Scale Model Shop

**Gary MacKenzie** · 30 June 2023, 11:19

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5028055

This is my progress designing a floatplane pontoon for a model I have and want to convert it to a sea-plane style. At the time of making this design there were no good models out there so I cross-referenced a few balsa model designs and made this 3d design. Can be integrated with struts for model planes. Would be interesting to see if someone uses it for an rc plane in the future.

That might be a start, I will see what else I can find, some days searching works, other days it doesn't, many plans /stl's get removed and searches fail

**Allen Dewire** · 30 June 2023, 11:32

Thanks so much Gary. Good to see there are others wanting floats too. His is for a more modern floatplane, but a start. Unfortunately, I wouldn't know where to start in modifying it. I opened windows 3D viewer a while ago to see what is was about. Played around in the menues for a minute, totally lost, and then needed a lie down...Greatly appreciated Sir!!!

Prost
Allen

**Gary MacKenzie** · 30 June 2023, 12:45

There is a nice new ''semi-cad'' program out that I intend to have a look at ..... Plasticity.

Plasticity - CAD for artists.

https://www.plasticity.xyz/

Plasticity is a 3d modeling and CAD program that is easy to use and has a focus on artistic workflows.

I just need to get a few things sorted, not least a new glasses prescription.

**Dave Ward** · 30 June 2023, 13:14

Originally posted by Allen Dewire

As some of you may know, I am in the middle of a 1/32 conversion of a WWI airplane to a WWI seaplane. Scratch building is an art I enjoy and most things can be accomplished. I need to scratch the floats for my build, and have been trying to figure a way to make them, without luck, so far. I see there are many plans and objects being designed and printed in 3D on this forum...

I'm calling out to you 'Wizards of this 3D Art' for help. Have any of you, in your search for projects across the WWW, ever seen a 3D plan for WWI seaplane floats??? A lot of plans are in smaller scales and up-scaling them appears to be no problem as I've seen so far...

I would love to get into this dark art, but I live in a small apartment and space is limited as well as my brain capacity too. Here is the idea of what I need for my build,

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1203947[/ATTACH]
I have spent time measuring out the dimensions to 1/32 and the floats are 15.6cm long, 1.9cm wide and 1.4cm high max, in the overall dimensions...

I thank you all in advance for any help you could provide in this matter...

Prost
Allen

Allen,
it may be possible to take the floats off an existing model! I've just looked, and there are quite a few . most seem so be of the 'modern' round topped type............. You can scale them up or down, without problems

These are two that the floats could be used from

These are not free models, but cost around 3 Euros for personal use.
Those early flloats were all made from marine plywood - any boatbuilder, or cabinet maker would have been able to turn them out, so not too complex a shape.
I'll keep an eye out for flat-topped floats. They may be on a model of an aircraft, which doesn'thave any reference to float/seaplane, which makes searches a little bit of a lottery
Dave

**Neil Merryweather** · 30 June 2023, 13:51

Pm inbound Allen

**Allen Dewire** · 30 June 2023, 14:19

Originally posted by Dave Ward

Allen,
it may be possible to take the floats off an existing model! I've just looked, and there are quite a few . most seem so be of the 'modern' round topped type............. You can scale them up or down, without problems
[ATTACH]485139[/ATTACH]
These are two that the floats could be used from
[ATTACH]485140[/ATTACH][ATTACH]485141[/ATTACH]
These are not free models, but cost around 3 Euros for personal use.
Those early flloats were all made from marine plywood - any boatbuilder, or cabinet maker would have been able to turn them out, so not too complex a shape.
I'll keep an eye out for flat-topped floats. They may be on a model of an aircraft, which doesn'thave any reference to float/seaplane, which makes searches a little bit of a lottery
Dave

Thank you Dave for taking the time to check for me. The B/W picture looks similar to what I'm after. The old floats were made of plywood and were curved on the tops with the ribbing and flat on the bottom. They were two-stepped like the picture, but didn't have the steering fin on the rear. Here is a picture of one cast in resin,

No idea of how it was constructed though. Scratching the curved top is my problem, besides a few other mathematical angles. Thanks again and I hope you're hand is getting better...

Prost
Allen

**Allen Dewire** · 30 June 2023, 14:22

Originally posted by Neil Merryweather

Pm inbound Allen

Will take a look and thanks Neil...

Scale Model Shop

A Serious Question About 3D Printing

A Serious Question About 3D Printing

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