very kindly gave me a selection of silicone for molding ( Mold Max 30 ) and clear material to cast ( Crystal Clear 202 ). I'd love to get those a try, but as I said above, the price for the products plus shipping is not cheap. I'll try to make a few searches around here to see if I can find the same stuff here in France, otherwise I'll have to go the "shipping overseas which cost an arm and an eye" road.
Thank you for your help and your email, I'll keep you in mind !
Anyway, the problem that arose is that I do not have a vaccum chamber at my disposal, so I'll have to built one from scratch I think. Not too complicated, but it has to be done to get perfect clear casting. Some extra job to do !
Still looking for a way to get the budget to print the 20+ centimeters long prototype, I thought about the Kickstarter website but there's a legal issue I can't ignore; Raising money to fund such a project would have been possible with a design of my own, not something Disney owns. :/
Thanks again for all your comments, guys, it's much appreciated.
I haven't use clear materials as well, so that will be a first for me. Thanks for the tip !
@ Dangerstudios : Thanks for the offer, could you detail a bit what you have in mind please ? I had some idea for a cool stand, so it would be interesting to see what people are thinking in their side.
@ Talisen : Thank you very much. Yup, I intend to light up the light walls. Could you tell me what price would you consider to be reasonable, in your opinion ? I'd be interested to know some price range.
@ Modelnutz : PM received, thank you very much for all the information you shared. I contacted Smooth-on recently, they very kindly gave me a selection of silicone for molding ( Mold Max 30 ) and clear material to cast ( Crystal Clear 202 ). I'd love to get those a try, but as I said above, the price for the products plus shipping is not cheap. I'll try to make a few searches around here to see if I can find the same stuff here in France, otherwise I'll have to go the "shipping overseas which cost an arm and an eye" road.
Thank you for your help and your email, I'll keep you in mind !
Anyway, the problem that arose is that I do not have a vaccum chamber at my disposal, so I'll have to built one from scratch I think. Not too complicated, but it has to be done to get perfect clear casting. Some extra job to do !
Still looking for a way to get the budget to print the 20+ centimeters long prototype, I thought about the Kickstarter website but there's a legal issue I can't ignore; Raising money to fund such a project would have been possible with a design of my own, not something Disney owns. :/
Thanks again for all your comments, guys, it's much appreciated.
itsalive
Well-Known Member
How did you skin and cut it and extract/create those perfect support extrusions? I'm a new 3ds max user. I know how to do it in zbrush with the difference morph trick, but it's not as precise and certainly not as controllable.
If it's hard to explain. I am wondering if you learned it somewhere- a video or book that you can recommend?
itsalive
Well-Known Member
It might be possible to get the canopy window made out of glass if you can find a place that sells this or knows someone who uses them.
YouTube - Casting Glass in Ceramic Molds
I would check pottery shops and arts and craft stores.
YouTube - Casting Glass in Ceramic Molds
I would check pottery shops and arts and craft stores.
Davlin
Well-Known Member
@ Itsalive : Did not learnt that anywhere, just brain juice here.
The " Shell " modifier can transform, say, a cylinder into a tube by extruding faces inward, for example. Most of the process was to model the elements, cut them in half and then create full, non-manifold and waterthight volumes from them.
Then, for the " how to create which pieces ", how they fit with each other and such, it's really only a matter of brain juice, hours of work and quite a few errors.
Hope it helped, don't give up !
As for the glass thing, thanks for the idea, but considering the size of the pieces, they would get way too brittle. I must use composites on this one.
The " Shell " modifier can transform, say, a cylinder into a tube by extruding faces inward, for example. Most of the process was to model the elements, cut them in half and then create full, non-manifold and waterthight volumes from them.
Then, for the " how to create which pieces ", how they fit with each other and such, it's really only a matter of brain juice, hours of work and quite a few errors.
Hope it helped, don't give up !
As for the glass thing, thanks for the idea, but considering the size of the pieces, they would get way too brittle. I must use composites on this one.
Sixxgunn13
Sr Member
Wow I just would like to say what a great model you have done...
Will the rider/cockpit be lit as well?
I'm interested if you make a run.
Will the rider/cockpit be lit as well?
I'm interested if you make a run.
SneakyDerezzer
Member
Omg LOVELY
Davlin, I HAVE now gained some experience with clear polyurethanes. New types are very clear and cast relatively fast, but still need to stay in the moulds a longish time - not the 48 hours or more that you used to hear about - but still, if you can leave the pieces in the moulds a day or so, it would be best. Answer is probably to make your clear parts in multiples via a sizeable gang mould.
I also found the material very susceptible to moisture - in fact I haven't yet been able to get a good cast without thousands of small bubbles despite using heat and whatnot.
Oh, and depending on the type you use, you may find you need an addition-cure silicone; the stuff may not be compatible with other kinds.
HTH!
I also found the material very susceptible to moisture - in fact I haven't yet been able to get a good cast without thousands of small bubbles despite using heat and whatnot.
