3d printed ship models
Original post: 7/3/2019
This is the IJN destroyer Akizuki, created in 1/450 scale. It was my first project designed for and printed with my new Ender 3 Pro 3D printer.
The Akizuki class was one of the finest, IJN destroyer designs of WW2. The eight 100mm dual purpose main guns arranged in two super firing pairs fore and aft were of an excellent design. Amidships, the single quad torpedo launcher (with reloads) carried the devastating type 93 Long Lance torpedoes. Aft, Akizuki mounted depth charges, giving her anti submarine capabilities. This model, based on the World of Warships Akisuki, portrays the vessel late in her carrier, with the aft fire director replaced by a triple 25mm AA gun with 3 more pairs of this AA mount: one flanking the tower bridge, a pair before and another after the torpedo launcher.
I’m extremely happy with the Ender 3 Pro’s performance compared to the DaVinci Mini’s: print layers are finer, better aligned and less noticeable and minor print defects are fewer. Its larger print area means bigger prints and fewer glued seams. Due to the heated bed the large hull sections have no noticeable warping and fit together smoothly. The overall quality increase combined with fewer, tight fitting hull seams, gives the models I’ve made with it a crisper, cleaner look.
As I mention in my USS Bogue page:
“To be fair, the DaVinci Mini’s a good printer. It held my hand, no leveling and practically no assembly required. It’s unpacked and printing quickly and the software is simple and intuitive. I may never have tried 3D printing if I thought the learning curve and price were too steep, in short the DaVinci Mini was a gateway printer – and for me, well worth the money.”
I’m pretty sure I’ll add rails and rigging at some point but IJN Akizuki is done for now.
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Do you sell 3D files?
If so, does the models have enough details to be printed in 1/72?
With kind regards,
Rune
Hello Rune,
I’m not currently selling my models, though I do plan to start at some point.
This version of the Akizuki definitely doesn’t have the detail baked into it for a 1/72 scale print. The design was purposely left simplistic in order to be printable at 1/450 with an FDM printer (a Creality Ender 3 Pro). I am reworking some of my earlier models, improving the detail, testing for being manifold and adding basic textures, (though I don’t think I’ll ever get textures down to my satisfaction). There’s a balancing act with detail. You can have too much if you are targeting a relatively small scale like 1/350 or smaller, users will need to remove and simplify things to get a successful print. On the other hand, designs that print great on an FDM printer at 1/350 will look overly simplistic blown up to 1/72. You basically need two different 3D models. Or only cater to users who have a decent amount of editing skills.
Joe