Fairey IIIF 1/48

[wellsprop]

30 minutes ago, Hutch said:

Hi Ben

 

I'm in the same boat as MarcB having always wanted a IIIF in 1:48, so would be interested. Would you consider producing a bare kit without the decals, struts etc? It might be an option you could offer.

 

I have a great interest in this aircraft as my father worked on them whilst on HMS Eagle during the 1930s. I've still got his photo album from his two year tour of China/Japan with a lot of details of IIIFs. His pilot (dad was an engine fitter) was Lt Williamson who went on to lead the Taranto raid in WW2.

 

What was it that persuaded you to do a IIIF? I thought you were a Spitfire fanatic...

 

Hutch

 

 

Hi Hutch,

 

It a bare kit without the struts and decals would certainly be easier! In fact, decals are proving a pain at the moment.

 

And you're right, I am a Spitfire fanatic however, following my switch to 1/48 scale I limited myself to 8 Spitfires (it was tough, honestly - I wanted to build 16). I then worked my way through a twin engine collection and now I'm on a Hawker Typhoon/Tempest/Fury collection.

 

It was actually @mahavelona who came up with the idea. We were discussing models whilst on a museum trip, which led to me designing a Westland Wapiti conversion. He then also mentioned that his grandad has a great photo of a Fairey IIIF from his time in Mesopotamia (flying Wapitis).

 

It then rained one weekend so I decided to CAD model the Fairey IIIF because I had tidied the house and had nothing else to do.

[Anthony in NZ]

3 hours ago, wellsprop said:

 

Hi Anthony,

 

I intend to run off a couple 1/48 models and potentially a few more if there is genuine interest in that scale. As for 32 scale, I am certainly open to it and now things are progressing, I am getting closer to potentially being able to offer this. What it would need, at the very least, is to scale up EVERY part and save it all, under a new product/file structure, before splitting larger parts for printing. I imagine it could take nearly 2-3L of resin alone, so just the material could cost could be up around £60-100, it will also have quite a few more parts due to splitting them down to fit in the printer.

 

I'm certainly open to it, it is all a bit new to me however! Out of interest, which version would you intend to do, there are different floats and different cockpits, all of which need different models!

 

Ben

Hi Ben 

I understand it would be a lot more work and am prepared for the fact it ramps the costs up.  Of course I would still LOVE one, but at your leisure. The version I was after is the one in the photos I posted, if that helps?

 

cheers Anthony 

[wellsprop]

8 hours ago, Anthony in NZ said:

Hi Ben 

I understand it would be a lot more work and am prepared for the fact it ramps the costs up.  Of course I would still LOVE one, but at your leisure. The version I was after is the one in the photos I posted, if that helps?

 

cheers Anthony 

Excellent, I don't think there are too many changes needed for that version, I think the only significant difference is the cockpit (the aft cockpit appears to be the longer version).

[Hutch]

Ben

 

If there are any extra details you need I might have a few photos that I have never seen published.  I'm away from home until the weekend but feel free to ask.

 

Hutch

[wellsprop]

9 hours ago, Hutch said:

Ben

 

If there are any extra details you need I might have a few photos that I have never seen published.  I'm away from home until the weekend but feel free to ask.

 

Hutch

Hutch, that would be amazing! Pm inbound

 

 

The "production" wings (raised off the platform on lots of little supports) turned out to be a total failure. The supports allowed the wings to rotate about the wing/support join, so the wings came out wavy along the length of the chord.

 

Oh well, at least it was only a 7 hour print and not much resin wasted. I'll be reprinting them, on the supports, but with large vertical supports attached to the ends of the wings to stop them rotating.

[wellsprop]

The prototype is complete (I'm not putting the floats on because they took 17 hours to print!)

 

 

 

Cockpit detail too! I've left the supports in place on this - the "production" design doesn't need these supports.

