The Wight Type A.1 Improved Navyplane (1/72nd scale)

[lone modeller]

This all looks extremely impressive - if a little fragile!

Stephen.

[KiwiZac]

I agree on both points!

[RichieW]

Incredible intricacy. Skinning is going to require a very delicate touch, I'm sure you can do it though.

Richie

[PJ Fisher]

Skinning is going to require a very delicate touch, I'm sure you can do it though.

Yes, little margin for error! I'm somewhat confident I'll sort the wing covering out. The rigging is going to be the biggest challenge, along with not damaging the plane during all the handling.

Meanwhile, I had another 3D design session today and learned how to simulate some natural wear and indentations on the leather.  Slow going but I kinda dig all the sculptural subtlety that's possible.

[FAf]

The whole 3D-printing things is amazing and a bit scary, I think... but your build log makes it less so, not less amazing obviously. 😁

Really fascinating to follow!
/Fredrik

[Skyhook]

This thread is doing my head in .... it is so great that it looks basically unreal!  Have you thought of covering the wings with same methods as the indoor ultralight flying models are done? A colored laquer film spread on water and then let to attach itself from the surface to the wing structure?  I guess there might be some more durable laquers available, when one does not need to think of the weight issue?

Cheers,

Skyhook

[PJ Fisher]

Have you thought of covering the wings with same methods as the indoor ultralight flying models are done? A colored laquer film spread on water and then let to attach itself from the surface to the wing structure? 

I had not known about this... will investigate! I definitely have enough broken wing bits to experiment with.  Thanks Skyhook!

Meanwhile, we were able to print a few new parts this morning.  The little anchor came out great.  The seats printed successfully also, though the cushion piping I spent so much time on is impossible to see, and the print angle left an undesirable grain effect on the cushions (though this might come in handy for other applications).  Minor revisions needed.  I also made a first test print of the steering wheel, which turned out like a noodle.  Will have to exaggerate the size a bit to render it properly. 

. . . .

[lone modeller]

That anchor is remarkable! Best of luck correcting the seats because they look good too.

Stephen.

[FAf]

Brilliant!

You mentioned the print angle... Does that mean that there always will be this kind of print pattern somewhere, but you can minimise it by positioning the model differently in the software?
/Fredrik

[PJ Fisher]

Thanks Fredrik!  The simple answer to your question is 'yes'.  I wish I could talk meaningfully about the creation process but my brother handles all that.  Basically the machine 'prints' layers of resin that are hardened by a UV beam.  Kinda like pixels on a screen.  Many factors influence the resolution outcome, including the quality of the printer, the type of resin, the design pattern, software settings and, as you mention, how an object is positioned. This I think is one reason why 3D parts are commonly printed diagonally, which is also why support sprues are needed.  I'm sure others here could explain it better than me.  The graining sands off quite easily, but these are too tiny for that.

[RichieW]

Amazing resolution on the 3d print. Those creases in the seat cushion must be tiny in 1/72 yet there they are perfectly rendered. Fascinating stuff!

Richie

[PJ Fisher]

Hey all,

Not too much progress to report other than we've been fine-tuning some cockpit details and experimenting with printing them different angles, which definitely influences the quality of the final product.  The control column is coming along and we were even able to capture the ridges in the steering wheel (best seen on the upper-left print).  Happy with the rollover edge on the seats.  My brother is also nearing completion on the rear engine details, which has involved much research and some quesswork.  Ready to test print all that soon.
 

[RichieW]

The control column looks amazingly detailed for such a tiny part. It will need a very light touch to remove it from the sprue without damage but you have that in spades so no problem!

Great work by your brother designing the engine, it looks very convincing to me. I'm looking forward to seeing a print of it. I'm enjoying seeing all this CAD sorcery taking shape!

Richie

[PJ Fisher]

The control column looks amazingly detailed for such a tiny part. It will need a very light touch to remove it from the sprue without damage but you have that in spades so no problem!

Great work by your brother designing the engine, it looks very convincing to me. I'm looking forward to seeing a print of it. I'm enjoying seeing all this CAD sorcery taking shape!

Thanks Richie.  You're absolutely right - there's a sincere struggle with making such tiny details viably printable with a minimal loss rate.  At the suggestion of a few folks, we're considering going into small-scale production with some accessories (like the aerial bombs and gun mounts I've been tinkering with in another thread) but it wouldn't be an enjoyable experience or investment for purchasers if the stuff is too fragile. 

But, yes, I'm slowing learning the arcane language CAD sorcery and it's almost as fun as assembling real-life model.  I'm sure there are others here more savvy than me with such things.  For instance, it took me days to render this Foster gun mount (unrelated to this particular plane), which seemed like a simple enough project to complete in just an hour or two.  Looking forward to seeing how this prints out though.  Once it's perfected, one can just keep printing it forever I suppose!

[FAf]

I'm enjoying seeing all this CAD sorcery taking shape!

Richie

I say the same thing - enjoyable sorcery!
/Fredrik