PZL.46 „Sum” 1:48 Art. of Trans

[Kriss]

When I saw the announcement of the release of the Polish PZL.46 "Sum" reconnaissance-bomber aircraft, I was delighted; dreams do come true. Having it on my shelf is a joy. I have just received my first 3D printed model from the Art of Trans company in the 3D Polish Wings series. They have it in 1:72 / 48 / 32, and I'm going to get it in 32 too. So this is what it looks like inside, instructions in pdf form, vacu glazing. The kit doesn't include decals or bombs and the open bomb bay is begging for them. And I'm happy to get it right away as it's one of many models I've always dreamed of having on my shelf.

[KevinM]

Interesting lines on this A/C 1/32 comes out about a 17" WS

[Peterpools]

Kriss

Following with great interest - absolutely the future of the hobby.  Just wondering if clear parts such as canopies can be created using 3D printing.

 

[HubertB]

3 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Kriss

Following with great interest - absolutely the future of the hobby.  Just wondering if clear parts such as canopies can be created using 3D printing.

 

The answer is yes. I have successfully printed a (thin) clear windscreen for my Mystery Ship. Just needed a clear vanish coat to be perfectly clear.  And, on LSP, Ben (Starfighter) has printed a full canopy for a 1/32 S3-A Viking. It needed some sanding and polishing to get rid of some print lines, but the end result was perfect. 
 

Hubert

[Peterpools]

Hubert

Thank you for the information. Now the only real question is when are the traditional manufactures going to start 3D printing kits as opposed to IM? Not really understanding all the ins and outs of #d printing, I would assume it's the slow process of producing a finished fret as compared to the speed of IM that would be the big obstacle to overcome. seeing how fast technology evolves, I'm sure the sped of printing will greatly increase over time. I would also think as opposed to just one IM machine, manufactures would have numerous 3D printers to even out the playing field.

 

[HubertB]

3 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Hubert

Thank you for the information. Now the only real question is when are the traditional manufactures going to start 3D printing kits as opposed to IM? Not really understanding all the ins and outs of #d printing, I would assume it's the slow process of producing a finished fret as compared to the speed of IM that would be the big obstacle to overcome. seeing how fast technology evolves, I'm sure the sped of printing will greatly increase over time. I would also think as opposed to just one IM machine, manufactures would have numerous 3D printers to even out the playing field.

 

To give you an idea, it took me some 40 hours in total to print the parts for my Mystery Ship. Even with a larger and more professional machine, i guess the time would be divided by 3 at best. An IM process, once the molds are done, is about 30’’ to one minute. In the time it takes to print efficiently one kit, you can produce a few thousands IM kits. Just look at the time it took Jetmads to produce 500 kits : at least one year, if not 18 months.

3D printing is a great process for esoteric subjects that warrant only small volumes, but it’s going to take some time before it can replace injection molding..

Hubert

[Peterpools]

Hubert, completely agree and appreciate the information.

Somehow, I just feel it in my bones, engineers will keep at it and eventually greatly increase the speed of 3D printing, to where it can print parts at a speed making it a viable option to IM. The time and cost of not needing to cut molds and buy/maintain injection molding machinery, will also offset the time/cost. In the end, 3D printing will win out - how long this will take - whose knows but it's coming for sure.

 

[Kriss]

The central part of the fuselage looks to be the most difficult part of the model to clean, on one side is the crew cabin and underneath we have the open bomb bay and the recess for the retractable gunner/bombardier cradle.

 

[Kriss]

The kit comes with two options for making the cab, in both closed and open versions. The frames are printed in both versions and the glazing is in the vacu version. The model is going to the workshop so the next post will be from the workshop.

I've uploaded a photo of the cab glazing, which is how it's made in this kit. I have read what you have written and 3D printed models are the future of our hobby. Especially if you can make niche models, prototypes or if there was only one or two copies. And this is quite an interesting proposition because the manufacturer only prints so much and it is needed. The only thing is that the quality of the print itself could be better, the surface is smooth, but here and there you can see the graduation (teeth) after printing. 

[Kriss]

Finally I have some free space in the workshop and I also have some time, so I have to continue building the PZL.46 "Sum" model. After cutting out all the supports from the printout, I prepared the model for painting and suggesting from the literature the interior of the model was silver, so it will be the same for me.

 

[Peterpools]

Kriss nice start and going to be an interesting build to follow. I completely agree, the 3D printing is going to be the future of the hobby but that's going to be a way down the road for sure.

