More designs sent for 3D printing: T Gauge Class 37s
Excitement, I had an email today letting my know that my latest couple of orders from Shapeways are now in production. Soon I hope to be able to show pics of the 'printed' N gauge Class 139 People Mover...
...and also, here is a teaser of my latest tiny T gauge project: (as seen first in the T gauge group B) )
Note that the sides are smooth, as I figured that at this scale it would be wise to combine the wrap around livery, and grille details, into a single decal! The tiny Class 37 will be made from 'Frosted Ultra Detail', see http://www.shapeways.com/materials/frosted_detail
I suspect that there is much more detail on these models than will actually show on the print, but it will be interesting to zoom into some photos and see what has come out in the final reckoning!
The other interesting element of trying to get involved with an emerging new scale is the compromises it entails. These '37s are wrapped around an existing mechanism which pretty much dictates the dimensions....
You suddenly feel for the designers of early N gauge models, Im thinking about the beautifully crisply moulded but grotesquely over scale Lima Deltics, the sort that we point and laugh at today with our finescale standards. Set with the challenge of adapting somebody elses mechanism to a UK prototype in the latest 'mini' scale, you end up pulling similar tricks. T gauge is supposed to be 1:450 scale, these Class 37s are more like 1:400.
The answer, I guess, is that they are never going to be finescale renditions of a prototype, but more a representative object to trundle scenically around the rolling scenery of an epic layout!
Anyhow, the proof of the pudding will be in the printing, as soon as the courier arrives with the goodies I shall let you all see what has emerged. The package should include:
1x N gauge Class 139
3x T gauge Class 37 locomotives
1x T gauge 'bubble car' railcar
1x T gauge Class 139*
*The last of which was more of a joke order to make the order up to the minimum order quantity... It will be about the size of a solitary baked bean
(and yes, the big challenge will be remembering where I put it!)
- 2
7 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now