Gentle Man : "Monaco FP1"

Greg Baker
I was finally able to upgrade my 3D printer to the Elegoo Mars 3 Pro... and what a difference it makes. I've been busy working out the kinks (and retrofitting most of my Tintin projects with some upgrades), but I think I'm'finally ready to get a few of the projects that have been haunting my dreams off the ground. I've had several 3D printed projects started, but they all ended up being more of a battle than they were worth... all the workarounds I used to try an squeeze more detail out of my old printer ended in defeat. Separate parts generally being too small to successfully print, and/or not being accurate enough to fit together on the rare occasion they did. Too much pixelation, etc. But 5 years later... THIS is the printer I was waiting for.

Greg Baker
This project is slightly related to my Area 88 projects. Kaoru Shintani (manga artist and A88 author) had an Formula 1 series in the early nineties that detailed the story of a brash, young Japanese American driver, Man Yao and his progression from IndyCar to a new F1 Team on the grid mid-way through the 1991 season (backed by the fictional Hearts Group). It was unfortunately cut short by an editorial decision to change the direction of the magazine it was being serialized in, but there are still 4 volumes of wheel-to-wheel racing action during my personal favourite F1 era. Senna, Prost, Mansell... and Man Yao!

Daniel Klink
Fantastic project idea mate! Whohoo count me in Greg 👍
Mansell was my Motorsport fav👍

bughunter
Wow Greg - that new tool is very promising! A huge step forward in your hobby room. And you are able to use Blender 👍

Spanjaard
Blender is in my list. did you learn on your own, or got some training from somewhere? those cars look fantastic.

Greg Baker
I learned Blender on my own... with a bit of help from YouTube. 😉 I think the general consensus is that it's a very powerful tool, but not exactly intuitive at the beginning. I suggest trying a few very small projects first and learning how it works. As you get more and more comfortable, you'll be able to eventually take on more complex things. One thing I found helpful was understanding the different uses for 3D mesh. I think there's basically 3 kinds - the first one is for game play. You'd be amazed (as I was) how little polygones you actually need for a nice looking in-game model when you've got the right images on them. You can also get away with a lot of polygon overlapping in animation. If it's out of sight... then good enough. The trick with the 3D printing (which I didn't initially fully appreciate) is the need for your models to be solid and airtight. When you have polygons inside an object that should be solid... crazy things happen. So being able to have a very clean mesh is important. But also don't OVER complicate your mesh.

Greg Baker
I spent a lot of time on the Ferrari 641 - basically converting a mesh I found online from the animation version to one that could be printed properly. I'm currently working on the models for the next two projects in this series - two 1990s (likely 1993 not 91) Indy cars, for a dramatic crash scene at the 1991 Detroit GP... and a Larousse LC91 (the Heart car uses this chassis) and a Benetton B191 (driven by a young Schumacher stand-in) for some awesome wheel-to-wheel battle in Hockenheim at the German GP. 😉

I'm also thinking about a related Le Mans scene (from a different manga series) for a Porshce 956 vs Nisimo (fictional) Group-C car... We'll see if I get there... So many plans... 😄

Spanjaard
Thanks for the info Greg!!

Jv
Very interesting
Paint and decals will be a challenge

Greg Baker
The paint and decals are going to be a HUGE challenge… but my proof of concept is encouraging.

Famous last words… 😉

Sy Bar
Great modelling this is digital modelling for 21st century, following with interest.
Would be making and example of your stl or blender files available so those of use trying but failing to learn it, could see how you created these mini master pieces?

Vincent
This looks like I very interesting project. Good luck with this one!!!

Jv
I like your famous last words
Only because I am not the one that is going to paint them
Lol

Greg Baker
Thanks Sy. I'll post my STL files up on both my blog and on Thingiverse, and if you DM me I'll send you the blender file itself. I'm happy to share.

Erik De Smet
Greg is going a step further, now in 3D !

Sy Bar
Many thanks #Greg DM on way 👍

Greg Baker
Managed to break the rear wing off the FW14 while trying to straighten it, but luckily I have a spare chassis in the pits. 😉

A couple of small adjustments to the decals needed… both in terms of the sizing and my level of expectation given how small 1/144 F1 livery sponsor logos are. With some careful painting though, I think it will look okay.

Greg Baker
After several coats of white primer and base coat… we're finally ready for some very careful masking and painting. First up, Williams Yellow… curtesy of Mr. Color 329! I feel a bit weird betraying my loyalty to Tamiya, but the allure of all the Mr. Color shades has turned my head. 😉

Greg Baker
I… can't believe… I got decals on this thing. This project can still go sideways… but I'm just going to sit back and admire the fact that I got homemade decals on a 1/144 scale Formula 1 car… and it kind worked.

I'm scared to say anything else lest I jinx it. 😉

Jv
Not saying anything

Spanjaard
Of course it worked 😉

Greg Baker
I wish I had your confidence, Spanjaard. 😉

Of course, the real trick will be to mask over the decals and apply some paint and then hope they don't lift off with the mask. I think I'm going to try and seal them with a bit of Future to try and keep them down.

Spanjaard
future before masking seems a really good precaution

Spanjaard
and it is not a question of confidence, i see decals a lot easier than 3D designing the complete car 😉

bughunter
Future below masks?
I prefer gloss below decals and flat clear coast below masks as this reduces the tackiness. Very useful if I have to mask on top of decals.

