I am sending out this question below on behalf of Carlos Pinto, our Z-scale friend in Portugal. I will respond back with all of our answers directly to him, although I am encouraging him to also become a member of TRAINBOARD too! Side note: He is also working on some new trucks. ———————————————————— I wanted to ask you a question, as I am a goldsmith, I work with any type of metal (gold, silver, bronze and brass). What do you think of the idea of producing metal vehicles? The price would be different, but it would be an item that would last a lifetime. I could make it in brass.... it's an idea I've had for some time, what do you think? Could you one day do a survey among your friends who are close to Z scale miniatures? I would like to know different opinions about this project. Best regards, Carlos ———————————————————- Comments, thoughts, yea, nay? I will start off by saying, I think the resin printed vehicles are more than sufficient and one is capable of doing multiple vehicles as well. I believe his concept of the vehicles lasting longer makes sense, but in reality the resin printed vehicles are sufficient and I see no gain with metal being used. And I also wonder if there would be a cost factor increase with metal. I’m sure that’s something he would have to tell us.
I am ok with his resin printed offerings. After all, they are scale models, not toys. If the price was not crazy-high I would still buy from him.
Not too much interested in metal vehicles, though I do own a number of them. I don't see any advantage over the resin printed models.
Lance, I love brass, but not sure what the benefit is. With a locomotive it gives you more weight and better traction, but not necessary for a model vehicle. The only other benefit is soldering ability, but you can glue to resin. Again, brass is nice, but is it necessary? Scott
Yep I’m the same opinion as you three. I’m not sure what the benefit would be, but maybe as a jeweler, Carlos is coming at it from that angle. I’m sure the jewelry products he makes is designed to last a lifetime. He’s probably thinking the same thing of these semi trucks that he makes for us. The advantages and cost savings of resin printing are that you can print multiple copies of them in one shot. Now granted he’s not going to make these trucks one at a time in metal, but at the same time I suspect there would be a cost increase which is something I could do without.
I agree with all of the above... Maybe there is a market for brass cars in Germany. The bronze freight cars and locomotives by Marklin are selling well, is my impression. Like the limited edition gold, silver and bronze locomotive set (88853) for $$$$. Never did understand why, really. Matt
Lance, Maybe Carlos was thinking of having the brass vehicles printed. I don't know if he has access to a metal printer, but other rapid prototyping companies have the ability besides Shapeways. Scott
Yeah, that crossed my mind too. Carlos is signing up for TRAINBOARD, so maybe he’ll chime in shortly……
I thing there is a place for brass cars too. I would only glue down the resin or plastic cars, but the metal ones I would move around the layout a lot, especially if they are painted super nice. I have a small collection of the excellent painted glossy metal cars coming from ebay that I do that with.
Hello everyone. Lance, thank you for asking my question here on this forum. Quick explanation, I wouldn't print the vehicles in metal. The process would be to make a mold of an existing vehicle of mine, and from there, make a casting in the desired metal. Just like my impressions, the model would be delivered complete. other models with more details, then it would probably have to be done in several pieces. But after arriving in the workshop, I would put everything together and weld it. customer's final process, painting. Carlos pinto.
WELCOME TO TRAINBOARD CARLOS!!! There are several good responses above from the members. Feel free to post pics here on the forum as well of anything you are working on. Everyone would love to see it. Sample pics would be great! Lance
Welcome to Trainboard Carlos I am wondering what the advantage of Metal vs Resin would be? Stronger? more durable? What about detail would being made of metal allow you be able to add metal ladder racks and maybe a ladder or a kayak to the back of a pickup? or a roof rack to the top of a SUV. Maybe a Rollbar in a open top Jeep Wrangler? What about rolling wheels would it be easier and/ or more durable to have Rolling wheels on a metal vehicle vs resin? (thinking about the moving vehicles Bryan has on Loren's moving highway) I'm going to agree with rray i think their may be some advantages to have some vehicles that are resin/metal hybrids or made entirely of metal. David
Hello. Small pieces on metal, Will lose detail. Some brands have laser cut for That small pieces. But they are flat. Rolling wheels on a metal vehicle vs resin. Is possible, But in a product that is static, is it really worth it? for example, truck mirrors and wheel protectors are much better in metal. In my case, it is rare for me to print resin mirrors for trucks, they are fragile. I can use new, more flexible resins, but it is still a fragile piece.
On a Static model no its probably not worth it. But some of the cars and trucks on a couple of the modules Bryan has are not static. Some move up and down the Highways.
Carlos, For me, high levels of detail and a good price are most important. The vehicles you currently produce have excellent detail. True, some details will not produce well with a 3D printer, such as mirrors and exhaust stacks, but there may be ways around that. Same with rolling wheels - where there’s a will, there’s a way. However, I’d estimate that 98% of Z-scalers are happy with static vehicles. The big question I have is - will metal vehicles cost a lot more? From other suppliers, there seems to be a higher cost for metal. 3D resin is not an expensive material, but the labor to create the modeling takes a lot of time and I assume the labor is the same for metal.
Hello, yes, the price Will go up. For example, a Simple car ( in resine), i Will charge $4, I believe that the same brass vehicle (example for a metal I work with) could cost $15. (approximately). the price will be a little more escalated.
I personally like the idea of more details in a sturdier package. I might be in the minority but I say: yes! -Tiest
