3D printed figures from Ard Digital

[ge_rik]

After reading about the 3D printed figures which are available from ARD Digital in the current edition of Garden Rail, I sent off for some - at £5.00 each they seemed good value.

I bought four:
A driver (002)


Another driver (004)


A guard (006)


And a male passenger (Male figure 003)


The first thing that struck me was how light the figures are - they must be hollow and printed in plastic. The level of detail is quite good, though the faces are slightly blobby but for the price are a lot more realistic than other figures available for 16mm scale . The striations of the 3D printing are evident but I'd imagine after a couple of light coats of primer these will just about disappear. The poses are very realistic, as you would expect from a 3D scan of a real person.

They are quite tall, compared with some of my other figures - the guard is 100mm tall (which equates to 6' 4" in 16mm scale) whereas the the shortest figure (the passenger) is 90mm tall (which equates to 5' 7½") which is actually well within the normal range for real people.

What I think is interesting is that the company offers a service to scan a person and produce a 3D model from the scan. Whilst it is quite expensive at £30, I'd imagine that, in time, the range of figures available will expand. I'm always on the lookout for figures which are compatible with the 1930s era in which my railway is set and so I'm tempted to dress my wife and myself up in vintage clothing and get a couple of scanned figures for my railway.

The figures were bought from - http://designscanprint3d.bigcartel.com/

Rik

 

[pugwash]

I'm always on the lookout for figures which are compatible with the 1930s era in which my railway is set and so I'm tempted to dress my wife and myself up in vintage clothing and get a couple of scanned figures for my railway.
Rik

Brilliant idea! Just how cool would that be for you to be on your own railway?

 

[stockers]

Ard were scanning and printing at the 16mm show last month - As Rik says, for 30 quid.

 

[Zerogee]

I realise these particular examples are probably aimed at the 16mm market, but I presume they can (and will) print them in different sizes/scales if you want them to? For G scale, an average-height male figure should be around 80mm tall (actually about 78mm for a 5'9" person).
Jon.

 

[korm kormsen]

those figures look very fine.
but if one goes down to G-scale, or -god forbid- to 1:32, the results get less satisfactory.

for those really interested: http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/24939/3d-adventures/view/post_id/301504

 

[Martino]

I'm still confused about what 'G scale' actually is. What is the mm/ft? That would determine scale. - or a ratio. There isn't even a G gauge. It seems to cover a whole range of things.

 

[trammayo]

I'm still confused about what 'G scale' actually is. What is the mm/ft? That would determine scale. - or a ratio. There isn't even a G gauge. It seems to cover a whole range of things.

When I first started to scratchbuild - long before I knew anything or was aware of Internet sites specific to garden railways, all I had to go on was a 20-odd year old LGB catalogue. So I started to build to the supposed scale (1:22) in that publication.

Trouble is, I was modelling the 3ft gauge stuff so all was really undersize! Then I bought a Bachmann train set and a couple of trams - they proved that I must have been right (?) adopting the LGB scale.

Then I sat down and worked it out - mm to the foot. Never mind! 3ft. = 15mm per foot (approx.!) - 1:20.

Figures are a real problem. I would think that a 16mm figure (at 6ft tall) would only be 6mm taller than the same figure in 15mm to the foot - i.e only less than a quarter inch. But it doesn't seem to work out like that!

 

[dunnyrail]

Martino you are right to be confused. G is a term coined by a Manufacturer to give Garden Railways on 45mm Track a 'Handle' other than 16mm which in itself is a Scale but does not truly necesarily indicate a Track Gauge. So we have in G Metre Gauge, 750 + 760mm, 2ft 6in and Standard Gauge which of course should be called Gauge 1. But G1 stuff in G can be used in NG and in some cases has changeable buffers (Piko and LGB) with the scale mixed about a bit. Mixing Scales is all over the place with LGB playing around with their Flexible Ruler to match sizes. So where do you go?

1 if you want to be correct then 3ft Track on 45mm at 15mm to the Foot (Irish or Isle of Man just 2 examples) then you are in a great place.
2 Sachen at 750mm and Austrian at 760 are also great places to be, having plenty of support from LGB.
3 Harz Metre and even Swiss sits well and with proportions to my eye pretty near perfect.
4 Standard Gauge, if you can live with possibly limited Rolling Stock and do not mix up NG stuff this can be very satisfying too.
But if you do go to other places that work for you (and others that I will have missed out above) what the - Rule 1 can always apply. After all it is just a Hobbly and for fun.
JonD

 

[stockers]

Someone once said (David Pratt I think), Scales are for fish!

To put a few more details to those above, LGB started out as meter gauge on 45mm tracks. That is fairly exactly 22.5 to 1.
Then then started on Austrian and Saxon stock which is sort of 20.3 to 1 but to make everything all cosy to run together, they adjusted the size of stock to match the meter gauge stock - largely ignoring any exact scale.
Along comes the USA market with their big diesels. Now on 45mm track these should be Gauge 1, being 31 to 1 or 32 to 1 or even 10mm/ft (all very similar but not the same - even gauge one don't know quite where they are!)) BUT, by then LGB was the market leader so the big American diesels were made to visually match LGB - this being some thing like 29 to 1, but again, made to look right rather than to any exact scale.
Then we mix and mach 3ft. 3ft 6in, 750mm, 760mm, 800mm (rack lines),and many others using the standard track availability of 32 or 45mm.
That is a gross simplification but you see where its come from - basically a complete mess.

