Hi All
Just thought I would post some pics of my latest challenge which is almost complete.
Pic 2
Pic 3
fantastic work!
That's really cool, your own design or a thingiverse ?
Nice one, looks great! Need to try this sometime, just worried it wouldn't survive landings in a field with no runway!
It's a 3dlabprint.com Spitfire.
Don't know how it will survive a crash. Will let you all know when I maiden it.
I do love the optimism :)
It looks amazing.......but isnt it like flying an egg without the yolk in it..?
They all look so very fragile to me.....?...
:vulture:
It feels like an empty egg shell. Don't think it will survive long. :laugh: :laugh:
Just wanted a go at printing it.
Potentially really silly question here but.... is there any way you could fill it with expanding foam to add strength with very little weight gain? Maybe boring a hole into each part and just spraying the nozzle in? It might make a huge difference if there's internal support to the plastic shell?
Have you seen the FliteTest 3d printed aircraft - they were surprisingly well behaved.
Hi Steve
Thanks for your comments.
I have thought about expanding foam in part of the rear fuz, the rest of the inside is needed for sliding the battery in/out. As for the wings, they have a lattice structure inside and not practical for foam.This structure is quite strong. It seems that the weak spots are where the sections are glued together on both the wing and fuz.
Yes, the fliteTest videos are great. The larger models seem to be 2 shells thick where as my small one is printed with one shell thickness. I did try 2 shells on a section of mine which made it much stronger but was heavy.
Being made of pla plastic, I don't think it will stand a lot of minor crashes. I just wanted a winter project to do with my 3d printer and thought this would fit the bill.
I've built and flown the P38 and got the stearman pretty well complete. These models are plenty strong enough for flight loads and landings but if your only previous experience is with foamies then you'll need to adjust your expectations. These models won't stand up to landings that are just half-controlled crashes. I did do some testing on a scrap fuselage that I ended up with after I messed up putting one together and found that the glue joins were actually stronger than the plastic surrounding them.
Hi All Update
Well she had her maiden flight the other day and I was well impressed. Only had to put a bit of down trim in.
Sorry for no video, so as they say, " no video - no.........."
Will get a video as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer.
Quote from: Drone 5 on February 10, 2018, 07:09:49 PM
Hi All Update
Well she had her maiden flight the other day and I was well impressed. Only had to put a bit of down trim in.
Sorry for no video, so as they say, " no video - no.........."
Will get a video as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer.
just found this looking forward to your vid
dizzy :D
Great work. I have also just bought the $20 plans from 3dlabprint for the spitfire and am having a go at building one.
This is what happened to my PLA spitfire after I left in the sun while the paint dried.
Quote from: gowen on May 17, 2018, 02:19:12 PM
This is what happened to my PLA spitfire after I left in the sun while the paint dried.
Ouch was that the sun, or the paint reacting with the PLA do you think?
So are you saying my 3D printed teapot isn't going to work out then?
Quote from: krikey on May 17, 2018, 02:41:47 PM
Ouch was that the sun, or the paint reacting with the PLA do you think?
It was the sun. The first grey coats were fine. It was the dark green soaking up the heat.
Quote from: Loopdreams on May 17, 2018, 03:00:47 PM
So are you saying my 3D printed teapot isn't going to work out then?
It will work better than my chocolate one.
what paints do you use? Standard Halford car sprays?
Quote from: krikey on May 17, 2018, 07:44:51 PM
what paints do you use? Standard Halford car sprays?
Tamiya spray. I'm not the only one with a melted Spitfire. Here is one left in a hot car with a rubber band around the nose.
Hi All
Just thought I would comment. PLA melts at about 180 deg, so leaving it in car on a hot day or baking in the sun will not be a good idea. I feel your pain. All those hours printing and putting it together only to be met with a mess during its final painting stage must have been heart breaking.
I have not flown my Spitfire since its maiden but will be out soon for a video.
I have since printed 2 free plan wings which fly great. I am at present printing a 1m wingspan trainer and a small 50mm edf jet type plane.
More soon, now the weather has improved, apart from the constant wind.
I use acrylic spray paints. almost any make is fine. Big tins from Wilkinsons (own brand) are great and at about £4 are excellent value.
Printed wing
Printed wing 2
EDF Plane
Trainer in Process, Pic is their model.
Id love to know where you're getting your 3D models from? Fancy posting some links?
Will do.
What motor and spinner did you install?
SunnySky X2216 2216 1250KV Outrunner Brushless Motor
https://www.banggood.com/SunnySky-X2216-2216-1250KV-Outrunner-Brushless-Motor-For-RC-Models-p-988393.html?utm_design=41&utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=Shipoutinform171129&utm_campaign=trigger-emarsys&utm_content=Winna&sc_src=email_2671705&sc_eh=487ece491f784ff71&sc_llid=2362781&sc_lid=104858042&sc_uid=wyFsuHpeOi&cur_warehouse=CN (https://www.banggood.com/SunnySky-X2216-2216-1250KV-Outrunner-Brushless-Motor-For-RC-Models-p-988393.html?utm_design=41&utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=Shipoutinform171129&utm_campaign=trigger-emarsys&utm_content=Winna&sc_src=email_2671705&sc_eh=487ece491f784ff71&sc_llid=2362781&sc_lid=104858042&sc_uid=wyFsuHpeOi&cur_warehouse=CN)
38mm spinner. Cheap one. £2
9x6 prop.
2200mah 3s Battery
Draws around 16/17amps full throttle.
There is more than enough power for me. Does not look scale like if full throttle.
I printed the long nose so to hide the motor.
Spinner update
As I printed my spitfire at 93% of original size a 38mm spinner might not be big enough for your 100% Spitfire.
Might be worth getting the next size up.