Rucksacks and Military Equipment Castings

[Apache26]

Newest 3D rendering of the next model to be produced; a tropical rucksack with a 5-quart canteen, claymore, 2-quart canteen and an XM-28 protective mask carrier.




I have new prototypes of the lightweight ruck in 1:18 being shipped as I write this. When I get some extra time, I'll work on shoulder straps and seeing whether casting will provide a cheaper alternative to printing on a mass scale. Once that's figured out, I'll be able to offer my first line of three with a couple more variations to come.

[Apache26]

I received the 1:18 lightweight ruck prototype in today. Here are some product demo photos.

As you can see, right now I'm having to go with the PTE option for shoulder straps. Please keep in mind that these are still very much prototypes. So far, printing shoulder straps is proving to be infeasible. The elastic with the nylon is the most flexible option, but I do intend to spruce it up so that they more closely resemble shoulder straps.

The purpose of these photos is to give you gents an idea of the scale and detail when placed on a figure.

21st Century SSG Bob Barnes with the radio.





1LT Falcon with the rucksack.











Again, the clear plastic is the "frosted high detail" print material. Although it's harder to see the details, it is more suitable for casting.

[Apache26]

Next prototype going up for print:



Which feeds into:



Today I received a successful printing of the tropical rucksack with the 5-quart canteen and the claymore bag. I'll post photos of that when I get time.

Both the LAW and the rucksack will be printed and offered for sale. For the first time that I am aware of, the M-72 LAW will be printed in the correct scale.

For those who might be thinking; yes, I know that this is an M-72A1 LAW. Inert copies of the original M-72 LAW are as rare as frog's hair. They can be found, but I wanted to start with what I physically have on hand. When I can find good photo references of an M-72, I'll forward those on to my modeler. My inert M-72A1 is dated 1970 and the good news is that this style is applicable all the way through modern dios since the M-72A7 being used in combat now consists of the same tube style.

[Apache26]

Thanks to a member on Fighting 1:18th, I have a solution for the shoulder straps...

Hockey Tape!

I had seen the tutorials on making plate carriers and pouches with it, but it never dawned on me to use it on my rucks until the suggestion was made. It is a much better alternative to elastic or ribbon and it's the best I can do until I have a way of producing sophisticated vinyl or soft plastic shoulder straps.

Here are prototype photos. The shoulder straps will receive some more refinement, but you get the idea. Please excuse the poor lighting. I wanted to get this update done when I had some time. I'll post more photos that show the pack details when I can.













And here is the Rucksack with the LAW:



I wasn't thrilled with the shape of the 2-quart canteen. I had it revised and an updated version will be printed this month.







This week I'll be working hard on casting these and making consistent shoulder straps. I hope to have copies to sell by the end of this month.

[USCGMK2]

Looks good. What will be your asking price for these?

[Apache26]

It's funny you mention that. I just finished my masters' courses in industrial engineering and my final project was a maximization problem to find out for much I'd have to sell these given the cost of materials, the cost to pay my modeler and the cost of printing. I'm not going to say the recommended solution given how much I've invested.

I plan on selling these from around $6 - 8 a pack. I know the market has a price threshold and it is very low. For as much effort as I put into this, I want to price them to sell even though it won't cover a fraction of my investment. The price range right now is an estimate since I don't know exactly how many I can cast with one box of casting materials (and therefore how many I can produce before buying more resin). I'd appreciate your thoughts and input.

[USCGMK2]

Have you thought about trying them on eBay? I think it would provide a bigger audience than the forums would. I think they'd sell if they were $2-3 easily, but like you said it is the personal investment and time you put in to it and your not a factory popping these out every minute.

[Apache26]

Yes, and I will sell them on Ebay as well. I also have them scaled for the 1:16 crowd. Although that market for Vietnam rucksacks is smaller, I'm hoping there are people who may be interested in customizing some of the old Verlinden kits, etc.

$2-3 is untenable, but I'll consider it because any return on my investment is better than none. I'm trying to price these against similar items that are offered by custom casters. I'd rather sell 5 or 6 at $3 than 1 at $8. No offense, but when people complain about costs and the lack of 1:18 offerings, I don't think they understand markets very well. Custom casters and 3D designers are working to keep this hobby alive, but like the mom and pop shop they require support to keep moving forward. A guy like Pickel will keep churning out great work, but if no one will pay the price for his work then they won't get the things they want in 1:18. I'm trying to fill a niche that I think needs to be filled. I'm sensitive to the customer's desires, but if I'm throwing a $1,000 down a black hole it isn't worth it.

[CoreyD]

I can't speak for the others, but if $2-3 is untenable, what about $5?

I'd definitely pay $5 for a highly detailed ruck.

[USCGMK2]

I understand exactly what your saying Apache. Well I think that's great your doing it for other scales too! Also, I hope I didn't offend with $2-$3 remark, i'm just thinking like most people i know "cheap and quick" but never realize the work that goes into something.

[Apache26]

$5 is definitely possible. This is why I am soliciting feedback. I realize that the price point isn't just about running numbers to find where I'll break even.

[Apache26]

Here are 3D images of the last two rucks I am doing for now. You may be asking yourself why I did a few different variants of each...

The reason is that, if you're like me, and you're outfitting a squad, you don't want every man wearing the same thing. There are so many different possibilities and permutations that I couldn't possibly do them all. But I wanted to provide some variety.

Tropical Ruck with Bandoleer and 5-Quart Canteen:





Lightweight Ruck with Machete and Claymore Mine:





At this point, I'm still working on getting successful casting molds. It's a trial and error process and sometimes the models break while being molded and popped into and out of the putty.

I'll post photos of castings soon.