Scratchbuilding complete aircraft - request for overview on tools as much as techniques from experienced builders

[kiseca]

Hi everyone,

 

This is a question that has been asked in bits and pieces from time to time through the years from what I can find, but piecing it together to get the overview I'm looking for hasn't been so easy. I'd like to get some summaries on the end to end journey I'm contemplating, from modellers who have gone down this route in the past. Below is my intention, I'd appreciate it if you can share your experience on the techniques available and recommended, and the equipment I am likely to need.

 

The plan:

Sometimes, especially in the past, some aircraft books would share artists impressions of possible future aircraft that ultimately never came into existence, or when they did, looked very different from the concept on paper. Bill Gunston's books from the 1980s had lots of these, from tail-less delta VTOL aircraft, forward swept wing fighters and jet fighter seaplanes, to the X-wing helicopter concept, LHX proposals and more. So, some of these renderings are of pretty cool aircraft that have never existed in material form. Often, understandably, there are no models available for them either. I'd like to make some of these aircraft, which would mean scratchbuilding them. And my question is, what are the methods available, which ones are most recommended, and what tools / equipment will I need? Below are my thoughts, experienced guidance will be appreciated.

 

Firstly, I'd need to, in some way, make a 3D model of the subject aircraft, and I'm guessing the type of model made is going to depend on how I intend to build the craft. Modelling it on CAD software would, firstly, lean on past professional experience (I used to be an AutoCAD user and then worked as support, presales demos and training for Bentley Microstation), so I'd be completely confident with that, and secondly, it would give me a model which I could see from any angle to check if it looks right, and could easily make very large changes if needed. Remember, these aircraft were never built, so there are no dimensions to match. The sizes are flexible, the requirement being that the model faithfully represents the original renderings.

The alternative is to build the model out of clay or balsa wood, with balsa seeming to be the more popular choice for modellers. I'm not much of a sculptor so this option to me is more scary. If I get the shape wrong it's harder to fix, it's going to be harder to get the left and right sides to be accurate mirrors of eachother, and so on, unless there are ways to tackle those problems.

 

Once I have the model, I'd need to convert that to some plastic. Here, it seems to me a balsawood model takes the lead, as it becomes useful as a buck I can use to plunge mould a fuselage half from. A CAD model, on the other hand, isn't useful at all at this point unless I use that CAD model to control some kind of machine or 3D printer to either make the fuselage component, or a buck that can be used for plunge moulding.

 

This then, is the second question; When making something like an undercarriage leg or rotor head, 3D printing has a clear advantage. However, is 3D printing fuselage or wing sections even viable? It seems to me that for these larger, much curvier parts, plunge moulding would be a better method.

 

I can, therefore, see two different paths, and this is where I'd like to hear some experienced guidance. In the first path, which I see as CAD leading to 3D printing, the designing would be much easier for me but I'd need the CAD software, a computer with good graphics, good memory and a fast processor to run it smoothly, and then a 3D printer to produce parts. I possibly also need a second production method to make the larger, thinner, curvier bits like fuselages and wings. Is 3D printing bucks for plunge moulding viable? Is it viable / economical to just 3D print a fuselage? Is it economical to send the model to a manufacturer who can produce the parts? I believe there are companies that will produce one-offs on demand?

The second option is to produce a balsawood buck to the shape I want, and then use that to plunge mould the bits I need. This makes production of major components easier, there's plenty of advice available for plunge moulding, but doesn't work for detailed components like landing gear, nozzles, rotor heads, and so on. It seems it would be a much cheaper solution as I need less stuff (wood carving tools, some glues, some kind of frame to hold the styrene sheet while it is getting heated, and probably a pair of gloves...) but it does take me outside of my skillset for producing an acceptable result. I have a much higher chance of giving up on this one if I can't get the balsawood model to look right, and I know from experience this is a strong possibility. I'm not talking simple shapes for WW1 biplanes but much more complex and intricate curves from 1980s era concepts.  Blended wing roots, aerodynamic rotor hubs, aerodynamically sculpted appendages, control surfaces, jet intakes, all integrated together. I'm definitely going to struggle.

