3d-printable terrain for all your samurai wargaming needs
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Lots of pics to show you today for the new Taui Gun Tower. First of all, here's a quick assembly guide....
I plan to light up my model with LEDs, so almost all the parts were printed in clear PLA filament at 100% infill and a layer height of 0.2mm.
£ The base section is printed in two halves, both printed standing up. Only the front section requires a small amount of print supports to hold up the bottom edge of that recessed circle.
£ The body of the tower is next. I printed mine in one piece, 300mm (12") tall, but there are of course smaller cut versions included for smaller printers. This piece is hollow, and the separate top piece is simply glued into place.
£ The 3rd part of this model is the turret section. Start by printing the bottom of the turret and the connecting piece. I used print supports on the bottom piece just to make the bottom curves as smooth as possible, and a quick bit of sanding finished them off. Oh, it may not look hollow, but it is!
I printed the connecting piece at 20% infill to save filament and time, but made sure it was strong enough to hold the weight of the turret and guns.
£ The circular turret's "window" is printed as one piece, and will require a small amount of support just to print the bump of the gun mount (shown on the right of the photo). DON'T glue this window in, as it is designed to rotate!
£ The top piece for the turret benefits from some print support to help keep the curved surface as smooth as possible. The lid is printed separately and then dropped in to place. I didn't glue the top piece to the connector yet, as it will be easier to paint the turret window separately. Similarly, I don't plan to glue the lid on to the top, as I will need access to the inside for LEDs.
There is a narrow channel running around the bottom of the top piece, into which the window should slot neatly. Make sure to sand the edges of the channel so it fits and rotates easily.
NOTE: For some unknown reason (i.e. my stupidity!!) I managed to create a lid and socket that are not 100% circular. It's about 1mm shorter in one direction, so if it doesn't fit perfectly, please try rotating it slightly!
£ This is an extra fitting that is included in the model files. It is a separate magnet mount that fits on to the weapon mounting point, in case you want to magnetise different weapons from your own bits box. You can use a magnet up to 10mm diameter.
It is NOT required if you use the twin rail guns included with the model.
£ The massive twin rail guns are mirrors of each other, and should be connected as shown in the photo. The power pack bit slots to the back of the guns, and the small 2mm thick discs should be used in between the barrels to keep the guns evenly spaced.
There is also a sensor unit which can be glued on to the side using another connector disc. Please note which side will attach to the turret's window before gluing.... I didn't, and had to pull it off again! Oops!
£ I recommend not gluing the main tower to the base at all, as the fit is quite tight and should hold fine without glue. If you do choose to glue the tower to the base, however, please make sure to insert the turret into the notched channel in the tower first!
Please note that this is a tight fit, and may require a little bit of force to insert the first couple of times. After that, you should be able to tilt the turret up at the front (as shown in the picture) to slide it up and down the tower. When you return the turret to a horizontal position, it should lock in place.
£ Time for some completed model pics!!! Here's the new gun tower in all its glory - it's BIG!!
£ The gun and window can be spun around 250 degrees.
A few geometric shapes have also been included in the kit, which can be used to customise the circular panels at the top of the main tower.
£ When elevated to its full height, this turret is pretty darn high!
£ The turret can also be dropped almost to ground level. There is a small door hatch behind the weapon mount, which could give access for a great game scenario.
£ You looking at me, punk?
£ The new Gun Tower will be painted up over the next few days, and then we'll have a double Taui release for you very soon....
| << Painting the fusion reactor 2021-02-12 | The new Taui Fusion Reactor is available NOW! >> 2021-02-15 |
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