Airfix 1/72 Sea King HAR 3 : Over the top 3D Printing madness.

[alxzinbox]

Hi there,

 

After a long hiatus of almost 2 years, I'm super excited to showcase some work-in-progress of my Airfix 1/72 Sea King HAR 3!

I picked the kit off the clearance shelf of a big box store, with the intention of doing a quick weekend build to get the momentum going.

As everyone knows, that never happens.

All Airfix kits deserve a loving round of riveting to elevate the model to greater heights. More so on the Sea King with her prominent (albeit raised) rivet detail, that will later serve as a blueprint for weathering.

 

Next up I decided that the Kit Landing gear wasn't detailed enough for my taste. So I went about modeling the landing gear in 3D with intention of 3D printing it. I modelled the gear in both extended and weighted modes, as the model I'm building will be in flight

 

 

Same with the wheels and tires. The kit comes with weighted tires, and I gotta say are equally detailed as the 3d Print. I however needed unweighted tires for the extended landing gear. So I went ahead and modelled it. Made a weighted tire as well just for the heck of it.



Next up I tried to drill a hole into the Sand Filter exhaust. I ended up ruining the part, and as my efforts to find a replacement tube in correct scale failed, I went the 3d Route again.



With the kit part on top:

 

There is a significant bump in detail quality, unfortunately the part seems over detailed to the otherwise simplified detail the starter kit provides.

Next I turned my attention to the hydraulic winch. The kit struts seemed a little too thick, and redoing it using styrene rod seemed like a challenge I wasn't upto anymore with my failing eye-sight. So 3D modelling it was...

 

 

And the final result:

 

The 3d printing layers are magnified due to macro lens. At scale length, it's hardly visible if at all.

My only concern due to the in-scale but now fragile struts is

Spoiler

if the winch will be strong enough to hold the weight of the Rescue officer hanging from it.

 

Moving to the grand finale (at least for me at this point of time), Since the bird will be in flight, the kit rotors would need significant modifications to work as I envision it to be.... So I spent a SOLID 10 days poring over thousand images and a few videos to make some sense of the complicated main rotor head. After multiple false starts, I was finally able to complete the model and print out a test print.



Incidentally, each rotor arm is different from the other (due to the folding mechanism) , and not just a simple job of radially copying one completed arm 4 additional times.



Again, the print layers are visible below due to the macro lens, but almost invisible as seen above.





The alligator mouth are 3d print supports to hold up the upper plate of the blade fork. They will be removed in the final installation.

 

I had modelled attachment points for hydraulic cabling using copper wire. It remains to be seen how well that idea will work. It'll be unfortunate to have raised the bar this far only to drop the ball at the last stage.... so I'm going to hydraulic line this bad boy, no matter the cost.

Next will be the rotor blade attachment tests and the tail rotor (which is in currently being built in 3D)

Will update in a bit. Thanks for watching!

Cheers,

 

Alex.

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by alxzinbox

[marvinneko]

Great work in 3d! You're really upgrading the kit. 

[NealParkes]

That's some amzing detail! I'm sure that the 3d parts will liven up the build considerably. Have you considered selling the .stl files or the parts themselves? I'd be interested in them for sure.

 

Thanks

 

Neal

[hendie]

nice upgrading.  The resin printing is very nicely done and will add some real depth to the model.

[Farmerboy]

Wow that rotor head looks something else! Great work, it will be good to see that painted up.

[kev67]

Those 3D printed items look great, I would not sell the .STL files though as others would be able to use your artwork and sell those items for themselves

[Taylor Durbon]

Indeed. I ˋd like to by all of these! 

[heloman1]

Excellent work on the main rotorhead, especially in 72nd scale. I could do wit a couple f those in 1/48th!

 

Colin the Wessex nut.

[Lord Riot]

I don’t really understand how 3D printing works. How do you tell the printer what to print?
 

Is it as easy as scanning a photo of for example a Sea King winch, then telling it to print it in 1/72 scale? Or would that be in the realms of fantasy? Do you have to make lots of measurements and CAD drawings from all angles in reality?

