3D Artwork: cyber batallion shockwave knees (shapeways)

Discussion in 'Transformers Fan Art' started by f-primusunicron, May 2, 2018.

  1. Hyoumaru

    Hyoumaru M.S.B.S. ver. 10.5

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    I ordered a set of the knee joints, looking forward to installing them.

    Thing is... I can't get Shockwave's legs off the swivels. They're way too tight, I'm afraid of breaking something.
     
  2. f-primusunicron

    f-primusunicron i just wanna be loved

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    hairdryer for a minute on the joint should do the trick, maybe half a minute
     
  3. TFXProtector

    TFXProtector TFW2005 Supporter

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    So...
    Got mine in, yesterday.
    Spent the better part of yesterday installing them.
    Woo... That was a white-knuckle experience at times.

    I had to carve them (I didn't have anything small enough that could sand in those small grooves, used an X-Acto to carve.) and a pair of pliers as well as a crescent wrench to apply pressure and force to bend them into shape.

    The end result does work, they color match pretty well and it's nice to see Shockwave with knees.

    But... That's also the main problem. The pins are so loose that he becomes top heavy and falls over backwards, constantly. You have to find the right center of gravity for certain poses and it can be a bit of a pain to do so. I think they need thickened/tightened by super glue or that floor wax stuff everyone raves about.

    That said, @f-primusunicron has made a really nice set, the idea does work and can be tweaked and yes, you must put them in just right or the whole thing goes to fall apart. The problem is Shapeways. Their material isn't quite right for this type of use where it needs to be detailed or small, it's really what holds you back. A run of the mill 3-D printer with the finest settings would be more appropriate.

    Ultimately, this is all Hasbro's fault. This is such a simple design that they can't cry and whine and say "we couldn't afford knees in the budget!" They should've been included and that's that. Basic motion is a requirement, not a feature, and shame on them for selling our kids garbage.

    IMG_20180929_202442.jpg IMG_20180929_202337.jpg IMG_20180929_202241.jpg IMG_20180929_202221.jpg IMG_20180929_202201.jpg IMG_20180929_202125.jpg IMG_20180929_202107.jpg IMG_20180929_201936.jpg

    EDIT: One thing I would change on the design is the piece that goes into the shin. There's a channel on the back of that piece and that channel should be on the front, so the grey peg has a place to move without friction. Because the channel is on the backside and there's basically a wall the peg butts up against, they have a slight gap, which I show in the pictures, another problem leading to his top heaviness.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2018
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  4. f-primusunicron

    f-primusunicron i just wanna be loved

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    i will see how i can make it not have problems at all, thanks for your help, also yes i designed these because it was painful to me seeing how many modded theirs heavily even at the expense of other figures, or using methods that most people cant or wont use, when it was such a simple thing, mmm i think i might have the solution for the knee joint to be tight enough and all of that but i think i would have to make a new extra piece , either for your suggestion or a different solution a third piece seems to be what i need to do to make it strong enough to hold the knee joint
    anyway THANKS
     
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  5. TFXProtector

    TFXProtector TFW2005 Supporter

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    You did a fine job and it works quite well because it's so simple by comparison. No cutting or drilling needed, they just slide into place and snap together. Can't get simpler than that and there's nothing wrong with simplicity. Sometimes it's just the better, natural design.

    Nail polish clear coat has really helped this a good bit. Still somewhat loose, but definitely tighter. Honestly, my only real complaint is that channel on the back vs the front, that's really all that's in the way. This is incredibly workable as-is.

    Well worth the $15.00 (shipping included). So, for... $33.18 (MSRP and Shapeways) you get a pretty accurate scaled Shockwave, definitely G1 for CHUG, and you could possibly skip the upcoming Leader Class and save about $20.00...

    That's pretty impressive for a bit of elbow grease and some nail polish.
     
  6. f-primusunicron

    f-primusunicron i just wanna be loved

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    i made some small tweaks, i removed a hole that was to cut costs down BUT i think is making the plastic bend in the right spot where it makes the joint itself not hold tight enough , so i removed it, also took some small notches as i see the upper piece fits just on the thigh perfectly i don't think the extra reinforcement is needed so it should make the piece itself not bend out as much when installing, it isn't a PERFECT solution but it should make the set feel better as soon as its installed, and not need much "help" from the user

    remember, this is a minor edit, until i figure out the best way to make the joint as strong as possible without having to rework the entire set
    note the top part there were there 2 more holes, those are the ones that were removed to make the piece more solid, and the connection under is where i made the other 2 changes
    [​IMG]

    EDIT: updated it on shapeways, also the price remains the same
     

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    Last edited: Sep 30, 2018
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  7. Hyoumaru

    Hyoumaru M.S.B.S. ver. 10.5

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    My order got cancelled, got a message from shapeways this morning saying the printing failed. I don't know if that's because of the White Processed versatile plastic I choose (took a gamble on strength of material) or whatever the case may be, but I don't know what to do now
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2018
  8. TFXProtector

    TFXProtector TFW2005 Supporter

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    You want the purple one, believe me. It works quite well out of the box, color-wise.
     
