1:1 Scale S&W Model 10 'Kit' - Part 3

 Moving on the base colour painting of the revolvers grips, I began with another round of masking!

First of all, as you can see, there was the fine masking of the outline of the grips. But then, as I had already base-coated the frame in black, I also had to find a way of quickly masking the rest of the gun to prevent any over-spray...

Yep, a plastic bag (actually a stay-fresh sandwich bag)! Quick and very convenient.

I then laid down a base coat of a hazelnut paint, but as the grips are meant to be wooden I wanted to try and create a multi-tonal background for the fake wood-grain effect I had planned to go over this. So, I did some light dry-brushing with various shades of brown to create a streaking effect...

This completed my base layers onto which I would apply my finishing weathering effects. But before I begin to start these I decided to take a very quick snap of the progress so far and apply a filter to get an idea of how I might approach the final photography for this project...

Will I eventually go with a sepia effect or just a straight noire-like B&W photograph for my set of props for this project? Sepia does give a bit of a vintage look but it's a bit false in my opinion as by the 1930s sepia photographs were already a little anachronistic.

I think I would prefer to go with a slicker and moody black and white. It's more evocative of the hard-boiled detective movies of the time.

While I now start to plan my weathering of the revolver model I'm also starting to look around for the rest of the period props to go with the gun for the photo-diorama (I plan a shot of a detective's desk with several items and nick-knacks relevant to a 30s detective). In fact, I've already picked up my next prop...

Above: Dress Up America 939 Kids Pretend Play Police ID Wallet

I thought a detectives wallet, ID and badge would complement the revolver really well. Obviously I would have to make up a realistic ID and badge - both of which will be the subject of my next project once the revolver is complete. (I was thinking - maybe - an FBI badge?) 

NEXT: Weathering the revolver.

1:1 Scale S&W Model 10 'Kit' - Part 2

Painting the Prop Revolver...
Because the cylinder included additional detail - such as the bullets in the chambers - I had to begin the base coating by spraying this part first before installing it...

I'm applying this base coat using a satin acrylic spray. I did some research about how other people painting prop guns and I decided to go for a black base and then to apply a powdered graphite dusting which I would then polish up for a gunmetal metallic finish... Fingers crossed!

But before finishing of the rest of the frame in the black I would have to mask off the grips - which I will be giving a wood effect finish. I began by sketching out where the frame and grips would be before applying the making tape...

Now, the astute among you will probably be saying 'why didn't he spray the wood colour base coat before he masked out the frame'? Good question, and the simple answer is that I don't have the right colour brown at the moment but want to crack on with the job! 😖

One of the down-sides of this current lockdown is that I can't just pop out to my local hobby shop, most of my stuff has to be ordered from Amazon (if they have it). The consequence of this is that when the correct brown spray arrives (and I did toy with the idea of just hand painting it) I will have to re-mask the revolver again to spray just the grip!

Anyway, moving on quickly... 😑

SO, I sprayed the frame - I'm kinda disappointed that my airbrush is out of action at the moment so I'm having to resort to using a rattle can spray BUT because the surface of this print is so uneven (despite my efforts) I'm thinking the extra thickness of basecoat is probably a good thing! 😉

This gives me the basic black I need to start to build up a metallic look and that's what I'll be testing next as well as - hopefully - working on the 'wood' grips!

1:1 Scale S&W Model 10 'Kit' - Part 1.5!

 A bit of an addition to Part 1 of this project, but not quite Part 2 (the actual painting)...

This is one of those occasions where choosing the 'easy' option turned out not to be so easy after all. I chose this particular 3D model of a revolver to print as it had the fewer component parts - this was achieved by the designer by crating the 3D file from a 3D scan of an original object. (There was an alternative revolver model on THINGYVERSE that was a proper 3D constructed object with multiple parts BUT it did not have the option for the 'snub' nosed version of the gun.)

Now, I'm only a novice at all this 3D modelling stuff but one thing I seem to have noticed is that while 3D scanning is great for producing a very quick virtual model of the object you want - none of that tricky 3D design stuff - it has one slight downside. The cheaper 3D scanners don't seem to be hugely accurate or of tremendous resolution and seem to result in some unwanted surface imperfections (which gives the model as sort of weird mottled texture).

Above: Here is a preview shot of the scanned 3D model gun's cylinder that
I chose to make. Note the uneven and wrinkly surface texture!

Above: Here is the cylinder from an alternative revolver model which
was created in a 3D design application. Note the smoother, even surface.

The upshot of this - in the case of my model gun - was that what time I saved by using a low component model I lost by then having to do a LOT of surface clean-up! Du-Oh! 😣

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off To Work We Go!
In Part 1 of this project I got to the point in the model construction where I thought I had a model ready for painting (which would have been Part 2). Er, no...

Above: All my 'completed' components laid out 'ready for painting'!

The main problem arose - as it often does in modelling - when the primer was applied to the model. In this case I was already somewhat aware of the uneven surface texture of the model but hoped that the filling and sanding I had already done had taken care of the worse of the defects. BUT, as an extra precautionary step I decided to use my new filler/primer spray rather than just a normal paint primer as a base coat.

Now, the down side of priming can be that the smooth base coat layer can have the effect of highlighting any more subtle surface defects that you perhaps didn't notice when the model was in 'the raw'. And such was the case with my revolver...

Above: Applying Plastic Putty to some of the deeper dinks!

Although the thick and gloopy filler putty spray did help smooth out some of the more shallow wrinkles in the scanned model I found that there was still some pitting here and there. So, 'plan B' was to try and rectify these with an extra surface repair material - Vallejo's 'Plastic Putty'.

