Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

silent25 wrote:*edit* Just curious, did you have your digital camera checked when you came and went from the country? At a previous company I worked for, we were forbidden from bring and digital items (cameras, phones, laptops) with us to China for the fear of malware.

Nope, leaving on the Hong Kong crossing is very easy - the border between HK and Shenzhen is pretty straightforward due to the sheer volume of business traffic there.

NoseGoblin wrote:Awesome! Thank you for posting... almost feels like I was there and it is great to see some shots of the shop. FYI Poots was not exaggerating, when I shopped for digi sculptors to see if it was a viable option to pull in some help, I came back with $1500 to $2500 for a digital sculpt of a standard trooper model. I would hate to think what the bill would have been for something like my Leviathans or APC model.

Thought you'd like it. I'm really sorry for getting all those cheetos in your leviathan tools - I just wanted a cheeto crusader. If anyone gets orange dust on their models it is my fault.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, GW used to be cool and would do tours like this more than a decade ago. Nothing now though - but if people from GW are reading (as I bet they are), feel free to PM me and invite me to nottingham.

Great informative post

I think it is nice that they unchained the employees for your visit. Very considerate of them.

 Alpharius wrote:
So, they didn't show or tell you anything that would then force them to kill you, so that's good!
Thanks for sharing!

You would be surprised how in certain industries that statement is not far from the truth.
When an auditor goes to review a facility and does not come back and you wonder if he found something that would make the company pull the product and then he go {poof!}

 NoseGoblin wrote:
Awesome! Thank you for posting... almost feels like I was there and it is great to see some shots of the shop. FYI Poots was not exaggerating, when I shopped for digi sculptors to see if it was a viable option to pull in some help, I came back with $1500 to $2500 for a digital sculpt of a standard trooper model. I would hate to think what the bill would have been for something like my Leviathans or APC model.

Yea, not surprised at the number. Given that a talented 3D sculptor who can convert concept art into a 3D model can easily be employed in the Video Game industry. Though artists are at the low end of pay in the video game industry, that is still top pay for a lot of traditional game companies.

Still no reason to pay more than what other companies want for equal quantity and quality in material :/

 Alfndrate wrote:
In regards to the ABS plastic that Lego are made from I believe (I believe) that some of the talks that Wyrd were doing involved them settling on that type of plastic for their plastic models.

Fantastic writeup Lego! It was really cool seeing WGF 'in the flesh'

Actually, the problem with ABS- good luck trying to glue it with plastic cement.

jafabian37 wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
In regards to the ABS plastic that Lego are made from I believe (I believe) that some of the talks that Wyrd were doing involved them settling on that type of plastic for their plastic models.

Fantastic writeup Lego! It was really cool seeing WGF 'in the flesh'

Actually, the problem with ABS- good luck trying to glue it with plastic cement.

Yes, Polystyrene Cement only works on Polystyrene for some inexplicable reason.

But plastic cement works fine with ABS...

http://www.amazon.com/Ambroid-Pro-Weld/dp/B0035Y26HS

There are solvent cements which work fine on all sorts of plastics, and ABS isnt even that hard to get a compatible cement with. For fun, glue a kids LEGOs together and watch them try to get them apart....no, I guess not.

Plasticweld works on ABS, HIPS and certain PVCs (more aggressive solvents at higher percentages).

But most other poly cements won't touch the stuff, agreed.

Thanks for the interesting post lego!

Very nice..love the pics you could take ..even with the blur outs ..fairly informative as well..

Excellent thread that leaves me jealous.

Thanks for the post, no inside info on what was about to ship from wargasm factory?

Very interesting - thanks for posting!

Great post, thanks for this.

Great post. Thanks for sharing this!

ahh the joy of living in hong kong

Awesome post! While there did you see anything that was super secret and awesome? Not trying to get you to spill about anything, but just curious if there's some cool stuff coming up.

What companies do we know of that are working with WF now? Dreamforge, WWX, Kingdom Death, Malifaux... Not sure what else.

Lego,

Awesome post, love the fact we got to see some (blurry) photo's.

Also, good to get a breakdown of costs to put the prices we're paying for shinies into perspective.

Exalted

 Alfndrate wrote:

 legoburner wrote:
Wyrd's stuff is Polystyrene for sure - I saw and handled it at gencon.