 

Please note, this is the prototype! I've learnt a few lessons and incorporated some changes into the production design - mostly notably, how the wings are printed (thus keeping their leading edge better).

 

Ben

[occa]

Fantastic result and it makes me looking forward how this technology develops.
Should be also relatively easy to convert it to 1/72, at least I hope.

Tho I think you have overlooked the two oval openings on the lower chin behind the prop, also there seems to be an rectangular structure just in front where the lower wing leading edge attachment is, maybe that's an embedded oil cooler ?

[wellsprop]

1 hour ago, occa said:

Fantastic result and it makes me looking forward how this technology develops.
Should be also relatively easy to convert it to 1/72, at least I hope.

Tho I think you have overlooked the two oval openings on the lower chin behind the prop, also there seems to be an rectangular structure just in front where the lower wing leading edge attachment is, maybe that's an embedded oil cooler ?

 

Thanks Occa!

 

The two oval openings are there, they just aren't very deep (due to design and manufacturing constraints) - they need to be drilled deeper on construction.

There is an oil cooler that can be extended or retracted, I've modelled it flush (retracted) but haven't put in any panel lines... (yet?)

[Anthony in NZ]

Well done mate, that looks really really nice!  My fav thread on BM at the moment, keep up the great work!

[Pouln]

4 hours ago, wellsprop said:

I'm not putting the floats on because they took 17 hours to print!

17 hours? Are you printing them standing up on one end?

[wellsprop]

1 hour ago, Anthony in NZ said:

Well done mate, that looks really really nice!  My fav thread on BM at the moment, keep up the great work!

Cheers, I'll take that  

 

46 minutes ago, Pouln said:

17 hours? Are you printing them standing up on one end?

Yep, at 20 microns. I did a print with the laying down, it was vastly, vastly quicker (7 hours), bit it left a lot more ridges.

[wellsprop]

It's late and the image is rubbish but, here is the first complete kit

 

 

 

52 individual parts in all!

 

Need to source decals, brass rod and build a vacform machine to do the canopy...

 

Hopefully I'll be able to offer these as kits soon!

 

Ben

 

[Anthony in NZ]

Well done sir.  That's a real achievement!!

[Kushan_Farsight]

Some amazing work on show here! Looking like a real kit now

Does the Photon have a 'antialiasing' feature? - i can see some very slight layering lines on some of those parts

 

must say this has thread has been a real motivator for me to pick up those surface modelling tools once again. So of course i decided to start at 11.30pm Friday, and kept trundiling through till around 5am -  Now i know (again) how to do surface modelling! 

 

Must admit that its such a much more enjoyable task than when i tried it circa 2009! Using it inside my parametric modelling software takes a lot of the dark art out of it, but just shows you need to be properly methodical when you begin in order to get good results out. please excuse the non surface modeled wings and the overall abomination of an aircraft - i was playing with no reference image and so the end result was a cross between an obese robin and Boeing X-32! 

 

 

[wellsprop]

It seems it does, and it also seems I haven't been using it correctly!

 

The parts do have slight ridges which will need to be sanded smooth. The current anti-alias setting is "1", but it can got up to "8" - I don't know what effect this will have to the surface finish - I'll have to experiment I guess.

 

Ben

[Kushan_Farsight]

24 minutes ago, wellsprop said:

The parts do have slight ridges which will need to be sanded smooth. The current anti-alias setting is "1", but it can got up to "8" - I don't know what effect this will have to the surface finish - I'll have to experiment I guess.

 

The antialising level will determine how 'crisp' the layers are when projected by the screen. In a way its almost like giving them a digital 'sanding' before they get printed. A higher level will give you nice smooth compound curves, but you might lose your fine details like panel lines, rivets etc.

It may end up that your different parts are printed with different anti-ailas settings, with it ramped quite high up for things like the floats and big flying surfaces, but kept quite low for detail bits inside the cockpit tub, and little instrument clusters, undercarriage etc.  How many sittings/printing sessions did that 52 part kit take to make in all? 