 

I wonder if the technology will ever be there in our lifetimes where you could scan a photo of a Swift from Google images and tell a machine to print one off in 1/48 scale?

[heloman1]

18 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

I don’t really understand how 3D printing works. How do you tell the printer what to print?
 

Is it as easy as scanning a photo of for example a Sea King winch, then telling it to print it in 1/72 scale? Or would that be in the realms of fantasy? Do you have to make lots of measurements and CAD drawings from all angles in reality?

 

I wonder if the technology will ever be there in our lifetimes where you could scan a photo of a Swift from Google images and tell a machine to print one off in 1/48 scale?

In another lifetime...

 

Colin

[PLC1966]

Thats some really nice 3D printing...if you happen to reprint some extras and feel the need to move them on.....let me know.

 

Really good point on the rivets on a Sea King, that was one thing that struck me when walking around the hanger at Chivenor, the rivets are very obvious even from a good few feet away.

[alxzinbox]

On 11/2/2023 at 11:25 AM, Lord Riot said:

I don’t really understand how 3D printing works. How do you tell the printer what to print?
 

Is it as easy as scanning a photo of for example a Sea King winch, then telling it to print it in 1/72 scale? Or would that be in the realms of fantasy? Do you have to make lots of measurements and CAD drawings from all angles in reality?

 

I wonder if the technology will ever be there in our lifetimes where you could scan a photo of a Swift from Google images and tell a machine to print one off in 1/48 scale?

The 3d model has to be first built using a 3d software like Blender (free). In my case I construct it using the measurements from the kit, and detail it using blueprints, photo and video references. Trawling thru the Walkarounds here on Britmodeller were invaluable in imparting a lot of insight to the design and shapes of the components.

This digital 3D model is then "sliced" into a stack black and white images, each representing a cross section of 0.01mm in height of the model which looks like this.



The resin printer then displays the image using a UV led screen which cures a thin slice of the liquid resin. This video will better explain how it works :
 

Quote

I wonder if the technology will ever be there in our lifetimes where you could scan a photo of a Swift from Google images and tell a machine to print one off in 1/48 scale?

 

While some might scoff at you, there are ways to convert a 2d image into a 3d model. It's pretty convoluted and technical (even for me) but it's possible. Phones these days have apps where you can take photos of an object from multiple angles and it'll create a rough model in 3D that you can scale up or down as per your needs (for eg. you can scan and miniaturize a barrel to insert into your diorama, or enlarge a rubber ducky to use as a lawn ornament)

Cheers,

 

Alex.
 

Edited November 3, 2023 by alxzinbox

[alxzinbox]

10 hours ago, PLC1966 said:

Thats some really nice 3D printing...if you happen to reprint some extras and feel the need to move them on.....let me know.

 

Really good point on the rivets on a Sea King, that was one thing that struck me when walking around the hanger at Chivenor, the rivets are very obvious even from a good few feet away.

Looking at reference photos, the rivets also break up the large panels on the fuselage, so even if you look at it from a distance, there's a lot going on even if you can't see the rivets themselves. A completely worthwhile investment of time in helicopter builds in my opinion.

[Robin-42]

3D printing is the future for a lot of things. Your work is exemplary. 

[Dan Parsons]

wow! 1:48 is hard enough.. cant wait to see this finished!

[alxzinbox]

Slow progress...

Modelled and 3d printed the tail rotor to detail the kit part. I elongated the blades and printed it out in clear resin and airbrushed a gradient on the blades to simulate motion blur.

 

I elongated the blades and printed it out in clear resin and airbrushed a gradient on the blades to simulate motion blur. Will detail paint the rotor hub by hand



The main rotors are proving to be slightly more challenging due to blade sag. I'm not sure that I will be able to solve that with my existing experience. I've had to thicken the blades to stiffen them, but that added on more load. Now I've got brass rod connecting it to the rotor head assembly.