Oh, and depending on the type you use, you may find you need an addition-cure silicone; the stuff may not be compatible with other kinds.
HTH!
PepiloJones
New Member
Great idea Davlin, if you make a run I am interested!
Starbase101
Sr Member
This project is identical to one I've been planning but had never gotten it started: lightcycle with translucent windows and LED-lit rider inside. I would buy this if you offer it as a kit.
Sixxgunn13
Sr Member
Any news on this kit?
I wish this had moved forward. Such a nice looking project.
Nick
Nick
Davlin
Well-Known Member
Hey people,
First of all, thank you for your interest. I am still willing to do this, but I won't post to do the keyboard jockey. Thing is, money runned out quite tight up to the point where I lost my job. So, as of now, getting the pieces for the bigger cycle is not possible for me.
Of course, there would be the option where I raise some money from you guys, but I don't want to be the new "guy who's collecting the money, then nothing and excuses arise". It is just plain honesty to buy the pieces first, do the first build, fix the problems that could arise and then make some runs that I could sell to you.
My project, my responsability.
I know there's some real interest in this ( eck, a comic shop owner even offered me to sell it for me ), and I'm very sorry to be the one to be stopping this to a halt.
Hope to have more news in the upcoming future. Stay tuned people !
P.S : Still open to idea and tips, thought. If you see a company that can 3D print some clear parts, please let me know.
P.P.S : In the meantime, please check Canobi's TRON related project, which I'm working on and is also cool : http://www.therpf.com/f9/tron-discography-build-thread-disc-1-a-147642/
First of all, thank you for your interest. I am still willing to do this, but I won't post to do the keyboard jockey. Thing is, money runned out quite tight up to the point where I lost my job. So, as of now, getting the pieces for the bigger cycle is not possible for me.
Of course, there would be the option where I raise some money from you guys, but I don't want to be the new "guy who's collecting the money, then nothing and excuses arise". It is just plain honesty to buy the pieces first, do the first build, fix the problems that could arise and then make some runs that I could sell to you.
My project, my responsability.
I know there's some real interest in this ( eck, a comic shop owner even offered me to sell it for me ), and I'm very sorry to be the one to be stopping this to a halt.
Hope to have more news in the upcoming future. Stay tuned people !
P.S : Still open to idea and tips, thought. If you see a company that can 3D print some clear parts, please let me know.
P.P.S : In the meantime, please check Canobi's TRON related project, which I'm working on and is also cool : http://www.therpf.com/f9/tron-discography-build-thread-disc-1-a-147642/
Last edited:
Davlin
Well-Known Member
Hello RPF.
It's been a huge while I haven't been there, starting a company took all my time and ressources away so no time for anything else whatsoever since 2012. If you'd asked me that in early 2012, I would not have believed it.
ANYWAY
The Lightcycle project is back on tracks. 3D printers have evolved tremendously since 2011 and things are now possible in a way I couldn't have dreamed it when I modeled the Lightcycle back in 2010... I also have access to some awesome tools now, like a laser cutter. The old Shapeways-printed, 12 cm-long prototype have been sent to a friend so he can build it while I couldn't, guess what happened ? Never saw it again. So I starting from zero, but things are exciting.
Parts are being printed on a Makerbot Replicator 2x. I have a limited access to the 3D printer, so I can only print two big pieces per week. Layers' thickness is 0.2 millimeter, which is plenty enough for a good start. The whole lightcycle, without the light trail or the stand, will be 25 centimeters long. Parts are printed on the original parts' color, so painting it may be a breeze.
For now, I have the red part from the wheels and the red part of the hull. Here's a photo to give you guys an idea.
What's next ? Well, the light grey parts. Can't wait to get all the pieces for a first dry assembly !
It's been a huge while I haven't been there, starting a company took all my time and ressources away so no time for anything else whatsoever since 2012. If you'd asked me that in early 2012, I would not have believed it.
ANYWAY
The Lightcycle project is back on tracks. 3D printers have evolved tremendously since 2011 and things are now possible in a way I couldn't have dreamed it when I modeled the Lightcycle back in 2010... I also have access to some awesome tools now, like a laser cutter. The old Shapeways-printed, 12 cm-long prototype have been sent to a friend so he can build it while I couldn't, guess what happened ? Never saw it again. So I starting from zero, but things are exciting.
Parts are being printed on a Makerbot Replicator 2x. I have a limited access to the 3D printer, so I can only print two big pieces per week. Layers' thickness is 0.2 millimeter, which is plenty enough for a good start. The whole lightcycle, without the light trail or the stand, will be 25 centimeters long. Parts are printed on the original parts' color, so painting it may be a breeze.
For now, I have the red part from the wheels and the red part of the hull. Here's a photo to give you guys an idea.
What's next ? Well, the light grey parts. Can't wait to get all the pieces for a first dry assembly !
Last edited:
