Frosted Ultra Detail Plastic

I've been a bit slow getting the progress of this test model up onto the blog. It actually turned up about a week ago but I've been busy getting on with sculpting my first model.

Firstly, as I have said in previous posts, the cost of choosing frosted ultra detail is dramatically higher than using the 'white strong & flexible' stuff. Having said that I feel the frosted detail is much more capable of printing finer details and has a much better overall finish.

The following are pictures I took of my head sculpt printed in frosted ultra detail plastic. From the pictures it is difficult to see the level of detail I'm talking about. The material is transparent, so many of the details couldn't be seen unless light was shining directly behind the model, which obviously made it harder to photograph. Hopefully you can see just some of the extra details that the previous material wasn't capable of getting in.

Along with the finer details this material is capable of getting in the overall finish is much better and suitable for my needs. As you can see it is a smooth plastic finish, rather than a grainy/sandy texture like the last one. This finish means the model is more suitable for painting but it also means details are more defined and the edges clearer, which will again make painting easier.

In order to see how the material would take paint, I put a light layer of grey 'base coat' from the Games Workshop range onto it (the same I used when test painting the first model). The result of which can be seen bellow.

While painting the model I did have some problems. Some sections of the model took paint extremely well and it got an even solid coverage. Other parts however didn't take the paint well and it would slide off the material and took ages to dry, leaving an uneven and patchy finish. These sections can be seen on the pictures bellow as you can see parts of the model are still allowing light through.

I think these issues may be caused by printing residue left on the model (I didn't wash it before painting), or just the material in general can have some fluctuations in its overall surface quality. I don't think this would be a problem in the future however. Along with properly cleaning the model I would be using an 'undercoat' paint which comes in a spray can on any future models. This undercoat is what is normally used on Games Workshop models before they are painted with base colours. As the paint is used from a spray can it adheres to most materials much better and provides an even coverage from which to build up.

I think using the base coat first will prevent the painting issues I have had so far with the frosted plastic material.

It is much easier to see all the finer details on the model once it has been painted grey, and hopefully you can see how much better it is than the previous one.

Despite its increased costs I think it would be much better for me to print my future models in this material. Once I have finished sculpting my first complete model I will be able to see just how much it is going to cost, I may have to reduce the scale somewhat to counteract the increasing costs, but given this material is so much better at printing small details this hopefully won't have a noticeable impact.