 

For those who have gone down the path of scratchbuilding complete aircraft, what's the best path?

[Tarby]

For the smaller parts, I highly recommend the Small Cars channel on Youtube. He has a series of videos of him scratchbuilding a 1/24 truck from raw styrene stock using pretty basic tools. After being sat mesmerised by his videos I felt much better about tackling more complex scratchbuilds. I'm sure there are tips and tricks there that would give you some ideas on how to approach your aircraft.

[Troy Smith]

On 22/01/2024 at 16:40, kiseca said:

This then, is the second question; When making something like an undercarriage leg or rotor head, 3D printing has a clear advantage. However, is 3D printing fuselage or wing sections even viable? It seems to me that for these larger, much curvier parts, plunge moulding would be a better method.

@wellsprop  has experience with 3D printing bits

 

On 22/01/2024 at 16:40, kiseca said:

I'm not talking simple shapes for WW1 biplanes but much more complex and intricate curves from 1980s era concepts.  Blended wing roots, aerodynamic rotor hubs, aerodynamically sculpted appendages, control surfaces, jet intakes, all integrated together. I'm definitely going to struggle.

Well, if 

 

On 22/01/2024 at 16:40, kiseca said:

(I used to be an AutoCAD user and then worked as support, presales demos and training for Bentley Microstation), so I'd be completely confident with that, and secondly, it would give me a model which I could see from any angle to check if it looks right, and could easily make very large changes if needed. Remember, these aircraft were never built, so there are no dimensions to match. The sizes are flexible, the requirement being that the model faithfully represents the original renderings.

Then  3D modelling looks to be the way

 

We have a 3D print section as well.

 

On 22/01/2024 at 16:40, kiseca said:

I'd like to make some of these aircraft, which would mean scratchbuilding them. And my question is, what are the methods available, which ones are most recommended, and what tools / equipment will I need?

the 'bible' is this

 

scan here but cheap copies can be picked up

https://rclibrary.co.uk/title_details.asp?ID=1216

 

HTH

 

 

[wellsprop]

CAD modelling and 3D printing an entire model aircraft is perfectly doable, @TheBaron and @Jamesmodels are our in-house experts!

 

 

 

CAD is difficult and it takes a long time to be able to produce things at the quality these chaps do. It doesn't require a fancy PC (I'm running CAD on a 10 year old laptop that isn't anything special).

 

3D printing is quite tricky too, it takes a while to get used to it and it has it's limitations, but as those two threads will show you, some amazing things can be achieved!

 

Ben

[bootneck]

I have learned a lot about modelling aircraft in 3D from Terrance at RC CAD 2vR.  He presents a series of tutorials on how to draw and build an aircraft that are easy to understand.  I can pause the tutorial to have a practice myself and then continue watching.

cheers,
Mike

[dragonlanceHR]

There is a third way. If a paper model exists, rescale and cut your own from styrene sheet.

[dragonlanceHR]

On 2/25/2024 at 10:44 AM, bootneck said:

I have learned a lot about modelling aircraft in 3D from Terrance at RC CAD 2vR.  He presents a series of tutorials on how to draw and build and aircraft that are easy to understand.  I can pause the tutorial to have a practice myself and then continue watching.

cheers,
Mike

Thank you. Just what I needed.

[kiseca]

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions, there's a wealth of information here for me to go through and I appreciate all the feedback. I'll spend more time going through all the resources you've all posted, thank you all!

[Bandsaw Steve]

There is old fashioned solid modelling too which I have been known to dabble in on these pages and I think is entirely do-able by the average enthusiast. 
 

Have a poke about for my Mig-15, Avro 504 and Mirage lll WIP threads as they are complete end to end records of each project.