# Suggestions on 3d printer and sources for files



## marioporto (Jul 22, 2020)

I’m wondering if anyone has had success 3d printing G scale figures? I’d welcome some suggestions on printers, material, source files, etc. way too many options for a novice like me to sort it out! Does anyone know of any publications or books on the subject? Thanks!


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## Jaxster (Oct 17, 2013)

marioporto said:


> I’m wondering if anyone has had success 3d printing G scale figures? I’d welcome some suggestions on printers, material, source files, etc. way too many options for a novice like me to sort it out! Does anyone know of any publications or books on the subject? Thanks!


I would suggest looking into the services Like Shapways to test print some things. I believe you will find that a resin printer will serve you best for detailed figures.


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## MGates (Mar 16, 2016)

I will second a resin (SLA) printer for the more detailed items like small figurines or detail parts for rolling stock such as air hose connectors, pumps, etc. A good resin printer that won't break the bank is the Elegoo Mars or Elegoo Saturn. The Mars has a smaller print volume than the Saturn (makes sense considering the difference in size of the actual planets) so check them both out to see what size would best fit your needs.

Since resin prints need to be cleaned and then UV-cured, you may consider also buying a cleaning station and curing station along with your printer. Often times, you can find a "starter" bundle that has the printer, cleaning station, curing station, and a bottle of resin all together. I believe Elegoo has these bundles, and Elegoo makes a 2-in-1 washing and curing station, so that's one less piece of equipment to buy. SLA photopolymer resin typically costs about $60 a liter, you will get many prints with that much resin.

There are a few websites that host 3D printing files that creators make and post up for anyone to use as long as it isn't for a commercial use. The most popular ones are Thingiverse.com, Printables.com, Thangs.com, and cults3d.com Searching for G Scale, Gauge 1, Model Railroad, or other related terms will bring up 3D models. The nice thing is that you can use an HO scale model (1:87), just size it up before printing to the scale you are working in!

Best of luck with your projects,
Mike


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## marioporto (Jul 22, 2020)

MGates said:


> I will second a resin (SLA) printer for the more detailed items like small figurines or detail parts for rolling stock such as air hose connectors, pumps, etc. A good resin printer that won't break the bank is the Elegoo Mars or Elegoo Saturn. The Mars has a smaller print volume than the Saturn (makes sense considering the difference in size of the actual planets) so check them both out to see what size would best fit your needs.
> 
> Since resin prints need to be cleaned and then UV-cured, you may consider also buying a cleaning station and curing station along with your printer. Often times, you can find a "starter" bundle that has the printer, cleaning station, curing station, and a bottle of resin all together. I believe Elegoo has these bundles, and Elegoo makes a 2-in-1 washing and curing station, so that's one less piece of equipment to buy. SLA photopolymer resin typically costs about $60 a liter, you will get many prints with that much resin.
> 
> ...


Thanks Mike , great suggestions!!


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## marioporto (Jul 22, 2020)

Jaxster said:


> I would suggest looking into the services Like Shapways to test print some things. I believe you will find that a resin printer will serve you best for detailed figures.


Thanks Jaxster!


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

marioporto said:


> 3d printing G scale figures? I


R Kapaalua in hawaii created a whole range of figures that he sells. See
Update Scalehumans tonight
His website seems dead and he's not posted since 2017 so maybe he moved on.

There's a company in the UK that prints you in G scale. They scan you and run off a model. Probably something similar over here?

Lots of hits on Google. . .


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## Martan (Feb 4, 2012)

You can pick up a Creality Halot One Resin printer for about $200 or so on Amazon. Thingiverse.com has many figures, I have a few up myself. Thingiverse - Digital Designs for Physical Objects

I printed this fellow on my Halot One, he is a preacher for the church on my layout:


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## RobMW (Aug 7, 2011)

I agree with the others about using a resin printer. My Mars3 is hopefully arriving today. The filament prints I have made in the past require a lot of post print processing to get them smooth and even then they are pretty sub-par. They have ended up in the shadows of buildings.
Do your research on resin printers though as they have a lot of "cons" as well as "pros". The "cons" mostly revolve around toxicity and safety. The "risks" are of course manageable and even more so with water washable resins. I have read about an "ABS like" resin but I think even that, like most prints, require a good paint job to survive outside.
There are a number of online sources for figures. My go to is Thingiverse, but I have been playing with "Make Human" and Blender just recently. See YouTube for tutorials. The MakeHuman community have created other clothes etc to upload into the app. so you are not limited to the default app "geometries" (aka clothing).


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## marioporto (Jul 22, 2020)

Thanks for the advice!


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## RobMW (Aug 7, 2011)

Quick update... I've been using the Mars3 and it has made some nice looking figures. 
Town People by ringmaster (The blue and white dudes are "Bionic Man" on my Tinkercad)
builder 3d scan by Amforma (Vassili - the purple guy is a little to tall and has "support" pits on his belly but "(th)Addledoo")
Cant remember where I found Sledgehammer man.

Im still learning the dark art of 3d printing, so they are a little disproportionate.
The White shirt guy I increased the girth in Lychee slicer, compared to the blue painted guy to make him look thicker.
Vassilli needs thicker arms as they are a bit puny for a big bloke.

But get this ... the bags of BS are the most downloaded objects from my TinkerCAD site... LOL.


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## fyrekop (Sep 20, 2011)

I don't have a 3D printer (yet) but was introduced to it at the conference in Denver this past year. Wondering if anyone out there has printed a replacement for the leading wheel truck on a Aristo-Craft C-16. Heard sometime ago that it wasn't unusual for that part to break.
Thanks


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

fyrekop said:


> if anyone out there has printed a replacement


GLX Scale Models in Canada is making a business of printing parts for Aristocraft locos. Take a look at their website: GLX Scale Models Inc.


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