Plastic putty is a funny stuff, it's an acrylic (water based) putty - almost a cream in consistency - that can be squeezed or brushed onto the model and when soothed out onto the surface - like plaster - fills seam lines and slight gaps.

An alternative to this product is 'Mr. Surfacer 500' liquid putty, but I like the immediacy of Plastic Putty. This is also why I am using it instead of my usual go-to filler putty - Milliput - which demands to be left to cure for 12 hours before sanding.

I simply dab on small dots of plastic putty to cover pitting or squeeze out a thins line of putty in the case of seam lines...

Then I use a wetted smooth and wise brush to gently smear the putty into the defects and carefully blend the excess out over the surrounding area. I leave the putty for just a few minutes - this is all it needs to start drying, be warned - and then I further blend away any unwanted putty...

As I say this is a great 'quick fix' approach which is rather more of a cosmetic technique. Deeper faults would require something like Milliput and plastic putty does have it's downside. Too much excess putty is bad as while you can sand it - after at least and hour of curing - it doesn't sand brilliantly well. You can run the risk of chipping or tearing off some of the repair work you have done if you aren't careful... So, be careful! 😁

SO NOW...

I think I am ready to start painting! LOL

1:1 Scale S&W Model 10 'Kit' - Part 1

Well, no sooner had I decided that multipart 3D prints can count as 'kits' than I started on my next project. This time it's a life size revolver!

The background for this is my interest in solo role playing - I'm a fan of the Lovecraft Mythos horror - and unlike group RPGs it's somewhat harder to 'get into the spirit' of the game so heavily based on atmosphere as is a Mythos 'investigation'.

'Call of Cthulhu' is one of the most popular Lovcraftian Mythos RPG systems
and it includes a nice solo scenario which is my preferred means of playing.

(For those of you not familiar with a Mythos RPG - like 'Call of Cthulhu' - it's part horror and part detective story. Think of Scooby Doo if it were directed by Wes Craven!)

Anyway, to get into the mood some solo players like to 'dress' their game table with some suitable and relevant 'props'. In my case I am collecting a few items reminiscent of a 1930s private eye - hence the S&W 'Detective'-style revolver (I'm a big fan of the 1930's hardboiled detective movies)...

Trouble Is My Business...

3D Printing a model is - for a novice like myself - can be a bit of a challenge in itself, but as this will be a prop it will add an extra modelling dimension to the project. After printing I will be painting the model and trying to achieve as realistic looking effect as I can - I'm just not quite sure if my painting skills are up to it. We shall see...

To begin, I found the model I wanted on THINGYVERSE (well, I actually wanted a Colt Detective .38 but the S&W was the next best thing). The model isn't very complex and looks like it was 3D scanned so the texture is a little janky, but passable for a prop...

On the positive side, as the picture above shows, the model files included to versions of the S&W Model 10, the standard 6 inch barrel version and the 2.5 inch 'snub' which I want.

Not having so many parts to print has it's pros and cons. The model was quicker to print the parts there were (4) BUT it does mean that it is somewhat less detailed and, of course, there are now working parts. [There is another more complex model which is a true multi-part model with all the real revolvers main components as separate objects for printing. But this just comes as the 6 inch version.]

3D Printing Strategy...

As I learned from my recent Athena bust print having the ability to print as one or a few pieces maybe nice but I found I could squeeze a little extra quality out of the file if I sub-divided some of the more tricky parts using the slicer software. Doing it this way - breaking down the model - also meant that I was less worried about having to use a lot of print support and that they might not work.

So, I decided to cut the main revolver frame into two halves for printing...

However even this proved to be a little complex as the revolver's cylinder included the chambers and the bullets and this caused some unforeseen problems and the chambers fouled up with excess filament and there was a defect in the cylinder itself. Still, the rest of the frame turned out not too bad...

So, my solution to this - and so as not to waste a lot of the print - was to reprint the cylinder as a separate component and additionally slice it into two halved so I could get the best detail out of the chamber and bullets...

And so, this is what I ended up after a couple of days of printing (I printed at the best quality to see if I could alleviate the rather rough surface texture)...

Print Cleanup...

Now the tedious bit, a long session of trimming of flash and sanding out any rough spots before gluing the halves of the major components together AND THEN even more sanding to smooth out the joints and seam lines.

Funnily enough, I'm still not 100% sure what type of glue is the best for sticking PLA parts together. I've been using super glue to play safe, but I must look this up. The good thing about super glue is it can help fill seams between joined parts.

Using Milliput putty to fill defects and gaps. Here I have printed a new
catch as the original was badly formed, I have also applied a thin layer
of Milliput which I then ran a knurled handle over to create checkering.

I'm finding that PLA isn't the easiest material to sand, not like kit plastic or resin, and too heavy abrasion can end with breaking down the fibrous layers that the 3D extrusion comprises of. So, you have to be careful, filling and sand is preferable.

And this is where I am at at the moment, continuously finding small blemishes and uneven surfaces that I feel I have to attend to. In the meantime, however, I'm starting to think about how I might paint the finished model. I have several possibilities of finishing techniques but I also have a couple of alternative finishes I could go for - gun-metal blue or nickel...

Dare I take a stab at a nickel finish? ...Er, maybe not!

In preparation for the assembly of the model I did  'dry' test assembly first, just so I could plan how I would put the separate components together as I may have to add some supports of some kind...

I identified a couple of potential problem spots and decided I it would be best if I added a rod that would pass through the frame and cylinder to hold it in place properly. Otherwise, there doesn't appear to be any major issues.

NEXT: In part two of this project I will begin to paint the assembled model.