1/60th Scale Vulcan

I've been enlisted to produce a series of 1/60th versions of some of my mechs (Hi Scott!) and so we're starting with some of the smaller ones. This weekend I printed out the 1/60th scale Vulcan.

HAL did a good job with no noticeable deformation in the parts. Bigger models seem to be less susceptible to warpage during the build. The only fly in the ointment is a piece of support structure that it put into the bayonette mount for the torso - it'll take some finessing to remove.

Speaking of HAL, I'd had a word with the V-Flash tech about the build tray sensor (which we just defeated in software) and why certain models were dying in the middle of the print job. The tech ran some remote tests and couldn't determine why it shouldn't be able to complete a print job. My suspicion is that it is due to heat cuz he isn't doing it any more (I was trying to print those POMO animals in the dog days of summer and HAL probably wasn't liking that). Its not like the CPU is shutting down, but maybe just the imaging section. That's why the job keeps running and the gantry and resin feed keeps moving, but nothing is printing. Just my thoughts. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd stick some temperature sensors in there and log temperature... meh, later. He's working OK fer now.

The Auction That Wasn't and Creating the Whitworth

So I've been meaning to auction some 1/100th scale Battletech models for awhile now... they've been printed and cured, but I still haven't gotten around to sanding and finishing the parts. The auction that was supposed to happen this past spring, then this summer, will in all likelihood, happen just before Christmas. Bleh.

In the meantime, I've started working on the Whitworth. Not much to show yet, but its a start. I've got some parts from the mechforce model in there for now, but it'll bear little resemblance to it by the time I'm through...

Painting the Flea - Part 1

Started painting a Flea tonight. Here's a look-see...

Hatamoto - Work in Progress 2

So here's where I ended up with the Hatamoto this weekend. Kind of a rush job, but good enough to get some photos for the auction.

V-FLASH Chronicles - Part VI

HAL (the V-FLASH) is being a problem child tonight. While I was printing some pickup parts for a Hatamoto and a Vulcan (kits that I plan on selling on E-Bay later this month), HAL coughed up:

Error: Cartridge Pump Failure (or some such)

I reseated the resin cartridge. No go.

I rebooted HAL. No go.

I finally broke down and changed out the resin cartridge, even though it still showed 46% resin left in the tank. The pump error went away, but I have to say it took quite a bit of futzing around to get it up and running again on the new cartridge.

I'm scared. Scared that the estimates that the interface gives for resin left is every bit as accurate as the progress bar on a Windows copy operation (ie. "not very"). Its hard to tell just how much resin is still in the old cartridge because it's so compartmentalized. I tried sticking a dipstick in but I'm not sure that I'm poking anywhere near the main reservoir.

When I got HAL, I realized that he probably wasn't going to get the same kind of mileage that I would get out of an Objet. But I've got a feeling that he's costing me something north of the $9 per cubic inch that I had estimated. More research is needed...

Hatamoto - Work in Progress

I'm finally getting around to making a Hatamoto Chi for myself. Cleaned up a set of parts and started painting this afternoon. He doesn't look like much yet, but I've been practicing my drybrush skills on mini's lately, so I'm hoping I can do some of that.

In other news, Takara is rereleasing a bunch of the Dougram model kits -- I spotted them on HLJ this week. These ones are 1/144, but I'm pretty sure that I read elsewhere that there were 1/72 as well. I can't find the reference now, so I could be wrong.

Hatamoto Assembled

I cleaned up the parts for Jon's Hatamoto last weekend and did a partial assemble. He's going to do the painting and final assembly (what is that thing on the front of the helmet called?). Once again, I'll probably do a little tweaking on the scale before I do one for myself.