Thanks to an amazing deal I scored for a number of SierraWest O-Scale kits, I've been toying around in the dark side recently. Don't worry, I'm staying firmly planted in HO (waaaay too much invested), but I'm enjoying dipping my toe in the larger scale now and then.
One of the many things that whisked me away with these particular kits are the details originally from CHB Models. Then a thought took over.
What if we could produce high-end, complex details like those from CHB on 3D printers? All you’d need to do is separate the parts with enough experience to know they would not only print well but also construct well. Not forgetting, of course, access to a talented 3D artist (not me!). Well, I had both, so I commissioned a friend to prototype, in 3D, the original Brown & Sharpe Universal Miller machine that CHB produced.
After a few short days of back and forth, sculpting and cutting, we landed here:
Detailed as this 3D model is, some parts are easier to source than print. Like feed belts and coolant pipes (paper and brass rod). We broke down the machine into almost 25 separate pieces and then I scaled the machine for O-Scale and printed it using my custom high-res print settings on my brand new Elegoo Saturn. Everything printed extremely well.
In the construction, tiny details like the handles were the difficult to deal with but not impossible. In O-Scale a single handle measures around 2mm. Whilst the resin was stable, working with these small details takes time and a magnifier — but it’s all about the details and things like this make the machine POP with life so they are worth the effort.
In painting, I used a machine-green base, dark silver highlights, silver leaf “Rub N’ Buff” on top of that, and then weathered with AK Interactive enamels and oils including Engine Grime, Engine Oil and Axle Grease.
Apart from the the hydraulic hose (wire cable), the coolant pipe (.015 brass rod), the over-arm (.072 brass rod) and the feed belt (brown construction paper) everything you see here was 3D printed. Essentially, the entire machine.
I know the paint job isn’t the best, but the quality of the machine speaks for itself. Even those tiny handles came out looking perfect.
I'm already producing more machinery and may make some of them available for a limited run, should there be any interest. Let me know below!
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