Terrain Project: Techno-crates 2

So this project was a bit larger than my usual attempts at scratch-building. Not only did I start from the ground up, but I went ahead with the intention of making copies. The first step after completing the master template was to create a mold.

The first attempt, though serviceable, was over-engineered. The Monster was huge, robust, but it didn't capture as much detail as I wanted. Eventually I couldn't resist the temptation to create a second mold. The Bride was was smaller, economical, and captured all the detail I wanted.

Sticking with my intent to reduce the amount of work necessary to cast the copies, I made this a "hollow" mold. The bottom of the cast is empty due to the large plug that creates the internal space. This reduced weight and the amount of resin needed per unit. It did cause a few problems, most notably air bubbles and resin voids along the bottom. The Monster had bigger voids, so I added more vents to the Bride. This seemed to alleviate most problems.

Detail capture is excellent on all sides, even picking up some smaller scribed panel lines and rivet holes. There were a few bubbles in the mold in the upper corners of the window frames that still catch a tiny bit of resin, but they pop out with the help of a chisel xacto.

Again, a bit of clean up will be required around the bottom edges, but these were never intended to be used "in the round". Sure, they can be, if we want to add a simple sheet of styrene fitted to shape. Should be easy enough, but it would be flat and won't have the same detail present on the rest of the piece. Frankly, I'm not concerned about it at all.

Very pleased with the capture of the holes in the roof grating plates. VERY pleased. As of now, I'm able to cast fairly quickly, since the Bride was more well engineered than the Monster, and she should last a while longer. The Monster might be pressed back into service for use with Dental Stone at some point, but for now it's all resin. The RM investors will be getting their copies next gaming night. I do expect to be able to make a few extras for sale via this site sometime in the near future. Probably looking at about $18 per unit. These are resin beasts. When I'm at that point, I'll make a proper post with more detailed photos, dimensions, etc..