I
am now fully convinced that 3d printing is the way of the future in our little hobby after recently sampling some breathtaking examples of the 3d printed form. I know a lot of guys have embraced 3d printing with passion and I can see why. The photos you see here are from a very talented Australian Modeler Mark Kerr. I don’t own a 3d printer but given the results I have seen, I have been thinking about purchasing one. The real problem, at least for me, is where to start? I know there are lots of online how-to videos out there but is also nice to talk to someone about it and in turn discover the benefits and pitfalls of this new medium.
INTERVIEW
Luke:
Good to have you with us this month Mark. Can you tell us a little of your background? What led you into our hobby in the first place?
Mark:
I was really into the hobby as a teenager, then drifted away from it for around 25 years. Like a lot of people, I returned to the hobby around the start of 2020, however in my case it was two months pre-covid. Smoke from the nearby catastrophic bushfires effectively had the whole city stuck indoors. It was also summer school holidays. I went to buy the kids LEGO to keep them entertained, also came back with a few model kits for myself.
Luke:
Interesting. Okay Mark, if a modeler wants to get into 3d printing, do they need a particular skill set?
Mark:
As I see it, there is two different reasons to get into 3D printing for scale models. The first is because you would like to download and print models designed by others, the second is because you would like to create your own designs.
When it comes to printing existing designs, modellers already possess the skillset required. Patience, precision, working with plastic parts, cutting off excess material, gluing, sanding, etc. The only real additional skill is you do want to be reasonably computer literate as you will need to learn to use an application called a slicer to prepare your prints for the printer.
Creating your own designs requires learning 3D modelling. I’m not going to lie; this takes a fair bit of perseverance. 3D modelling applications are necessarily complex, and the initial learning curve is steep. There are however a lot of books, tutorials, courses, forums, etc. that can help with this.