Sebastijan Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 3d printing - a technology that really is changing the world of scale modelling. I have been following the development of this technology since the beginning and it's amazing how fast it is developing. And I have to admit, that I would be one of the proud 3d printer owners, if I could just found a place to put it on - but I guess this will happen at one time in the near future. While it is a great thing for creating model add-ons I wasn't really sure about the quality for full models. Afterall it is not just the quality of the files that determine the success of the print, but also the resin you use, the resolution and connected to it the time, how the model is positioned during the printing and I guess several other things - those of you have 3d printers will know more about this. But hey, the resolutions increased and when I noticed Gaspatch Models, a Greek model maker known for high quality products, releasing a 3d printed model of 1:72 Me-163B, the curiosity killed the cat in me and I put an order. And oh my, what a model it is. I have recorded the inbox review but haven't published it yet - if you are interested in the box content, I'll take some time and edit the recordings. To cut the story short, here is the cockpit. A lot of fiddly bits, but looks awesome in the end. Extreme care must be taken when dealing with all the piping as the resin is very brittle and can easily be broken. Don't ask me how I know Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted January 21 Author Share Posted January 21 Well, she ain't big, that's for sure! Not much to show, sorry, but the fuselage halves are glued together now. The kit is designed in a way, that most seam lines will be hidden, so there's not a lot of clean work at all - just a tiny seam at the front (front of the cockpit and on the bottom) and equally tiny one at the base of the vertical stabilizer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 Got bogged down by another session of flu or something like it, so a little delay with update on this little bird. A few things were added - nose cone, vertical stab, rudder, spine panels, side windows as well as full renditions of Mk.108 30mm cannons. Unfortunately the first problems of this new medium appeared - I hold the model too tight at the back and a crack appeared in the wall of the tail wheel well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 Moving forward with the build. Interior and guns were painted up and this part of the build now looks quite busy. Also forgot to mention that you get interior and exterior masks for the clear parts, which makes painting these a breeze. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 Problems ahoy! The brittle resin bite my behind again. Dryfitting every major part as usual, when trying to remove the wings from the fuselage, the attachments grabbed the fuselage so hard that they broke parts of the wings off. I managed to superglue some parts back and fill the remaining gaps with green stuff putty and I am now in the process of fill-sand-primer- repeat until I'll be satisfied with the result. #fixthatshit Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Fan Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 looking nice... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 Painting time! After all the struggles, the model was primed with Mr.Surfacer 1200 grey and painted as always with MR. Paint RLM 76/81/82 combo. I've decided on the White 14 option with the attractive whole fuselage mottling. This was also a first real test for my brand new Harder & Steenbeck Airbrush Infinity CR Squidmar Miniatures special edition and it performed with flying colours! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 After the paint job it was time for decals. Not much to say on this topic - they are one of the best kit decals I have worked with - thin, sharp details and nice colours and minimal carrier film. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Fan Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 nice looking rocker fighter... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted February 18 Author Share Posted February 18 Small update! Wheels were painted using AK Interactive markers - Black for the hubs, Tyre for the tyres and it can't get any simpler than this! While reading the Valiant's Me 163 book, I noticed a photo, where the inner part of the landing skid appears to be wooden and the whole thing wrapped in aluminium. So I've painted the upper part with AK Wood Base marker and then recreated the grain pattern with Abteilung oil paint (some brown shade, don't recall the exact name). A little detail, that will add some colour to the model albeit being quite hidden under the fuselage. Anyhow, this is the last update for a while as I am heading to the Land of thousands of lakes on Saturday and still have to pack things up Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 Vacation only a warm distant memory, I finally managed to snap some modelling time. The landing gear was assembled without much problems and the model was given a coat of VMS Satin varnish to unify the work so far, protect the decals and prepare the surface for some light weathering to be done next. The wooden inner part of the skid can be seen from some angles and adds a nice contrasting touch of colour to the model. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ikon Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Very unique looking little mode. Nice job. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted March 6 Author Share Posted March 6 20 hours ago, Ikon said: Very unique looking little mode. Nice job. thank you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thadeus Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 This is some fun camo to pull off. Love these mottled WWII camouflages. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastijan Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 On 3/7/2025 at 4:24 PM, Thadeus said: This is some fun camo to pull off. Love these mottled WWII camouflages. Thank you, indeed it is! When shoot hits the fan. One of the negative sides of 3d printed models is the brittleness of the material. It is very fragile and I have cracked these parts before, while holding the model. However I managed to glue it back and blend it in without a problem. However, during the final steps of the assembly, the model slipped and hit the edge of the desk breaking away the rear part of the aircraft. Oh the frustration. But I knew one thing - if I am gonna recover from this, I have to fix it immediately, while the rage inside me was still hot and turn it into something creative... So I glued the parts back, blended them in, fire up the compressor, prepare the paints and load the Infinity with remedial paints and fix it... True, I lost some small stencil decals but the model is saved. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ikon Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 And a good save it is! I might have tried to see how far the model could have 'flown.'😁 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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