Anycubic X6Ks: Or How I Learned to Stop Whining and Love 3D printing! (Apologies to Stanley Kubrick!)

Part One: Obligatory Back Story

Two months ago, I retired.  Which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time.  Gone now is the steady pay cheque, employee benefits, job perks, and the social interaction with my former colleagues.  (At least the pension cheques are coming...).  But after fifty years in the work force, (26 years here; all other employers went out of business...), finally all the free time to do the myriad of things I have been trying to catch up on for many years!  Modelling of course, being the main one among others.  And by some strange coincidence, my coworkers must have known this.  So on my final day, unbeknownst to me, they had arranged a special surprise.  And all I asked for was a triple chocolate scone...

Escorted to the ceremony, with my sister MJ on my arm, I was serenated with XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel", and was surprised to find a large crowd had gathered around a central table bearing gifts.  And many had dressed specially for the occasion in custom purple T-shirts with a special crest, of which I will explain.

(The above doodle was done some twenty years previous, and for whatever bizarre reason was fished out of the bin and has haunted me ever since.  And it was only a preliminary sketch...) On the central table was a good luck card signed by many, a farewell poster (which unfortunately I can't show for confidentiality reasons), the afore mentioned scones, and a Tardis (?).  (The chaps in the back, my purple army, have had their identities preserved to protect them from things like creditors, ex-girlfriends, etc).  It is true about the Tardis, it is larger on the inside, as it was actually elaborate gift wrapping.  I didn't want to open the box without some surgical tools in order to preserve the work that had gone into it, but I was given a photo of the contents inside.  And as the title of the blog hints, it was an AnyCubic X6Ks!  I was gobsmacked!  I certainly was not expecting this; that's what I call a whip round!

It was then followed by a few hours of surreal good byes and hand shakes.  I would like to thank everyone involved for this special send off;  I hope I haven't forgotten anyone...  (If I do, please accept my apologies and/or email me and I'll edit this post and get your name up!)   Best wishes to a grand bunch of talented people doing a unique and stressful job! (we build engineering models by the way, but can't tell you where...). So big good byes to Chris (whom I'm sure it was his idea for the printer!), Jerry, Joe, Dean, Cory, MJ, Sean V, Sean M, Paul, Marina, Josh, Drake, Anthony, Isaac, Harrison, Bryden,  Jake, Erin H, Gary, Quinton, Charlene, another Erin, Ian, Mike, Bryce, Patrick, Curtis, Jordan,  Tom, and last but definitely not least, Ryan!  

Part Two: Unboxing, Lots of You Tube, & Amazon!

Now don't get me wrong.  I have dealt with 3D printed models for many years at work, first with resin SLA and in the last few years, filament printers.  But as a traditional modeler who originally worked from rolled up blueprints (Google it...), and built these models using raw materials by hand, it was akin to the individuals who made miniatures and practical effects for film, to be replaced by CGI.  I felt it was cheating and making soul less models, but at the end of the day, but it was business.  (So stop your whining; adapt or die).  I had also been using AutoCAD, Solidworks, SketchUp and Rhino to "construct" these models for close to twenty years; but it was business.  (So stop your whining...).  Besides, when I got home, my styrene kits were waiting for me.

Even though I had been drawing up and using these printed models at work, I had never actually set up a machine.  (That was for the elite to ensure consistent operations).  So for the next two weeks I researched on good ole You Tube among others,  and learned all the nuances of 3D resin printing.  I cleared a spot in my already crowded workshop, constructed a firm platform, and surgically removed the printer from that special gift wrapped Tardis box.

(Hey look, the walls are purple!).  Printer is all calibrated and ready to go, but there is something missing.  Can't print anything without the goo, so ordered some resin from Amazon.  Also had to consider washing and curing the parts, but as luck would have it, the Anycubic "Wash & Cure 3" was on deal that week.  Another box on the front porch and more shelf space needed on the bench.  

Cleaned out the local Walmart of 91% IPA, and resin was poured into the printer hopper.  But what to print for the first run?  If the previous posts of this Blog is any indication, it's a no brainer.  Off to Thingiverse for the Space: 1999 Eagle models! (Among many other files...)

Part Three: The First Born

I decided to stick with the same scale as the "Space: 2022" models I have been building, and proceeded to make a fully printed Eagle (using the files from the Zarkus_Model_Kits Eagle) at 1/96.  What follows is the succession of parts and procedures, from slicing to final cured parts.

Am really impressed by the detail this printer is capable of; we never needed that for work.  But after the print and "shopping" around Thingiverse, I of course, began to have other ideas.  So it won't be a "vanilla" print of an Eagle after all.  I am going bodge and kit bash an Eagle variant, but unfortunately with no access to the 3D programs I was using before.

Part Four: Down the Rabbit Hole

I began to explore the supplied Photon Workshop and found I was able to do quite a bit with the limited tools.  I could not create any solids from scratch, but utilizing the other features in the program: (move/scale/cut/mirror/rotate/exporting/etc.) I was able to bodge unrelated models together without all that pesky sanding, puttying and gluing.  So a few more weeks later, of trial & error and a few failed prints, we have come to this:

Even more has changed since this photo as it's a WIP and R&D at the same time.  But I had the "Cheap as Chips" spray booth running today, so now we are down to the "messy" tasks of the model.  It's too late to turn back; I have fully embraced 3D printing!  (My wife is now an AnyCubic Widow!)

I am now working on another side series to "Space: 2022".  A show about space lorries/truckers called "Cargo: 2022", but as a story arc rather than episodic.  The space truck is an Eagle variant called a Swallow.  It's a heavy lifter with (so far) five different cargo pods.  More will be explained in later posts.  Have a better one and we'll see you in the bank on pension day!

Space: 2022 - Building the PHOENIX - Part Seven

 At last, the final part of the ship!  But without it, we won't be going anywhere...  Module G is the Mark VII Queller Drive, used for the intermittent light speed/warps, (42 minute duration) and the standard four fusion drives for cruising.  Another piece with very few standard model parts, the main drive "tank" is made up from the Airfix Saturn V "interstage" piece.  You know the one; that flaming cylinder we have seen to death for 50 plus years, even on "Star Trek"...

I capped the ends with two heat shield pieces and the rest is made up of assorted recycled parts; repurposed Gardenia hose attachments, lids from various sources and dollar store bits.

The classic Kinder Eggs finally make an appearance; I think it is my last four before that redesign, which I do not like.  The main booster is from a large detergent bottle (it also has a smaller one inside), and the four little boosters are from the Airfix kit.  The three fuel tanks are just wooden craft balls.

Acrylic pearls for the smaller tanks near the big booster, somewhat duplicating the Voyager One model from "Voyager's Return".  

Very light with the greeblies on this one.  Just added some left over laser cutting and some of those baby bottle bits.  Included some plant bands by the four tanks as well, used for tomatoes mostly.

It was now prime time, and then the same routine as all the previous other parts.  White base coat, grey accents, IPA weathering, some pigments, and finally graphics.  

Those other little grey tanks were made from tubular styrene and capped with those acrylic pearls (half sphere domes).  And that's the end of the ship!  As I post more episodes, you'll see the amount of abuse this engine is going to take.  Hope the warranty holds out...

And finally, a self promoting narcissistic image of myself holding the completed PHOENIX model, Sir Martin Bower style!  Next time, I'll take a break from the series and tell you of my recent foray into the dark side of modelling, probably never to return...  

Have a better one!

Space: 2022 - Building the PHOENIX - Part Six

Module F is the Engineering Section of the ship, and the smallest component over all.  The base unit is the Stage 3 section of the Airfix Saturn V kit, with minimal added greeblies and some other bits & pieces.  

Besides the internal brass rod, there is a salvaged lid at each end (sources long forgotten), assorted parts from small armour kits, and the "baby bottle" tanks which some of you may remember from the Hub section.  The big black disc is actually from the ends of a cardboard tube used for printing paper.  

The fastest component built as well, it was then off for priming, painting, IPA wash & weathering, and finally graphics.  Adding the last two escape pods finished off the model.  

Five technical chaps (with sleeves the same colour as that large anti-neutron shield),  work in this module.  There are two sections.  The smaller section behind the shield and about one third the size has two engineers working 4 hour rotational shifts in radiation suits.  Behind that three other engineers monitor all other ship functions, power usage, etc.  A sixth engineer is stationed in the Command Module and acts as monitor and liaison with the other members of the crew.  And of course VICTOR will be watching too!

The escape pods are shared with engineers and the technicians that may be in the Dove's Nest at the time.  Remember each one can hold five personnel.  

That about covers it for Engineering.  Sorry, not the most exciting bit, but essential none the less.  Next time will be the final component, Main Propulsion.  Have a better one!

Space: 2022 - Dramatis Personae

Tonight we'll take a brief intermission from the miniatures to showcase the cast & characters from "Space: 2022" - Year Two.  I've salvaged most of the original cast in one way or another (as they were transitioned in the original series), plus I've added, resurrected, and restructured the cast as I see fit, basically a Fantasy Premier League but with "Space: 1999" actors and characters.

There are 13 primary and secondary characters which will be in most episodes, among many guest stars and artists where one will be likely to say, "Oh, I saw him on that other so & so show...", or "Wasn't he in that film last week..?"  Etc., etc.  

Another thing I am injecting into the plot lines will be more conflict among the characters.  I will be avoiding all those squishy and unnecessary "Freiberger-isms" with bratty, younger characters (who were too young to be out in space anyway), and forced emotions. I have created a more mature cast dealing with an impossible and unexpected situation,  again more like Year One, but with a lot more conflict and shouting!  So, lets meet the dramatis personae!

Commissioner John Koenig (Martin Landau)

Ex-Astronaut, ex-Alpha Commander, and ex-Commissioner (Buzzard Fleet), Koenig is now employed with EUROSEC as a head hunter.  After his dismissal from the Buzzard service, (see Episodes 11 & 12 - Yr 01),  he was hired to recruit astronauts, pilots, and other scientific specialists for the new PHOENIX project.  He has assembled a crew of 109 of the finest Earth and the Moon has to offer.  As he was inspecting the ship on it's test flight to Jupiter, he is now trapped with the rest of the displaced crew.  Angry at first, he now sees an opportunity to reclaim his previous status as a Commander and restore his former glory, which will of course cause conflict with:

Commander Alan Carter (Nick Tate)

Alan was recruited to command the PHOENIX by Koenig himself.  When the military took over the radio-active waste disposal after the Icarus incident, Alan was demoted to basically a mechanic since no civilians were permitted to pilot Buzzards any longer.  Except for Koenig, he has logged the most hours of any other space pilot in Eagles, Buzzards, Doves, and other various space vehicles.  His "flying by the seat of his pants" attitude, and years of experience in space, make him perfect for command.  

CMO Doctor Helena Russell-Koenig (Barbara Bain)

After the averted disaster on the moon, Helena left Moonbase Alpha to form up the new Moonbase Gamma, a separate purpose built Lunar hospital.   This facility would research zero G medicine, effects of magnetic and other radiation, (brain damage), plus act as an isolation lab for diseases and viruses too dangerous to remain on Earth.  Chief Medical Officer Doctor Helena Russell reconnected with John Koenig at his court martial (psychological assessment, etc), and not soon after they became involved and eventually married.  Doctor Russell was accompanying her husband on the tour to inspect the medical facilities, and now she is trapped on the ship as well.   The irony is most of the medical staff have trained with her at some point or another.  (I decided to marry John and Helena in between seasons as to avoid all that lovey-dovey stuff.  We'll see how the marriage survives in cramped quarters and large egos!  Neither is supposed to be on board and each may blame the other for their situation.)

