Legendary Blackbird - YF-12A "Project KEDLOCK" (3D Printing in 1:32 scale)

[David Hansen]

On 7/2/2024 at 11:00 PM, Serkan Sen said:

Many thanks Martin.

 

Currently I have no such plan Daniel. But maybe in future I can think about this. The size of entire model is larger than gigabyte even in binary format.

 

The first printed parts in 1:32 scale were the nose cones of YF-12A, SR-71A and A-12 models (left to right) to decide which aircraft is going to be built. I have already built few A-12 and SR-71A in 1:72 and 1:48 scales, I decided to go with YF-12A:

 

 

Before printing large parts, I have started printing cockpits and wheels with Mars 3 Pro:

 

 

In the last photo lower right you can see the tire&hub fit test (snap tight, no glue).

 

Next step is to print other (relatively) small parts.

Serkan

I would probably be rapidly overwhelmed, trying to build up the entire aircraft. However, i think building up the wheels/tyre/brake assemblies would be a blast.

[David Hansen]

Breaking down the front part of the engine, with a separate front frame and a second stator frame/1st stage compressor installed behind it does wonders for a jet engine inlet. A far cry from the old days, when all you got a disk with slanty parts on it and a round thing in the middle.

 

-d-

[Serkan Sen]

On 11/24/2024 at 7:31 AM, David Hansen said:

I would probably be rapidly overwhelmed, trying to build up the entire aircraft. However, i think building up the wheels/tyre/brake assemblies would be a blast.

Yes indeed! It was very straightforward to assemble main and nose wheel details in during my 1:48 scale Revell build. I enjoyed during that build a lot:

 

[Serkan Sen]

On 11/24/2024 at 7:47 AM, David Hansen said:

Breaking down the front part of the engine, with a separate front frame and a second stator frame/1st stage compressor installed behind it does wonders for a jet engine inlet. A far cry from the old days, when all you got a disk with slanty parts on it and a round thing in the middle.

 

Here are some photos from Revell build; the engine guide vanes (stator) and the first stage of compressor blades (rotor):

 

[Serkan Sen]

Before beginning the cockpit paintwork, I decided to modify the design of the rear cockpit instrument panel. The panel features a black frame in the center with white aluminum-colored sections on both sides. Painting the black areas with a brush without accidentally spilling onto the neighboring panels is quite challenging. To make this easier, I divided the panel into four separate pieces: the central part, which is mostly black; the main panel and left side panel, which are white aluminum; and a small right-side equipment box, again in black.  Below are the individual and multi-piece panels, shown as 3D models and printed parts: 

 

Next is to start cockpit painting.

Serkan

[Serkan Sen]

All cockpit parts were primed and painted to gray:

 

Next step is to mask cockpit tubs and paint the panels to black.

 

Serkan

[Serkan Sen]

Masking both cockpit tubs took around an hour, as I needed to carefully protect each section to ensure a clean and precise paint job. Once the masking was in place, I proceeded to apply black paint to the control panels, taking care to cover all the details. The rear cockpit featured some panels in white aluminium color, which required additional masking. For this, I used 0.2mm thick Evergreen card pieces, cutting and shaping them to fit the contours of the panels. This allowed me to achieve a clean separation between the black and white areas.  Before diving into the dry brushing technique on the YF-12A cockpit tubs, I decided to experiment with some test prints of cockpit tubs I had made in the past. These were printed solely for 3d model detail check, and I felt it would be a wise decision to test out my technique on these first. The early trials were far from successful, with the dry brushing resulting in uneven and messy finishes. However, after a few more attempts, I started to get the feel for the technique. I was able to refine my approach, which gave me the confidence to apply it to the YF-12A cockpit tubs.  The final result was better than I had anticipated, though it wasn't perfect. There were a few unwanted dry brush traces that needed to be fixed, and I spent some extra time carefully touching up these areas. Overall, the dry brushing technique added a nice level of detail and depth to the cockpit, enhancing the realism of the control panels and the overall interior. Despite the earlier frustrations, I felt satisfied with the outcome and was glad I had taken the time to practice first:

 

 