Greg Baker
That's some good advice. Any particular flat clear coat you recommend?

bughunter
The recommendation was given to me after I ruined lozenge decaling on wing with paint of the cross with masks.
I still use the Microscale Flat/Satin/Gloss family, but I think that is not important. Tamiya has also some flattener X-21. It transfers any acryl clear coat in a flat one.

Spanjaard
i always wondered why on earth the flat base from tamiya (fantastic product) is X- and not XF-. You can also even use it with Future 😉

Greg Baker
So.... you mix X-21 1:1 ratio with Future... and you have a flat coat?

Spanjaard
Try with a lot less than that, or you will end with a whitish coat. and try with something else different than those F-1s 😉

Greg Baker
The Tamiya site says a 1:1 ratio (Never more!)... so I can see me hedging my bets on how close to that ratio I get... but thanks for the tip. I knew, but forgot, about X-21... but I think I might have rediscovered a long list of glossy Tamiya paint I want to turn flat... specifically the orange and sky blue... 🙂

Daniel Klink
Redfive 👍

Spanjaard
1:1 would be for their paints, future contains no pigments etc 😉

Greg Baker
Got most of the decals on… and a bit of touch up on the paint. I'm going to let everything dry completely before I attempt the next step.

Ard S.
I like this project so much. Maybe because I am old and in mine opinion 3D printers are so complicated, so not used to what I have learned..
But it is amazing how this gives so much more options.

It looks very, very great👍

Alec K
Little late to the party but… Amazing work and great info on 3D printing. Following along 👍

Greg Baker
Thanks guys! It's been an interesting project. I did the masking and painting on the McLaren… and no matter how well I think I've got it covered, some black paint always seems to find a way through. Looks like I'll have to touch up both the white and the red.

Greg Baker
Touch ups on the McLaren are done, but I realized I also had to do some touch ups on the Williams before I could mask it and paint the blue. I also broke out the "special Italian red" paint for the Ferrari. It's decanted from a Tamiya spray can, so I use it sparingly, but... it's a Ferrari. 😉

LucLuke B
Nice progress. I couldn't find the manga you refer to but have discovered Capeta. Quite a few car based manga series exist in fact. Have you got a picture of the scene you are trying to replicate?

Greg Baker
Hey, that's neat! I'd never heard of Capeta. I'll have to check it out. Besides Gentle Man, I've also read some of "F" - arguably one of the most famous Formula 1 manga/anime series. I didn't really care for it... a bit too "Shonen Jump" for my tastes, but you can't argue with success. The other one I've been looking at is Akai Pegasus, but that's a really old one (mid/late 1970s).

Once I post this build up on my blog (strobez.ca) I'll post up the full chapter of the manga the scene is based on. 🙂

Greg Baker
Getting close! The Williams FW14 is driving me nuts… touching up the touched up touch ups… 🙂

Kyle DeHart
Wow Greg. I'm unfamiliar with that manga but this is super cool!

Greg Baker
Thanks Kyle. It's a rather obscure manga title from the early 1990s and getting cancelled early because of an editorial direction change didn't help. The only reason I know about it is because it was done by the same author that did Area 88. I'm glad you like the project though.

bughunter
Beautiful little racers 👍

Kyle DeHart
Well it's a very cool project and you're doing great

Greg Baker
Getting close to the end of this one. Had some trouble with both overspray and broken wings/tail on the Williams FW14, so I declared a do-over. No matter how well I think I have it masked though, there are still some tricky spots. Got the base prepare, so we're in to the home stretch now.

Chip H
Are you woodburning your bases? Nice work!

Greg Baker
Nope. Homemade decals. It usually works quite well.

Greg Baker
Alright… just a few touch ups to do, but this one is more or less in the bag now… let's see what else is on the shelf of doom… 😉

Spanjaard
looks great!

Jv
An absolutely fabulous result
When I started following this build I could not see it happening
Fantastic result
Thanks for sharing

Greg Baker
Thanks guys! Jv - that means a lot. It makes the victory all the more sweeter. It doesn't surprise me though, because I also had a lot of doubts. The two main obstacles were first getting a printer that could deliver what I needed for cars this small, and then coming up with a decal and paint technique that worked. I did have a bit of a trial run (AREA 88 : "East Africa Safari Rally" | Album by strobez (1:144)) so I felt like proof of concept was established.

Daniel Klink
Just love it !
Fantastic idea and result Greg👍👍👍👍

Ard S.
What a great job you have done. It looks great. The finishing is top. Excellent work.

Greg Baker
Thanks guys. It was surprisingly hard to get good final pictures. My camera won't zoom in any more! I've got two more "mini F1" projects planned, so stay tuned!

Greg Baker
Not much point in a YouTube video for this one... you'll just have to imagine the roar of the engines here. However, if anyone is interested in reading the manga chapter that this project is based on, you can find it on my blog - strobez.ca/wp/index...naco-fp1-gentle-man/

Jv
Fantastic work
Never thought it would turn out this butiful
In a small scale like that
Impressive
Congratulations

Kyle DeHart
Stunner Greg. Amazing in this scale.

MS K
Excellent work, those are really really cute. 👍

Greg Baker
Hey, thanks guys. This project pushed my boundaries for sure, but I'm happy with the results. The encouragement really helped.