Science Officer Maya (Catherine Von Schell)

Maya is an alien from the (destroyed) planet Psychon.  She joins the crew in Episode 04, "The Biological Computer".  We will discuss her back story and role on the ship in a later post.

Data Analysist Sandra Benes (Zienia Merton)

Her tour on Alpha was over, (as was her relationship with Controller Paul Morrow), so she decided to sign on to the PHOENIX to "get away from it all" rather than return to Earth.  Her station is in the command module where she compiles data, manages the sensors & scanners, (working in unison with the science officers), and is in charge of communications.  Known as "Sahn" to her friends, she brings many years of experience to her new role on the ship, and is also a qualified Eagle co-pilot.

 Security Chief Tony Verdeschi (Tony Anholt)

In charge of ship security and administration, Tony's station is in the Hub where he can control the comings and goings of ship personnel & visitors, as well as monitor the crew activities, their locations, ship status and duty rosters.  Tony is unique in that this is his first assignment in space.  The youngest individual ever to be a Chief Superintendent in the Met, Koenig saw his potential and service record and offered him an opportunity he could not refuse!   Adaptable, a quick thinker and fast learner, Tony is also trained as a co-pilot.  His staff consists of seven guards, or constables, as he likes to call them.  

Doctor Robert "Bob" Mathias (Anton Philips)

There are two medical bays on the ship; the full gravity bay (in the habitat ring), and the zero-G bay (in life support).  Doctor Mathias is in charge of the gravity bay, assisted by two nurses.  First a doctor on Alpha, then a brief stint at Gamma, he signed on to the PHOENIX as the Chief Medical Officer with high praise from Doctor Russell.  Experienced in many forms of space medicine, he is also a qualified co-pilot.  Now that his former mentor is also on board, there will likely be some conflict as to who is in charge, treatments, etc.  (I wanted to keep Dr. Mathias for the entire run of the series; I did not like the way he just disappeared after only the first two episodes, which really only amounted to some male model posing with a clipboard...)

Data Analysist Yasko (Yasuko Nagazumi)

Her duties are basically the same as Sandra; they rotate duty assignments.  She, however has a different background.  Assigned to the Japanese cosmo ship "Tsuburaya Maru", she spent three years on board as Science Officer and a brief six month stint setting up the first International Mars Base.  (It is one of the fewer planetary missions that didn't disappear under mysterious circumstances!).  She therefor has more experience in zero-G and living in confined spaces.  She cultivates Bonsai in her spare time and prefers to be quartered in the lesser gravity section of the habitat ring.

Captain Bill Fraser (John Hug)

Bill is First Pilot and is usually found in the Command Module, although he will, from time to time, pilot a Dove when necessary.  He started doing early Eagle runs to both Alpha and the Space Dock, sometimes with passengers, cargo, and later nuclear waste when the Dark Side was still a dump.  He enlisted in the Buzzard Fleet after the averted disaster and remained there until the military take over.  He then was recruited to EUROSEC at first as a test pilot for the Doves, then promoted to the PHOENIX.  He has a wife, Annette, who as an interior designer, helped create the ambiance of the crew quarters and common areas.  She was at the send off observing from a VIP Eagle, but of course, the ship never returned.  (I decided to separate these characters since we only saw Annette in the first episode of Year Two anyway, and then mysteriously disappeared...).

Weapon Systems Officer Alexei Petrov (Peter Porteous)

WSO Petrov is stationed in the command module, and is in control of weapons & defense.  One of three Russians on board, he was in the Russian Armed Forces until transferring to the UN Space Corps.  Also a full pilot (an ace with a Mark IX Hawk!), he is adept at EVA combat and is familiar with both ballistic and energy weapons.  He has the authority to assume aggressive response if the Commander or ranking officer is incapacitated.  Another long term space veteran, he prefers the zero-G sections to the habitat.  (I needed a regular tactical officer, not a casual walk on as there was going to be a lot of space shooting and laser light shows!  He had no first name in the original series, so I have called him Alexei, after Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space).

