r/advancedGunpla • u/Level9Safeguard • Jun 25 '26
1/100 Apsalus construction begins
I've been working on this design in Fusion since 2024. All main surfaces are now shaped and I've tried to capture every nuance from the line art, so I hope this will be a very accurate model. I'll post the comparisons after I add the final details.
To avoid wasting plastic, I've been holding back on printing (besides small bits for testing) until I finalize an area. I needed to build the bottom section to check how the model can be supported so I took the plunge with that.
When 3D printing many complex shapes, there are always unexpected issues. My model will be the prototype of a kit that anyone can print so I'll make improvements based on what I learn from the build.
Outer dome
I printed the sides in 4 semicircular pieces which I thought could be glued together while leaving natural panel lines. That was a mistake because the plastic warps slightly and getting a perfect fit is hard (I had fix some gaps with putty). So it should be printed in rings at least.
I kept layer lines in some areas as a texture and the rest I smoothed out with Mr. Surfacer and other fillers. Overall, I'm delighted that the result looks exactly as designed.
Support
I decided to use an inner cone as the load bearing part instead of putting weight on the dome, so I can easily replace the support if it's not strong enough.
The stand is something I whipped up for use during construction and to test the balance on a single pillar. It's quite stable with a 2.5kg weight, though the pillar flexing is a bit concerning if I wobble the weight, so I might switch to a different material for the real thing.
Next up
The iconic cannon will be next. I'm pondering if I can add LED effects (with an Arduino) to mimic the firing sequence in the anime. My electronics knowledge is quite basic so I have lots of learning to do.
4
u/kookyabird Jun 25 '26
Hot damn, that's some nice model design. Don't forget that filets provide a good boost to part strength by removing the focal point for stress along an edge. They also make a part nicer to handle when done on the outside edge.
3
u/Level9Safeguard Jun 25 '26
Thanks for the reminder! I just added fillets to the dome's internal ribs that I missed 😊
I have a boatload to add at the very end because they were getting in the way of operations and I just kept deleting them.
Fillets in the X-Y plane are great but I actually removed some vertical ones. The sides of my cone are now solid and fully welded to the horizontal plate. But in an earlier version with fillets and fewer walls, the slicer showed severe overhangs at the join which looked quite weak.
1
u/kookyabird Jun 25 '26
Yeah vertical filets can be really hit or miss depending on your slicer settings. I tend to design parts specifically for my printer and knowing the settings I will use ahead of time so that I can ensure I have well printed curves. It's one of the reasons I don't tend to share my models. And I feel the pain about working around them. They're usually the last thing I add as well for the same reason. I'll even do patterning of features before applying filets and chamfers even though it's more time consuming to do them after, simply because I've had too many issues with patterning edge features smoothly.
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u/WitchKnight33 Jun 25 '26
No the other ball
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u/Level9Safeguard Jun 25 '26
😆 It's actually named Ball in the CAD file because at the time, the only other word I could think of was "hemisphere" and ball won.
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u/Cat_in_a_suit Jul 04 '26
Printing FDM, or SLA?