Are you depending on 3-D printing to revive a dying hobby or club? In the first place kids these days are not interested in building something, especially not taking the time to build a wooden ship. The hobby is dying and you know it. There are some among us that think 3-D printing will stop the exodus from the hobby. Think again and do the math. It's TOO expensive it's a one off and extremely cost prohibitive. http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/the-slow-sad-and-ultimately-predictable-decline-of-3d-printing.html I know, there are many articles supporting both sides, but when the negetives start appearing.......maybe there is something to it. I challenge anyone to show how 3-D printing is low cost and readily available without a lot of hidden metal parts they don't want you to know about. I'm tired about the lies, misdirection, fabrication, so on and so forth. Hidding or altering reality is not going to increase your membership. I challenge you to tell the truth. I'm not from Missouri...but show me. Want to save your club??? 1. Get rid of useless " out for themselves" management. 2. Get back to basics. 3. Tell the truth. 4. Embrace all scales. I am a member of Pacific Model Warship Club and the ideas expressed are my own.
Wow. An article that says 3d printing is dying! From someone we all know is an expert. And it's chock full of facts and cites scholarly sources, too. I'm convinced. Thanks for enlightening me : P
Dying huh? I myself am a new member here. Have put a total of four new ships together in about 3 months. I don't have a 3d printer. I am building a rather large wooden ship from scratch. The club I belong to has 4 new members since May. All are either building, or refitting ships at this time. I chat up the hobby everywhere I go. Seems like a good bit of interest, however we as a hobby are all but unknown to the general public. That's why it's dying, lack of promotion.
I see you're a big gun captain. Dying hobby? I see big-gun dying but fastgun appears to be doing well. Basing a hobby on difficult to build or obtain cannon systems and a minutia of scale (as found in bg) is a sure fired path to obscurity IMO. 3D printing has nothing to do with the lackluster participation in bg. In fact it may save the hobby making cannon production easier and more accessible to the non-machinists.
I don't see the hobby dying anytime soon. Sure you may not have the younger age groups interested (teens) but as ppl get older the video games just don't do it for you anymore. (Speaking from experience) and you look into hobbies such as this one. I don't see any format "dying" the only one under threat was big gun due to cannon cost and availability but with the new 3D printed designs it has driven the cost of them down significantly and is on the path to making them more readily available.
Interesting article. Because people don't give away well engineered designs for cheap or free 3D printing is doomed to failure. And then exaggerate the price of materials because the rest of the argument isn't enough. I just used an entire $29 spool of filament in the last 18 days. But I have a complete and very nicely detailed superstructure for that cost, plus about 50 ship's boats to hand out at the next battle. I also just finished prototyping a new micro pump that fits between the shafts of my Golo which should make it almost unsinkable 3D printing is just like any other tool... you have to use it for the right purpose and learn how to use it properly. If you expect it to solve all your problems you are bound to be disappointed.