Doctor Ed Spencer (Sam Dastor)

Born and educated in Mumbai, India, Ed earned his medical degrees at various Universities and practiced for a short time in regional hospitals until transferring to Moonbase Gamma.  Here he specialized in zero-G medicine becoming the first doctor to perform an emergency amputation in free fall (with minimal spillage).  Doctor Spencer was urged to join the PHOENIX mission by Doctor Russell and is now in charge of the zero-G medical bay (located in life support) with the assistance of two nurses.  Soft spoken, he is always calm and in control of the situation.  (It's too bad this character was introduced so late in the series, so I made him permanent!  Again, we'll get some dueling egos with Dr. Russell and possibly Dr. Mathias from time to time...)

Captain James Kelly (Shane Rimmer)

Another veteran pilot, his career goes back the furthest as he began flying the basic MTU's to the Space Dock and then for Alpha's construction.  A natural space pilot, he quickly rose up in the ranks and eventually ferried dignitaries and VIPs to the Moon and back in the luxury Eagles.  He remained there until the Icarus incident (where he participated in various aerial rescue operations after the crash), and then retired.  Koenig contacted him with the job offer and Kelly accepted; being grounded was not in his nature.  He shares first pilot duties with Fraser, both in flying the PHOENIX and Doves accordingly.  Not only an excellent pilot, he can also "get under the bonnet" and do maintenance & repairs even on the fly.  Apparently he is very good with a spanner...   (With the main ship and two Doves, I needed recurring pilots.  Here I was able to correct the mistake that was made in 1999 Year One and Century 21 etiquette in general: YOU DO NOT KILL OFF SHANE RIMMER!!!  So out of respect I resurrected him!  After all, he was born just down the road...)

V*I*C*T*O*R  (Barry Morse)

Our final character is not human at all; it is the main computer that controls every ship function both automatically and with the crew's assistance.  Moving away from the flat voice of Alpha's main computer, the designers at EUROSEC created a system with more human interaction, along with a familiar face.  VICTOR (yes, here comes another acronym!), stands for:

V - Voice

I - Integrated

C - Computer

T - Total

O - Oratory

R - Response

Not only was Professor Bergman's image used, he had all of his knowledge, experience, and personality programmed into the system.  Basically he went full on Gwent.  He can discuss ship status, have a chat about the "weather", philosophy, or engage in a game of chess, or what have you all the while maintaining the ship.   Prof. Bergman realized he would have been too old to sign on for the mission, and figured this was the only way to enlist, or at least by proxy.  Since most of the crew knew Victor back in the day, they enjoy his company & interactions, and many forget he is just a computer.  (There was no way I was going to have a Year Two without Victor; he was one of my favorite characters!  Just because Freddy wanted to make "Space: 90210" was no excuse to let him go.  We needed an experienced scientist and a father figure.  So out with that faulty space suit bollocks!  We can at least get him on board, in so much as he can "phone it in"!  In skulling out for a practical solution, I suddenly remembered "The Starlost", a short lived sci-fi series filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1973.  He even guest starred on one episode with John Colicos!  In this series (best you Google it; there is a lot of baggage, tragedy & drama), characters interacted with a computer known as a  "Sphere Projector", which displayed an older, bearded man on a chroma key screen.  VICTOR will not be as robotic as this chap was!  So when you want to save a character, make him a digital puppet!)

So that is the mostly primary cast.  There will be a constant parade of background extras and one-offs to round up the numbers in various parts of the ship. There will also be a select few which, of course, do not make it to the end credits. 

