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Quite some time ago, I spent several years modifying a 1/18 scale 21st Century Toys P-47D Thunderbolt, resulting in this: I was happy with it at the time, but it suffers from the inherent inaccuracies from using what is essentially a large toy as a starting point. Even though it was heavily modified to make it more realistic and accurate. Since then, I can do much better using an entirely different method of modeling. For those of you who followed my 1/18 3D printed P-51B Cripes a Mighty, you know how I am going to go about this build. For those who are not familiar with the Cripes build, I will give a brief description of how I will create this next subject. Aircorps Library has available engineering drawings of many vintage aircraft, including the P-47 Thunderbolt. That means parts can be very accurately digitally created essentially from the drawings. I use Rhino 7 for my digital design. And then, once scaled to the desired scale, can be 3D printed. I have an Elegoo Saturn 2 that has a large build plate and prints quite well. Fortunately, the P-47 shape (most of it anyway) is defined by point ordinate data on surfaces drawings. I can use that point data to make accurate surfaces. I have started my surfaces layout with the engine cowl: Point ordinate data comes from this Republic drawing: Using those surfaces, I can develop a cowling surface, and from it a solid, in Rhino: That digital model is not complete of course, but it is what I would call "layout quality". Once I add a little more structure to the inside, I can then develop the engine, and check clearances and design the cowl-to-engine attachments as close to the real thing as I can. We all know that the P-47 is powered by the amazing R-2800 engine (a -59 version for the later models). So is the F4U Corsair (a -8 version), and I actually built one in 1/18 scale for my Corsair, a few years ago, resulting in this: A year-long effort, it involved tons of scratch built parts, and mini-lathe turned parts as well. This engine looks pretty good from a couple feet away, but up close, it's a bit rough. I can do so much better with digital design and 3D print. And I have begun to do just that: What you see there represents a couple weeks work so far, with on again off again effort. It's been fun so far. Unlike the airplane itself, I do not have engineering drawings for the R2800. So there is guesswork. The Republic P-47 engine-related drawings - the installation drawing, and various system drawings, the engine mount drawing, usually include the engine outline and critical station callouts and other critical features as reference data such that I can do some good scaling. And good guessing. Also, I found the parts catalogue for the R-2800-59 on the internet, and purchased the PDF. It is also very helpful. And then the internet has hundreds of pictures of the R-2800, many versions. I will start this build with the engine. It will not take a year like the Corsair engine, but it will take many weeks. Stay tuned for that; it is going to be alot of fun, no doubt with adventures and challenges. I have some time, but I am going to have to select a subject. But not that much - the engine electrical system (magnetos, distributors, spark plug harness, etc) and prop governor depend on the subject selected. This model will probably be a bubbletop, and will probably have a Curtiss paddle-blade prop as opposed to the Hamilton Standard unit. Probably - depending on the subject selected. For instance, should I do Hairless Joe (see below), that aircraft has the Hamilton Standard set-up. I encourage all who decide to follow this to offer ideas WRT the subject. There are so many to choose from! My early choices are as follows: That is the"Whoooooo" P-47D-26RA, 405th FG. Or: That is "Hairless Joe", P-47D-25RE (I think). 56th FG, mount of Colonel David Shilling. Any nose art has to be done specially for this build, as there is nothing out there at 1/18 scale. Unless I can have a decal maker scale up a 1/32 decal, then some other magic must be performed. Stencils, etc. I have irons in the fire....and I can make decals if they are simple and do not have light colors or white. The above two examples are NOT simple, and would be problematic I think, especially the wolf head. So, here we go! Buckle up!

