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23 July 2024
There are many mini hovertrain projects in the air right now here at 3DRPG Studios in sunny Chandler, AZ! So, we thought a train buffet of topics would be a nifty post today! Grab a plate and some cutlery, and dig in!
We’re currently juggling five hovertrain side quests including:
That’s a lot of DnD balls in the air, but we’re excited to share all the great progress with you so your own campaign can come along for the ride.
Let’s begin by looking at the print progress of our inaugural hovertrain train cars. Remember, each car is comprised of twelve prints: four undercarriages, two door frames, two doors, and four themed tiles. We use adaptive layering in all our slices, which increases print time but also overall FDM print quality.
The WIP designation means those cars’ remaining pieces are currently being printed or clamped for gluing in some way, shape, or form. The problem is we keep wanting to add more cars! For example, the Bar Car and Empty Freight Flattop cars were too irresistible not to be included in our starting hovertrain.
So you can see, we’ve made decent progress, with a few learning lessons along the way. With all our glee, we didn’t realize that a couple of our exterior-themed tiles didn’t quite match on all sides, but that’s okay. Trains are often a mishmash of cars and colors, so we’re on point in that regard (or at least that’s what we’re telling ourselves). 😉
Let’s change gears and share a couple of our novice paint jobs for The Forgotten Rails security Constructs – the “protect” portion of their “protect and serve” motto. We must stress that DM Ben did these paints, and they are by no means of the fancy variety. Our resident and partner painters are feverishly working on other projects, but we wanted to keep this 3D-printed train project moving, so DM Ben shrugged off his anxiety and took a stab at ’em.
The first miniature here is our Constable Construct. It patrols the hovertrain station platforms and ensures we have order. Here are the paint steps he used for this EC3D Designs Bolts & Brimstone mini.
This imposing, tall glass of water had the most paint steps, but he was really fun to watch come alive. Don’t fret; the rest of the minis paint schemes are much simpler and faster to execute.
We’ve also picked out nearly all of The Forgotten Rails’ labor constructs, so let’s share a few of those fun finds! These two robotic rail workers are dubbed “Lifters,” and they have the sole repetitive job of loading and unloading cargo and materials.
Our big flexing fella is by mz4250 and is a free download. It can power lift very large heavy crates. Consider this the service muscle of the worker group.
The smaller construct is by Captain Fathom and is also a free download. It reminds us of today’s budding yet awkward AI robot tech. Those will be lights and sensors on its arms (not weapons), and its core function is to lift smaller packages for travelers…sorta like a traditional train’s porter role.
Lastly, our hovertrain cars need a light source, right? Well, look no further than this Flickering Knight by Loot Studios. It illuminates a cabin and provides an extra layer of protection should the passengers get a bit too rambunctious during their travel.
Once again, DM Ben mustered up the courage and utilized these colors:
So good, right?
Several of these Constructs, including the Constable Construct, the Flickering Knight, and our Stone Scar Earth Elemental, will utilize clear bases. We tried a pack of the Wizkids Deep Cuts, but we were a bit underwhelmed by their quality. So, we’re going to try some Litko clear bases off Amazon. They’re going to be a little thinner, but we get more of them for our money. We’re also going to try their acrylic cement, which is ideal for this type of plastic gluing.
We hope you enjoyed our hovertrain smorgasbord post today! There is certainly plenty more in store for our next Train Tuesday, including new Construct Service minis and easy-to-apply paint guides.
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