I was always perplexed as to why there was never a recurring Chief Engineer.  We saw (expendable) technicians from time to time as well as other personnel working in reactors and power centers, but no consistent go to guys (like Scotty, LaForge, or LaMarr, to name a few).  You would think since engines and power were top of the list of essential services, at least one recurring face with a brown sleeve would be necessary.  Perhaps as the season progresses, I may yet introduce a new character who was always there but never seen.  

Next time, back to the miniatures.  Have a better one!

Space: 2022 - Building the PHOENIX - Part Five - Two Turtle Doves....

As we required some sort of space craft for planetary exploration/landings, the Dove was born.  (No fancy transporters here, just good old hardware!).  The initial concept was to have a single shuttle-like vehicle on the main hub airlock, but as I stated in the last post, I upgraded that to a purpose built module for two new spacecraft.  They were to be the next evolution of the Eagle, a new long range, faster transport with multiple uses and functions.  The name was derived from "Doppelganger" again, but that vehicle was quite different; a lift body concept which was popular with NASA around that time (1969).

The lift body idea would not have worked with what I was going to put them through, so the only thing I kept was the name.  To upgrade the Eagle to the next phase, I went opposite of a Year Two concept and made it logical.  The inspiration came from the Swift spacecraft(s) from the "Brian the Brain" episode.  (another fine miniature from Sir Martin).  

I could never understand why the Swift (from yet another lost Earth expedition; are we seeing a trend here?) launched in 1996 with apparently three other Swifts and a Mother Ship, (which we never saw by the way...),  was more advanced than the Eagles.  So I reversed the timeline and made an Eagle/Swift Hybrid.

The Doves are 104' (32m) long, and are powered by a Mark XIII Queller Drive, with secondary standard fusion rockets.  As with the Phoenix, the FTL has limited time and range, only 21 minutes of operation.  Recharge time is 63 minutes.  Again, the drive has no issues with fatal fast neutrons, pulsating or destructive tendencies.   Two pilots, and a maximum complement of 20 individuals can be included (for emergencies).  The craft also has long range sensors, lasers for defense, science & medical labs, plus supplies and life support for extended periods in space.  Unlike the Eagle though, the pod does not disengage.  An important consideration is we have a finite number of Doves; only two and only will have two!  They'll be no crashing/abandoning or blowing up of these Doves in this version of the series, unlike the eight Eagles lost in the real Year Two (not including Year One).

So since I had to build two, it was assembly line time.  I cobbled all the Eagle bits together from the three left over kits (the 1/96 ones of course), and spent many nights building, sometimes with success, other times changing the configurations.  

The large tubes are those acrylic shot tubes again, (same as Module C types), capped with googly eyes and those plastic rings.  A bit of thin tape for detail too.  I dispensed with some of the truss work and added detail to the pod and other parts of the ship.

I used large snap fasteners for the landing pads, (as I omitted the four pods for escape pod parts), and the main booster is a small acrylic liquor glass with added metal rings.  Inside that booster is also another lid.  

The ships went through a few changes as I progressed of course.  Once satisfied with the final result, it was prime time.  But since I wanted the Doves to be slightly different visually, I painted them in dove grey (who's a clever boy then?).  Also referred to the Swift again for some of the red oxide accents.  Same routine with all the other parts.  IPA wash (one night each), relief and panel lines with pigments & pastels, and then lots of graphics.  

The Doves are designated as 01 and 02.  Dove-01 is always docked on the starboard side of the garage, and Dove-02 on the port side.  

The Dove models are actually heavier than they look.  If only one is docked, it causes the whole Phoenix model to tip off balance.  But how are they mounted you may ask?  Very simple actually.  I played around with a few ideas with pegs or rods, but finally settled on magnets.  Rare earth magnets to be precise.  There is a hidden magnet in each Dove at the pod door, and another hidden one on the garage airlocks.  For mounting, another magnet is placed in the gap between the airlock and pod door.  It's actually hard to remove them once attached. 

And those are the Doves.  Sorry, it's not an acronym this time!  Next post, we'll get back to the series and take a short break from the hero model.  Have a better one!