Author Topic: Anyone have a 3D printer that'll do a pilot figure? (Read 3122 times)

Tim Wescott · « **on:** March 22, 2015, 04:37:40 PM »

I'm probably about a month early to be asking this, but is there anyone out there with a 3D printer and the willingness to print out my attempts at modeling a pilot figure? All I have is open-source 3D modeling software, so it may take me a few tries to get things right.

Lightness is important, so I need to print the thing out as a shell. Having some inherently light material to print from would be nice. Knowing whether I can just give you a model of the shell and depend on the printer to do any necessary support structure would be nice. I understand that what comes out of the printer will have to be sanded smooth and/or filled to get a final product.

Thanks in advance...

Howard Rush · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2015, 05:35:49 PM »

Why not just paint a smiley face on a pingpong ball?

Hope this helps.

GGeezer · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2015, 06:11:55 PM »

Tim,
Email me the file (IGES, STEP, STL Universal 3D) and I'll see what I can do.

Orv.

Fred Cronenwett · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2015, 06:46:22 PM »

give these guys a try....

http://www.3dfigureworks.com/

Fred

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2015, 08:06:22 PM »

Quote from: Howard Rush on March 22, 2015, 05:35:49 PM

Why not just paint a smiley face on a pingpong ball?

Because the pilot figure I have in mind is not shaped like a ping-pong-ball, that's why.

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2015, 08:43:58 PM »

Chop the head off your neighbor kid's Barbie.

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2015, 08:58:52 PM »

Quote from: Douglas Ames on March 22, 2015, 08:43:58 PM

Chop the head off your neighbor kid's Barbie.

I have something specific in mind. There's a theme.

If you're not fixed on an idea, PEZ makes dispensers with all sorts of pop-culture heads on them, just about the right size for pilot figures -- I have a Elasti-Mom and Jack-Jack from The Incredibles in an RC plane, and Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean is waiting in a box to be installed in an airplane at some point.

Fred Cronenwett · « **Reply #7 on:** March 22, 2015, 09:31:54 PM »

Love the PEZ heads....

Scrat is the pilot for the P-40 (Do you know the movie it came from?)

Yoda is the pilot for my Spitfire, not a PEZ head but still lots of fun.

Both models are fun fly models are used for practice flying and are not serious competition models. However the scale rules says there has to be a pilot figure but does not say it has to be a human pilot!

Fred

Howard Rush · « **Reply #8 on:** March 22, 2015, 09:35:56 PM »

Quote from: Tim Wescott on March 22, 2015, 08:58:52 PM

I have something specific in mind. There's a theme.

No need to reinvent the wheel, Tim. I'll see if I still have some Jive Combat Team Action Figures. You don't want to have to get them on E Bay. You'll pay through the nose for them there.

Mike Keville · « **Reply #9 on:** March 22, 2015, 09:48:12 PM »

Quote from: Howard Rush on March 22, 2015, 09:35:56 PM

. . . I'll see if I still have some Jive Combat Team Action Figures . . .

=============================================

Yep, that's what you need: a figure of PTG under the canopy!

jim gilmore · « **Reply #10 on:** March 23, 2015, 09:21:48 PM »

Scrat came from ice age I believe...

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #11 on:** March 23, 2015, 09:31:57 PM »

Quote from: Howard Rush on March 22, 2015, 09:35:56 PM

I'll see if I still have some Jive Combat Team Action Figures.

Who, exactly, is the Jive Combat Team, and what is their role in control line history?

Howard Rush · « **Reply #12 on:** March 23, 2015, 11:26:56 PM »

Quote from: Tim Wescott on March 23, 2015, 09:31:57 PM

Who, exactly, is the Jive Combat Team, and what is their role in control line history?

Holy Cow! Did you get your AMA license from Sears & Roebuck?

tom brightbill · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2015, 11:33:23 PM »

Cracker Jacks box.

Larry Fernandez · « **Reply #14 on:** March 24, 2015, 08:02:45 AM »

Quote from: Tim Wescott on March 23, 2015, 09:31:57 PM

Who, exactly, is the Jive Combat Team, and what is their role in control line history?

WOW
How does one respond to that question?

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #15 on:** March 24, 2015, 10:05:08 AM »

Quote from: tom brightbill on March 23, 2015, 11:33:23 PM

Cracker Jacks box.

Tom! How did you know?! Was it the little sailor boy on my license?

Quote from: Larry Fernandez on March 24, 2015, 08:02:45 AM

WOW
How does one respond to that question?

With an answer? Surely Stephan Ambrose wrote a history of it, before he was caught out.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #16 on:** March 24, 2015, 01:36:28 PM »

Remember guys we some newbies on here and even some older ones who have never followed combat. I remember a picture of Howard in a clown suit. Just vaguely when he was a teenager in the KC area. Phil I met at one of the first Lake Charles NATS after we were suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. I don't know who the other members of JCT Jive team is. Fill us in Howard.

Paul Smith · « **Reply #17 on:** March 24, 2015, 02:51:53 PM »

Go to the Toledo RC Show.

They can make 3D model of you while you wait. Bring your own pilot clothes.

Randy Powell · « **Reply #18 on:** March 24, 2015, 04:46:05 PM »

Well, Phil Granderson and Dirty Dan Rutherford were members in good standing.

And Tim: http://www.acesofiron.com/8th_scale.htm or http://stores.ebay.com/Petes-Pilots?_rdc=1 are good choices.