  9. Hyoumaru

    Hyoumaru M.S.B.S. ver. 10.5

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    I admit it was a cost-cutting measure more than anything since business has been horrible lately, but would color be the reason why my print failed? I'd have never expected that.
     
  10. f-primusunicron

    f-primusunicron i just wanna be loved

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    probably not, is just that 3d printing still isnt 100% perfect on production, if single frame breaks eve if it is for support of the model and not part of the model itself, they will reject it
     
  11. Hyoumaru

    Hyoumaru M.S.B.S. ver. 10.5

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    alright, I'll try ordering another print next round of parts I order, hopefully it'll go better then.
     
  12. DeceptiTom

    DeceptiTom Well-Known Member

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    This is a good thread. I just found the knees but I'm going to hold off until they are perfected. Siege has a Leader Class Shockwave but I just dont see Shockwave being bigger than Voyager class.
     
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  13. TFXProtector

    TFXProtector TFW2005 Supporter

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    Honestly, this is as close as you're going to get. It's Shapeways, the material used just begs for modification, it'll never be perfect. Unfortunately, they're the only ones capable of mass production on this scale, so break out some sandpaper and some clear coat (to make it shine) and this is about as good as you're going to get.

    You can thank Hasbro for that, he could've been released with knees, it's such a simple joint that there's no excuse. Kids aren't that developmentally delayed or poor that they can figure out how to transform a figure this simple because he might have had knees at one point. Hasbro's so quick to exploit children and their parent's wallets that they go for the "dumb" demographic, call it the "cheap" demographic and keep on trucking. No kid is dumb, and some are poor but they're not cheap. It's just the most profits for the least amount of effort. Laziness in a nutshell.
     
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  14. f-primusunicron

    f-primusunicron i just wanna be loved

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    why i dont get is why didnt they use a robust balljoint
     
  15. MilanX3

    MilanX3 Well-Known Member

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    The purple colour does look good...was considering doing an order for Black Friday sale in black, but maybe a purple option is best? What do you guys think?

    Printing in White Strong Flex usually wouldnt give any more issues than the other colours in the same material. I had orders been unable to print because some pieces were thin, like a gun barrel...I spoke with the designer and he adjusted it, and it should have been printable but they always gave him problems...in the end it was an issue with his designs and them not helping him enough, company-designer issue. I dont think that is why it didnt print this time, if so, our friend f-primeunicronus would have been contacted by Shapeways I believe.

    It could be it was cancelled because the design was recently altered. Contact Shapeways and ask what the issue was, they can explain better and if it is not able to be printed, it can be discussed with you, f-primeunicronus and Shapeways.

    Any alterations and improvements are welcome...it isnt that easy having a design translate from a 3D design program, to external printers from their company that you have no direct access to, to a Hasbro designed figure with specific tolerances in design and material.

    F-primeunicronus, do you have a 3D printer at home you used to perfect the design? I am impressed with the precision and quality, especially considering their materials.

    Cheers!
     
  16. MilanX3

    MilanX3 Well-Known Member

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    I find it disappointing that figures like 2018 Star Wars do not even have the same articulated elbows and knees as a Joe figure from 1982...articulation on TFs are impressive these days...but to be on bended knee apparently put GiJoe on the sidelines and gave our poor Shockwave knees as functional as Elmo's :) 

    Costs kill quality...I guess this product line was meant to be simple and save...but it just pissed everyone off at the knee.
     
  17. f-primusunicron

    f-primusunicron i just wanna be loved

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    dude, i dont have a printer, thats why i resorted to talking to potential testers for this, just good ol ruler and math to make it work... also yes , i told any potential tester that i dont have the mold, that i needed precise measurements to make it, because, i live in latin america, and here even if we got cogman months before you there in the USA, we never got any cyber batallion...at al(that and we didnt get nitro tlk...for a reason...and some late tlk waves)

    also the update could have been the reason it didnt print but i didnt alter more than 2 details inside the model, i made it n fact more solid so...i dont know 3dprinting still does that, thats why they change the minimum requirements a lot, tweaking the process for a more precise printing, ALSO, the error was before i updated the model, just order it again and see if it works right now
     
  18. MilanX3

    MilanX3 Well-Known Member

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    Yes, Shapeways in a mystery on occasion, they should print off the design without issues at this point. Hopefully it works properly now.

    Yes, I do not live in the US either and it takes alot of time to get many figures, if we get them at all. Never got the Shockwave here in Canada either. Glad to know there are people from all over the world on this forum...Donde vives en latinoamerica? :) 

    I was trying to design tank models myself, but was hit by a virus at lost most of my drawings...never got a printer either, some libraries are now putting them in but not sure how to access them. What 3D program do you use for designs?

    Cheers,
    MilanX3
     
  19. f-primusunicron

    f-primusunicron i just wanna be loved

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    although it is stated there on my shapeways page...and now i realize it doesnt show anymore under my avatar here on the forums...
    well, i live in Colombia...yes, THAT country that is either mistaken with "COLUMBIA" or remembered because of the drugs and all of that..
     
  20. MilanX3

    MilanX3 Well-Known Member

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    Checked the Shapeways page, looks like the colour options for the parts are no longer available, just white and black. oh and Viva Colombia! :)