Master Series Bf-109 Build

GrizWiz

Elite member
How did you make your skins? Mine don't fit very well on my prototype, but I'm hoping that's just all the glue attached to the formers from where I was fitting the test skins.
I used double sided tape to hold the paper on then i cut the excess off i use @leaded50 's way for making skins you shine a light to get the outline then cut! you can also 3d model like you did but just for skins!
 

Whit Armstrong

Elite member
I used double sided tape to hold the paper on then i cut the excess off i use @leaded50 's way for making skins you shine a light to get the outline then cut! you can also 3d model like you did but just for skins!
Do you ever run into issues where the skin is too small because the paper measures the inside curve?
 

Bavarian_RC

Elite member
I wrap a 5mm wide strip of double sided tape around the former. Then I cut a 5 mm wide strip of foam board and remove the paper from the inside. Now I can stick the foam board strip to the tape ... meaning I wrap the fb strip around the former. By doing so I simulate the outside curve. After I have made the template it is quite easy to remove the foamboard strip and the double sided tape.
 

Whit Armstrong

Elite member
You can also add 5mm to each side of the skin to accommodate for the outer circumference
I wrap a 5mm wide strip of double sided tape around the former. Then I cut a 5 mm wide strip of foam board and remove the paper from the inside. Now I can stick the foam board strip to the tape ... meaning I wrap the fb strip around the former. By doing so I simulate the outside curve. After I have made the template it is quite easy to remove the foamboard strip and the double sided tape.

Thanks for your help, before, I have been making an approximate shape, and then trimming it until it fits. When I build the second prototype, I'll try you ways.
 

Whit Armstrong

Elite member
Made some progress on the wing, and came up with a new process to make a rounded leading edge. (you can see the details on my website)
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marin6320

New member
Probably the biggest closet in the whole world!
Hello Whit Armstrong.
On my other floor I worked in a dressing room smaller than your closet hahahaha.
I couldn't make big planes because they didn't fit me and the ones I made I had to store in a storage room
:D:D
Now luckily I have a very large room with many shelves and it is a luxury to be able to work here.
So I understand you perfectly (y)(y);)
 

Whit Armstrong

Elite member
Sorry it's taken awhile for an update, I was going on a weekend trip with my family, and couldn't work on the plane.

Anyway, I've finished the wing (pictures coming soon), and I wanted to do a little experiment. I drew up the plans in Fusion 360, and then imported them into Meshmixer, which by now I've pretty much figured out (there were some troubles with bad mesh construction and unit scaling) unwrapped them, and compared them to the existing skins I have.

Here are some pictures of the process:
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You can expect the text version of a CAD/unwrapping tutorial on my website and the forums soon, since I actually know what I'm doing at this point.


Now I realize that it actually takes about the same time to make plan in Fusion and Inkscape, sometimes less depending on the complexity of the model, and in the future I might continue to use fusion depending on how the new skins fit. (if they don't I might just use it for the internal structure)
 

BoredGuy

Active member
This build is getting me excited! Your he-115 was beautiful, but I never really liked its looks in real life. But this, the Bf-109, is a BEAUTIFUL plane irl. I can't wait for you to finish it, looks like it's turning out great so far-especially as flight test is literally asleep when it comes to releasing all the new models @Splinter189's teasing on here -_-
 

Whit Armstrong

Elite member
Your he-115 was beautiful, but I never really liked its looks in real life.
Yeah, I was trying to pick the best looking german floatplane that wasn't likely to be made a kit, and the options were limited at the least. Also, some models look better than others. It'll be exciting to have a torpedo bomber with fighters to escort it though.
 
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Whit Armstrong

Elite member
Alright.. I have most of the skins laid out in Inkscape. When I unwrapped them in Meshmixer, they were a little off, so I just had to doctor them a bit in Inkscape. I have plans for all the skins but #3, since that one is the one where the wing will attach to, and I still need to import a wing profile into cad to get the perfect fit.

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