TTModelworks 1/32 AD-5 (A-1E) Skyraider

[thaipham101]

Sorry guys,

I know everyone is anxious about it and that I'm wayyyy past the promised window of delivery, just know that I'm not scamming anyone and I gotta get it done since it's my livelyhood too, I dropped verything and threw a bunch of money out the window to do this.

 

I just want y'all to know that I've finally ironed things out and packing things up for shipping as we speak. Right now I can average about 1 kits a day with my Jupiter SE and Saturn 2 running but once the SOB Saturn 4 Ultra is fixed I can bump that up to probably 2-3 kits a day, if nothing bad happens.

 

I'm not looking for sympathy or making any excuse, it's all on me, just some background so you guys have more understanding and feel less in the dark.

 

Anyway, technical first. I bought the Saturn 4 Ultra last Sept because the Saturn 2 started having bad Z layer shift due to its aging z rail and stepper motor, plus the S4U greatly reduces the pull force on prints and in turn print faster and I can use smaller supports, less things for y'all to clean up. Around the same time I also got the Jupiter SE but that thing grips tighter than a gorilla and I wasn't able to make any good model part out of it. I print at 0.03mm layer line so on the S2 and Jupiter SE it takes me 24 hours or so to print the fuselage, while on the S4U it's about 11 hours for example. Well, that printer is good when it works and it doesn't work half the time. It's mired with problems, first they updated the firmware and its AA gone to ****, making my prints look like it comes out of some 2k printer, not 12k.

Got that dialed in with new AA setting and the "auto leveling" bed started showing signs that it's not leveled by making stress fracture patterns on the PFA and creating pinhole leaks on it.

Took apart the bed and manually leveled it, got some good prints out of it, and the LCD went bad at 3 months/197 hours in, despite LCD having typical life of 2000 hours. Had to work with Elegoo to get a new screen and that printer is a bit to replace screen. I accidentally pulled a capacitor off the mainboard while replacing the LCD because they figured it was a good idea to put a capacitor next to where the UV light cable plugs in and smear hot glue all over it, so I had to solder it back on.

I thought that was it but then things start to get cut off mid-print. Took me a while to figure out that they had a terrible design and the LCD ribbon cable plugs into the extended ribbon cable connecting to the mainboard right where it would get caught on the UV light shroud and interupting the LCD signal, sending nothing to the LCD and causing missing layers.

Thought that was it, I'm good to go, then the replacement screen goes bad just like the original one, at around 3 months, at least this time I got around 500 hours on it before it broke.

So, now, I've got a new set of rails and Z motor for the Saturn 2 and changed the FEP on the Jupiter SE to PFA which greatly reduce pull force and they both are printing fine now. The Jupiter SE is used mostly for bigger parts, in one go I can print 3 rear fuselages in around 17 hours, 2 front fuselages in 11 hours, 3 sets of inboard wings and 2 sets of outboard wings in around 12 hours. I don't use it for smaller parts because its pull force is still too much for those. Even then, I have to redo support work on many of them because they worked on the S4U but was too small for the S2.

 

Elegoo refused to send me a replacement screen for warranty, citing that the warranty is based on the printer, not the screen that they sent me, and since it's just barely past 6 months since I got the printer already, they wouldn't warranty it anymore, but they gave me 10% off a new screen on their website instead, but that thing is on back order until the end of May. That's a blow to the face to a loyal customer, considering that my PC's PSU gave out at the same time and Corsair sent me a newer model to replace it despite it being 3 months past the 10-year warranty period and it was totally normal for PSUs to go out after 10 years. 

 

That's about the technical hurdles.

 

Things are chaotic in my personal life too.

First, finally I proposed to my girlfriend last March and she said yes. We'll have our wedding late April 2026 and the 2 T of TTModelworks will now be together.

 

Sadly, that's the only nice thing in my life and it becomes an issue too.

My fiance's family are Southwestern and Southern Buddhist Vietnamese. Her grandpa was an officer in the ARVN and their lineage traced back to some government official/land owner back in feudal Vietnam, so it's natural for them to have a deep hatred toward Northern Vietnamese and Christian, which is not really logical but well... Her parents and her grandpa love me though, it's just her other relatives and older brother.

