"Fabricator Cart" Complete

The rolling cart for my Prusa 3D printer and cricut cutter is complete.  The cart was originally designed to allow the Prusa printer to fit on the bottom.  Why? because the lower center of gravity reduces any wobble cause by the printer as if prints.  That idea was abandoned after realizing the cart is really solid (it doesn't wobble when the wheels are locked) and I tend to need to fiddle with the 3D printer a lot more than the cricut.  The Cricut is super dependable but I'm batting under .500 for 3D prints.  That's not a knock on the Prusa it's a superb machine and the companies tech support is one of the best I've experienced.  There are just a lot of factors the impact the success of a 3D print and I have yet to really grasp how they all work.  Good old bog standard "user error" at work here.

A ways back, I made a simple tool caddy for the 3D printer which was attached to the cart.  Almost like I planned it that way - which I, of course, did not.  

It's always better to be lucky than smart.

The cart has a big drawer to store the bits and bobs associated with both tools.  It also fits the chip and mat board used with the cricut.

I may add a shelf in the middle to hold filament spools for the printer.   It will be really nice to have all the tools and supplies I use with these two machines located in the same place.   There is a good bit of terrain work remaining for the Stalingrad project so this setup should get a good work out.

It's not very pretty but hopefully she'll be functional, which is a type of beauty all its own.

The cart is built out of construction grade materials.  The four legs and cross braces are 2x4 studs I cut down to 1.75x1.75 inches on my table saw.  The two platforms and drawer unit from scrap 1/2 inch plywood.  The drawer face and sides along the top are cut from a 1x6 board.  I think the total wood cost is under $20 bucks.

Doing little projects like this one to organize my workspace always proves to be a nice break when I get in a hobby rut and helps me figure out ways to change up my modeling workflow.  This hobby of ours has a lot pieces to it between paints, minis, terrain materials and tools so doing a little thinking on organization is actually very helpful.  I also tend to find things I forgot I had when doing these projects which is kind of like getting a prize at the end of the project.   

Stalingrad Project: The Soviet State Bank Building

 

Here is my rendition of the Soviet State Bank building.  All I had to go with are some aerial shorts which confirmed the generale "U" shape but I couldn't find any images of the front or back facades.  Yes my Google-Foo is that weak.  I am highly confident my mistakes will be eagerly pointed out to me by future convention goers in blunt and likely conflicting ways.

It still needs some battle damage and signage but I'm calling this one done.

I did the layout of the building in Inkscape and the had my newest most favoritest tool in the world - the Cricut Maker - cut out all the parts from 2mm thick chipboard.  This time almost everything fit perfectly.  

Almost is close enough for me.

I'm going to switch over to scenicing and painting the terrain I've built so I can stage a few test games up at the club.  I'm about 50% done with building construction and really do need to save something for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.

Univermag Department Store Scratch Build

 

Here is a scratch built version of the iconic Univermag Department store for the Stalingrad table.  The model was designed by me using Inkscape and then cut out on 2mm thick chipboard using my recently acquired Cricut Maker.   

It's not a "true-to-scale" model but I think it captures enough of the "feel" to be used.  A true scale version in 15mm would be 2x the size.  A friend from the club has 3d printed the front entrance, so I may rebuild this using that once I finish removing all the print supports but that's for another post

The curved front section is a bit crude and designed to fit the hex terrain so it's fixed on a 120 degree angle.  The front facade was cut flat and then the chipboard was curved by misting it with water and forming along the side of a 1 quart can of paint.  In hindsight, I should have used thineer chipboard (1mm vs 2mm) but it came out OK.

The back view is pretty much made up by yours truly.  I've got no idea how accurate it is but think this is good enough.  There are probably more windows than were actually present but that's easy to fix by just adding a different back panel.  

I'm really pleased with how this model came out.  I built this to really test out the combination of Inkscape and the Cricut for terrain making and am really excited about the prospects.  I made a ton of mistakes and still struggle drawing curves in Inkscape but the combination of the two tools is really improving how I can scratch build terrain.  

