Is it possible to make a new mold with the sword separating into 3 parts? Having the blade, hilt and grip to make it easier to paint.
Sorry it isn't possible. The blade is sandwiched between the (gold) details, which are only able to exist because they are extrusions from the blade. They would just be too fragile to be printed alone, and to thicken them the whole hilt would have to grow.
How exactly did you paint it? I really have no clue how to paint to make it look as official as you did... Did you use an airbrush? And what brand of paint did you use? I will be sure to post pictures as soon as I get my hands one one of these!
Here are the exact products I used: Delta Creative - Ceramcoat all purpose sealer (seal the sword before painting) Paints: Delta Creative acrylic paints Empire Gold Walnut White Black That's it! (I used just a small paint brush, I don't own anything like airbrushes @_@) - The blade was painted with a mix of black and white to get a nice light grey. - The handle was painted with a darker grey with a small amount of walnut mixed in to give it a grey/brown colour -details gold! Then get a semigloss sealer and you will be good to go!
Wow, I'm surprised you just used a paintbrush, I thought you needed an airbrush or some expensive tool! Thanks for your help!
I just got this, and as I have NO experience with Shapeways, I have a question. It seems a bit fragile, like the materiel is rubbing away. Is this normal/safe? Also, the handle doesn't like to stay connected to the blade. Any remedies for this?
I just got this, and as I have NO experience with Shapeways, I have a question. It seems a bit fragile, like the materiel is rubbing away. Is this normal/safe? Also, the handle doesn't like to stay connected to the blade. Any remedies for this? Other than the loose handle, I LOVE this thing. Incredible detail, and it's as tall as Prime himself! Nice work!
got this for Xmas and man is it nice. Very detailed and sturdy. I did also notice that the handle doesn't really like to stay put. It has a couple little grooves on the handle where it is supposed to go into the hilt as if the socket should have a guide or something, but it didn't. It definitely had a lot of plastic dust on it that needed gently washed away, but after that it is remarkable. Highly recommend this to anyone on the fence about getting 1.
Glad you both like it! I am afraid the handle plug is hit and miss. On every prototype my handle was TOO big for the socket, so I had to do a lot of sanding to get it in. But on yours that handle is too loose! @_@. It is unfortunately the tolerance of the material, that is has some leeway that is unpredictable. You should always give a good wash to shapeway stuff, as their cleaning process never gets all the dust off. To fix the blade problem I'd just add a little bit of clear nail polish or crazy glue to the socket (just like you would fix a loose joint on a figure), it will tighten it up!
huh, thats pretty weird, the handle on mine has been perfect since i got it which was around the time it was released for purchase
Thanks for the help! I was worried about washing it or using nail polish because I thought the material was composed of the dust, because it still has some dust coming off of it. Glad to know it won't eventually rub away. EDIT: Do you think painting it would tighten the handle or should I still use nail polish?
Paint will do it too! but Unless you put a sealer on it, the paint may peel from being plugs in and out!
man citoria, you weren't kidding about that ceramcoat sealer. It didn't take much of a coat to really smooth this out. 1 coat and a lite sanding really made this smooth. Now to paint it up!
still need to secure the handle better and gloss coat it but here is my non-powered up version. Thanks again to Citoria for this awesome little upgrade. The pics don't really show the drybrushing very well on the handle, and it looks tons smoother in person, but I'm happy with it.