3D Printed 1/24 Scale Tie Interceptor (Done!)

[Aegis159]

This looks great! Did I miss it in here or something, but where did you get the file? Would love to see how well my Ender3Pro, and SparkMaker handle this thing!

 

[skahtul]

This looks great! Did I miss it in here or something, but where did you get the file? Would love to see how well my Ender3Pro, and SparkMaker handle this thing!

I see now that I left off the website name, I had intended to include it in my previous reply...

Gambody

The files come in both 1:34 for FFF/FDM and 1:68 for DLP/SLA/SLS. I just scaled it up to get the 1:24 size.

 

[skahtul]

Printing all the locking clips.

The last item will be done printing tomorrow AM and I can finally get this put together. I also ordered a custom base with a laser-etched plaque, it deserves a nice stand.

If anyone has any suggestions on what to use as an armature let me know. I would like to build something that I can adjust a bit. It will be attached to the underside so that you can open the rear hatch.

 

[skahtul]

You know its getting serious when the glue and clamps come out

 

[skahtul]

In my experience thus far when 3D printing it's all about the orientation on the print bed, but there is always a trade-off. The one on the left was printed 'edge up' with the bottom part facing down (like a coin on its edge).

The nice part about this is that the print lines are much less apparent, the disadvantage is that near the bottom the prints are not as 'clean'. You can see a bit of the detail is lost at the bottom and material left from the supports makes for more difficult cleanup work.

The one on the right printed as you see it, lying face up. The detail is there but you get crazy circular print lines. Luckily I have a solution for both. I will post the results of that later.

I am going to re-print the one on the left as the armature will go through that one since it's the bottom plate. I am going to print it with 85% infill so that when I drill through it I can keep it clean. If you try drilling through something with 15 or 20% infill, it just does not work as the drill wonders.

 

[skahtul]

 

[skahtul]

The left side is done, except for the finishing resin coat on the seams. I also need to do a little gap filling near the top which is something I can avoid on the other side now that I know it's an issue.

Even though it's not exactly 'cannon' I decided to go with a simple straight rod for mounting it as I am going to install red LED lights inside.

 

[skahtul]

The model has these clips (about 20 of them) that are very nice for alignment and strength, makes the assembly so much easier.

 

[skahtul]

Finishing resing applied, this is one of my best tools for finishing off 3D prints, especially when you can't sand it or need to cover up some crimes.

You will see when these parts are primed the print lines disappear:

 

[TazMan2000]

Despite being printed on an FDM, this looks really good. You must have a nicely tuned machine.

TazMan2000

 

[skahtul]

Despite being printed on an FDM, this looks really good. You must have a nicely tuned machine.

TazMan2000

Thanks, yeah, I have not had it super long but I have printed a ton, inluding a lot of messing arround with it... Plus, this kit has slicer specific settings that I think helps a

 

[skahtul]

Finally figured out a way to light this red from within. While I am going to try to paint the outside of this model using my best effort to make it semi-accurate, I am going to take a lot of liberties on the inside.

The TIE interceptor is my favorite, and while I love the way a lot of TIE cockpits look, they are often so dark. My aim here will be to brighten up the inside while still keeping in Star Wars, that is my hope anyway.

First up, testing out my red LED's and the circuit that will power them from the base.

The controls for this are printing now. I was FINALLY able to get a decent print of the chair. The back of the chair is not great but you will never see it.

 

[ventuoguy]

I like the way that lights up- looks so cozy in there!

 

[skahtul]

Getting close! My various blue/grey paints I ordered should be here durring the first part of the week and I can start experimenting on what color I li

 

[Jedi Dade]

I'm not an expert of the tie interceptor details - how close is this to being studio scale accurate? I mean it looks the part of the TIE interceptor, but how close is it to the real deal?

To me it looks like a lot of the greeblies have been simplified - but I really don't "know".

Jedi Dade

 

[skahtul]

I'm not an expert of the tie interceptor details - how close is this to being studio scale accurate? I mean it looks the part of the TIE interceptor, but how close is it to the real deal?

To me it looks like a lot of the greeblies have been simplified - but I really don't "know".

Jedi Dade

It's pretty much all there, depending on what source you are using. I think when you are talking detail the main issue right now is that my pictures are raw prints and a lot of detail is hidden, especially the black prints. Once I prime, paint, and then detail it out, the details will show better. Assuming the Bandai kit is pretty accurate, this TIE is almost a dead ringer for that kit.

There are a few parts on the inner wing that are a bit off when comparing it to the one-shot of this model in my "Sculpting A Galaxy" book, but it's interesting that many, many of the resin kits I have looked at have these exact same differences so it may just be the one in the book and the one often used as a model are different.

I am building my 1/24 scale X-Wing at the same time (assuming that one is also the correct scale) it appears to match up pretty well when measuring the seats. However, I am sure there are a few measurements I can take to get a better feel for the accuracy. If I can find a good way to measure it and compare it I will.

 

[TazMan2000]

Perhaps too late now, but you can import STLs into TinkerCAD and modify the parts there. Drill holes, enlarge or shrink some parts that don't quite fit, etc. Just be careful. Sometimes the program can cause weird stuff with the geometry,.

TazMan2000

 

[skahtul]

Perhaps too late now, but you can import STLs into TinkerCAD and modify the parts there. Drill holes, enlarge or shrink some parts that don't quite fit, etc. Just be careful. Sometimes the program can cause weird stuff with the geometry,.

TazMan2000

It's never too late... As with any project I can see a few things I would change/do differently and who knows, I may end up doing this one again.

 

[skahtul]

Decided to drill out the guns and add some fiber optics to those:

Also, I have been getting my next project planned out, which is going to be a switch of universes... This was actually the first 3D print I did. Someone helped me start this at work last year. I will finish all the parts (and there are still a ton) on my printer. This model with be 36" long.

 

[StevenBills]

This is looking great! Would you mind posting a close-up photo of the wing panels? I would love to see the detail that you have on them. What resolution did you print them at?

SB