The next step in the process is to apply a gloss coat to the cockpit tubs. This is essential, as it creates a smooth, even surface that not only enhances the paint’s depth but also provides a protective layer for the subsequent weathering and panel wash. Once the gloss coat has dried and hardened, I’ll move on to the weathering stage. This involves applying subtle washes, stains, and smudges to mimic the effects of wear, grime, and age that a real cockpit would accumulate. A panel wash will be used to accentuate the fine details and recessed areas, such as the edges of control panels and various switches, bringing out the depth and highlighting the intricate textures. This will make the cockpit appear more realistic and lived-in, rather than a clean, new-looking environment. The combination of the gloss coat and weathering techniques will ultimately give the cockpit a more authentic and detailed finish.  (this paragraph was generated by chatgpt, looks a bit more detailed but not bad at all! 😁)

 

Serkan

[galgot]

Beautiful. Printing such a beast must take long time. I'm working on some 3d printed airliners myself, and seeing you made your own decals, may I ask how you did that ? 

 

Btw, Please how do I add "likes" to these posts, when I click on the heart icon, it just shows me users who liked.

[Serkan Sen]

4 hours ago, galgot said:

Beautiful. Printing such a beast must take long time. I'm working on some 3d printed airliners myself, and seeing you made your own decals, may I ask how you did that ? 

 

Btw, Please how do I add "likes" to these posts, when I click on the heart icon, it just shows me users who liked.

Many thanks. Yes, each fuselage part requires min 19 hours to print. The decal artwork can be done using Coreldraw, Adobe Illustrator or free Inkscape. To print them out, depending the artwork I use different printers. For the decals with white background and metallic markings I use Alps MD-5500. For some decals I use HP252 laser printer with Ghost white toner cartridge. Very rarely I use my old Canon ink jet printer.

To give your "like" simply use grey heart icon on the lower right corner (nearby the other likes if any already given). Once you touch on this icon, several icons will appear for your selection.

Serkan

Edited November 29, 2024 by Serkan Sen

[galgot]

26 minutes ago, Serkan Sen said:

Many thanks. Yes, each fuselage part requires min 19 hours to print. The decal artwork can be done using Coreldraw, Adobe Illustrator or free Inkscape. To print them out, depending the artwork I use different printers. For the decals with white background and metallic markings I use Alps MD-5500. For some decals I use HP252 laser printer with Ghost white toner cartridge. Very rarely I use my old Canon ink jet printer.

To give your "like" simply use grey heart icon at that lower right corner (nearby the other likes if any already given). Once you touch on this icon, several icons will appear for your selection.

Serkan

Thanks ! So these Alps printers is not the only option to home print decals with white parts, like I had read before some time ago... Will have to check for online services that could do that for me.

Edited November 29, 2024 by galgot

[MikeMaben]

This will be amazing when finished.. My Dad was an instrumentation technician on the SR-71 and YF-12A.

Very nice work you're doing Serkan.

[jimbo59]

WOW !!!😮 

[dutik]

Hamburg, btw: Are you member of a modelling chapter from Hamburg or else?

 

There is the PMC exhibition at Lübeck upcoming next April, so the question arises if I have the chance to see your blackbird with my own eyes?

 

Regards

- dutik

Member of IP 1984

[Serkan Sen]

On 12/7/2024 at 1:30 PM, dutik said:

Hamburg, btw: Are you member of a modelling chapter from Hamburg or else?

 

There is the PMC exhibition at Lübeck upcoming next April, so the question arises if I have the chance to see your blackbird with my own eyes?

 

Regards

- dutik

Member of IP 1984

No, I am a lonely cowboy. Currently I have barely time to make progress on my ongoing projects and being a member of a group/club requires additional time.

I will try to be there with the completed YF-12A if I can finish this beast till that time.

Serkan

Edited December 11, 2024 by Serkan Sen

[Serkan Sen]

Season's greetings to all! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

Just a quick update on my YF-12A build. I've made some good progress on the forward fuselage. The cockpit tub and instrument panel details are now complete.

 

The nose landing gear bay has been assembled before assembling the cockpit details.

 

Looking forward to sharing more updates soon!

 

Serkan

Edited December 27, 2024 by Serkan Sen