When it comes to stuntliness
you can be sure
That the Jive Combat team
Is FASRNU

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #19 on:** March 25, 2015, 08:54:44 PM »

I just used up three hours of my life making a 3D model of my pilot figure to send to Orv. This after working on it for an hour last night and then having the program crash without anything saved (strangely enough, I was saving all the time on this one). Hopefully my software is compatible with his printer.

Fingers crossed.

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #20 on:** March 25, 2015, 09:14:17 PM »

Buy a nice light pilot from Hobby-Lobby. Not Hobby Lobby, but www.hobby-lobby.com. I've got some Jack in the Box "Mariner" antenna heads, if you want one. The Legacy has a fairly small canopy, so if you're using it, you'll need a fairly small pilot. Try Hobby-Lobby or Horizon. NOT the Hobby Lobby that won't buy birth control pills...the one that used to sell Graupner and Kavan stuff. www.hobby-lobby.com...I think.

Steve

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #21 on:** March 25, 2015, 09:57:02 PM »

Quote from: Steve Helmick on March 25, 2015, 09:14:17 PM

Buy a nice light pilot from Hobby-Lobby. Not Hobby Lobby, but www.hobby-lobby.com. I've got some Jack in the Box "Mariner" antenna heads, if you want one. The Legacy has a fairly small canopy, so if you're using it, you'll need a fairly small pilot. Try Hobby-Lobby or Horizon. NOT the Hobby Lobby that won't buy birth control pills...the one that used to sell Graupner and Kavan stuff. www.hobby-lobby.com...I think. Steve

There's no web site at that address any more. Alas.

Fred Underwood · « **Reply #22 on:** March 25, 2015, 10:03:17 PM »

Quote from: Tim Wescott on March 25, 2015, 09:57:02 PM

There's no web site at that address any more. Alas.

Name change

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2054646

http://www.hobbyexpress.com/

Steve Helmick · « **Reply #23 on:** March 27, 2015, 06:35:19 PM »

Thank you, Mr. Fred Underwood! I think Hobby-Lobby took a bad hit when SIG bought Kavan and maybe Graupner. They carried some interesting stuff from Europe that we seldom see over here. Looks like less now, and more Chinese...uh...products. I've bookmarked their site and I'll poke around and see if there's anything useful. Ya just never know.

Steve

PS: Still, check Horizon's website and see if they have some pilot's figures...memory says they do, but maybe not. Stuff changes.

Bill Johnson · « **Reply #24 on:** April 03, 2015, 11:03:43 AM »

Quote from: john e. holliday on March 24, 2015, 01:36:28 PM

Remember guys we some newbies on here and even some older ones who have never followed combat. I remember a picture of Howard in a clown suit. Just vaguely when he was a teenager in the KC area. Phil I met at one of the first Lake Charles NATS after we were suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. I don't know who the other members of JCT Jive team is. Fill us in Howard.

Thank you, John.

I used to say there were no stupid questions. Then one of my students asked "If corn oil comes from corn, where does baby oil come from".

As to 3D printers, my son-in-law was asking for some 3mm hardware. Apparently he borrowed a 3D printer and made a quadcopter last week. We're putting it together this weekend.

Randy Powell · « **Reply #25 on:** April 03, 2015, 11:21:34 AM »

There are no stupid questions, but there are inquisitive idiots.

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #26 on:** April 03, 2015, 12:27:14 PM »

Quote from: Bill Johnson on April 03, 2015, 11:03:43 AM

As to 3D printers, my son-in-law was asking for some 3mm hardware. Apparently he borrowed a 3D printer and made a quadcopter last week. We're putting it together this weekend.

And people say that the home handyman and model aviation is dead. It's just been renamed "DIY" and drones.

What's he using for a controller?

Bill Johnson · « **Reply #27 on:** April 07, 2015, 11:09:20 AM »

I'm not sure, Tim. We looked at one at HobbyTown but he said that was way to expensive. He has everything on order so I'll let you know shortly.

While I was there, he decided to start making a 3D printer......using the 3D printer! Started making some of the frame work and we bought some square aluminum tubing. Apparently, his company also has a 3D scanner and a 3D printer that makes aluminum parts!

Gerald Arana · « **Reply #28 on:** April 07, 2015, 11:25:27 AM »

Oooooooh! Aluminum parts?! How about P&L's?

Jerry

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #29 on:** April 07, 2015, 12:09:18 PM »

Quote from: Gerald Arana on April 07, 2015, 11:25:27 AM

Oooooooh! Aluminum parts?! How about P&L's?

The 3D metal printers that I know of sinter the metal, which wouldn't be suitable. No matter what you'd need post-machining.

I've thought that a sufficiently motivated person could try making a 3D printer for metal that's based on a wire-feed welder. The precision wouldn't be much to write home about, but the result would still be there, and could then maybe be stress-relieved and then machined into something useful.

Gerald Arana · « **Reply #30 on:** April 07, 2015, 01:41:19 PM »

Quote from: Tim Wescott on April 07, 2015, 12:09:18 PM

The 3D metal printers that I know of sinter the metal, which wouldn't be suitable. No matter what you'd need post-machining.

I've thought that a sufficiently motivated person could try making a 3D printer for metal that's based on a wire-feed welder. The precision wouldn't be much to write home about, but the result would still be there, and could then maybe be stress-relieved and then machined into something useful.

oh.....

Tim Wescott · « **Reply #31 on:** April 07, 2015, 02:08:39 PM »

Quote from: Gerald Arana on April 07, 2015, 01:41:19 PM

oh.....

Your confusion confuses me.