Pioneer Models | Brand
Pioneer Models
Phone: +61 436 275 611
Reviews
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24.01.2022 Due to the current COVID-19 crisis, I will no longer be able to work on 3D prints. This is due to the fact that using a resin printer means I use methylated spirits to clean up the 3D prints post-printing, to remove all the excess resin before final curing. Due to the cleaning applications of methylated spirits, it is currently unavailable in all the shops I've checked (2 supermarkets and 1 Bunnings yesterday alone). As a result, it seems likely that I will be unable to do pr...inting, and as a result release final products, until the crisis has passed. I sincerely apologise to those who have been waiting for further news on the status of the swing doors, especially as I had a couple of nearly successful prints prior to the current crisis evolving. I had waited to make this announcement in the hope that the availability of methylated spirits would start to arise again after the initial wave of panic buying, however this has not occured. Due to other commitments such as university being either cancelled, or minimised (my university has moved to all online), I hope that I will be able to make use of some of the time working on developing the 3D design work for some more swing door variants, including the A, B and AB type loco-hauled swing doors, and the first variants of M, D and T cars for suburban stock. I will provide updates on the situation as it affects Pioneer Models if and when they are available. See more
23.01.2022 After over a years worth of designing and redesigning, and a couple of hundred hours spent on this latest iteration alone, I am pleased to say that the 3D CAD work for the first Swing Door model, the 58' ADAD/AC/BC/WW, is now complete. This album has a series of screen captures showing 10 angles of each of the 3 body variants, plus 8 images of the chassis/interior piece, and an image showing the 3D printed components that will come with the kit, alongside the couplers, clear plasticard, bogies, buffers, wire and decals needed to complete the kit, meaning that only paint and glue are required for assembly.
19.01.2022 Here is the updated Expression of Interest form for the ADAD/AC/BC/WW, now including the variant with guard duckets. Forms can be messaged either directly to the Facebook page, or emailed to [email protected]. People who submit EOI forms will be informed as soon as a kit of the variant requested is available, and my printing schedule will be determined accordingly, with a mix of all 3 variants produced for any not accounted for by EOI forms, and kits will then be made up to order (with a 1 day time to do so). Once complete kit components (bogies, decals, buffers etc) run out, I may make the 3D printed components available separately on an as-ordered basis, for anyone who may have missed out.
19.01.2022 Some photos from a test print done over the past day of the chassis, prior to being removed from the build plate and cleaned up.
16.01.2022 New product announcement! These have been developed as part of the testing phase of the 3D printer, their small size suiting them to testing. Whilst I had initially not planned on releasing these due to the fact that they are bodies only and require a number of extra parts to complete them, I was convinced to 'test the waters' so to speak, and so produced and sold a number on eBay at a lower price, to gauge demand. Due to the success of those initial sales, I decided to run s...Continue reading
16.01.2022 It's been a long time in the making, but I'm finally preparing for the production and release of the first of a long list of Victorian Railways swing door carriage kits, the 57'3" AC/BC passenger carriage with van compartment. This design covers a total of 94 carriages with 4 classifications, over a 76-year time period from 1908 to 1984. The 3D design work is almost complete, with the only parts remaining being the completion of the underframe detail - gas tanks and queen pos...Continue reading
15.01.2022 After quite a while in the making, I am pleased to announce the rebranding of Melbourne Railway Modelling Services to the somewhat less of a mouthful Pioneer Models! The contact information has also changed, the phone number is the same as before (+61 436 275 611), however there is a new email address that has been set up to keep the business emails separate from my personal emails. The new email is [email protected]. The name change of the Facebook page itself ...is yet to be processed, however the page can now be accessed through the shorter URL of Facebook.com/PioneerModelRailways I hope to bring more updates on our Searchlight Signal project soon, and there will hopefully be more progress on the Swing Door kits in the coming months as well.
09.01.2022 Whilst I've been away, I've taken the opportunity to do some more work on the Swing Door ADAD/AC/BC/WW design. Most recently this has seen the addition of some final detail on the body, and some work on the interior to make the fitting of windows easier, which has meant the body is now complete, except for the addition of holes/dimples for handrails to be added. The chassis only has one more bit of detail to be added, and all going well it'll be ready for a test print as soon... as I return to Australia. I have also done some design work to allow another variant to be made from the kit - guards cupolas. A couple of cars were such fitted, however unfortunately records as to the numbers which had them are non-existent, and I haven't had any luck determining which of them had them post extension to 58' - they were more common on the original 45' vehicles. See more
07.01.2022 It's been a very long time coming, with many delays including most recently an 11 week wait for resin, but I finally have what will hopefully be one of the last test prints of the swing doors before production can begin, and the first done out of resin. This one is of the guards ducket variant, and is the body-only (I've had some chasiss prints done already with some success, and will complete another shortly). There are some support issues to refine which have caused minor w...arping on some parts (notably the cupola roof), and some minor Z axis shift along the base (fixeable with a touch of oil), but other than that it's come out well in my view. Most of the detail can be seen, including things like door handles, roof vents, and half-relief holes to be drilled out for handrails if required. With luck I'll have the final prototypes ready in a couple of weeks, and the first production models shortly thereafter, though I realise it won't have been the first time that there have been issues and delays after saying that. Once the first few production models have been printed, those who have sent in EOI forms will be contacted to let them know the models are ready if they wish to go ahead with the purchase, and I intend to keep stock of a couple of each variant once the EOI requests have been filled. I have a couple of other projects on the go, but will wait until I have something more concrete to show to make any announcements so as to avoid a situation like this again, where something is announced only to be followed by delay after delay, which I understand from personal experience is very frustrating. See more
05.01.2022 This new header photo includes two Pioneer Models product prototypes, the fully built and painted 1st prototype of the BC type Swing Door carriage in the centre of the photo, and the built and undercoated 1st prototype of the B type Swing Door carriage to the right.
04.01.2022 For quite some time now I have had plans to purchase a 3D printer in order to produce models faster and with higher detail than before. Today these plans came to fruition, with the delivery of a large resin 3D printer. The printer is large enough to print any of my swing door carriages in a single piece, and the resolution is 0.085mm on the X and Y axis, and 0.01mm on the Z axis, meaning that no detail on the designs will be lost. This is particularly important as the Swing D...oor AC/BC design has recently had things such as door handles, gaps between the doors and the carriage sides, and finely detailed underframe components added, which will all greatly benefit from this high resolution. Subject to doing tests with carriage orientation, the printer will be able to print up to 6 complete swing door kits at a time, which means that the option of producing the kits as fully 3D printed items is now a viable option, avoiding the need to produce molds and cast the carriages. This also means that producing extra kits on-demand will be easier, faster, and more viable than previously. A test-print of a smaller, 45' swing door car is currently underway, and subject to print success (it may take time to adjust settings to their optimal values for the best print outcome) there will be photos tomorrow. See more
03.01.2022 For personal reasons I will be taking some time off managing this page, my associate Lachlan will be managing all enquiries for the time being, and will be providing some updates on one of our projects. I hope that everyone is taking care and staying safe during these unpredictable and concerning times. Peter
02.01.2022 I will be away from today until January 22. I will be unable to respond to messages during this time, however will respond to any as soon as I return home. Tests of the 3D printer so far are successful, however there is still some more work to go. At this point the first batch of swing door AC/BC cars will hopefully be ready in early to mid February.