Edited November 29, 2023 by alxzinbox

[Gimme Shelter]

wow - looks pretty amazing so far

[eng]

On 11/29/2023 at 11:18 PM, alxzinbox said:

Slow progress...

Modelled and 3d printed the tail rotor to detail the kit part. I elongated the blades and printed it out in clear resin and airbrushed a gradient on the blades to simulate motion blur.

 

I elongated the blades and printed it out in clear resin and airbrushed a gradient on the blades to simulate motion blur. Will detail paint the rotor hub by hand



The main rotors are proving to be slightly more challenging due to blade sag. I'm not sure that I will be able to solve that with my existing experience. I've had to thicken the blades to stiffen them, but that added on more load. Now I've got brass rod connecting it to the rotor head assembly.

 

For the main rotors, could you 3D print these with a groove along the full length that would allow you to insert a fine length of steel with to help give the correct bend in the blade? Just a thought. 

 

Genuinely in awe of your 3D printed parts and as other have said, if you are interested in selling any parts I'd gladly purchase multiple items from you.

 

Eng

[alxzinbox]

47 minutes ago, eng said:

could you 3D print these with a groove along the full length that would allow you to insert a fine length of steel with to help give the correct bend in the blade? Just a thought.

The rotor blades I printed out in transparent resin quickly deformed and went all limp and floppy like an unwatered plant   so your idea is solid.



Executing it in 72nd will be tough unfortunately due to the limitations of resin drainage and curing of a long tube during printing, so I'll probably have to try a different approach with the regular grey primer. It should be possible in 48th and above.

Thank you for your interest. I'm still testing the feasibility, and once I have a working prototype I will definitely put these up on sale.

[Jonners]

That's a very smart Sea King under those blades and the Centrisep filter is particularly good. It also looks typically grubby, though the starboard side was always worse than the port side. ZE370 appears several times in my logbooks!

Jon

[alxzinbox]

22 hours ago, Jonners said:

ZE370 appears several times in my logbooks!

Jon

....as in you actually flew that bird?! 😲

[Jonners]

2 hours ago, alxzinbox said:

...as in you actually flew that bird?! 😲

Yup. 2100 hours flying Mk3s. It's coincidentally on the top line here, in a pic I took to illustrate another airframe's appearance (XZ597, operated in airworthy condition by Historic Helicopters):

'Airtest post ASE pack change' refers to an airtest following the replacement of the Auxiliary Servo Equipment assembly, in other words the aux hydraulic rods that were contained in the floor-to-ceiling box immediately behind the right-hand (P1) pilot's seat and opposite the crew entry door, referred to as the 'broom cupboard'.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Jonners

[alxzinbox]

18 hours ago, Jonners said:

Yup. 2100 hours flying Mk3s. It's coincidentally on the top line here, in a pic I took to illustrate another airframe's appearance (XZ597, operated in airworthy condition by Historic Helicopters):

'Airtest post ASE pack change' refers to an airtest following the replacement of the Auxiliary Servo Equipment assembly, in other words the aux hydraulic rods that were contained in the floor-to-ceiling box immediately behind the right-hand (P1) pilot's seat and opposite the crew entry door, referred to as the 'broom cupboard'.

That's so cool!! I'd never imagined that an actual pilot of the aircraft I'm modeling would reply in the comments. I'm honored!

Thank you for reaching out!

[Jonners]

3 hours ago, alxzinbox said:

Thank you for reaching out

No problem, especially when the model is of a SK3 that looks the part!

Jon

[perdu]

alxzinbox have you considered moulding a transparent disc in acetate or PETG with a conic section pulled into it as a rotor disc in flight?

 

Blade droop is exactly what you don't need here isn't it?

 

Jonners is dead right about how good yours looks so far, indeed I'm stunned by how good the tail rotor is for example, I'm going to wish I had one of those filters for my HC4.

 

(interaction from previous users is a characteristic of Britmodellers, we have some wonderful people sharing our hobby-space in here don't we?)