The thing is, my family originated from the North (my grandparents and the older uncles and aunts moved to the South in 1954 and my parents and the younger siblings as well as me was born in the South), I was born in the South but I sound a look nothing like a Southern Vietnamese, and we're Christian, with my parents being extremely religious to the point of boderline radical. My parents hated Southwestern Vietnamese because if you're Vietnamese, you'll know the stereotype that Northern Vietnamese are the bean counter type while South and Southwestern Vietnamese are the YOLO type, which is kinda true with the older people in my fiance's family. And my parents wants to force my fiance to convert to Christian and they dislike non-Christians. 

 

I'm the first one in my family across at least 4 generations to marry out of my religion, and my fiance is also the first across at least 8 or 9 generations in her family to do so, which is a pretty big point. That have led to countless arguments and stressful days, which, along with the preparation for the wedding, really did me in, I was going to give up on everything so many times but my fiance was always by my side to keep me going. I was going to start shipping things out in late Feb but dealing with both sides and with wedding vendors took all my energy. 

 

I can't count how many time our families threatened to disown us and don't go to our wedding anymore but whatever, I have orders to fulfill and a wedding to prepare.

 

Thank you for reading my Ted talk and I'll see the kits delivered to you guys soon. My plan right now is having all preorders shipped within May, also I'll have some new announcements later this week.

 

I'm very grateful for y'all patience and support. It wouldn't have happened without you guys.

Edited May 5 by thaipham101

[thaipham101]

some more pics from the guy who took it. Lightning condition in the show wasn't optimal for photography by phone it looks like

 

[LSP_Kevin]

That looks amazing, Thai! And congratulations on your engagement. It's such a shame that it's tainted by family politics, but if someone doesn't break the mould (pardon the pun), nothing will ever change.

 

Good luck with both your endeavours!

 

Kev

[thaipham101]

20 minutes ago, LSP_Kevin said:

That looks amazing, Thai! And congratulations on your engagement. It's such a shame that it's tainted by family politics, but if someone doesn't break the mould (pardon the pun), nothing will ever change.

 

Good luck with both your endeavours!

 

Kev

Thanks Kev.

Yeah, it got to the point that my mom's childhood friend, who became a priest at a parish near my fiance's house after fleeing Vietnam in the 80s and also will be officiate our wedding, had to make a remark that it's not our wedding anymore but our parents'.

But as long as both of us stay on each other's side I think nothing can sway us, our wedding will happen no matter what. She's the force behind me that keep me going on with both life and this endevour, and she's currently holding my first complete AD-5 kit ever.

[quang]

Hey Thai, to paraphrase Brian Wilson, ‘I wish they all could be South Vietnamese girls… ‘. Congrats for your engagement!

Now how much is the Fat Face? And how much to send it to Belgium?

Cheers,

Quang

[red Dog]

Same question as Quang

[CRAZY IVAN5]

Thank you for the update! I hope your future inlaws will come to their senses life is too short, I'll be on the look out for my preorder with zeal! I've waited decades  for one of these a few more months[ hopefully] ain't no big deal just do it right . Those decals look great!

[scvrobeson]

Sorry to hear about the familial tension, but congrats on the engagement. Both the AD-5 and the A-37 look like fantastic projects that should be popular.

 

 

 

Matt 

[gerry1]

I attended the Houston, TX IPMS this past Saturday and saw Thai's workmanship in person.  Looks really good.  He mentioned a couple of his printers were down but should be up soon.  I briefly spoke with him and he is genuinely concerned about sending his orders out. 

[CRAZY IVAN5]

3 hours ago, gerry1 said:

I attended the Houston, TX IPMS this past Saturday and saw Thai's workmanship in person.  Looks really good.  He mentioned a couple of his printers were down but should be up soon.  I briefly spoke with him and he is genuinely concerned about sending his orders out. 

It really does look good ,I've only seen the pics on his web site but I was sold. I almost wimped out and got the 48th scale one , but decided to go with the big guns. I'm definitely looking forward to getting mine.  His explanation on his equipment woes went right over my head but it did sound like a nightmare.

[LSP_Ray]

The Skyraider looks fantastic!

Congrats on the engagement. Hopefully, the family drama calms down.

Q on your Elegoo printers. I am thinking of getting a resin bath printer later this year and am curious if after your troubles if you would still buy Elegoo or not. I had read the Elegoo Saturn 4 was one of the good ones and that was one I was thinking about, but if their QC and support is shaky...

