Firefox MIG-31 movie aircraft
- Thread starter Firefox3D
- Start date
enterprise0216
Sr Member
This really fantastic totally interested in one whenever it becomes availabl.
RobWolf
Well-Known Member
Well this all puts my Firefox in the shade! Mine is a 1/24 scale kit by Studio 2 models. You're probably all familiar with their 1/48 kit, but there weren't many of these ones produced. I managed to pick it up late last year from a guy who wasn't going to get around to building it. My intention was to put it away for a while until I had the time and workspace to do it properly, unfortunately a friend found out I had it and decided to go and do his university film project around it, so I had to rush it into some semblance of a filmable model. I even scratched a greenscreen canopy out of an XBox game case! The plane has recently arrived back with me ( it was stuck in lockdown for six months) so I can finally finish it up and test the afterburner lights I installed prior to handing it over.
Firefox3D, your work is fantastic and I salute you for it! I don't know if you are aware but you might like to know that the base colour on the filming miniatures was a Dupont non-sanding grey primer. All the shading and panels were done with varying layers and tints of clear coat, a bit like how the aztecing was done on the TMP Enterprise.
Firefox3D, your work is fantastic and I salute you for it! I don't know if you are aware but you might like to know that the base colour on the filming miniatures was a Dupont non-sanding grey primer. All the shading and panels were done with varying layers and tints of clear coat, a bit like how the aztecing was done on the TMP Enterprise.
Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
Just a quick pic of the 1/12th coming together, tailplanes are so big having to split them into three parts. Worked out the glitches I am getting are due to the fact adding a bit of flexible to the resin mix needs 15% more exposure time. But the parts are literally impossible to break and the small amount of warping is almost eliminated. You can bend the parts and they move back to where they started, like vinyl but stiffer.
And a close-up of an 1/12th exhaust slice on the 4k mono screen for the new printer, can just make out the 0.05mm pixels, real life that's about 20mm across
And a close-up of an 1/12th exhaust slice on the 4k mono screen for the new printer, can just make out the 0.05mm pixels, real life that's about 20mm across
edwardmatt
New Member
I'VE BEEN WANTING TO TACKLE A CHALLENGE OF EITHER A 1/32 OR 1/24 VERSION OF THIS PLANE FOR YEARS, IS THERE ANY WAY YOU CAN SEND ME A COPPY OF THE SCAN DETAILS SO I COULD 3 PRINT THIS FOR MY OWN? IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
edwardmatt
New Member
I have this kit and let me tell you it was a nightmare, 1/3 of the parts were broken when it arrived, and not to mention, not a very good scale, some proportions were a little off. I almost tossed it out, yeah i know throw 200 bucks in the trash. however i went to a local hobby store and picked up a few scrap parts from some f-15s and a few f-16 and su-37 flanker parts and turned this nightmare into a dream. I really want to build a larger scale perhaps 1/32 or 1/24 but can't seem to find anyone willing to sell me 3D printing designs or any type pf instructions. if you know anyone that could help it would be greatly appreciated.
edwardmatt
New Member
really want to build this. please help!!!Hi all,
Been a lurker here for a while, created a new account as couldn't remember my old one!
Always loved the Firefox plane after seeing the movie at age 14 in '82, thinking someone has got to do a kit of it, but it never happened. I picked up a Studio 2 kit many years later, but it was miles off right. I contacted Kurt at the thinkinrussian website about it and he kindly supplied me with 2D plans he had. Spent some considerable time working those into accurate vector (Coreldraw) drawings to make slices to build new sections for the Studio 2 model. In doing so realised how bad the Studio 2 kit was and after a week or two of work building a new nose and new engine section, realised how much more was wrong and gave up on it.
Was further disappointed that the other Firefox model here M-31 Firefox, scale plane replica never made it to sale
So decided to take matters in my own hands and build an accurate model myself. In trying to create isometric drawings from the 2D plans I realised they were probably only a quickly drawn starting point for the model builders since areas from the side to top and bottom views didn't actually line up, not much out but certainly not a finished plan. I think they were the plans drawn that appear on the table when Baranovich is talking to Gant about the plane, "Remember to think in russian Mr Gant, you cannot think in English and transpose, do you think you can do that", yes I have watched the film a few times...
So have spent many, many hours with screen grabs from the bluray release, a very useful early copy of Cinefex magazine, and some excellent photo quality movie pics picked up from good 'ole ebay. I was able to get enough references so I could see where it needed tweaking. There are not many places in the film where you get a true flat top, side and bottom views and you hardly see the back at all, but luckily there are some good reference pics from Cinefex, not sure I can post these here?
It is possible to "fix" some images by perspective correcting in Photoshop so you can get at least get an accurate front to back or side to side relative dimensions.
Once I was happy that it was about as close as I was going to get without an original filming miniature to hand, I started a 3D model.
Had been using Google Sketchup for other work so was fairly competent with it, and there are so many incredibly useful plugins you can do just about anything you can do in the more expensive packages easier and possibly faster, certainly cheaper.
I still have a way to go, most it it past where the wings meet the fuselage is just roughed out at the moment so I can get the same view as reference pics and clear screen grabs and overlay them. In doing so realised I probably didn't need to spend so much time on the 2D plans as there were still parts that were not right when viewed in 3D, live and learn.
I'm hoping to be able to 3D print most of it as I invested in a 3D printer for other prototyping work, and had wanted one for ages anyway, so was a good excuse
As it's a 3D print it can be any scale really, but want a big sucker so going for 1/24 which makes it about 31 inches or 80cm long, still tempted to do a full 1/12 63" studio scale one, but I don't know where I would put it.
I have done a couple of test prints of the nose, which is a bitch to get right, and having it in my hand helped me see where it was still slightly off, so have made adjustment and I am confident it's pretty damn close to perfect, tell me what you think.
Few screengrabs showing the starting 2D plans and where I am currently, last one shows the canards swung back, which you see for all of about 3 seconds in the film, but looks cool.
Thanks
Jon
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Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
I sent you a PM, looks like you are new to the forum so maybe you haven't seen it.
Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
I contacted edwardmatt as I have most of a 1/24th sitting around and wondered if he was interested.amazing work..will there be any stl files to buy soon. really want to make one on my ender 3 pro ..thanks keep upi the great work
I don't have any plans to sell the STL files yet, mainly because there is zero protection from copying, I constantly see models for sale on ebay that are someone else's work being sold for profit and there's very little you can do about it.
Also for the big models you really need a large format resin printer for it to work. I might consider doing a half-half situation where I can send out the files of the large body parts for people to print themselves and supply the resin parts, have to think about it.
edwardmatt
New Member
Whatever will help. I do understand what you mean by copy protection and I can only say this is for me and me alone. I did consider picking up another 1/48 and scanning the parts to a larger dimension but I believe that would be an incredible amount of time.
I saw this film in 1982 and I have been obsessed with this aircraft for years, even today it looks awesome. I have been longing to build a large version of the Firefox for many years. I have two 1/48 kits, one garage kit but I really would love to build a 1/32 or A 1/24. Possibly adding a lighting kit as well, hell I probably won't be satisfied until I have a 1/1 that flies.
edwardmatt
New Member
Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
Sent you a message.
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