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Hello,

A few weeks ago I posted some Gothic Style ships I made with a 3D printing service (http://www.shapeways.com/shops/objects). I finally got around to painting a few of them and wanted to post my experiences and (hopefully) get some feedback.

The process I used:

1. Modeled the ships in Blender

"Gothic Destroyer Render":


2. Uploaded the model to Shapeways and had it printed in the White, Strong, and Flexible material, a polyamide plastic which is built into a model using selective laser sintering. The material is slightly rough to the touch, and very absorbent.

Printed "Gothic Detroyer" Model:


3. Dyed the model with fabric dye. I've found that dyeing a model is faster and gives a more even coat than spray painting. Because the WSF material is absorbent, it sucks in the dye very well. The process for dyeing:
A. Mixed 1 Heaping tablespoon of RIT Dark Green fabric dye to about a liter of water
B. Bring mixture to a boil
C. Submerge model in mixture for 20-60 seconds and stir gently, making sure the model stays submerged. I used about 40 seconds for these models.
D. Let model dry (5-10 minutes)

"Gothic Transport" after dye:


4. I sprayed the models with a clear matte finish coating. Because the WSF material is slightly porus and rough, this gave better control to the later paint coats.

5. I then gave the models two light drybrushings, first with a medium green, and then with white paint.

"Gothic Cruiser" after first drybrush:

"Gothic Cruiser" after second drybrush:


6. Lastly, I added detail with various metallics and red. Like many models, putting a precoat of black under the metallics or white/pink under the red helped them stand out.



More and larger pictures are available at:
http://s871.photobucket.com/albums/ab273/afrodri/Gothic%20Spaceships/
and more information on the models can be found at:
http://www.shapeways.com/shops/objects

Thoughts?

What will you be using these for?

Caboose wrote:What will you be using these for?

Well, I'll probably use them for gaming at some point, but I am mainly interested in the technology, design, and painting.

If there is interest, I will continue to extend the range of available models. The ones I've painted so far were on the smaller end of my current range of 3D printed Gothic/Romanesque-Style ships.