[thaipham101]

4 hours ago, LSP_Ray said:

The Skyraider looks fantastic!

Congrats on the engagement. Hopefully, the family drama calms down.

Q on your Elegoo printers. I am thinking of getting a resin bath printer later this year and am curious if after your troubles if you would still buy Elegoo or not. I had read the Elegoo Saturn 4 was one of the good ones and that was one I was thinking about, but if their QC and support is shaky...

Thanks Ray,

my guess is that I'm just unlucky. These printers, being in the lower price point, are pretty hit and miss. From what I think, my printer is still of the earlier batches than others so the quality isn't there yet. My friend, the guy who made the A-37, has the same printer and the Saturn 4 Ultra 16K too and his have been working fine.

 

Honestly? Don't get the newest printers. You should get proven platforms like the Saturn 3/3 Ultra or the Anycubic M5, or if your budget is more flexible go for higher end ones like Uniformation GK2 or HeyGear stuffs. Personally, I'm eyeing the GK2 or the Saturn 3 Ultra, there's a guy local to me selling a GK3 Ultra for $850, which is a sweet deal but I have too many stuffs to spend on right now. For hobbyists like you I think speed isn't too big of an issue so don't fall for bullshits like autoleveling or high speed advertisements. The only reason I got the S4U is because of the tilting vat which promises faster speed and smaller supports, which it actually does when it works, and because at that time the newest offering from Anycubic, the M5s Pro, is mired with problems. The autoleveling, at least from Anycubic and Elegoo right now, are just 4 fancy springs that bring more problems than benefits. I'm in the market for my 4th printer right now but honestly I'm still not sure what I will get yet, probably I'll wait for the S4U screen and give it a chance, if it's good I'll get one more, or I might try to sell more kits and splurge on the GK3 Ultra.

 

One thing to keep in mind tho, it looks like customer support is hit and miss on almost all brands not just Elegoo, at least on the mid-range brands like Uniformation, Elegoo, Phrozen, and Anycubic, so do it at your own risk. Also almost none of them fix the printers for you, even if it's under warranty, so it's better to have some DIY skills because when things like the LCD and mainboard goes bad they'll only send you replacement parts and you have to replace them yourself, rarely do they do return and warranty at their facilities.

[thaipham101]

On 5/5/2025 at 2:52 AM, quang said:

Hey Thai, to paraphrase Brian Wilson, ‘I wish they all could be South Vietnamese girls… ‘. Congrats for your engagement!

Now how much is the Fat Face? And how much to send it to Belgium?

Cheers,

Quang

 

On 5/5/2025 at 3:32 AM, red Dog said:

Same question as Quang

I didn't realize that you're in Belgium Quang.

The kit is $150 + 50 non-CONUS shipping. I try to make it as light as possible for cheaper shipping but this is as far as I can go sadly.

[quang]

That would make $200 p&p inc. for the Fat Face. Rather affordable …if we don’t have to feed the regular extra 33% to the ever vigilant Belgian customs 

Thank you @thaipham101for your update. Best news around in these dire times.

Best wishes for you two.

Quang

PS: Any news about your colleague’s A-37? How do I contact him?

[thaipham101]

43 minutes ago, quang said:

That would make $200 p&p inc. for the Fat Face. Rather affordable …if we don’t have to feed the regular extra 33% to the ever vigilant Belgian customs 

Thank you @thaipham101for your update. Best news around in these dire times.

Best wishes for you two.

Quang

PS: Any news about your colleague’s A-37? How do I contact him?

yeah I try to keep the price low and make it more accessible to people all around the world because import fees are wild, and the only way to possibly circumvent it was to not go through my website and I send it to you as a gift so I can declare much lower value than it is because if it goes through the website they'll ask for receipts to verify the value. I was shocked by European country's custom fees.

 

About the A-37, he's the same Vietnamese American guy that made the O-1 in the early 2000s or late 1990s as far as I know. I have no further info on it as of now and I plan to visit him this month to guide him on some 3D printing tips and give him feedback on the kit. There're some adjustments needed to be done in term of support and part orientation, plus the rivets and panel lines are quite shallow, like on those 1/72 Eduard kits. However, overall it's a pretty nice kit, I'll update you guys once I visit him and have his permission.