Homebuilt X-plane

Marcin Dudek
Watching with interest 👀

John Hughes
Mr Surfacer is your friend for those printing marks!

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Welcome, Mates! Thanks for the tip, John. Yet, I am too afraid to use it on such a delicate and intricate contraption...

bughunter
That is a very filigree affair 😮 But are such heavy print line needed with latest technology? 🤔 I do not have a 3D printer but I have seen better parts.

Ben M
I dilute perfect plastic putty and brush on parts with print lines. It dries in the "valleys" and runs off the "peaks" if you orient the part correctly. No need for a lot of sanding.

John Hughes
Robert, I would brush on a thin coat of Mr Surfacer and use Levelling Thinner with a cotton bud to cut it back. You don't need to apply any pressure.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thanks again for your tips, Ben and John, much appreciated 🙂 It is a pity that I already painted it and a few details... I hope that from the distance no one will notice these lines 😉

John Hughes
You have an easy job doing on a kit this size, Robert. I've got a 3D printed 760mm tall Thunderbird 1 to do some day!

Robert Podkoński Szerző
WOW! I would love to see it, John.

John Hughes
I have an album of the main parts assembled. You can see there will be a lot of smoothing of the surface required.

Ben M
I did a resin printed 1/35 K-Wagen, not quite as big as the thunderbird I think, but one of the biggest models I have built. There was a lot of putty and sanding involved.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
@John - smoothig the surface will be the big task indeed in the case of this Thunderbird...

gorby
I doubt if the print lines will be noticeable on such a tiny model (damn you macro! 😄 ).

Robert Podkoński Szerző
You're absolutely right, Gorby! 😉

Ludvík Kružík
Robert, did you get the scale wrong? 😄 For 1/48 scale, those flying tubes are really tiny.

I wish you a steady hand and a lot of patience during the construction and I'm curious to see the result.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
It is great to have you on board, Ludviku 🙂 On the box it is written 1/48th scale, so I believe to the producer... There is also a 1/72nd scale kit available...

Ludvík Kružík
Robert, I can't miss such an interesting fact.

With my eyes, I would need a microscope to build this 1/72nd scale model. 😄

Alec K
Very unique project Robert 👍

Nicolas
I have to watch.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Welcome Alec and Nicolas! I am approaching the finish line...

Robert Podkoński Szerző
I announce the next X-plane in my collection finished. Perhaps the most exotic one in the series...

gorby
Wow it's so tiny! Excellent result Robert.

J35J
Great work with that small kit! Congrats👍🏻

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thank you both, Mates. You're too kind 🙂

Michael Kohl
Nice. Is it a gyrocopter? Looks a bit like an american adaptation of the Bachstelze.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Yes, Michael, it is a gyrocopter. For more info you can take a look here:
nationalmuseum.af.mi..en-x-25a-gyrocopter/
(FYI, many years ago I have build both versions of the X-24 😄 😄 😄 )

John Hughes
Would adding a pilot be enough weight to stop it being a tail-sitter, I wonder?

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Presumably, it worked this way, John:
military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Bensen_B-8

Nicolas
Very nice result Robert. Dont worry about it being a tail sitter, the original is without pilot a tailsitter too.
👍👍

Alex K
Well, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't go for the 1:72 kit... but... OK... 😛 Seriously, beautiful job on a very special X-plane... 👍 👍

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thank you very much for your kind words, Mates. Much appreciated 🙂
@ Alex: I've bought a 1:48 kit simply because it was not available in 1;72 scale... 😉

Alex K
Well... since you built a Pou du Ciel in 1:144, the 1:72 Bensen wouldn't be a problem for you... and it would have been great along these: One-man helicopters | Album by podkon (1:72)
So... what's next - a scratch-built Paresev maybe??? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Paresev 😉
Keep them coming! 👍

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thanks for the suggestion (and your kind words) Alex. Actually, I am planning to build No.8 from this set the other day:
Lilienthal Set 2 (4 pieces) (Aerobase LS2, 1:160)
And here is the same plane in 1:72 scale finished by Kyriakos:
X-25A | Album by Kyriakos86 (1:72)

Alex K
👍 👍

Ludvík Kružík
Very nice addition to the collection. 👍 👍 👍

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Dziękuję, Ludviku!

Neuling
So nice!

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thank you, Neuling, much appreciated. It is a pity that main rotor blades are made from soft material and sag in an unnatural manner. I have no idea, to be sincere, how to make them more stiff...

gorby
I suspect the original had a bit of rotor sag. The only way I can think to reduce it is to replace the rotors completely - which is obviously a bit drastic.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Indeed, Gorby... 🙁

Ludvík Kružík
Robert, if you want to solve the leaf bend, there is a relatively simple solution. Cut a full-length groove in the underside of the rotor blades and insert a thin steel string. Simply coat the string with Ca glue, sand it down and finally re-coat the underside of the sheet. It's extra work, but can be done in 1 to 2 hours.

Steel guitar strings can also be used. Strings can usually be purchased separately. The thinnest "e" string or the slightly thicker "f" string will suit your needs (the other strings are already wrapped with thin wire). If you were buying strings, you would want METAL ones. There are also nylon guitar strings, but they are not suitable for this purpose.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thanks for the tip, Ludviku

Torsten
Awesome ❤️️

Ludvík Kružík
You're welcome. 😉
If you want to do something about bending the rotor blades, that's up to you. I expect that such a soft material will cause the rotor blades to bend even more over time under their own weight. Thin resin parts have a tendency to do that. But that's just my guess. Only time will tell if I'm right.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
The rotor seems to be made from soft rubber rather than resin, Ludviku. Installing the wire would be very difficult. I will simply turn it upside down from time to time 😉

Guy Rump
Very impressive Robert. 👍

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thank you, Guy, much appreciated 🙂

Marcin Dudek
Wow, looks fantastic! 👏

Michael Kohl
You might simply glue the wire to the center of the underside without trying to hide it as it won't be seen anyway (most likely).

Nicolas
Perhaps a thin coating of metal foil (e.g. bare metal foil) would be enough to make the rotor blades stiff enough.

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thank you all, Mates, much appreciated . Actually I already have adopted the solution proposed by Michael 😄

Michael Kohl
🥳

Zbynek Honzik
That's a cute beautiful flea! 😅👍👏👏👏

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thank you, Zbynek, much appreciated 🙂

Roland Sachsenhofer
What a gem! Wonderful project and outcome! 👏👏👏

Robert Podkoński Szerző
Thank you very much, Roland. You're too kind to me...