With the first results being conclusive, I am launching an improved version of my roads.

The New Specifications

• Road tiles to assemble to create a circuit or network
• 🆕 The elements hold together thanks to hermaphroditic tabs (male and female at the same time), which do not impose a direction on the tile
• Road width suitable for 1/64 scale miniature vehicles
• True to reality and its diversity
• Allowing complex assemblies (intersections, turns, etc.)
• Constructible with accessible materials and open-source software
• Durable, bio-sourced, and as recyclable as possible
• 🆕 The cutting of the elements does not follow the hexagonal shape but follows the shape of the road

Realization

The steps are (almost) the same as for v1. The differences are as follows:

Hermaphroditic Tabs

For the tiles to hold together, I need tabs like those on puzzle pieces, for example. But there are two major drawbacks to this male/female system of puzzle pieces:

1. You cannot rotate a tile to use it in the other direction: male/male or female/female does not work.
2. If you introduce "branch" tiles, you will probably end up wanting to connect two males or two females: a male/male or female/female adapter will be necessary.

However, an advantage is that you can flip (front/back) the tiles to change the direction of a turn, for example, but in this case, it must be printed on both sides: this is the solution chosen by Waytoplay, Brio, and almost all other competitors.

From experience with Brio tracks, M/M or F/F adapters are a constraint, and I do not intend to print my support on both sides: I naturally choose hermaphroditic tabs, which are male and female at the same time.

Laser Cutting

Living not far from a very good fablab, I will take my license on the Laser System 1490 cutter/engraver. This makes the cutting of the tabs feasible, and I also take the opportunity to cut the tiles to the shape of the printed roads rather than keeping the "blanks."

Improvement of Road Traces

I take the opportunity to improve the tight turn and parking tiles. I add "chicane" tiles and abandon the "bridge" tile. The source files for printing and cutting are free and downloadable right here:

The Result

The result is even better. The tiles hold together perfectly but remain very easy to assemble/separate. The close-cut tracing gives a Waytoplay-like appearance.

But there are (inevitably) new problems:

• Calibrating the laser cutter was laborious, and the cutting shifted from the printing trace at the ends.
• The numerous "protruding" shapes of the tabs promote the detachment of the printed sheet: the spray glue is not strong enough.
• Laser cutting induces a strong burnt wood smell, not very pleasant, even if it fades over time.

Maybe I will improve these points in v3!