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View File USAAF-A36 APACHE-284063.studio3 A-36 Apache - 225 FB Squadron - 27th FB Group, Morocco 1943. Sized for Italeri / Accurate Miniatures Submitter XvrBlmfls Submitted 07/02/2024 Category Specific Aircraft  

As well as others in 1/72 like the Sword Furies and the Special Hobby F-86H, F-86K , and F-86L ... for starters. Would be great if, after ClearProp issues their 1/72 F-86A, they make the wing sprues available as overtrees (just dreaming ). Not likely to happen, so ... Gene K

Under-Slat Insert for HobbyCraft/Academy 1/72 F-86 slatted Sabre kits (to model slats extended). Inspired by cpoud117’s recent post for an under-slat insert for the 1/72 Fujimi Sabre, I worked up the same for the HobbyCraft/Academy slatted Sabre kits (slot spacing is not the same). The bigger difference between the kits is that the Fujimi wings have the slats molded closed (and must therefore be cut out to extend them), while HobbyCraft includes separate slats, and has slat “wells” molded into the top wing. Unfortunately those deep wells are totally out of scale since the wing area under the slats should be faired smoothly into the top of the wing. This Silhouette Studio file facilitates filling the wells. The file merely includes two pieces for each wing -- a long strip that is laid inside the slat well, and a piece that sits on top of that strip to allow the piece to attach flush with the top of the wing … as shown below. The left wing has the strip attached, and the right wing has the under-slat piece glued over that strip … and then glued to the bottom wing ... ready for detail sanding. The photo below is for reference - shows the smooth fairing into the top of the wing, and also the correct position of the extended slats. Notes: 1. File was created in Silhouette Studio and cut from .010 plastic using Silhouette Portrait 4. a. My cut settings are Depth 10, Force 33, passes 2, and speed 3. Yours may vary depending on machine, age of blades, and hardness of the plastic (among other things). b. Before cutting, use painters tape around the plastic material on the mat to ensure the plastic stays in place as cutting is taking place – the blade does a lot of horizontal pushing and pulling while cutting through the plastic. 2. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement (Quick Setting (!)) will perfectly weld the pieces to the wing, but if an even smoother fit is needed, the insert’s edge can be slightly beveled where it meets the top of the wing. 3. All HobbyCraft/Academy kits have a common sprue that includes slats, so the hard wing kits are a good source for spares (as for use with the Fujimi kit). 4. For those new to Silhouette Studio, I’ll post a short video in the Tutorials forum that shows how I traced the pieces for cutting using Studio tools like Subtract, Mirror and Align vice simply using point-to-point trace (less precise). I'll also address cut settings and use of Line Segment Overcut, Track enhancing, and Intelligent Path Technology to make cleaner cuts. I’ll also post this file as an SVG for use in cutters other than Silhouette ... or to print and manually cut. Gene K

I have recently done this using my Cameo: MN570 on the tail fin is 2mm tall, that's the smallest that I have ever successfully cut that is usable.

They claim a resolution of 0.1mm. unfortunately it’s not common to find a review for tiny lettering. I got excited about the GCC AR24 it produced incredibly accurate tiny lettering until I saw the price Of all places spotlight brought it to my attention 😆

Hello Folks, my name is Duncan Black and I have recently bought a Cricut Explore 3 as a retirement gift to myself. I am a keen aircraft modeller and airbrush painter with plenty of experience of using commercially purchased paint masks but have always wanted to be able to create my own. Unfortunately I am a luddite when it comes to drawing software so I guess I have quite a learning curve ahead of me. To start I will be happy to reproduce basic markings like RAF roundels, US 'Stars and Bars' and WW2 Luftwaffe markings and the various code numbers and letters. I use a lot of canopy masks so that's another application I will be having a go at in the future. For now I will start by learning how to produce basic files and load them into Cricut Design Space. My first project will probably be RAF Interwar roundels for a 1/48 Hawker Hart kit I am currently building. I have EazyDraw for Mac already installed on my computer so may as well try that out. Expect lots of stupid beginners questions in the near future lol. Duncan B

Hello everyone, there are now quite a lot of 3d printing accessories on the net. The Arma Hobby stuff looks very nice. Many things could maybe also be adapted quite easily to other aircraft types in a freeware CAD like Fusion360. I am also amazed at these display bases that some people offer for download very cheap:. https://www.armahobby.com/category/3d-files https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/art/wwii-us-aircraft-carrier-diorama-and-display-base-1-48-scale-200mm https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/art/nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-diorama-and-display-base-1-48-scale-300mm Who has already gained experience with this and can report on slicer settings for such small parts etc.? I would be happy to bring this topic to life here! Very Best Regards Frederick alias Milo