3 of the planned 11 "iconic" buildings from central Stalingrad are now built (Pavlov's House, Grundinin Mill and the Univermag).  Next on the list will be the Nail Factory, which was a few hundred meters west of the Univermag.  I've got some pretty good images of what the building looked like, including some online pictures of a Novus Designs model.  As for the rest, I am still looking for some street level pictures and pretty much  now just have overhead aerial imagery.  Those are great for estimating overall size and shape of the footprint but I may be winging it on what the facades look like.

Terrain work on for the Stalingrad table has been called to a halt, as a significant clear out is now called for.  Terrain making is really messy work and by the time I finished assembling the model, I was working in a 6x6 inch piece of space on my workbench.  There are a lot of chipboard scraps from the cutting process which need to be sorted through - there is a lot of material that can still be used.  Chipboard is a very inexpensive material but it's not free so I don't want to waste any if I can avoid it.

Hello Scrapbookers, Can a Grognard Join Your Group?

 

The 15mm Stalingrad project been progressing over the normal discovery course that all my convention game projects seem to follow.  You know, a brief Eureka! moment, followed by frenzied research about the event, an expansion of the original concept because "it's got to be big!" which is quickly followed by a shattering dread that the project is impossible to pull off.

That last stage occurred a little over a week ago - right after I finished the final map mock-up of central Stalingrad and counted the number of buildings/ruins that need to be made.  Rather than post specific numbers, which may induce you to call the authorities and have me put away in a asylum, lets just stick with the elegant and descriptive term "metric but ton" or MBT for short.

In despair, I was casting about the internet with thoughtful search terms like "holy crap, I'm a moron" and "Wargame terrain Magic Wands" when I stumbled across a model railroad channel where they used a Cricut Cutter to make building for the layout.  Normally, any self respecting miniature gamer would eschew the dingy world of Model railroading but these are desperate times.  The device pictured above is called a Cricut Mamer and retails for $300 (US).  It's a computer controlled cutter that cuts across and x and y axis.  The beauty of the device is the controlling software which allows you to drop any image in and have the damn thing cut it out - including super complex designed.  It's not a laser cutter sot the depth of the materials is limited - but for 15mm building walls 2mm thick bass wood and chipboard are perfect.

I use a free program called inkscape to create building designs - it's really easy, upload them the the Cricut design space and let it cut away.  Unlike a 3D printer, I've have yet to to have a misprint that was not the fault of my design - no spaghetti monsters, no slip prints etc.  I've also learned to test cut on regular printer paper before using thicker materials.

The first thing I cut was a very generic set of walls to make into ruins - going from balnk space in inkscape to fully cut part to less than 90 minutes.

Depending on materials, curring times can vary as the blade makes multiple passes.  For 2mm chip board it takes about 16-17 passes to fully cut through the material.  It's time consuming but still faster and more reliable than my 3D printer.  Perhaps it's fairer to say the Cricut is more tolerant of user stupidity than my 3D printer.

As I learn inkscape, I  am starting to make more complicated designed like the revised version of Grundinin's Mill.  

I've got a lot to learn about making my designs fit together well but have enjoyed working with the software.

Is a Cricut better than a 3D printer?  I think the answer is no given a 3D printer (when working) can work in 3 dimensions rather than just 2.  

But if you want to design your own buildings and want a device that is super reliable and works right out of the box, then a cricut is for you.  I was seriously looking at buying a hobby laser cutter when I did stumble on this device.  For hobby use, I think the cricut is way better given it's relatively low price, ease of use and the fact you don't' have to vent it (lasers make smoke).  Oh yeah, I'm less likely to burn my retinas out looking at it cut.  Another positive to the Cricut.

There is a ton of info out there from different crafters on how to use a cricut.  It's really not form a gaming point of view but is very useful none-the-less.  

I'll be doing some more articles on the pluses and minuses of this machine but right now I'm really happy with it.