Hi everyone, We're releasing the 1/24 and 1/32 North American FJ-1 Fury with engine for resin 3D printing 👉Buy it here: https://www.aladdinmodel.com/product-page/1-24-north-american-fj-1-fury

Hello folks. I would like to present to you my 2-year long project "Cripes a' Mighty" P-51B-10NA Mustang, flown by Major George Preddy of the 352nd FG ("Blue-Nosers"). Scale is 1/18 - she is a big girl for sure. She is about 99% 3D printed using an Elegoo Saturn 2 printer. All components were designed in Rhino 7, using original NAA engineering drawings obtained from Aircorps Library. The build thread can be found here: Here she is: Before I present more pictures, let me offer some comments on the build. First, the reason I picked this subject (a P-51B) was mostly two-fold. One, I really wanted to do a Malcolm hooded, natural metal finished -B model. And two, the P-51 is just about completely defined by micro-filmed engineering drawings available from Aircorps Library. That, along with learning Rhino 7, and purchasing a good 3D printer, allowed me to produce a model with near perfect dimensional accuracy. That applies not only to the fuselage, wing, and tail, but also every detail I chose to include. Hardly any guesswork. Hardly any errors. As for the selection of "Cripes A' Mighty" - well that was mostly from a sort of vote by many of those who were following the build, and my concurrence. There were other great subjects to choose from; Cripes won out. And the nose art was do-able - important. This was my first effort at building a model totally by 3D printing, with absolutely nothing to start from. And what a learning process it was. 3D print resin is amazing stuff, but it is fragile. I cannot count how many times I broke a part and either had to repair it or print a new one. But when done properly, what results is detail that often cannot be obtained from plastic, or even scratch building. As a result Cripes is the most realistic model I have ever built. I would also add she might be the most fragile model I have ever built. Not the basic model - it is super-stout. But little things like wing tips, gear doors, mirror, etc. And, this is my second effort at aluminum skinning using .005 inch thick aluminum sheet. Not easy to do, and it can be very tedious, but this process can result in a very real-looking natural metal finish. I learned this technique from Peter Castle - we know him as Airscale. He has been doing it for years. This project was a mix of elation and pride - why we build models - and panic/anger/fear/frustration. Cripes was no easy build. And big mistakes were made (all were ultimately fixed). How about mislocating the flare gun hole one full bay and royally screwing up the left-hand cockpit sidewall. Or putting the three colored ID lights on the wrong wing. Or screwing up the main landing gear rake angle by a couple of degrees. Or a huge one - tipping it over late in the build and breaking off the centerline gear doors and the left hand landing gear strut. OMG that was awful. There were painting disasters, disbond issues, fractured parts too numerous to count. But there were also moments of huge victory and feelings of accomplishment. I think perhaps the most interesting and successful element of this build was the use of a 3D printed highly accurate fuselage assembly jig, designed by myself. Here is a picture of it: The bulkheads in front and back slide in slotted holes to allow the longerons to be loaded. Below you see it with some fuselage parts loaded (four longerons, and all the frames): I show this because this jig provided the foundation for the entire build - an accurate forward fuselage with cockpit, and accurate attach points for the wing, engine cowling, and aft fuselage. Everything was square, with no twist. Had to have that before adding anything else. Another interesting element of this build was my decision to use 3D printed transparencies. As opposed to vacuform, although that was cussed and discussed at length. If you look closely you will see rabbetted edges on the transparencies for framework to fit onto, which probably could not be done with vacuform. Ultimately the canopy and aft quarter window parts were provided by Shapeways at high prices, after I just flat failed on those parts. The windshield parts were adequately printed by myself. The concern of course was clarity. Most of the followers of the build were very skeptical of 3D printed clear resin to deliver. I will let you judge for yourselves. BTW, an amazing amount of sanding and buffing was required just to get the clarity you see. The area where I had to do some serious guesswork was the Malcolm hood and the cockpit modifications for same - there are no drawings or other specs. Dozens of pictures both period and from restos helped immensely. During that time of the build, I learned a whole lot about the Malcolm hood modification, and how involved it actually was. Some of you may not be aware that the Malcolm hood was a field modification entirely. A -B or -C (or even an -A) model would go into the field hangar, and several days and hundreds of man-hours later, it emerged with a big fishbowl sliding hood replacing the greenhouse style canopy found on production aircraft. The mod was a big deal - major surgery for the cockpit. From what I read, pilots universally loved it, as seeing was life (along with speed and fire power). Visibility with the Malcolm hood was superb compared to the stock greenhose canopy. At any rate, the hood was driven by a crank handle and chain drive. I am not aware of any modeler other than myself attempting to model the various cockpit modifications for the hood. Look for that in the pictures. This model is heavy - about 2.5 pounds or so. So the landing gear struts needed help, especially the tail gear. This was the first time I re-inforced landing gear struts with metallic rod (brass or music wire steel). Here is a picture of the tail gear strut and an internal bent-up stiffening rod formed on a 3D printed forming block of my own design: The main gear struts were re-inforced similarly with thicker rod. The re-inforcements have worked to perfection. To my horror, after the main gear were installed onto the airplane, I discovered the rake angle was off by a noticeable couple of degrees. That after being so careful to design it right. I still don't know for sure what happened. So I created a fixture where pressure could be applied over days to the gear struts via simple plastic shims with ever-increasing thicknesses, to gradually force the struts back to a correct rake angle: See the white shims? I show this because the multi-day exercise was some of the most stressful days of the build - hoping to get some permanent deformation on very stout gear support parts without breaking something important. Believe it or not - it worked! The hope of course is that it stays that way. Lastly some details to look for in the pictures: - Mismatched tire treads (you see alot of that in period pictures) - 3D printed unshrouded exhaust stacks - 3D printed chains nested in between flanges of the upper longerons, which drive the Malcolm hood - 3D printed clear transparencies with rabbetted edges - External rails and rollers for the Malcolm hood - Spitfire-style exteral rear view mirror - Malcolm hood that can actually be slid fore/aft (if very careful) - Movable tail surfaces - 3D printed head rest pad and seat back pad (thanks Antonio Argudo for that!!) - The crazy shaped early-style bomb racks Here we go: I guess that is enough. I would like to thank first of all the 40 or so followers of my build thread. All were very patient and supportive during the 2-year effort. And special thanks to Airscale for giving me the extensive decal set for his 1/18 P-51C Lopes Hope, hundreds of pictures, and a few helpful Rhino files. Oh, and the 1/18 scale seat belt hardware. Also Antonio Argudo for designing some really great models for me - the head rest, seat back cushion, and tail gear bay canvas cover. Also Thunnus who provided me with nose art decals and stencils, and stencils for other things like squadron buzz letters, tail serial numbers, national insignias, and kill markings. Also TAG and Antonio for priceless period pictures of anything and everything P-51B. And lastly Aircorp Library - OMG. Their collection of engineering drawings and other documents is absolutely priceless. I hope you like Cripes a' Mighty. She is not perfect, and she appears rode hard and put up wet. But it is the best I can muster! Thank you.