I had no idea those Arma files existed - thanks for the link, Milo! I'd be looking to scale them up to 1/32, but I do have a Hasegawa 1/48 Hurricane in the stash... Kev

View File 1_48_F4U_Corsair_white_122.svg 1_48_F4U_Corsair_white_122.svg not sure if the bomb markings are realisable for non-laser cutters, as the laser removes the "filling" of the bombs. For better handling, the overall size is slightly larger than the decal. (abou 2,5 mm higher than the decal) photos of the result will follow Submitter MiloMinder Submitted 07/14/2024 Category Specific Aircraft  

View File 1_48_BAE_JU52.lbrn2 1_48_BAE_JU52.lbrn2 Submitter MiloMinder Submitted 07/14/2024 Category Aircraft - Civil  

View File 1_48_JU52_BAE_G-AHOF.svg 1_48_JU52_BAE_G-AHOF.svg Submitter MiloMinder Submitted 07/14/2024 Category Aircraft - Civil  

Hi all, Heard about this site on the latest episode of On The Bench, as l own a Silhouette I figured I would join the fun. Cheers, Carl

Hello Carl, it’s great to see you here, especially as a Silhouette owner! Please feel free to share some of your work and any tips that you may have. The more the merrier! Max

Welcome aboard, Carl! Kev

View File Fujimi 1/72 F-86 slats inner structure Hi guys, I spent way too much time on this but I hope it will be useful to someone. The slats arms aren't included as they prove too small for the machine but styrene profiles can be used if needed. Here is what the prototype looks like with the slat held up with white tack. Submitter cpoud117 Submitted 06/27/2024 Category Specific Aircraft  

Thanks. HobbyCraft "based" their kits on the Fujimi Sabre, to the point they carried over some of Fujimi 's negatives, like the square speed brakes ... but they left off some of Fujimi's positives, like the latch engravings on the gun access panels. Overall the HC kits are up there with the best current 1/72 Sabre kits, and they make (made) the only Sabre 6 wings (extended 6-3 wing with slats)! Speaking of slats - they were virtually the same on all Sabres. 👍 Gene K

Nicely done! I don't have any of the Academy/Hobbycraft in my stash but these look like a solid improvement over the original kit part. Thank you.

Hi @GeneK I'm looking forward to seeing what your design. I had a shape for the arms but it was too flimsy with 0.2mm styrene. I'm gonna find some 0.3mm at some point which I can use for such task. The Hasegawa F-86D is also in need of a slat solution.

Thanks, Kev. Also good discussion about the ClearProp kiit here at Britmodeller, and here at Aircraft Resource Center. Thankfully the renowned Sabre expert Duncan Curtis (Sabrejet) is heavily involved with ClearProp ... as well as with LSP, Britmodeller, and Aircraft Resource Center! Gene K

Here's a good discussion, for starters. From reading and watching other reviews, I get that the Siser is "more precise" (not really defined), less automated, and more expensive. Silhouette is more established, but company support is abysmal (in my experience) ... have not read anything yet about Siser in that regard. I'm with Mozart in that the Silhouette line does what I want/need for modeling. In that regard, I like the evolving Studio software, and the Portrait 4 is a step up from previous models. I've had Cameos up to the Cameo 4 (and have a Curio), but the bottom of the line Portrait 4 suits me perfectly. As to the added "precision" of the Siser, it would likely be of no benefit to me since masking REALLY fine details as numbers and letters is so challenging, especially with all those tiny floating "innards". Decals work a treat here. Looking forward to your decision Craig ... and to your cutting experience. Gene K

Indeed, what is it? Newer and bigger isn’t necessarily better in my opinion. My Cameo 3 is 10 years old, I bought the “Studio” (can’t recall its exact name) software for it to give more options and it still does all that I need for my models. The limitation is how small and precisely stencils can be cut, not how “whizzy” the software is.

