Trhuster Posted May 16, 2015 Posted May 16, 2015 Hi, This is my first post here but i have been a member here since 2011. I just like to watch the pictures of this members awesome MOC's. Anyway i have a 3D-Printer as my hobby för a while now and i wanted to try and prints som bricks so my kid could get som walls around a small Lego tower that i bought for him the year he was born (2010) . I loved Lego Knights theme when i was a kid and still does! I know this is nothing special for you guys but i did think it would be fun to share how it went. Before i get angry comment i want you to know have bought and still buys alot off real Lego for me and my kid. This was just fun for me drawing up pices in solidworks and then try and print them and build a Castle, very rewarding for a geek like me! Most off the bricks are printed. The non printed part is baseplate, shields, weapons, and flags. Finish is ofcourse not as good as real Lego but it is alot better then i expected, every part is not true to real Lego parts but most are. Biggest problem is that bricks fit toghter abit hard and i can't print the exact wall thinkness that i want but it works fine. Hope you like it. I also did a video but it is in Swedish so if yo watch it just mute me. Video: Quote
Stelario Posted May 16, 2015 Posted May 16, 2015 I don't think printing small pieces is a good idea. They rather look like crap, on other hand big pieces are quite nice. Have you ever tried to print a baseplate? And most important what's the cost of printing pieces it's cheaper/equal or more expensive then buying lego. Quote
Vorkosigan Posted May 17, 2015 Posted May 17, 2015 I'm impressed you printed a whole castle's worth of parts. Looks pretty good considering. I feel like the tan color should be a bit darker for contrast with the light gray. To me it seems like custom minifig accessories would be the most useful thing to print, or different variations of bricks. I'd like to print 1x1 masonry bricks and a 2x2 corner L masonry brick for example. Quote
Trhuster Posted May 17, 2015 Author Posted May 17, 2015 I don't think printing small pieces is a good idea. They rather look like crap, on other hand big pieces are quite nice. Have you ever tried to print a baseplate? And most important what's the cost of printing pieces it's cheaper/equal or more expensive then buying lego. Yes, FDM printing has it limits and small things is alot harder to print and sometimes impossible. About baseplate i have not printed anything larger then a 10x10 plate, my printer can print up to 195x195mm big so mabey 24x24 plate is possible. About price, i use ABS plastic that have a price around 45 EUR/KG. And around 15-20% off that is waste materials for raft and support. I'm impressed you printed a whole castle's worth of parts. Looks pretty good considering. I feel like the tan color should be a bit darker for contrast with the light gray. To me it seems like custom minifig accessories would be the most useful thing to print, or different variations of bricks. I'd like to print 1x1 masonry bricks and a 2x2 corner L masonry brick for example. I can only use the colors that my brand off ABS plastic has to offer and it is quite limited. I have those bricks in the Castle, i think? Quote
Trhuster Posted May 17, 2015 Author Posted May 17, 2015 By masonry brick I mean with this face: Oh, i have them under all the wallpanels and on some other places. You can see them if you watch closley on the pic's. I also have drawn up a few others. Quote
Subix Posted May 17, 2015 Posted May 17, 2015 Imressivly quality prints of bricks compared to what I see my friends can produce with their 3D printers. Technology (avaliable for reasonable price for home users for hobby) is still not accurate enough to create copys. More then reproduce original parts will be interesting to make parts Lego is not producing and will be of a lot help for all kind of SNOT techniques like: Quote
Trhuster Posted May 17, 2015 Author Posted May 17, 2015 Yes, print custom parts if you are a MOC builder must be awesome! :) But finding filamnet colors you want gonna be a real problem for sure. Black and white is easy thoug. ;) Quote
anothergol Posted May 17, 2015 Posted May 17, 2015 how well do printed part cling? Can printed bricks really hold well, not too tight & not too loose? Impressive that it worked for a full castle. And weird that you printed the bricks & not the weapons - I'd have expected the opposite. Quote
Trhuster Posted May 17, 2015 Author Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) how well do printed part cling? Can printed bricks really hold well, not too tight & not too loose? Impressive that it worked for a full castle. And weird that you printed the bricks & not the weapons - I'd have expected the opposite. The fit is abit too tight, but i can't change it becuase off printer limitations. Small things is very hard/impossible to print with a FDM printer like i have so bricks is alot easier. It is also alot easier and quicker to draw up a brick then sword or axe ect. Overall when it is built it looks quite good but real Lego is alot better in every way. Edited May 17, 2015 by Trhuster Quote
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