Hello World! And a Valdor tank hunter WIP Pt1

Hello world!

So, what am I doing here? Well, I love modelling, both digitally and physically and I love all things sci-fi, particularly machinery-based sci-fi, like Blomkamp and Ghost in the Shell, and in the Warhammer 40k hobby I found a way to get them both together, so without further adieu, I'll show you guys a project I'm currently working on.

Valdor Tank hunter

If there's one thing we all can universally agree is that Forge World models are hella expensive! Another thing we can all agree is that they're also hella cool! So, since I don't want to eat ramen and bread for a couple of months in order to be able to afford FW models, I've decided to scratchbuild one. Besides, it's a great exercise in modelling.


Usually, I built everything by hand, including the primitive shapes. These were built with expanded PVC sheets, since they're cheaper, thicker and easier to cut, although the finish can be a little rough. After that, I covered the PVC sheets with very thin HIPS sheets (also known as plasticard or sheet styrene) to obtain a smooth base shape in order to be detailed later. But usually some of the more compound shapes were either very hard or nearly impossible to make using these methods, so I've started investigating other methods, from making base shapes out of foam or even LEGOs, to then cover in styrene. Then it hit me. Why not use a 3d printer? The technology is cheap and (sort of) readily available. So I did.

For this project I've decided to marry both 3d printing and scratchbuilding. Currently at work, we have a few FDM printers besides an SLA one, so it was only natural that I used them. The first stage was to build a rudimentary 3d model of the hull and the gun mount based on the Malcador templates.
This was then 3d printed in an FDM machine (in this particular case, a 5th generation Makerbot, for those who care)

Then I've cut the side components from the aforementioned  Malcador template and mounted them using UHU spray glue on sheets of styrene, cutted and glued them together.

The printed hull and sponsons got covered in Tamiya putty and then, after drying, sanded in order to get a smooth surface. FDM 3D printing, as a result of its additive nature, leaves the layer steps visible, and not smooth, so it needs some finishing. In the image below, the hull wasn't puttied and sanded yet, only the grey sponsons.