Official FlightLine F4U-1A Corsair 1600mm (63") Wingspan

[jetfool]

Davegee,

Practice makes perfect. If all else fails, contact the Wizard from Kansas.

[davegee]

Davegee,

Practice makes perfect. If all else fails, contact the Wizard from Kansas.

I have produced a few parts, some of which are too small. It's a real WAG trying to figure out the scale of these things! I used the OEM head and upper body as a guide, trying to match up the size and then we can go from there. The Grueter models have great detail and should work well, once they are the appropriate size for the model. We can then do some critical sizing and make corrections to things like the arms and come out with something that should be Much better that the Pete OEM pilots.

Here is a photo I just took of where I am in this process. I "think" I might have solved the "goobering effect" by preheating the bed of the printing before attempting to the print. I hope so, anyway. So, I have successfully printed two Grueter heads of different sizes and a body which is too small for this project, but could well work for another smaller scale project. The detail of the Gurueter figures is in a different league that the OEM pilots that come with these kits that we buy. I'm hopeful that once the proper final size of the pilot is derived, we can easily print more for other projects.



Will stay tuned.

Cheers

Davegee

[Elbee]

I've had a little success on the pilots from Grueter. Any problems are due to the print head on my printer goobering up and ruining the print. I'm printing up the head of a pilot right now, and so far it looks to be coming out ok. I'll post any positive parts I get as I proceed and hopefully get a whole body of a pilot that will work. We'll see.

Cheers, gents!

Davegee

Dave,

When I print a part that needs to be as 'perfect' as I can print it, I print it separately and at the shortest layer height.

This might not be new news to you, but using a smaller nozzle size along with the lowest layer height can also improve detail.

Additionally, I print the pilot faces facing up, so I 'cut' the head length wise in Prusa Slicer and lay the parts face up and back of head up as in my photo.

If you're getting 'goobers' on the nozzle during a print the problem is usually a cooling issue.

Your printer should be in a warm 75^o+F draft free area with the presumption your filament is dry and fairly fresh.

Just my $00.02USD, Dave.

Looking forward to seeing your results.

Best as always, Steve

[davegee]

Dave,

When I print a part that needs to be as 'perfect' as I can print it, I print it separately and at the shortest layer height.

This might not be new news to you, but using a smaller nozzle size along with the lowest layer height can also improve detail.

Additionally, I print the pilot faces facing up, so I 'cut' the head length wise in Prusa Slicer and lay the parts face up and back of head up as in my photo.

If you're getting 'goobers' on the nozzle during a print the problem is usually a cooling issue.

Your printer should be in a warm 75^o+F draft free area with the presumption your filament is dry and fairly fresh.

Just my $00.02USD, Dave.

Looking forward to seeing your results.

Best as always, Steve

Thanks, Steve. I remember you telling me months ago to "preheat" the bed before printing. My printer is in the basement, and it hadn't been a problem until now, with cold temps outside and dogs going in and out of the door bringing lower temps into the room. I am now using the preheat mode before going into the actual printing, and so far, so good.

I'll attach a photo I just took of an OEM Pete pilot, and two heads, one that I enlarged a bit which is the same size as the Pete head. The body is too small and I am currently printing a larger one that I will see if it is more in the realm of what I need for a final copy. That too small body could still be used on a different smaller scale project someday.

Since Dan's and my planes don't have the cockpit depth detail that you added to yours, we will probably have to "amputate" the legs below the knee to fit them in ok, which should still work out fine. I'm thinking the detail of the parts is really good, certainly better than the Pete models, for now. Once I get the size of pilot I want, Dan and I can refine the details to get the best results we can have. Certainly it will be better than the OEM Pete model!

Appreciate your comments and constructive criticism, always!

Cheers

Davegee

[Elbee]

davegee

Those prints look good, Dave.

Nicely done, Sir.

Best, LB

[davegee]

davegee

Those prints look good, Dave.

Nicely done, Sir.

Best, LB

Thanks, Elbee. A larger pilot body is in-print right now, should be done this afternoon. I'm hoping I have "bracketed" this size and this will be a final copy for the Corsair with a more or less full bodied pilot. We'll see.

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

Looking great. Soon you will have exactly what you want.

Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

Looking great. Soon you will have exactly what you want.

Best Regards, Rex

Thanks, Rex. This is great experience getting better at 3D printing. I am still a total neophyte, but some things are starting to gel a bit. Huge thanks to Elbee who got me and my new Prusa Mini printer on track to making some parts to get me up and running. Sometimes, this is actually Fun to do and when it works out well, very satisfiying, too.

Cheers

davegee

[davegee]

Thanks, Elbee. A larger pilot body is in-print right now, should be done this afternoon. I'm hoping I have "bracketed" this size and this will be a final copy for the Corsair with a more or less full bodied pilot. We'll see.

