3D print results

 art, awesomeness, models, nukes, projects, rockets, spacecraft, weapons  No Responses »
Apr 272024
 

I’ve been running the 3D printer, with mixed results. Failures and disappointments are the fault of the CAD models; the printer itself (Anycubic Photon Mono X 6Ks) is working as advertised. Printing is not a fast process; some prints took 12 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Posted by at 2:32 pm

Ballpoint Pen Bombers

 art, awesomeness, drawings, history, humor, Monthly Historical Documents Program, nukes, Patreon, rockets, spacecraft, weapons  No Responses »
Apr 232024
 

This is a little outside the usual for APR, as it is satire rather than actual aerospace design. But I thought it appropriate nonetheless; I remember dreaming up just about the exact same ideas when I was twelve. There was something about the design of those pens that just *screamed* for them to be envisioned as spaceships and missiles and whatnot.

The full-rez scan of the article, and a few more bits, been made available as a thank-you to APR Patreon and Historical Documents Program patrons at the $4 and above level, placed in the 2024-04 APR Extras Dropbox folder. If interested in this or if you are interested in helping to fund the preservation of aerospace histgory, please consider becoming a patron, either through the APR Patreon or the Monthly Historical Document Program.

 Posted by at 11:29 am

3D Printer incoming…

 blather, models, news  No Responses »
Apr 222024
 

I went ahead and ordered an Anycubic Photon Mono X 6Ks. The reviews are good and the price was ok; I have high hopes that it won’t be a monumental learning curve, but I guess I’ll find out. i expect I’ll be watching a fair number of YouTube tutorials.

 

The CAD models I’ve made in the past for the likes of Fantastic Plastic will in many cases not translate over directly… something made to be printed at 1/72 scale would have fabulously thin wings, say, at 1/285 scale. So few of the things I’ve already done will be directly usable. But some will. Going to have to go through my catalog-o-stuff for some first test objects. Expect to see some badly mangled Orions…

 

Financially this was probably not a great idea. So I will doubtless try to come up with something near-term as a way to “crowdfund”a  purchase I’ve already made. One thought: my plan was for “standard” metal minis in the area of $25, and a set of 8 slightly smaller minis in the range of $100-$125. So… how about for early funders, $60 gets you one “standard” and one “set,” once I get things dialed in? These items *may* be “mystery items,” or possibly a choice from a very limited preliminary catalog.

 

 

 

Something I *really* want to do: a modification set for the Tamiya 1/350 scale USS Enterprise, CVN-65. This would replace the radar on the island with the original “beehive…” and put the launch shelters/platforms at for and aft for the Pegasus troop transports. *THAT* is the CVN-65 I want next to me 1/350 NCC-1701.

 Posted by at 1:53 am

Minis visualized

 aircraft, art, awesomeness, blather, CAD diagrams, Hmm..., models, Nuclear Pulse Propulsion, nukes, projects, spacecraft  No Responses »
Apr 192024
 

Here are some hypothetical subjects for metal casting as “minis.” I have three pages (standard 8.5X11) of diagrams, all depicting possible subjects at the size they would be at the stated scales. First page shows what I consider a number of interesting designs… not at a constant scale, but size.

 

 

 

Second page depicts a range of Project Orion vehicles again at a roughly constant size. Constant size means, hopefully, a consistent cost.

 

Third page shows two sets of 8. The US Bomber Projects #1 set has 8 bombers at roughly constant size; US Fighter Projects #1 set has the fighters all at the same scale. 1/285 at least used to be a kind of standard for wargaming, though I’m not sure how widespread it truly was.

 

Sets like USBP01 would probably all be at about the same price, but those like USFP01 might vary since some designs at quite a bit bigger. What I’m kinda hoping for is the individual minis being about $25 each, while the 8-sets be about $100 each. Thoughts?

 

These are of course not the full possible catalog, nor would all these here necessarily come to pass. And scales/sizes could vary substantially. A lot of it would depend on actually trying them and see what works, what fails spectacularly.

 Posted by at 7:47 pm

Little Metal Excelsiors

 art, awesomeness, models, science fiction, spacecraft  No Responses »
Apr 162024
 

I’ve achieved a measure of success with getting metal casting up and running. I don’t intend to make too many of these NX-Excelsiors; they’re practice. But I have some spares and can make some more. Anyone interested? Say, $20 plus postage? It is my intention to make some NCC-2000 Excelsiors, and then some NCC-1701-B Enterprises.

 

 

 

 

 Posted by at 10:03 am

Gyrojet in high speed/high rez

 awesomeness, history, rockets, weapons, youtube  No Responses »
Apr 102024
 

For all the documentaries and such about the 1960’s Gyrojet “rocket gun,” this is the first time I’ve seen rounds fired with this sort of clarity. The rounds cost $200 each… which once again makes me wonder why someone hasn’t decided to put them into production. If there’s a market for them at $200 each, you can bet there’d be a market for them at $20 each. And the thing is… they’re not that complex. I imagine the biggest thing holding back someone from making them is legalese and bureaucracy… many layers of government to jump through to build and sell something that I’d bet good money the US FedGuv would slap an ITAR label on for no good reason, as well as whole armies of attack lawyers lining up to line their pockets the first time a round goes off course or rapidly disassembles.

A Gyrojet round is basically four parts: a body made out of machined or extruded steel; a base made of machined steel; a propellant grain; a conventional primer. The base might be manufacturable from modern ceramics.

 

 

 

 Posted by at 11:29 pm

Bell-Boeing LHX Tiltrotor art

 aircraft, art, history, projects  No Responses »
Apr 072024
 

Artwork circa 1983 depicting a one-man combat tiltrotor tearing up a column of Soviet armor. At this time the Light Helicopter – eXperimental program included the possibility of tiltrotors as well as conventional choppers. In the end the RAH-66 won… and was then cancelled before series production. Tiltrotors showed promise, but also promised to be incredibly challenging for a single pilot to manage.

 Posted by at 11:13 pm

Metal casting

 art, awesomeness, blather, Hmm..., models, science fiction, spacecraft  No Responses »
Apr 062024
 

Some thirty or so years ago I took a stab at casting small parts and models in metal… my very early 1/144 lifting bodies, X-20, etc. The results were sad, so the project was abandoned. For reasons that evade me I’ve recently decided to try again. Materials available to me today are much better… high temp silicone, low-melt temp no-lead alloys, a cheap electric melting pot (rather than a massive cast iron ladle and a blow torch), and I’m slightly more skilled, slightly less stupid. Still, it’s disconcerting when it works right out of the gate:

 

 

For those not old enough and nerdy enough to recognize, these are parts from the mid-80’s FASA NX-2000 Excelsior miniature. The flash seems to pick up the crystalline structure in the surface much more prominently than they appear in reality, and there is clearly a flaw with the mold on the underside of the saucer. But otherwise they came though not only with no flash but also fully filled, no bubbles. I’m quite pleased and more than a little baffled. Immediate success is unexpected.

 

What to do from here? I’m not going to recast the FASA ships; this was just a test. However, I might take a stab at some *different* ships (NCC-2000, NCC-1701-B are obvious choices). But mostly I have an unaccountable urge to cast entirely new minis. I don’t think there’d be a market, but *I* want them… gaming scale Orion nuclear pulse vehicles, Dyna Soars, F-108s, etc. are the sort of things I’d have blown my allowance on back in the 80’s.

 

Next up… gotta acquire a good 3D printer.

 

 Posted by at 7:45 pm