A Shapeways shipment arrived!

Today a small box from Shapeways turned up on my desk:

Whenever I get a hobby stuff in the mail, I feel like Steve Martin:http://youtu.be/-rTcfKfXwqo. I always have anything hobby-related sent to me at work, for reasons that I'm certain I needn't go into:

In the past, it's taken a fair while from the submission of my order to arrival, but this time it was reasonably quick.

Anyway, I received a packet of army tents (8x large rectangular and 4x small square), 4x West German Skorpion minelayers, and 6x IFA Sachsenring P3's, all from National Cheese Emporium, as well as 5x Trabant Kübels from Dragoman's Depot, everything being in 1/600:

Everything looks very good, especially the items in "frosted ultra detail", which really is by far the best material in which to have things made. However, the one HUGE drawback to 3D printing is very evident. You see those few tiny bits that take up very very little of my hand? With postage - $34!!!!! That's nosebleed territory! 3D printing will never get far until they get the prices under control. 

3D printed items always have an oily coating which isn't as easy to remove as you might expect. It's quite important to get it fully removed, as it causes primer and paint to flake off or at least bubble up into a "curdled" appearance. So, in addition to a stout scrubbing with an old toothbrush and undiluted dish washing liquid, I afterwards "paint" each one with old-timey paint thinner, then allow it to fully dry. Considerable care is required when priming these things. They weigh less than nothing and it is alarmingly easy for the primer can to blow them clear across the room, where they disappear forever into oblivion.

Here's everything primed light grey:

Anything in "frosted ultra detail" really is stunningly detailed for being so tiny. 

If you are old enough (as I am) to remember those wretched little US Postal Service jeeps of the 1970s and 80s, the P3 looks just like one:

And the Kübel comes in two versions, 3x top up and 2x top down:

I feel like it's a bit sub-scale, as its smaller than 1/600 ought to be, but it's not "in your face" obvious, so it'll look fine once it's on a base. 

The Skorpion platoon will become part of a company of West German combat engineers, while the Kübels and P3's will just be used to pretty up East German command stands. The tents will become a couple of field hospitals. More on all these little guys once they're painted and based.