 

[pugwash]

I'm still confused about what 'G scale' actually is. What is the mm/ft? That would determine scale. - or a ratio. There isn't even a G gauge. It seems to cover a whole range of things.

 

[Zerogee]

I agree that "G scale" is a confusing and nebulous thing, the only real constant being the 45mm gauge track and then whatever "looks right" running on it..... my mention of "G scale" figures was because, while I will happily run a variety of scales as far as locos and rolling stock are concerned, I DO like my figures to look right together, within the typical range of real humans - so if I was to have a figure 3D printed, I'd want it to match height-wise with those from Preiser, Pola, Prehm, Bachmann (Europe - the resin figures, not the 1:20.3 size US ones), Noch etc.....

Jon.

 

[korm kormsen]

well, historically there were the smaller gauges "zero" or "0" (32mm) and "Half-zero" "H0" and so on...
and the bigger gauges of "1" (45mm/1:32), "2" (64mm/1:22.5) and "3" (89mm/1:16) (all representing "Standard gauge")

then came LGB...
they started out, making trains in 1:22.5 (using a rubber-ruler) on 45mm track. (representing 1meter narrow gauge.) their trains were Gauge 2m.
but they sold them as "G". for "Garden" and/or "great". - "G-scale" was born.
then came along northamerican producers and called everything, that runs on 45mm by the name "Largescale" (parafrasing the "great" introduced by LGB.

for those interested: http://kormsen.info/scales/

to make it short, when i wrote about "G-scale" figures, i meant 1:22.5 figures.

 

[Martino]

Thanks gents. My feeble attempt at late night sarcasm, for which I genuinely apologize.

I saw some Bachmann figures advertised in Garden Railway magazine this month and they were advertised as G scale. My mind immediate questions 'which G scale'. There was then discussion about these being 16mm/ft and larger than their 'normal' G scale.

I try to model at 15mm/ft to fit my supposedly 3' gauge railway, running on 45mm track. However, I'm forced to use some 16mm stuff. It only makes a difference with figures and buildings though. Car models show up as a problem too. 1/20th works, but so much available is either over or under scale. Buildings - even Garden Railway Specialists seem to be way to small for 15mm/ft.

Here in my part of the US the answer about my garden railroad is usually met with confusion as the perception is that I'm running standard gauge stock - which would effectively be Gauge 1 and 1:32 or 10mm/ft or 3/8"/ft.

We have much to thank LGB for, but 'scale' is not one! My New Orleans streetcar is a case in point, which confuses matters by running on 45mm gauge track supposedly representing a gauge of 5' 2.5".

If we were to be correct, we all model in Grosse, Garden, Grand or Large scales. ...anything over 0 gauge (30-33mm gauge track) representing standard gauge.....up to model engineering scales.

The term F scale may be a solution. F and Fn are explained here:
http://www.cumberlandmodelengineering.com/WhatIsFScale.html

Anyway, apologies for derailing the thread and getting on my soap box.

 

[Zerogee]

Thanks gents. My feeble attempt at late night sarcasm, for which I genuinely apologize.
...................... The term F scale may be a solution. F and Fn are explained here:
http://www.cumberlandmodelengineering.com/WhatIsFScale.html

Anyway, apologies for derailing the thread and getting on my soap box.

No apology needed, Martino - and thanks for the link explaining F scale, though that is, I suspect, dangerously far into rivet-counter territory for most of us on here - I particularly noted their repeated and somewhat derogatory references to pretty much all the established "G" scale manufacturers as "Toy Train" makers..... I suspect that they REALLY wouldn't approve of Rule Eight, but then it's probably difficult for them to get their heads around a concept like that when those heads are that far up their a***s......

Jon.

 

[beavercreek]

rivetting.............. .........

 

[trammayo]

rivetting.............. .........

Or Fasten(ating) ...

 

[PhilP]

Most the rivets applied are way too big, anyway!

(ducks for cover)...

Now, as for the heretical re-birth of a 'bastardised' GWR logo..

 

[casey jones snr]

I have purchased four of these figures. Except for the facial detail they are not that bad. They are very light, ideal for fitting in various locomotives. I painted my figures using Halfords enamel undercoat, then various Humbrol acrylic paints.

 

[KeithT]

I have purchased four of these figures. Except for the facial detail they are not that bad. They are very light, ideal for fitting in various locomotives. I painted my figures using Halfords enamel undercoat, then various Humbrol acrylic paints. View attachment 211596 View attachment 211595

What great figures. Price?
That is one hell of a steep incline - 1 in 5!!?

 

[casey jones snr]

What great figures. Price?
That is one hell of a steep incline - 1 in 5!!?

Figures were £5 each plus p&p.
The 1 in 5 incline also contains a sharp curve.