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However, 3D printers do exist that can. Audiovox makes buttons for their in-car DVD players for BMW using 3D printers... Just as one example, but those machines cost a lot of money.
It costs Audiovox about 93 cents each to make each button, compared to about 30 cents each for injection molding, but with the molding they have a $4,000 mold they have to make, where there is no start up cost to the 3D printer, so they can make 500 of them, change the design, make 500 more, change it again, no retooling costs.
I don't know if I'd use 3D printing, or injection molding... If I make 1,000 of them and it costs me $5,000 to have the mold made, then my cost per part is $5 for the mold, if the cost to make the part is another $5 given the very low production run, then there is my $10 per part cost, and they could probably be made very close to the Lego part. Given that this is boat rigging and not a brick that needs clutch power, I think it might work.
He is retired now, but the company here in Dallas that actually made the plastic for him is still in business, I could find out if I really wanted to.
I was more just floating the idea to see if there was any interest, if someone else wanted to run with it, that would be fine, I don't think I'd get rich off the idea in any case. :)
7708 and 7711 are options if they can be found cheap in quantities with 3 each
Agree with you 100% @Renny. I gave it a lot of thought on cutting corners and subbing, but it always felt cheap or wrong to me in a way. And being OCD with good memory doesn't help that, so every time I look at the MF I would imagine saying something like:
'What a gorgeous ship, so beautiful in every way and worth all the time, effort and crazy money to Bricklink it. Well, except for those damn old gray levers, black engine covers and blurry plaque sticker. But other than that it's perfect.'
And I would be lying to myself each and every time. I don't like to be 90% prideful because then it's just
foolishfalse pride.If I could help 500 people Bricklink UCS Falcon, that would make 500 people really happy. :)
The printed dish, I'm not sure what to do about, after all the printing is more than just a molded part, but perhaps that can be done as well.
The blue arches in Cafe Corner and Market Street I think would be harder, because those are actual bricks with clutch power, and getting their color right will be harder than the gray I think.
I still haven't seen anyone post saying, "yes, I'd buy 2 of those for $49 delivered".
But I assume that getting it transparent would be even more difficult than getting a non-transparent brick right. So, my plans for classic space will remain a dream for now (after I learned that joining Brickish wouldn't help either... ;).
painting a black rigging light bley seems like a more logical choice.
Laser printing has come a long way and I think there are customizers out there that are skilled enough to make it happen on the radar dish. But it requires a minimum number of dishes to make it worthwhile for the start-up effort.
Custom molding is even more difficult, but might work for something simple like the mast riggings. Issue would be to color match the ABS to Light Bley of course, which is not easy as even matching the sheen of black parts to Lego's exact black is difficult.
Only way I see it working this way, is if a customizer person or group puts together a package of the custom radar dish, riggings, and levers for retail sale. Packaged at $200 - $250 would make it viable and after 100 or 200 are sold, should become profitable. Go the extra step by laser printing the Instructions with professional spiral binding and you have an added $150 - $200 value. Would you buy this said package at $400?
I don't think you'd want to laser print the dish, getting toner to stick to the plastic would be rather hard, wet ink would work much better.
I don't think you'd sell very many for $250, but I don't think you'd have to charge that much either, the parts just don't cost that much to make. It is the initial setup and design that is expensive.
The levers would be the hard part, that is two parts connected together to work as one, then it sticks onto a stud, so it needs clutch power.
Is there a demand for 200 more bricklinked Falcons? Is there enough parts on Bricklink to do that? Sure, for most of the parts, there is plenty, but at some point you start to make other parts rare if too many people start doing this.
The lever is indeed 2 parts, but only the lever handle itself needs to be made since the base is a currently made piece and widely available.
You're probably right on the laser versus wet ink. But wouldn't it be prone to smearing?
And agree on the Instructions being out of bounds by Copyright restrictions.
But I do think the demand of Bricklinked Falcons is more than 200, so there is enough interest to make a buck or two somewhere, somehow, while positively serving both parties involved.
But there is a difference between TLG making the parts and having them all for sale on Bricklink in large enough numbers to have 200 people Bricklink the set.
A better plan might be to buy the various parts required, make the few that are not available, and "create" 200 copies of the set to be sold.
