My giant leap into CAD and 3D printing

[TeeELL 601]

A little bit of background:

1.  As an RAF pilot of 37 years, I had never had any cause or need to develop any CAD skills.  
2.  My modelling themes include ‘aircraft I have flown’ and aircraft of 29(F) Sqn.  
3.  Having retired I wanted something challenging to do. 
4.  At the age of 70 I bit the bullet and started learning Fusion360.

A few years ago I built the 1:72 Airfix Javelin FAW9 (aircraft of 29(F) Sqn), and was perfectly happy with it until I discovered the significant error with the rear fuselage.  I had looked at the variety of solutions people had used to overcome the problem but I could never see a satisfactory way of re-creating the reheat nozzles.  Following lessons bought from Udemy, on-line through Youtube and face-to-face for 4 or 5 lessons locally I embarked on a number of simple projects (if you can call creating a 1:72 Hucks’ Starter simple).  
I purchased another Heller/Airfix Javelin, cut the back off and tried to create a replacement rear fuselage - the kit isn’t symmetrical!  I must have created 10-15 printed templates to try and exactly match the profile of the cut.  In the end I did achieve the fit I wanted, but my problems had only just begun - remember, at this stage I am still very much a learner - I now had to ‘loft’ a non-symmetric ‘oval’ to a symmetric oval yet another steep learning curve.

Long story, I got there in the end.  My rear fuselage plug fits the kit, the turbine faces are measured from those at ‘The Jet Age Museum’ the re-heat nozzles have 27 radial slots.  The jet-pipe/nozzles sit at the correct 3deg inward and slight downward cant.  Whilst I was at it, I created seamless intake ducting and Sapphire 7R starter bullets/compressor faces.

(Thats 27 HighPlaneModels not 24!).

 

[Mad Steve 23,561]

Very impressive... Very impressive indeed. 

[RWG686 37,798]

Agreed.

They look superb.

[Gorby 20,040]

It's always impressive learning a new skill and doing it that well is particularly impressive. Something I'd like to have a go at as well.

[TeeELL 601]

Creating things like the Javelin ‘rear end’ certainly accelerated my ascent of the ‘steep learning curve’ mind you, those on here in the know with Fusion360 would cringe at my history line and all the yellow highlights!  Lol.  The parts print, so I am touching nothing!

I did venture into other parts of the Heller/Airfix model, improved U/C legs and nose wheel, down flaps, ‘engraved’ air brakes, extended airbrakes:

 

The U/C legs are now printed in one piece with the actuating parts attached - this is a photo of an earlier test print.

Most recently I created a Martin Baker Mk3JS ejection seat.  It is based on the Airfix 1:48 model plus lots of photos courtesy of The Jet Age Museum and the FB group ‘Gloster Javelin - A Reconstruction’.  I designed it in 1:48 and used Chitubox to reduce it to 1:72, the major dimensions are very close to those of the original kit ‘seats’.

 

My next plan is to create simple alternative cockpits for both the FAW7/9 and FAW6/8

Edited August 17 by TeeELL

[goon 1,622]

That's very impressive. I really need to get on and learn a bit of CAD so I can try making my own parts.

 

Gareth

[TeeELL 601]

What I have found is that this CAD lark is a constant evolution.  The changes in, for instance, the U/C mean that they are each one piece items when originally they were 2,  thought I had a photo, apparently not!  
There is compromise - the nose gear on the 1:72 Javelin will not ‘fit’ so the nose U/C model has to be adjusted accordingly.  The main wheel bay has ‘details’ but they are wrong, again requiring compromise.

 

[Miggers 8,320]

I've been following Tony for quite a while on UAMF and Facebook.

The parts he's done for the Javelin are very impressive indeed.

[TeeELL 601]

Unfortunately I didn’t have time to look closely at or photograph the seats after they had been through the U/V cure so it will be next week.  I’ve received some drawings of the seat straps so I am going to have a go at reducing them to 1:72 and printing them.  I’ll see if they will fit on the seat, should lift it considerably.

[TeeELL 601]

At the start of this thread I mentioned one of my ‘themes’, well a second theme is “Aircraft I qualified to fly”, amongst those is the Canberra which I flew on 100 Sqn and then 13(PR) Sqn.  I had/have several of the Airfix B(I) 6 models and could readily create an E15 (B6 variant) and the PR7.  You may well know that the model itself suffers from some profile issues at the front and an excessively large ‘bomb aimers’ glazed nose.  With a great deal of information from John ‘Mr Canberra’ Sheehan I created replacement forward fuselages that allow a B2/B6 or PR3/7 to be created using the old Airfix kit.

These are both B6 and PR7 fuselages including the ‘crew door open’ options.  I produce basic cockpits for both types with integral nose wheel bays.  The position and size of the camera bay apertures are courtesy of Newark Air Museum and the owner of WH779 fuselage at Doncaster.

 

I have also produced better detailed nose wheels and finer mudguards.  In this photo are large starter bullets, a door scribing template, mudguards, fuselage connecting plug (with a crew door in the middle), nose wheels and vac-formed nose glazing (on printed bucks).

 

Edited August 18 by TeeELL

[TeeELL 601]

I don’t just do aircraft!  Standby for ‘something completely different’!

 

 

Edited August 18 by TeeELL

[Drichc 646]

Some lovely stuff there mate.

Trust me you aren't alone with yellow highlighted timelines! The hours I've spent trying to fix one and have the model explode on me has made me like you go down the route of if it prints and looks ok, it is ok, so stuff the yellow warnings. 

I see you've vac formed some noses over printed plugs. I assume the printed resin is ok under the temps needed?

Rich

[TeeELL 601]

13 minutes ago, Drichc said:

Some lovely stuff there mate.

Trust me you aren't alone with yellow highlighted timelines! The hours I've spent trying to fix one and have the model explode on me has made me like you go down the route of if it prints and looks ok, it is ok, so stuff the yellow warnings. 

I see you've vac formed some noses over printed plugs. I assume the printed resin is ok under the temps needed?

Rich

I’ve not had any problems with the vac-form parts.  I supply them on the printed buck, which has a cutting guide ridge.  I am getting better with my time-lines!

Edited August 18 by TeeELL

[Drichc 646]

Nice. Do you have one of those dentist vac form machines, or just use an oven?

[TeeELL 601]

27 minutes ago, Drichc said:

Nice. Do you have one of those dentist vac form machines, or just use an oven?

I decided that I could muck about with ovens and a home made machine or buy one - I bought one!