Hi all, Introducing my latest Airfix build. It was meant to represent Lysander MK.III BA-E, 277 squadron in air-sea rescue duties in 1942. I was fortunate to find three different views of this very aircraft on the internet. It’s my second Lysander from the superlative Airfix kit. Eduard Big Ed set was used throughout the build forsmall details. Main modifications were the outer wing slats shown deployed in a chacteristic Lizzie stance… … and the dinghy packs and smoke floats essential to the air sea rescue duties. As the packs and floats were not provided in the kit, I built them from scratch using 3D-printed parts made by a long time friend and colleague. The stock clear parts are commendably… clear. Rescue packs in a rare underbelly view. The FAA-style camouflage and markings were airbrushed using hand-made masks. No Silhouette nor decals were used. The serial is still missing and patiently waiting for a generous soul for completion. 😇 Thank you all for watching. Your comments and questions are utterly appreciated. Until next time, Cheers, Quang

Hey folks, here is the ILK Sherman build, first up some self made 3D corrections to some of the kit parts. Track: The kit supplied track not a common track for the Sherman, besides I like the look of the red meat T66 rubber chevrons. These went through a few redesigns as I tried using the kit end connectors and just designing the pads. I also tried using resin pins, both thoughts did not work in the end. The final design was all new pads, connectors and brass pins that I cut by hand! The resin pins gave the track too much stretch and as you know the Sherman has "live" track with no slack like the Russian T-34 style "dead" track. So pulling them tight with resin pins would leave too much gap between the links.

