Hi Everyone! I'm Bernie! This is my first time on a model boat forum, so I am excited to share what I have done so far.
What I have 3d printed so far;
*1/35th Armidale class patrol boat (as I served on them). 1.7M in length with functional bow thruster. (1/24th design WIP)
*1/72nd Kanimbla class LPA (as I served on these too). 2.2M in length with bow thruster and built in ballast tank system (to save on transport weight). (WIP)
*1/72nd Smit class supertug. 1M in length. Functioning BT, final design with highest level of detail yet. (WIP)
*1/72nd Olympic class RMS Titanic. 3.7M in length! This one is still a work in progress, but she is designed as a glorified RC submarine for sinking. As such, ballasting needed to be permanent, resulting in 140kg of concrete lining her hull. Ready for launch before final detail fit-out, but currently looking for a trailer for transport.
A little about what I do;
For the past two years I have been developing complete model kits to use 3d printing as the method of producing them. I initially did this to please my own hobbies, but I have had a lot of interest in my successes. So I thought about sharing my creations with others by selling them as kits. Unfortunately I was not able to generate enough sales to develop kits full time, so I had to return to the work force which forced me to shut down my web page (due to lack of time to develop and manage). This is why the links to my web page are no longer active, and I apologize for any inconvenience.
The good news is, I am still working on kit development, and still selling the odd 1/35th Armidale kit when time allows me to do so (as its the only officially complete kit to sell).
I am still aspiring to someday make a full-time job out of this love of robotics and model boats combined, so I am working on dramatically lowering the price of my kits by cutting down the time it takes to manufacture them. I.e. build MORE ROBOTS! The more printers I have, the less time it will take to print a model = cheaper models!
I am currently designing a modular gantry style printer that will combine multiple 12 cubic inch printers into the one module. Not only to use for myself, but to develop as kits for others to buy. The printers that I design are specifically designed to handle large scale prints, and are perfect for printing remote controlled ships. I plan on someday developing an online kit and parts library for all who buy my printers to borrow the designs and print for themselves. I think that 3d printing will be a massive game changer for model boating all over the world, and I hope to be a part of this new and exciting method of creativity.
Future kit plans;
*1/72nd Tirpitz class battleship (with functional steering!)
*Re-designing the 1/35th Armidale kit to a 1/24th model.
*Static models such as the rockets from the space race
*Playing around with laser cutting robots, to design cutout bulkheads for a live steam driven 1/24th Titanic. That's right... your scale calculations are correct... it will be THAT BIG! I'm trying my luck at a kickstarter, as If it is successful the minister of home war & finance has given me approval to start this one earlier. Check out the video of what I plan to do in this link -
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1521707595/worlds-biggest-working-titanic-model-kit?ref=user_menuLet me know what you all think about what I have done so far. And thanks for reading. Hope to chat soon!
Cheers
Bernie