Lunokhod 2 Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 I have been designing and selling spacecraft models on Shapeways for several years now starting with the 1/32 lunar module. The precision and finesse of current 3D printers make injection molded parts somehow obsolete if you want to build a highly precise model. I realized that when I built my 1/32 Monogram Command Module, I replaced about 80% of the parts with higly detailled printed parts. Unfortunately Shapeways through multiple modifications of their pricing system has become extremely expensive and on the other hand personnal 3D printers are more and more reliable and less and less expensive. I have then decided to sell my models as printable parts while keeping them as well on shapeways. The first model to be sold is the 1/48 CSM. It is probably one of the most detailled model available at that scale and it is designed for all missions including those with the SIM bay. I am glad that Max Grüter aggreed to design 2 astronauts to depict the trans-Earth EVA . Deatils for the Apollo 13 Servive Module (fuel cells and hydrogen and oxygen tanks will be available soon free of charge). The model is available right now on cult3D : https://cults3d.com/.../var.../apollo-command-service-module Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lunokhod 2 Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 The second model is the 1/48 LM at https://cults3d.com/fr/modèle-3d/divers/apollo-lunar-module-vincentmeens . For the moment only the G and H missions are depicted J mission parts will be added later free of charge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptKirk Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Very nice! That's more than a couple of hours CAD work there. Some very complex shapes, beautifully done. Just ordered my Creality 3 V2 so when I get to the end of my own project list in about 250 years' time, I should try to find this post again!! Incidentally, being completely new to this 3D printing lark, what's the recommended filament for printing something like this? I assume there are better things than PLA. Kirk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 I'm about to buy some of your 1/32 CM pieces Vincent ... and I think I've built all the 1/48 CSM and LM's that I planned to. But your words that the 3D pieces are every bit as good, from a quality standpoint, as ejection molded parts, has me very curious ... so there may be one more CM or LM in my future! May I also assume that the parts on Shapeways as well as CULTS3D are of equal quality? Felicitations on this new venture! Merci beaucoup Vincent Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Browne Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Well this is great news indeed! Good reason to now decide on a resin printer I assume that the STL files can be rescaled in something like Fusion 360? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Browne Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 On 12/17/2020 at 10:41 PM, CaptKirk said: ...what's the recommended filament for printing something like this? I assume there are better things than PLA. Kirk Resin (SLA & DLP) printers are much higher in resolution than PLA printers, and prices keep coming down and technology going in leaps. They require more care and safety and clean up, but the results can be superb with practically no printing grain etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 12 hours ago, Peter Browne said: Resin (SLA & DLP) printers are much higher in resolution than PLA printers, and prices keep coming down and technology going in leaps. They require more care and safety and clean up, but the results can be superb with practically no printing grain etc. I tend to agree with this assessment for most cases. I will say however that since a lot of the LM, especially the descent stage, is covered in foil and are rather large parts at 1/32 scale, I think printing a good many of these parts on a FDM is not a horrible way to go. I printed some of Vincent's 1/48 scale files when he offered them and most everything except for the main "face" front of the ascent stage and all of the detail parts print out well enough to be used for covering. I've been meaning to get back to actually assembling the kit, but I HIGHLY recommend getting his files. First rate top notch to be sure! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
niart17 Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Just now, niart17 said: I tend to agree with this assessment for most cases. I will say however that since a lot of the LM, especially the descent stage, is covered in foil and are rather large parts at 1/32 scale, I think printing a good many of these parts on a FDM is not a horrible way to go. I printed some of Vincent's 1/48 scale files that I scaled up when he offered them and most everything except for the main "face" front of the ascent stage and all of the detail parts print out well enough to be used for covering. I've been meaning to get back to actually assembling the kit, but I HIGHLY recommend getting his files. First rate top notch to be sure! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptKirk Posted January 13, 2021 Share Posted January 13, 2021 On 1/12/2021 at 3:46 AM, Peter Browne said: Resin (SLA & DLP) printers are much higher in resolution than PLA printers Thanks Peter. There's a lot to learn about these technologies - only just beginning to get to grips with my Creality Ender. Transforms the hobby of model making. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lunokhod 2 Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) Work on the 1/48 J-mission Lunar Module is over. All parts for printing either a B, D, F, G or H mission were already available on Cult3D before X-mas. I just completed the supplementary parts for the J mission this week. This includes the Lunar Rover before or during deployment. All 3D projects including the 1/48 LM are available on Cult3D : https://cults3d.com/en/users/vincentmeens . Although the main LM parts are sold for a reasonnable price, the supplementary parts are free of charge so you can try before acquiring the full model. Edited January 24, 2021 by Lunokhod 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
as205 Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 That looks like a good project for my new Mars 2 Pro I got for Christmas. The price for the files is quite reasonable. I shall purchase these files and give it a go. Thanks Vincent! Randy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MoFo Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 On 1/11/2021 at 8:39 PM, Peter Browne said: Well this is great news indeed! Good reason to now decide on a resin printer I assume that the STL files can be rescaled in something like Fusion 360? You won't need Fusion to re-scale the files; you would do that through your slicer software (the software that convers the STL file into the actual file format for the printer). This can be done with any STL file. It doesn't have to be designed it. However, you are directly scaling the part, so everything remains proportional - thicknesses, details, tolerances, everything - so what is a 1mm thick part in 1/48 would be a .3mm thick part in 1/144, and what is a .2mm wide panel line in 1/144 would be .9mm wide in 1/32. Scaling up, the fit will become sloppier as the tolerances increase; scaling down, it'll be tighter and may need re-working if the tolerances get too small. As for what printer... decide on a size, decide on a budget, and apart from that, it kinda doesn't matter much since almost all of them use the same control board and screen, and most are even using the same LED arrays. Anycubic, Creality, Elegoo, Epax or Phrozen... they're all fairly interchangeable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taneal1 Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 Vincent, Would these 1/48th STLs produce a fine quality 1/24th scale CSM, or would they need to be redrawn? Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lunokhod 2 Posted October 6, 2021 Author Share Posted October 6, 2021 Upscaling from 1/32 to 1/24 is OK without redrawing the file. 1/48 to 1/24 will obviously produce something less fine but can surely be done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taneal1 Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 (edited) On 10/6/2021 at 3:29 PM, Lunokhod 2 said: Upscaling from 1/32 to 1/24 is OK without redrawing the file. 1/48 to 1/24 will obviously produce something less fine but can surely be done. I can see that the printed 1/32 CSM parts to supplement the Monogram are available on Shapeways, but is the STL for the FULL CSM available? Also, since you have a 1/24th LM, are you considering redrawing the FULL CSM at 1/24th? Tom Edited October 8, 2021 by taneal1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lunokhod 2 Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 For your information the 1/32 CSM parts to supplement the CSM are now available on Cult3D for a much more reasonable price then Shapeways. Of course you need a 3D printer but even investing in such a printer makes the model cheaper than Shapeways. The link is here : https://cults3d.com/fr/modèle-3d/divers/apollo-csm-additional-parts-for-the-1-32-monogram-csm I am now working on a fill 1/32 CSM (no problem then to upscale it to 1/24) to be available in a few weeks. Vincent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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