Hello all! Recently I purchased a 3D printer - Elegoo Saturn 2 - which has the potential to transform my modelling. Those of you who follow me know that my recently completed 1/18 scale build (F4U-1A Corsair) benefitted from a good bit of 3D printed parts almost all of which I designed myself but had printed by a capable fellow in the UK. Since then, I now have the means to do my own printing, if only I can get good enough at it. So my next project, if all goes well, is to create a very accurately shaped P-51 in 1/18 scale. At this point I am undecided whether to do a B/C variant (razorback) or a D variant (bubble canopy). My first choice would be a -B with a Malcolm hood modification, followed by a -D as a second choice. I would prefer not to do a straight up -B razorback (or maybe better known as a "greenhouse" canopy version), as Peter Castle (Airscale) has done his incredible Lopes Hope in 1/18 already, and I would prefer not to tread on that hallowed ground. The only available kit I know of a P-51 in 1/18 is from 21st Century toys or whatever it turned into over the years - a D model. They are long out of production but can be found on E-bay for inflated prices. I actually have one, but I will not be using it because it has too many inaccuracies. Years ago, though, I heavily modified just such an animal resulting in "Miss Velma": That satisfied my goals at the time, which was to take an existing large toy model and do my best to make it look real. Miss Velma, like many P-51 models in many scales, has shape inaccuracies, and can be greatly improved upon, and that is what I intend to do. So I have three important ingredients in which to do this: 1. Aircorps Library - they have a full set of engineering drawings for the P-51 variants, including "ordinate" drawings, which are tables of point coordinates that define the shapes of the outer surfaces of the aircraft (and even some inside shapes like throats of intakes). These ordinate drawings will allow me to create surface definition in any scale very accurately. 2. CAD modelling software - I have been using Rhino 7 for a couple years now, and it is indispensable for layouts, part definition, and 3D printing. I am no expert user, but I get by. 3. 3D Printing. This will be the first time I will have tried to make 3D printed parts the primary components of the build. Previously I have used it simply to augment an existing model. This is my weak link. I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to 3D printing. To start, I am in the process of converting point data, obtained from vintage engineering drawings, into Rhino surfaces - hopefully for the entire airframe. Here are examples of the point data vintage 1940's: There is also wing data that I have not shown. I can produce points in space from those tables, and connect them with curves in Rhino - like this: Very laborious and monotonous, I can say. Not too surprisingly, the Rhino model is showing what looks alot like a P-51. It better - the good folks at North American back in the '40's used the same data to build the tools used to manufacture the airframe. From there, and after some time-consuming schooling on primary surfacing, with classes available on YouTube, I used those curves to create a bunch of patches: Clearly I am not finished. Those patches can be combined to make a single compound-curved surface, or larger surfaces. I also have wing lofts, done a different way: P-51 wings have single curvature which is to say they are defined by straight line elements. Which is to say that you can have a contour at the inboard end, and a similar smaller contour at the outboard end, and you have fully defined the wing surfaces simply by lofting between them along straight line elements. That is what I did above. You see two lofts - the basic wing, and the inboard extended leading edge - a feature of the -D model, but not the -B model. That extended leading edge is also single curvature. Far and away the most difficult detail to surface so far has been the carb air intake below the prop spinner. After days of applying everything I learned in most of 14 classes I took on primary surfacing techniques, and episodes of tearing my hair out and occasionally walking off in a huff, I got this: It is not perfect, but any inaccuracies are measured in hundredths of an inch at full scale - which is infinitesimal at 1/18 scale. So, unlike a whole lot of P-51 models out there, this "smiley face" detail is deadly accurate. BTW - the Tamiya 1/32 P-51 has a very accurate smiley face, and I am convinced their designers had access to the point data that I have used. Next post you will see a test part of this detail, in 1/18 scale. I also have a complete surface for the prop spinner, done months ago: That was a breeze compared with the other surfacing efforts to date. Just a contour curve rotated around the thrust axis. In theory, if I can have a fully defined set of surfaces for the P-51, defined in Rhino in full scale, I can scale to 1/18 and create just about everything from them. A pretty exciting prospect, and easier said than done! Next post I will show the results of some test parts. I hope this build generates some interest; it's going to be a big challenge. P.S. - if any of you Mustang experts out there have any information on the Malcolm hood - like shapes and cross sections, well that would probably clear the way for me to do the B-model!