But what could you sell them for? $1,000? Is there enough demand at that price point to move 200 copies of the set? And what would be the profit margin? No, you're thinking of cheap consumer desktop printers, which generally suck. :)
Billboards are often printed with inkjet technology, and they sit out in the rain. (they put the canvas on a huge drum, then rotate it while a printhead slowly prints the whole thing in a spiral pattern) Inkjet technology exists that would do the job perfectly.
Peeron says there are supposed to be 10 2x2 light bley domes. For the life of me, I can only find a place for 9. The discrepancy could be that the instructions show a "finished" image for the loading ramp that suggests it has a dome (like the sister piece on the other side) but then as you build the dome is never actually used because of the working ramp feature.
Anyone else find this and can confirm my craziness?
I am still waiting for couple of cones and umbrella stands but it is otherwise done. Contemplating getting a sticker -- I don't mind a repro, whats the best way to go about that?
I'll ask about 10179 stickers, if I can get 10 of them, I'd be happy to offer them at cost here if allowed.
I have about 800 common parts left to get. About half of those will come from TLG as they're cheaper than bricklink. A few i'm having trouble finding on bricklink - the telephone pieces "167" don't register as a searchable part, i'm sure they'll be amongst the cheaper parts at Lego.
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogPG.asp?P=6190&colorID=85
Well packed, was placed between two sheets of paperboard to protect it, arrived quickly and in perfect condition, for what that is worth.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lego-UCS-Starwars-10019-Rebel-Blockade-Runner-sticker-sheet-/110932283246?pt=UK_Construction_Toys_Kits&hash=item19d4144f6e
http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?itemID=2851&colorID=85
The majority of my remaining parts are the small DBG cones, the trans blue tiles, the other 2x2 tiles in all colours, the long technic pins and the the 16 stud technic beams. Some bricklink prices seem mad - especially the small wing-wedges. I have tried to avoid US bricklinkers as shipping cost is large and import duty adds up.
I've learnt quite a bit from this bricklinking experience.
I will say that what I have read here confirms my fears. It will become harder and harder to bricklink this set, having cheap replacements for a few parts like the light bley boat riggings won't help when 1,100 parts becomes hard to source.
This should, in turn, drive up the cost of a used UCS Falcon as it becomes nearly impossible to bricklink one for a reasonable price.
This time next year, will a used Falcon fetch $2,000? More?
Of course some parts are a pia, of the "rare" parts I am only missing the boat rigging, and I am pretty sure I will not pay more than 30-40$ for them, so if they do not get below that I already have a black set to repaint. I would prefer to have it perfect, but money is hard to earn.
Also you have to be patient, sometimes a parts that is not being offered sohws up in some seller, and you have to be quick as lightning to get it.
Rgrds
Jose
For me the only ceiling the MF has is how much you can bricklink it yourself if you're willing to forego the box and manual. Take away the ability to finish a bricklinked example and who knows how much some would pay for a complete boxed example, used or new? Right now there are people who can live with black levers, black rigging and a plain dish to save £250.
I wonder if the MF would look better with all black levers (as per Jabbas pipe piece on the new palace set) as opposed to the bley/black common one?
I'm hoping that items like the DBG 1x1 round cones (98 needed?) can be bought reasonably from TLG via contacting them as if to replace lost parts, instead of paying 65p/$1 each.
As it is, I expect to buy the cones, yellow technic angles, 1 x 16 technic beams, the 4x4 technic round bricks, 8x8 plates, 1x4 plate/wings and 1x3 wedge/wings and anything else that is hard to get hold of from Lego directly, as the bricklink prices seem way more than Lego would charge. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the printed dish is available for £31/$50, that is just about the threshold i'd consider not using a plain one, but honestly i'm just thinking about resale value if I should ever fall out of Lego, and that is one of a few parts you'd probably find impossible to get a hold of in 10 years time, or even 5. Just purely for me i'd be happy to do with the plain one. Can't bring myself to pay out for bley levers, but if TLG brought out a set that utilised them in the future i'd get them replaced. Bley rigging - i'll probably pay for a single one as I have one already, there are a few people who will sell singly and not in a pair, although it irks me that the black ones can be got for 58p and i'll have to pay £50 for one.
Rgrds