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PERFECT application for laser scanning--capture the true shape of the Blackbird for all time. Isn't there an A-12 (my fave) just sitting in a park in LA somewhere? Edit: why yes, yes there is, "Blackbird Airpark." An A-12, SR-71, and D-21! Lots of other interesting stuff too.

Nice paint scheme too!

There is also scalemodels.ru, lots of excellent walkarounds.

MoFo and Moose, yes I understand and pretty much agree with both points. As far as the modeling itself is concerned, my own amateur efforts have shown me how difficult the designer's job is. You don't just trace drawings. You have to interpret, interpret, interpret at every moment--looking back and forth between drawings and photos, trying to imagine why the 1:1 engineers did what they did, how a real part might be manufactured, etc. You have to work with your CAD software's limitations, and your own limitations in terms of tool knowledge. It's really hard, and that's before you even get

By the way here is a test piece I did on the Form1+ using Vorex gray resin, printed at max resolution. The engraved detail (simulating panel lines and flush rivets) ranges from width/depth of 0.4mm down to 0.1mm, same for the embossed details (simulating raised rivets, both cylinders and domes). 0.1mm is about what you see on a modern kit with engraved panel lines--in fact it matches almost perfectly the detail on my Trump 1/48 Su-9. The plastic is soft, almost rubbery, and will require careful sanding and polishing. I haven't experimented with glues yet. Shamelessly switching units, this

I will try it. Like I said, I'd love for this to work! My personal obsession, the Su-15, is out there waiting for the laser treatment... Another think that irks me, and I've harped tediously on it many times in my few posts here, is that model companies seem uninterested in 3D scanning. These are corporations that can afford it, not hobbyists who can't. They manufacture "scale" models... and they can't spend a few $k to make it exact, "ground truth" accurate? With all the talk of how much injection molds cost, you'd think a little due diligence at the front end, at a tiny fraction of the

Hey I want my skepticism to be proven wrong. Can you post more links? I looked at the Scanify for instance, and see it can do a max area of 16" diagonal per shot. That's not practical for even a small plane. If you did manage to cover the whole thing, the process has only begun. Now the shots must be stitched together and converted from points into surfaces. From experience with much smaller/simpler models, I can pretty much guarantee you'll run out of computer before things get properly started. Unless you have one hellacious computer! But again... Show me otherwise. Please! Edit--pa

The big showstopper is that the scanners that can scan something the size of an airplane--afaik--still cost multiple $10k, or around $1k/day to lease, along with expensive training. Hiring a company do it is several $k as well. I've wanted to scan airplanes for a long time. In fact I did help someone scan a Cessna 310 a few years ago. That guy couldn't make enough money (scanning not just planes, but anything) to cover the cost of his equipment lease. The right range/scan volume will converge with an affordable price, but not yet.

I'll attempt my usual inquisition: Did you get your hands on a real Fishpot, or did you work from drawings and photos? And, what CAD software are you using? Much thanks if you can answer those questions!

Worked on the canopy/windscreen this morning. Starting to look like a Flagon!

It would be nice if two blanks were included for each engine, front and back, so you don't have to put in the complete engines with all their tail-sitting weight. But hey, let me tell me how to do your job,ha ha... You seem to be doing fine without my assistance. :)

Jaw-dropping. Holy cow. I'm not worthy. What CAD software is that?

An interested party asked me if they could shop the design to a couple of companies. I said heck yes, are you kidding? That's all I can say. Who knows how these businesses make decisions, I don't. So nothing may come of it. Either way, it's all good. Ha, do I sound like one of those people who claim the CIA is trying to kill them??? :blink:

Yep. Actually I've already had an inquiry! Tweaked the wing yet again this morning, and got a very nice loft on the canopy. That was a big worry, but the shape came out matching the drawing pretty exactly.

I have been interested in the Flagon since I first saw a picture of one, back around 1977. It is one of the coolest looking planes I know, and has always had a cold-war secret-weapon mystique about it. And all the kits of it are seriously inadequate--1/72 is too small (just my opinion, y'all) and the 1/48 kits are way inaccurate. It's got a weird shape that nobody can seem to get right. I use Solidworks at my job. I have a home license for the software so since 2011 I've been trying to model the Flagon. This iteration is substantially better than the previous attempts because I've learne

Do you mean, Why am I littering this forum with pointless screenshots, or, why am I 3D-modeling the Su-15? If the former: it's to drive B.Sin crazy. If the latter: I'm a Phreakin' Phlagon Phanatic.

This weekend I tweaked the wing and tailplanes, and added the rudder, radar warning receiver, brake chute housing, and fuel dump valve.

Sorry Jennings, I mis-phrased my question! These companies... what CAD software do they use? That's what I meant. I use Solidworks at my job, but the kit-maker screenshots I see here (for example, the recent Xuntong Yak-28) don't look like anything out of Solidworks.

Do you happen to know what CAD software model companies use, generally?

Oh wow, such excellent photos Ken. Bookmarked and will definitely be useful.

Thank you, I hope so too. The outer wing has a pronounced over-camber near the front, I assume for low-speed lift and more civilized stall behavior, so from the top the leading edge is straight but from oblique angles it looks curved. It transitions from zero incidence at the fence to the very droopy point of max camber, then back to zero (or close) at the tip. It's like lots of other things on this plane that look simple and aren't--for example I spent 2 hours this morning on the drag chute container and the chunk of vertical fin underneath it, and the fuel vent.

Thanks! About the accuracy... I'm in the US and have no hope of fondling a real Flagon anytime soon, so I must rely on drawings (all of which are flawed) and photos (which can be difficult to interpret and/or reconcile with the drawings). I'm making the model mainly for myself, with intense (one might say fanatical) devotion to accuracy and absolutely no deadline or budget pressures that might apply to a professional designer. But I'm also working with limited knowledge and CAD skills. Heck, I don't even know how LONG the Su-15 is. There are drawings with scale bars, but no dimensions a

I'm a jerk! I didn't think of 1/72. Probably cuz my old eyes can't SEE 1/72.

Ha, I'm open to negotiations! :D/> Planning to print a 1/48 "kit" on a Form1 SLA printer my employer just bought. After that maybe a 1/32, where the panel lines and rivets are big enough to be printed (hopefully). But that will be a lot of parts!! I am hoping that when things are a little further along, the experts here will lend their expertise in tweaking the model for greater accuracy. I guarantee it's already more accurate than any Flagon kit on the market now.

Thought I'd start sharing my CAD models. Both radomes modeled. As you can see there is a tremendous amount of work left, but it's a start! Will post updates if anyone's interested.