Hi everyone, We're releasing a 1/32 Yak-52 for 3D printing (can be rescaled to neighboring scales). Buy it here: https://www.aladdinmodel.com/product-page/1-32-yak-52 Best, Steve

Hi everyone, We're releasing the 1/48 and 1/32 Gloster Javelin for resin 3D printing 👉Buy it here: https://www.aladdinmodel.com/product-page/1-32-gloster-javelin

Hello all, Although I am the member of this forum since last year, this is my first WIP. Becasue most of the time I build the models in 1:72 and 1:48 scales. But this time I decided to do something different and post my progress here with you. I hope you will enjoy too. Since couple of years I am working on full 3D modeling of entire Oxcart/Blackbird family. This huge project has been mostly done and there a few things to be detailed for SR-71 series. In this project I am planning to model fully 3D printed YF-12A "The Thing" in 1:32 scale. I know this will be very challenging but if I successfully finish this build it will be a unique work!.. Before starting this build here I would like to present my YF-12A model in general and details: The forward chine area has been modeled with all four versions: I will start with the cockpit details and wheels. Printing the huge fuselage parts will be very challenging! Serkan

Hi all, We're releasing the 3d printing files of the AEC Matador 6x6 Refueller perfect for your RAF dioramas. Available in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 and can be rescaled. Buy here: https://www.aladdinmodel.com/product-page/1-32-aec-matador-6x6-refueller Best, Steve

Hello The last 2 years, I was busy with this quite demanding project. And now I am pretty happy to finally share the result . I built side by side two Kittyhawk boxings, both in French Markings: a Mirage 2000-5F during Operation Harmattan (Lybia) in 2011, and a 2000D from Operation Chammal (Iraq/Syria) in 2015. The builds were far from "From the box" so to say... Kittyhawk... well is Kittyhawk you know. Interesting subject, quite nice details, but mistakes, lacks, or incomplete intructions. So I had to provide a lot of work to bring the models to a higher standard they deserve. It was maily done with the help of 3D printing. Non exhaustive list of addons: - Exhaust: Reskit - Cockpit -5: Renaissance - Cockpit 2000D: 3D+Quinta - Seats: Grandmodels - Wing Tanks RPL541 542: FFSMC - PE parts: Eduard - Wheels: 3D - RPL522 ventral tank: 3D - Missiles & Pylones: 3D - GUB24: 3D - Decals: Uprise et FFSMC - Figures: Reedoak The Mirage 2000-5F: And the Mirage 2000D: The full WIP is detailed in 80 pages of french Cocardes magazine, with English captions. With Mike's authorization, I share the link if you want to get a copy: Magazine Cocardes 24 Hope you like them! Regards Romain

Hi all, We just released a 1/24 Bede BD5 (James Bond Octopussy) designed by modeler Mark Stephens for resin 3D printing. It can also be downscaled to 1/32. Buy it here: https://www.aladdinmodel.com/product-page/1-24-bede-bd5-james-bond-octopussy Best, Steve

Hi all, I'm Steve, founder of Aladdin model, we're organizing a 3D design competition. The contest already attracted very talented designers from 9 countries, including very impressive large scale aircraft designs such as the F-14, Junkers Stuka, 1/8 Packard Merlin, Gazelle SA-342 helicopter etc. We would love to see more design talents from LSP to participate to the contest. Participation is free, models will be judged on design screenshots, no need to send stl files. Link here: https://www.aladdinmodel.com/design-competition Best, Steve