There's a really good build of that kit (test shot, I believe) on LSP: https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/100173-north-american-f-86-a-5-sabre-148-clear-prop-models/ Kev

Thanks. I've been away from Sabre kits for years, but I've done many a Sabre wing like that, but always used putty to fair in the slat "well" even with the top wing surface. Your system makes much more sense, and using the cutter makes it practical and repeatable. Now I need to work up some slats for 3D printing!! Gene K EDIT: Thankfully we'll be getting a super accurate 1/72 F-86A, complete with slats, near the end of this year from Clear Prop. The kit is based on their soon to be released 1/48 kit

Hi Gene, The kit is back in its box and I've removed the prototype since I plan of cutting a fresh one when I get to the build. Basically, I cut the slats following the kit panel lines, ignoring the "slots" on the bottom side which are supposed to represent the rails in a closed position but should not be part of the slat itself. See https://flyteam.jp/photo/3479768 or https://flyteam.jp/photo/3492515 for illustration. I then attached the slat part taken from the top wing, to the part cut from the bottom wing. The inner section I've created fits directly in the space opened by cutting out the flap, connecting both the lower and upper wings. You may have to bend it a bit to conform to the leading edge curve, and achieve a realistic look. That inner structure doesn't reach all the way to leading edge itself as it's meant to accommodate space for the slat to retract on the real A/C. I hope this helps.

Outstanding, thanks. Will be useful to me since a have a "stash" of those Fujimi kits in the stash. Can you post some pics of the wing's bottom and top without the slats in place, lease? Gene K

View File Tamiya 300061095 - Masken für FockeWulf FW190 A8/R2 FockeWulf FW190 A8/R2 Schnittmuster wurden vom Original-Masking-Sheet nachgezeichnet und passen sehr gut. Da ich Neuling auf diesem Gebiet bin, möge man mir Fehler verzeihen. Beim ersten Versuch hat das Schneideprogramm Doppel-Linen gezeichnet und der Plotter hat dann 13 Minuten gebraucht zum plotten. 😞 Beim zweiten Versuch ist jetzt alles richtig. 🙂 Viel Spass beim bauen des Modells! Harry Submitter Timbacat Submitted 06/11/2024 Category Canopy Masks  

Way to go Kev, so many more options!

View File Codes-RAF I saw a thread on LSP recently, in which the OP described the difficulties with installing certain fonts, which are recognised by MS Word and other software, but not picked up by the Silhouette Studio software. The process the poster described was basically the one I used: Type up the lettering you want in MS Word, scan it in, and manipulate it until you have your codes in your studio 3 file. What a bother! But there is no way round it. However, the thread reminded me that I had created this file, but not uploaded it here. So better late than never, here it is. It contains all the letters and numerals in two of the most common font styles used by RAF aircraft. You can use them for squadron codes, serial numbers, or whatever you choose. Just copy and paste the characters you require into your own Studio 3 file, size them and arrange them to suit your subject, and off you go. Applicable to all scales - although the smallest I've managed to cut are the 4" characters that the RN use for serials in 1/32 scale. Hope this is useful. Submitter MikeC Submitted 11/24/2023 Category Aircraft - Military

No, I'm not trying to blaspheme, but you can make the thinnest decals in the world this way. There are circumstances where masking the surface of your model is simply not going to work as I discovered during my SBD build HERE. So, keep this idea in you bag of tricks for future reference. You will need a quality clear decal film like the one available from Microscale and LACQUER paints. Assuming you have your Oramask 810 masks ready get started by painting your decals. Make extras! Carefully sliced through the clear film only leaving a small area to grip with my clamping tweezers. Do not cut the decal paper close because as you pull the paper out from under the decal you need the paper wide enough to support the width of the decal. Kinda like the slow motion version of getting a pizza off the spatula, or whatever it’s called. The decal is so thin that if you don’t support it, it will fold under itself and you’ll drive yourself insane trying to fix it. Make extras! Wet the decal from the bottom side so as not to dilute the adhesive, and removed the excess film with tweezers, but the part being clamped remains. The discarded film is that shiny thing to the top and right of the picture below. First some generous drops of Micro Set then carefully keeping the decal paper close to the model’s surface pull the paper out from under the decal. Then use a wide wet brush to work out the wrinkles the and then roll a cotton bud over the decal to work out the excess water and trapped air. You need some moisture under the decal because as the moisture evaporates the decal displaces the moisture. Setting solutions soften the decal to make it more pliable. Let it sit for a few minutes and airbrush a couple coats of Micro Sol over everything. This is typical of the results I got in all 6 positions. I chose this photo because you can see how well the decal was sucked down around the latch. So, how thin can a decal be? I defy anyone to tell the difference between a decal made this way and markings painted directly on the model. CAVEAT: Unless there is a situation like my SBD I will always paint my markings directly to the model. It's just too gratifying not to.

View File 1/72 Hasegawa Sepecat Jaguar Canopy and Wheel Masks in .svg Format Cheers! Hoops Submitter Hoops Submitted 10/03/2021 Category Canopy Masks