 

[Kriss]

Construction is progressing and the 'Catfish' is starting to take shape. Apart from the flaps, these are all separate surfaces and I will make them pivoted. The fit of the parts is very good and instead of the traditional dowels and holes for joining parts, rectangular grooves and wedges are made. It is very easy to build the model keeping the geometry correct in such a simple way. The only downside is the surface texture, it is not as smooth as the plastic models and polishing alone will not help much. The only option is to lay down a primer and sand it down re-creating the dividing lines and rivets, or skip it altogether and leave the model as it is. You have to look closely to see the surface texture where you can see the print marks. I leave it as it is.

[Peterpools]

Kriss

Looks mighty good and for me, my vote would be just wet sand and move on from there.

[Kriss]

I wanted to take a shortcut but it didn't work out, looking at the fact that the PZL.46 "Sum" is a development of the PZL.23 "Karas" design I wanted to use the extras from the "Karas" in the "Sum" and it turned out that they didn't fit. There is a big difference in the dimensions of the instrument panel, so the panel from YAHU went to the magazine. And coming back to the model the board is very nicely done and consists of three parts. I have checked in all ways and the best way is to mount it before the engine is mounted, together with the cowl, because once the engine is mounted there is the problem of positioning it.

[Peterpools]

Nice looking IP.

 

[Kriss]

I had concerns about whether I would be able to cut out and then paint the engine, which was made as one piece. And I have to admit that these fears turned out to be unnecessary. It took some time to remove these supports from the print, and the rest was painting and masking until I was satisfied with the result. You can see how it worked out for me in the photo below.

 

[DocRob]

On 8/2/2023 at 7:20 AM, Kriss said:

I wanted to take a shortcut but it didn't work out, looking at the fact that the PZL.46 "Sum" is a development of the PZL.23 "Karas" design I wanted to use the extras from the "Karas" in the "Sum" and it turned out that they didn't fit. There is a big difference in the dimensions of the instrument panel, so the panel from YAHU went to the magazine. And coming back to the model the board is very nicely done and consists of three parts. I have checked in all ways and the best way is to mount it before the engine is mounted, together with the cowl, because once the engine is mounted there is the problem of positioning it.

Eduard produced some sets for the Karas as well. One wit IP and seatbelts, the other has a lot of additional parts, which might fit into your frame as well. I have this set for my Mirage Karas.

Cheers Rob

[Kriss]

1 hour ago, DocRob said:

Eduard produced some sets for the Karas as well. One wit IP and seatbelts, the other has a lot of additional parts, which might fit into your frame as well. I have this set for my Mirage Karas.

Cheers Rob

I considered using sheet metal from EDUARD and from PART but the fuselage has different dimensions and shape than the "Karas" and you have to rework these kits a lot to make them even partially applicable. I will definitely use the pilot's belts from YAHU and what else I don't know.

[Peterpools]

Kriss

Nice work cutting out the engine from the runners. Looking mighty good

 

[Kriss]

I prepared the model for painting and it was this kind of painting that I divided into instalments for myself. After masking the inner surfaces I applied khaki colour to the undercarriage shroud part, the manufacturer printed it together with the wing part. Then masking and primer again. Coming back to the model still, we have two headlights in the wings and the pictures only show the one in the left wing and the one in the right wing has been removed.

 

[HubertB]

Noce progress, Kriss.

Regarding the engine, AFAIK, the pushrods’ fairings, the head covers and the reduction gear crankcase were black-enamelled on the Bristol Mercury …

Hubert

[Kriss]

On 8/8/2023 at 5:07 PM, HubertB said:

Noce progress, Kriss.

Regarding the engine, AFAIK, the pushrods’ fairings, the head covers and the reduction gear crankcase were black-enamelled on the Bristol Mercury …

Hubert

Thanks for the info but I found a pic from the workshop and painted the engine like that too, shame I didn't ask uncle google. There are a lot of cool pictures there.

[Kriss]

I painted the underside with a Polish blue-grey colour. And for the camouflage I used a paint set from HATAKA dedicated to the Polish Air Force of September 1939. In the photo you can already see the beginning of the camouflage, the course of the colour dividing lines can be seen in the original photos from the exhibition in Paris.

[Kriss]

I was wondering what colour to paint the top, Polish dark khaki or Polish export khaki, which the machines were painted in for export. As there was no material on how to paint the top and dark khaki was at hand, I used it to paint the top. Looking at the photos of the "Sum" and comparing it with other machines, I guess this is the colour.

[Kriss]

The glazing is from vacu and there is no problem with it fitting perfectly but the headlight and position lights are from print and look tragic. An attempt at polishing did nothing and I made new ones. By the way I am doing the interior of the cab. The bombs and decals have also arrived and they are not included in the kit. The bomb kit is from MIRAGE and the decals are from TECHMOD and they are checkerboard alone.