Jumping between 1/16 projects at the moment. This will be a design, 3D print, & build project, much like my Bushmaster & M113s. The Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle (CRV) is a ~40 metric tonne 8x8 armoured roller skate being introduced into service in the Australian Army. Not without some hiccups along the way, it should mature into a capable truck in time. This was the vehicle that prompted me to learn CAD in the first place, with the initial intent to convert a flat pack styrene “kit” of the flat top Boxer. Turns out it’s easier to design the whole vehicle. Roughed out the basic hull…again! The lower hull geometry is complicated, to say the least. Only modelling one half at the moment. The lower hull is symmetrical, apart from minor details. Boxer is modular insofar as each vehicle comprises a drive module & an interchangeable “mission module”. The Lance turreted mission module is uniquely Australian. Time will tell whether that’s a good or bad thing! Trying something different for the turret interface that’ll clip in and allow 360 degree rotation. This design has taken a daily session over the five days. When I started CAD 18 months ago, this would’ve taken months!

I've wanted a 3D printer for years: I first came into contact with them decades ago - but the cost was absolutely prohibative. They were very expensive/complex beasts that were the domain of industry, not the individual. However, the price/performance equation has radically changed, making such technologies the affordable domain of the common man. Now - several influences have come to play in my thinking this year: Tim Perry (@wunwinglow of this parish) is a good, and very patient, friend. As many will know, he was the man behind PP Aeroparts, the inovative, and pioneering, accessory company from the '80s. For the last couple of decades his day job has been in the rapid prototyping world - so his knowledge/experience/expertise in the field of 3D Modelling and 3D Printing is right up there with the best. And he's been nagging encouraging me to take the plunge for years. I'm currently building a Tornado F.Mk 3 with parts that Tim has designed and printed, using both FDM and SLA printers - and playing to the strengths of both. He's also been experimenting with printing HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene - the same material as plastic kits). Earlier this year I took delivery of a 1:32 Hawker Siddeley HS.780 Andover, designed and 3D Printed by Toshihiko Shimizu of One Man Model - the process of design and print of a small batch left me absolutely mesmerised by the process - and very inspired! As many will know, I've been researching/working on a fix for the wing cross section on the HobbyBoss 1:32 B-24s. I'd come up with an airfoil fix, but was looking at ways of producing a viable 'correction' set, originally looking at a series of longitudinal formers to be used with a modified spar - but modifying the kit spar to work with the new sections proved almost impossible and I parked it. Until I got the Andover - and until a few conversations with Tim - and I had that "light bulb" moment. Design as a 3D Model in CAD - print in several pieces on an FDM printer - in HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) - the same as kit plastic! But I didn't have a printer... Well, I do now - a Creality Ender 5 Pro - with a 220 x 220 x 300 print volume and capable of printing HIPS (and ABS) filament, as long as the printer is in an enclosure to keep ambient temperatures around the print high and constant, in order to prevent distortion and shrinkage. So I purchased a thermally lined and fire resistant enclosure too: OK - so new printer - needed to test print, obviously! I didn't have anything ready yet as part of my playing with CAD software - and, being a kid a heart, wanted to find something other than a cat, or frog model to do some test prints. A bit of Googling and I found a pre-drawn model of a 737-800 available to purchase and scaled to print at 1:100. The model looked really good - so I bought it! Then, well, you know how you do, I thought 'I wonder if I can scale that' - so I did - to 1:32 scale and did a few test prints of the engine, using the free PLA filament that came with the printer. So, this CFM-56 engine pod was the very firstest thing I printed with my new printer - and I was very pleased with the results: It's not small! Ignore exhaust angle - that's just loose in pod. But shapes look well researched: Now, it just so happens that the P-8 Poseidon is based on the 737-800... Can you tell where this *might* be heading? Back in a mo... Iain

Hey guys, I recently bought a laser scanner to improve and edit kit parts. This kit is a good candidate! First up is the pit, I want to retain the kit geometry but add and refine features such as panel and sidewalls, etc. This first pit will just be a test to see if the new print lines up with the kit, so no buttons etc.