[wellsprop]

3 minutes ago, Kushan_Farsight said:

The antialising level will determine how 'crisp' the layers are when projected by the screen. In a way its almost like giving them a digital 'sanding' before they get printed. A higher level will give you nice smooth compound curves, but you might lose your fine details like panel lines, rivets etc.

It may end up that your different parts are printed with different anti-ailas settings, with it ramped quite high up for things like the floats and big flying surfaces, but kept quite low for detail bits inside the cockpit tub, and little instrument clusters, undercarriage etc.  How many sittings/printing sessions did that 52 part kit take to make in all? 

Thanks for the info, I think I'll ramp up the AA for the wings (where it's noticeably layered) and keep it as is for the rest of the components which have little/no layering.

 

The kit only requires 5 prints, which totals about 60 hours. I did about 12-15 prints due to reprints, testing, etc, etc. I must admit, it was surprisingly easy - I stuck the printer on overnight and by the time I woke up, I'd have a load of components printed

[wellsprop]

It's done, I am now offering kits!

 

 

Ben

 

[Anthony in NZ]

Hey Ben, that's excellent news buddy!

 

The kit looks great, just let me know when you might want to do her in 1/32, I know of at least one other person who is keen.

 

Cheers and brilliant stuff, loved watching this!

 

Cheers Anthony

[Guest]

Can I suggest an Anson C19 in 72nd as your next project?  Smaller, so less cost, no available kit, so no competition and a ready market.  Plenty of scope for different schemes too.

[wellsprop]

10 minutes ago, The Wooksta! said:

Can I suggest an Anson C19 in 72nd as your next project?  Smaller, so less cost, no available kit, so no competition and a ready market.  Plenty of scope for different schemes too.

 

Hi Wooksta, I had considered this, but the windows/canopy might be quite a problem. As my only way of making clear parts is to plunge mold/vacform them, it's not really possible to make windows to go into a fuselage (like in a typical plastic kit).

 

I'm still trying to figure a way around this.

[iang]

16 hours ago, Anthony in NZ said:

Hey Ben, that's excellent news buddy!

 

The kit looks great, just let me know when you might want to do her in 1/32, I know of at least one other person who is keen.

 

Cheers and brilliant stuff, loved watching this!

 

Cheers Anthony

 

 

The IIIF looks really good. I too would be interested in a 1/32nd scale version if you ever decide to make one.

[wellsprop]

@MarcB @Hutch are you interested in a kit?

 

@Anthony in NZ @iang I've now got at least 3 people interested in a 1/32 version, so I am going to look o scale it up. I need to modify it slightly to have the longer rear cockpit (for the NZ & Greek versions) as well as model the later style floats.

 

Ben

[Anthony in NZ]

3 hours ago, wellsprop said:

@MarcB @Hutch are you interested in a kit?

 

@Anthony in NZ @iang I've now got at least 3 people interested in a 1/32 version, so I am going to look o scale it up. I need to modify it slightly to have the longer rear cockpit (for the NZ & Greek versions) as well as model the later style floats.

 

Ben

Brilliant Ben...count me in as a definite and I will let Mike know as well.  Thanks for the mods that need doing, appreciate you are going to incorporate them! 

[wellsprop]

19 hours ago, Anthony in NZ said:

Brilliant Ben...count me in as a definite and I will let Mike know as well.  Thanks for the mods that need doing, appreciate you are going to incorporate them! 

Hi Anthony,

 

Thanks for the images you posted, @iang has suggested some changes that I will incorporate for the 32 scale model. Any further images/information on the particular design/shape of the NZ/FAA/Greek versions will be greatly appreciated.

 

Much of the design is my interpretation of images/plans. I must stress, this is my first attempt to design and print a model and I'm not particularly good at interpreting shapes etc (I'm a typical technical engineer, I need detailed plans and dimensions - I somewhat lack creativity)!