I know, experience wants me to say that as well (as I own quite a few wyrd plastics), but I'm trying to remember where I read what plastics they said they used. EricJ over on Wyrd's forums has a breakdown of the plastics in the business and which ones they were looking at.

I distinctly recall Wyrd saying they were using ABS plastic as well. (fake edit: their blogs are gone, but in a forum post Eric says that it's not 100% ABS, but a hybrid).

I believe Ninja Division/Palladium Books have also said they were going to use ABS for their line of Robotech miniatures.

 bbb wrote:
Awesome post! While there did you see anything that was super secret and awesome? Not trying to get you to spill about anything, but just curious if there's some cool stuff coming up.

What companies do we know of that are working with WF now? Dreamforge, WWX, Kingdom Death, Malifaux... Not sure what else.

They were pretty decent about keeping things secret that need to be secret. Only stuff that was pre-authorised to be shared was shown to me and while I know a few interesting things now, it is not in my place to say except there are lots more goodies on the way from them.

Very interesting reading, thanks for sharing.
Interesting to hear what Lego was made from plastic-wise.

 Ratius wrote:
Very interesting reading, thanks for sharing.
Interesting to hear what Lego was made from plastic-wise.

I think Lego is a regular human, originating from a Mom and a Dad and...oh, wait, you mean the block toy!

Great post Legoburner. I always like seeing these kind of behind the scenes looks. For those that like this, I recommend looking up Reaper's factory tour or proxie model's plastic molding wakthrough on Utube.

chromedog wrote:Plasticweld works on ABS, HIPS and certain PVCs (more aggressive solvents at higher percentages).

But most other poly cements won't touch the stuff, agreed.

I've not tried PVC, but it has also been my experience that Plastruct PlasticWeld bonds a number of different plastics including ABS and Polystyrene. Just make sure you're using the Orange label that specifically says "Plastruct Plastic Weld". The White labeled "Plastruct Bondene" only works on Polystyrene.

Forar wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:

 legoburner wrote:
Wyrd's stuff is Polystyrene for sure - I saw and handled it at gencon.

I know, experience wants me to say that as well (as I own quite a few wyrd plastics), but I'm trying to remember where I read what plastics they said they used. EricJ over on Wyrd's forums has a breakdown of the plastics in the business and which ones they were looking at.

I distinctly recall Wyrd saying they were using ABS plastic as well. (fake edit: their blogs are gone, but in a forum post Eric says that it's not 100% ABS, but a hybrid).

I believe Ninja Division/Palladium Books have also said they were going to use ABS for their line of Robotech miniatures.

I wonder what is behind companies using ABS. I'd heard that it was even more expensive to produce the molds, etc than Polystyrene. Maybe it's a certain blend?

I dunno, but the plastic models I've gotten from Wyrd are lightweight and very strong. Generally go together without too much muss or fuss using GF9 glue.

Has taught me that 'sawing' pieces off the sprue with my hobby blade isn't the way to go, definitely picking up a set of snips before our giant Robotech boxes arrive at the door.

As a lifelong member of the American blue collar middle class, I object to this. China charges massive tariffs on imported goods and manipulates the currency rate to undersell US companies. What you are seeing should be visible in your neighborhood. You or your kids should be the ones setting there designing stuff instead of working in McDonalds. We have scores of college graduates who would love to be doing intern work in shops like this. Instead the Chinese are having great jobs while we work vicariously through them by reading this on Dakka.

Thanks kickstarter. You suck.


BTW. Proxie models is working with local art students to help mentor them in turning ideas in to products. I will be giving a talk to some students in the near future and have some designs in the works done by them.

 Eilif wrote:

I wonder what is behind companies using ABS. I'd heard that it was even more expensive to produce the molds, etc than Polystyrene. Maybe it's a certain blend?

You can use ABS in an injection moulding setup instead of polystyrene - it is STILL a styrene (just not the same sort. Kind of a cousin to HIPS). The moulds would be the same as for the HIPS injection moulded stuff.

It's just a harder, more durable product that will need to be primed before painting as paint will not stick to it out of the press (part of the chemistry of the compound - not because of mould release or lubricant/coolants).

Amazing to see how it works. Thank you.

Good stuff, I was just saying to coworkers how I'd love a how stuff works episode about how plastic crack is made.