Placeholder at present whilst I finish writing a review - but this will be my build of a 1:32 3D Print in ABS of the Andover by One Man Model. Plan is to eventually finish her as a 115 Squadron E.Mk 3A, based at RAF Benson in the '80s and early '90s... Back shortly... Iain

As a follow-on to yesterdays review of Airscale's new Cockpit Upgrade for the Revell Messerschmitt Bf 109 G2/G4, we take a look at a supplementary set of 3D printed parts, item number 3D32 CD, that replaces and adds detail to the Revell kit's parts. The set provides a highly detailed set of replacement parts for the kit's rudimentary throttle, oxygen control, REVI C12/D Gunsight, Control column and an accurate seat with no moulded belts. Take a look here: Some incredibly fine printing work! Iain

I show here the culmination of approximately 4 1/2 years of on again off again work on what was a Blue Box Toy Corsair in 1/18 scale. The build thread can be found here: Here is a picture of it before I began the work: The aim was to convert it from a -1D into a -1A (VF-17 Jolly Rogers), greatly improve the realism in general, provide an openable engine compartment and engine accessories compartment, improve the cockpit and gear bays and landing gear. Along the way many new skills were learned including aluminum skinning and 3D printing (plus learning the computer CAD program necessary for creating digital parts to print), and my first use of the airbrush. Also, as has been the case with all my 1/18 projects, I made extensive use of original engineering drawings found at Aircorps Library, to help me scratch build parts. The first year of the project was dedicated to the R-2800-8 radial engine that powered the Corsair. Before installing it into the aircraft it looked like this: It is scratch built 100%, and many parts were turned on a mini-lathe. So that it would not be completely hidden when installed, I was compelled to make the engine cowl panels and accessory compartment panels removable. For your inspection, first the buttoned up shots: Photos are a bit amateur - sorry about that. I will divide this up into two posts. The next one will show some details, and shots with engine cowls removed. That is where you will also find my acknowledgements to all the modelers who helped me out - there are many!

Hello fellow modelers. I now embark on my 4th and final 1/18 scale mod project - an F4U Corsair. My past efforts have been a P-51D (Miss Velma), a P-38J (Lucky Lady), and a P-47D (Glen Eagleston's Eagle). You can find articles on the P-51 and P-38, and WIP and RFI posts on the P-47 on this site, if interested. All three took more than two years each, and I expect the Corsair will too. At least. Here are the customary "before" shots: Cool huh? I obtained this toy/model a few years ago along with the P-38 at a local hobby shop where a whole bunch of these large toys were donated by an estate. As you all probably know, these things are no longer manufactured. The manufacturer is Blue Box (probably originally 21st Century Toys). The date on this one is 2005. To my eye at the time, it looked realistic enough to be a good mod project. My plan is to greatly improve the following items: Engine (all new scratch build, including back section) Engine compartment including engine mount Cockpit Landing gear Gear bays Wing fold mechanisms Flaps Ailerons Elevators Rudder And there will be smaller projects as well too numerous to list, similar to what I did with the other aircraft, except even more ambitious. I hope my eyes are not bigger than my stomach here - it is entirely possible I run out of steam somewhere along the way, or not get up to speed at all. After all, I just finished the P-47. But I think not. I'll take my time and try not to put any pressure on myself (yeah right!). So when I sat down and really inspected this toy, I saw things I like, and things I don't like. As usual there are lots and lots of inaccuracies that are fixable - I expect that. Here is what I did not expect - I was very disappointed to see that the engine cowling is not correctly shaped. I mean it is deal breaker to me unless I can fix it. Here is what I mean: The engine cowling has a round cross-section just like it should. But it should also have a slight taper as shown in this side profile (drawing VS-33001): Can you see it? The taper is slight but noticeable (at least to my eye). Now look at the toy model: From the cowl flaps forward, this cowling has a constant cross-section. No taper at all until you get to the front end. This sticks out like a sore thumb, makes the nose look bulbous. So what to do. Well, this model is going to get a complete engine anyway, with removable cowl panels. So the cowl flaps and panels over the engine will be replaced anyway. The nose cowl must be salvaged (I know not how to make one). The fuselage aft of the cowl flaps is just fine shape-wise. The typical gage of the plastic is .08 inch - robust. After some research it turns out that if the nose cowl could be decreased in diameter by about .08 inch (.04 inch on the radius), and reshaped to blend out the shape, I would still have about .04 inch gage to work with on the nose cowl, and I would get the slight taper I want. Some of you know I own a small desktop lathe (a Unimat). So I decided to try to turn the cowling on the lathe. To do this, I had to lop off the cowling: I was thinking at this point if this blows up in my face, I will just not do this project at all. Here is the cowling on the lathe chuck: Ha! My lathe is intended to work with raw material no larger than about 2 inch diameter. This cowling is a bit over 3 inches diameter! I had to put a large spacer under the head stock mount (see it - its that silver spacer). I had to mount the cowling very carefully - no wobble allowed. Then I rotated the head stock about 2 deg and proceeded to turn material off the nose: Then I removed the nose cowl: Success - that worked way better than I thought. So I am off to the races. I guess the engine is going to be first on the list. The Corsair was powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 double wasp, as was the P-47 Thunderbolt. For the P-47, I dedicated about 6 months of my life scratch building a R-2800. And it didn't include the aft section. This time, I intend to make use of 3D printing in some way. At the very least, the cylinders will be 3D printed. So perhaps it will not take so long and not be as tedious. Hope you can look in from time to time! See ya!

