Go Big or go home...right?

Update 7/1/12:
Metroplex has a physical part now, so all further updates will be in Radicons:
True Scale Classics Metroplex

Update 6/28/12

I spent some time tonight roughing out Metro's shape, once I get the head and the hands and a few other basics worked out I'm going to build jointing and then start test printing the engineering at probably 1/4 scale.



Original Post:
So, I've got a 3D printer. The resolution vs. Shapeways leaves a bit to be desired.

But, I've always been a lemonade from lemons kind of guy, so when you've got a 9" build envelope and your output is larger-scale ABS parts, what're you going to tackle?

I'm obsessed with Citybots/playsets have been from childhood. Hasbro's trying with the Cyberverse scale, but we all know we're never getting BIG ol' Classics dudes.

So I've started working on my own



D/L

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looks... promising? What is that?

Metroplex?

You gotta get to know G1 sticker detail better

Bingo!

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Are you talking 9 x 9 x 9" for Metro's shoulder?
That'd take a lot of lemonade to afford in material.
Good luck, though. I can't wait to see some of the things you come up with.

Well my build envelope is actually about 9"x6"x12ish (Height is only limited by the distance the build platform and the tool head can get between them...haven't tested the upper limits of that yet)

But that said, no, I'm not planning on maxing out the envelope with each piece, but I am thinking a 1-2' scale Metroplex (and eventually some of the other big guys), something that will play nicely with the Classics crew.

Print speed is the bigger challenge, but cost wise, I don't expect raw materials will eclipse a hundred bucks or so, he shouldn't need more than 2-3 KG of material.

So certainly feasable for myself....potentially feasable for the more adventurous fans in the community too

One of the great things about having my own machine and the software that drives it is I can scale and set "infill" on the fly. So I'm going to design, work out, and test the engineering at a much more modest scale, and then scale him up for final print.

Obviously there are design considerations that I need to keep in mind to allow for the changes in tolerances as I scale, but knowing that up front, it should be not too big of a hurdle...

D/L

Cool, what printer you got?

Makerbot Replicator

Update 6/28/12

I spent some time tonight roughing out Metro's shape, once I get the head and the hands and a few other basics worked out I'm going to build jointing and then start test printing the engineering at probably 1/4 scale.

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Dude this is awesome. But mix a little Fall of Cybertron into the design.