Cheers

Davegee

Hi Elbee: on a slightly off-topic matter, I bought the STLs on Cults for some of my favorite space items, which has also been a lifelong passion for me. One of them is a 1/60 scale Gemini-Titan model that I recently printed up. The model comes apart at the stage and capsule separation points, and is one of the most detailed and accurate models of this type that I have built. I have dreamed of having this model for 60 years, when I used to watch all the Gemini launches as a kid from a small black and white television screen at home.

In the background is a printed 1/200 scale Artemis rocket and launch pad, and below the Titan is a 1/24 scale plastic model of a Gemini spacecraft from Revell that dates back to 1965 when they first came out. This particular model kit I built about 20+ years ago.

Cheers

Davegee

[Grossman56]

Just got home from work, ew I missed Dave having a 'Betty Crocker' moment!! Heads look good so far Dave. Hopefully you're taking notes on what you had to adjust to get them exact. Someone out there who is about to do the same pilot will thank you. I was thinking of putting the floor 'plates' in using the old tongue depressor method like I did with BBD
except leave the space between them. The only pain is the one control rod running up so high. I gather that's the rudder. Maybe I'll just take it out, don't need a rudder anyway. JUST KIDDING! Too bad they didn't install that servo back at the tail. CG issue I guess.

Anyway, Rex, I checked the mail and still nothing so I guess they got sent somewhere else. We have a new kid as a mail man and he has a real attitude. He put a package in our box and it was so big we couldn't get it out. We called and when he came out he dropped an attitude bomb on the wife. WRONG!
Anyway, I can't blame him in all fairness, but if they're like some cards we've sent out, we should get them next year.
Meanwhile, I'm practicing on all the spare pilots and watching a lot of face painting videos.
This fellow is really good:

https://www.youtube.com/@TheCreativeCollector

You might want to check him out.

Grossman56
(Dangerous Dan)

[Grossman56]

you guys probably know all of this, but it never hurts to give out info. The first time I've seen the screen for a 3D printer, pretty cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT21nNwqCr0

[jetfool]

Dan,
No problem. I'll get some more sent to you. Had one bushing fall on floor and went to Twilight Zone so I need a few also. You and Dave will have some great pilots for those formation fly-bys. I'm jealous, nah! I just need to get my own 3-d prusa mini. I keep watching painting/weathering videos and gaining a lot of info.

Best Regards, Rex

[Grossman56]

Thanks Rex!

[davegee]

Here is my first preliminary Corsair pilot, I dub V1. Print designed by Max Grueter. Went together pretty well, had to compromise the size a bit to have the pilot fit in the cockpit ok, which he does. Ran a control test as the rods going back to the tail run right under his feet, but he doesn't interfere with any control movement. I think I'll mount him with boots just aboe the control rods.

My wife is going to try and paint him tomorrow if she has the time.

Here's some pics hot off the printer!

[jetfool]

Very, Very, Nice!

[Elbee]

Here is my first preliminary Corsair pilot, I dub V1. Print designed by Max Grueter....Here's some pics hot off the printer!

Congrats, it looks pretty darn good. Your slicing skills are improving. Best, LB

[davegee]

Congrats, it looks pretty darn good. Your slicing skills are improving. Best, LB

Thanks, Elbee. One thing I had a problem with. I printed the head in a couple of different sizes and made two prints of the rest of the body. The larger one fits the scale of this Corsair pretty well. The problem with fitting the head to the body is that the neck on the head sculpt is Really wide and thick and the hole in the body where the neck is supposed to fit is really small. If I was to increase the size of the body so that the head would fit that neck hole, the body would be Way to huge for this airplane. What I did was sand down the neck on the head, did some puttying and sanding where the seam was, and I think it will work out fine. In a little airplane with a closed canopy I don't think anyone will ever notice.

[davegee]

Very, Very, Nice!

Thanks, Rex. This size pilot fits the Corsair pretty well. We'll see how he looks after my wife paints him up.

Cheers

Davegee

[Elbee]

Thanks, Elbee. One thing I had a problem with. I printed the head in a couple of different sizes and made two prints of the rest of the body. The larger one fits the scale of this Corsair pretty well. The problem with fitting the head to the body is that the neck on the head sculpt is Really wide and thick and the hole in the body where the neck is supposed to fit is really small. If I was to increase the size of the body so that the head would fit that neck hole, the body would be Way to huge for this airplane. What I did was sand down the neck on the head, did some puttying and sanding where the seam was, and I think it will work out fine. In a little airplane with a closed canopy I don't think anyone will ever notice.

Quite Clever.

I added a "negative" cylinder shape in Prusa Slicer that created a hole where the neck should be located in each part.

I then printed a cylinder in the same size that became the neck.

Two different means to the same end.

Again, nicely done.

Best, LB

[Grossman56]

EWWWWWW!!!!
Cool Dave. I was thinking the same thing with the pilot, if I make the foot rails and allow for the control rod throw, it should work out fine. I sure like the idea of having a full pilot in the cockpit.
I'm off for Sunday and Monday, can't wait to see the little guy.
Come on over when he's out of the oven!

Grossman56
(Dangerous Dan)