G'day guys, Since this topic seems to come up about every 3 months, I thought I'd show you what can be done if you want it badly enough These parts are just a rough trial, but my initial impressions are that it improves the look of the kit immensely. It also *should* be compatible with most of the existing kit parts once I've got it properly cleaned up, apart from a new instrument panel/#3 bulkhead of course and the cockpit glazings.... Anyway, I thought I'd share it here in case you miss my build. Cheers, Craig

Hi folks, in this thread, I will show you some of my ongoing projects - mostly carrier based vehicles used by the US Navy and Marines. This thread is not about the well-known vehicles or kits already available on the market but about the stuff nobody has (yet) cared about. This means: scratch building - using oldschool and 'modern' techniques. Two and different projects are currently in the making. The first one is the carrier based deck sweeper - in both 'early' (short) and 'late' (long) versions. The CAD files are still in progress; the 'early' version is almost finished, though. Early version: The 'late' version looks like this - as already mentioned, there is more work to do on this one: The second one is the new carrier tractor which is being used on the Teddy Roosevelt since mid 2014. This one already 'exists' on my desk - here is what it looks like: Sadly, it is extremely difficult to find good photos and informations about these vehicles. I am pretty sure I have most informations and/or pics available on the net, but if anybody has pics, drawings or whatever of these vehicles, I would be very thankful if you'd be willing to share your information. High-resolution pics are also welcome as many of the photos on the net are rather small. I will try to update this thread on a regular basis - comments, critique and questions are welcome as usual!

Placeholder whilst I finish putting a full in-box review together - this will be a fairly quick (hopefully) build in coming weeks. As an ex. Air Cadet myself (who ended up commanding a squadron as an adult) I'm really drawn by this subject, even though my early gliding was in a different type. This is a very high quality 3D printed kit, designed and made by our own Tim Perry (@wunwinglow) and shortly available to order. Will post a link to the review when I put 'live' but, in the mean time, a wee taster: "All clear above and behind - take up slack - all out!" Iain

I've been working on adapting the 3D printed additions for my 1/32 scale OV-10 projects to a new project - a 1/8.7 scale RC OV-10A made by Motion RC. Here's a photo of the 1/32 scale rack/bombs and the 1/8.7 scale versions. I haven't actually received my RC model yet, so test-fitting and attachment work will follow. The RC model has a 55 inch wing span. In this photo the 1/32 scale bits were all printed on my DLP printer. For the huge scale version I printed the rack on an FDM printer and the bombs on a DLP printer. (NOTE: the bombs didn't quite come out right due to support failure, but they're good enough for the test fit).

We take a look at this brand new, high quality, 3D printed kit from Flying Start Models - a real jewel of a kit that reflects the creators' personal link to the type. Something of interest to any former Air Cadets, or those looking for something just a little different! Will be running a build thread here. Blue skies, Iain