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Next big thing in modeling; Not a wish list or likely models
Topic Started: Oct 7 2017, 08:47 PM (309 Views)
Greenshirt
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Tim Holland, Southern MD - USA
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So I was avoiding the garish colors and just thinking...what's the next big thing for our hobby? Ok, seriously, I was trying to get a USN tri-color scheme on a PV-1 to look realistic and in trying to develop a new technique (new for me) it got me thinking.

My question isn't about subjects, but about non-subject matter, like CAD/CAM, decals/markings tech, paints, paint methods, materials such as glues, resins, etc. I suspect someone will suggest nanobots that thread rigging but I figure that's more than a few years out, so maybe not something I'll get to try.

Tim Holland

I'm a "green shirt" because I work on the carrier's flight deck and maintain US Navy aircraft. Safe sorties are my life so we can be anywhere, anytime -- from the Sea.

http://greenshirt-modeler.blogspot.com/
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Mark Schynert
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Yeast
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Innovations tend to be incremental in this hobby, which suggests either that there is something near optimal about present methods and acceptable price points, or that nobody's got that one big idea right now.

I could see instructions going completely digital (Fündekals is already doing that, but doing it for whole kits). It cuts a major cost item out, and anyone who wants to print all or part of it can.

I'm also a little surprised there isn't more Kickstarter activity in the hobby. Granted, this is an industry that might not lend itself to KS, what with up-front research and CAD costs necessary to present a product proposal to the public, but the notion of innovation suggests to me there is a way to use KS in this context to achieve a breakthrough within the hobby. A better P-51B, anyone?
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greycap
Member
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apart from the banning of acryics or an accurate kit . I would like to see some of the old enamel paint formulas return .the lovely smell of gloy paint in the morning, ahhhhh. the old days were not that bad.
greycap
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greycap
Member
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self painting canopies and wheels , my nemesis , the biggest reason for 60 odd unfinished models in my collection.
greycap
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Shake
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Grumpy rivet counter
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I think in the coming years 3D printing is going to take off. I foresee that 3D printers are going to be available at affordable prices and think that aftermarket manufacturers are going to be first to the market to provide ready to print digital files.

Just my 2 cents.

Gr. Sjaak

Edited for spelling
Edited by Shake, Oct 8 2017, 06:00 PM.
Posted Image Dutch courage, I love it! Posted Image
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woody
Hero
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My thoughts on the future of the hobby is similar to Shake's. You will go on line, purchase a software download for the kit you want and print it out on your 3d printer. The paper modelers have done this in 2d for years.
Cheers,
Woody
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Graham Boak
Hero
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I agree that 3D printing is the Next Big Thing, but for small items such as conversion parts. Downloading a complete kit still seems like a long distance away. Getting the requisite smoothness over such complex surfaces from a cheap printer - certainly not yet. Then there are the problems of transparencies, workability of the materials, replacing the variety of multi-media parts now available, and transfers. The majority of modellers still find it beyond their capabilities to print their own transfers: an entire model dowload still seems far distant.

I can see it working for AFVs/softskins, and for warships, given some improvement in the materials and a considerable reduction in costs (which is not yet a given), but aircraft present their own specific problems which are still stumbling blocks to mass acceptance of the technology.
Lancashire, UK
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Mark Schynert
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Yeast
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Consumer 3D printing to the precision we want is unlikely anytime soon. Graham is right about the supporting materials such as decals or clear parts, but beyond that, aircraft present special problems because of dimensions. Wings tend to be long, as are fuselages, and present standards of production generally offer these respectively in full span for each side of the wing and full length or near full length for fuselages. Further, many kits offer the vertical fin (if there is only one) integral to the fuselage. These dimensions may exceed the available dimensions of the working bed in the printer, especially in 1/48. It's certainly unlikely that only 1/72 and smaller would be offered by a company that wants to maximize its sales.

Right now, the highest and best use of 3D printers is resin mastering. Much (if not all) of Barracudacast resin is based on 3D-printed masters from industrial grade machines, based on CAD/CAM files, and then hand-finished as necessary. Thereafter, the product is made by the usual casting methods, providing an economy of scale that straight 3D printing cannot provide. I'm sure Roy isn't the only one taking this approach.

Over time, yes, we will see consumer machines that will meet some of our needs, but justifying the expense as compared to a traditional kit is going to be next to impossible for quite a while to come.
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Boucheron
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Advanced Member
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Unfortunately, I think the next big thing in modeling is going to be more BIG kits.

1/32 planes, 1/16 tanks, 1/200 battleships. That sort of thing.

And while those are cool and all, they don't do much for the watchmakers among us, who prefer the little kits.

:mad:


A trend that I have noticed, which I hope DOES pick up, is for the short-run manufacturers to purchase molds from the big boys, and add their own detail sets into the box. Think Special Hobby Helldivers, Eduard's reboxings of many Academy kits, or even Starfighter Decals' reboxings of Monogram classics with PE rigging and resin interiors (those were awesome BTW, and I'd love to see more).


Would love to see SH release updated Academy P-39 with replacement resin wheel wells and cockpit, or some of the classic Japanese fighter kits by Hasegawa, also with new cockpits/wheel wells, and canopies that could be posed open.
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