3D-Printing Review: Comms Dish from M3Studios

I got review pre-release files for this Comms Dish from M3 Studios latest Kickstarter: Hangar and Bulwark - Wargaming & Skirmish Printable Terrain.

It’s a rather huge beast, but I printed it in 60% scale as I wanted to use it in pulp games and maybe 7TV and something a bit smaller would suit me better. I think I see a secret beam-weapon here.

Everything is printed with 0.10 mm layer height and no supports. Total print time was around 8.5 hours and 33 grams of filament was used.

It turned out absolutely great, if I may say so. Detailing is very sharp, even on this reduced scale.

The only thing that didn’t look great was the cables between the generator and the base. When I removed the generator and cables piece the cable broke away, probably because of the reduced scale. It also looks a bit strange, which is probably due to this being pre-release and I got the files before M3Studios had printed these parts (except the dish). So I expect this to be rectified on release.

All in all, I’m very happy with this. A useful scenery-piece, great detailing and everything fits together really well.

Do check out the kickstarter if this looks interesting, as there are lots of other very nice stuff in it. It ends on May 4 2019.

Also, take the opportunity to download a free model of a sandbag emplacement.

See more 3D-printing reviews here.

3D-Printing Review: Roadside Sandwich Shop from LOOT Games

I had some contact with Loot Games when they ran their Sci-fi/PostApocalyptic 3d printable playsets for wargames kickstarter in March. They kindly sent files for their Road-Side Sandwich Shop for a review, but my printer was out at the moment, and when I had fixed it the campaign was over.

Now they have revisited the old campaign in a new kickstarter and that was a great reason to make a review of the shop.

I printed it on my Prusa i3 MK3 with PLA filament. Sliced with Slic3er Prusa Edition. Layer height 0.10 mm, which is preferable if you want reasonably smooth walls. Print time was 3,5 hours for the pillar, 25 hours for the house body and 21 hours for the ceiling. If your fine with rougher walls you could go for 0.2 mm, which will halve the printing time. 0.05 or 0.07 would probably give even smoother walls but printing-time will obviously be longer. The construction weigh about 270 grams.

I does look a little too big for my minis, so if I make another one I'll probably print it in 80% scale or so.

I will use the shop in our upcoming zombie-games of Hjärnor, and as that is set in Sweden in the 80’s I wanted the shop to look pre-apocalypse (or rather in-the-beginning-of-the-apocalypse), that is, not a wreck and without the big sign on the roof (I will probably design one of my own). My idea is a local burger-shop, a bit run-down. We had a chain of burger joints called Clock in the 70s and 80s, that fit the bill rather well, and a quick Google-check turned out a few useful menues and stuff.

I do need some suitable furniture for it. Faux leather sofas, plastic chairs and easy to wipe tables...

This is a great little shop that is unique in the way it looks. I really like it and the print turned out great. What’s not to like?

Pic of the shop and sign from the kickstarter, printed with 0.2mm layer height. © LOOTgames and used with permisson.

If you’re interested in this building you can pledge for it in the new kickstarter, as just the building or as part of a bundle. Check it out before it ends on April 23 2019.

3D-printed Barracks from 3D-Print-Terrain

Less than a week left before Gothcon, and we’re working furiously to finish terrain and soldiers for our Storm over Haag Chain of Command game.

I'm working with houses and canals.

Here are two barracks from 3D-Print-Terrain and their World at War part II kickstarter, which you can still get at Jens’ webshop.

Several barracks were under construction at the Ypenburg Airport when Germany invaded in May 1940. These two are erected, and one isn’t quite finished yet, as the paint is still wet.

These Commander Barracks were printed with 130% size, 0.15mm layer height on my Prusa i3 MK3. Printing time around 20 hours for each body and slightly less for the roofs.

I had to fix the chimneys as they ended quite abruptly in a flat surface, but that was easily fixed with some green-stuff and a piece of plastic tube.

3D-printed windmill from 3D-Print-Terrain

An old lady on a 25mm base, as size comparison.

I’m furiously building, printing and painting terrain for our Storm over Haag Chain of Command participation game for Gothcon this Easter.

It will be Fallshirmjäger trying to secure the airport of Ypenburg. We have checked maps and after-action reports in an effort to build the north-eastern part of the defences.

On my lot fell printing of this windmill and a couple of barracks (on the painting table now), as well as building all the canals.

So, here’s the first finished piece, a windmill that pumped water just outside the perimeter. It comes from the World at War II kickstarter, and can be bought from Jens’ webshop as part of a bundle. It is originally scaled for 20mm gaming, but easily upscaled to 28mm.

Unpainted on the painting table.

I’m also building a small hill with culverts to put it on. But that’s not finished yet.