Firefox MIG-31 movie aircraft
- Thread starter Firefox3D
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any pics of the exterior there in similar quality Gene??
Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
Thanks Gene thats the clearest pic I have seen of the cockpit, just a pity it's not colour. I was looking at getting a high-res master printed then casting that. I know with new high detail model kits they have the dial faces cut out the moulded part then a transfer that goes behind with all the fine detail of the dials.
Phot-etch might be the way to go as there are a few small detail parts that really need to be photo-etch, small vents on the engine tops, one underneath and the probe/wing things on the tailplanes. Also the copper/bronze coloured parts (passive radar detection?) on the wing leading edges, sectioned them out yesterday, but haven't added the fine detail yet.
The body is now done, so can work on panel lines, have made a start but they are not embossed yet so don't show up.
Jon
Phot-etch might be the way to go as there are a few small detail parts that really need to be photo-etch, small vents on the engine tops, one underneath and the probe/wing things on the tailplanes. Also the copper/bronze coloured parts (passive radar detection?) on the wing leading edges, sectioned them out yesterday, but haven't added the fine detail yet.
The body is now done, so can work on panel lines, have made a start but they are not embossed yet so don't show up.
Jon
rbeach84
Sr Member
Really, really nice, FF3D!
Looking at just these renders, it is not obvious the amount of time you've spent. Yet it is so; I was showing 'em to my offspring trying to explain how you created the 3D using images of the practical effects miniatures and so forth, making many, many revisions as you progressed, to finally arrive at this wonderful result. The joyous thing is that you can also port it into the 'real' world, creating not just replica artifacts but truly a distillation of the movie's intent. It is imagination birthed into reality.
Regards, Robert
Looking at just these renders, it is not obvious the amount of time you've spent. Yet it is so; I was showing 'em to my offspring trying to explain how you created the 3D using images of the practical effects miniatures and so forth, making many, many revisions as you progressed, to finally arrive at this wonderful result. The joyous thing is that you can also port it into the 'real' world, creating not just replica artifacts but truly a distillation of the movie's intent. It is imagination birthed into reality.
Regards, Robert
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I believe there are some color shots of the cockpit in the batch of photos that were sold through Profiles in History. You might want to use that as reference. I was at GMD as they were closing. I did see the blueprints but didn't get a chance to scan them prior to sending them to Profiles. There just wasn't time. You seem to have a pretty good handle on it as it stands.
I did snag a bunch of their loose photo etch. I figured I'd use it on some of my projects. In sorting through it after the fact, I believe these pieces are actually the airbrakes from the Firefox -
It looks like they used etch parts for the turkey feathers on the afterburner cans - but I don't think I have those. The other odd-shaped panels (that have relief) appear to be leading edge panels that would be rolled to shape and applied to the leading edge of the wing -
I saw the MOCO miniature a couple of times at the Warner Bros. Archive on their lot. Unfortunately, it was during a period of time where you absolutely could NOT take a photo in their museum. That has since changed, the Firefox model is no longer on display. The finish really was a thing of beauty.
Hope this helps.
Gene
Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
Thank you Martin, Robert, Spacemind and especially Gene.
From seeing the few pics of the blueprints I don't think they would have been that useful as the finished version is different, I guess it's an evolving process and they decided on changes which made it more graceful looking and airworthy for the RC versions.
It's so weird I just started properly looking at the airbrakes and the leading edge pieces, and then I get a perfect reference with scale!
Just did a quick dimension check and glad to say I'm very close, the leading edge part nearest the fuselage is around 5mm undersized at 1/12th but easily fixed.
Will revisit the engine turkey feathers and probably go for photo etch to match now I know that's what they used.
Jon
From seeing the few pics of the blueprints I don't think they would have been that useful as the finished version is different, I guess it's an evolving process and they decided on changes which made it more graceful looking and airworthy for the RC versions.
It's so weird I just started properly looking at the airbrakes and the leading edge pieces, and then I get a perfect reference with scale!
Just did a quick dimension check and glad to say I'm very close, the leading edge part nearest the fuselage is around 5mm undersized at 1/12th but easily fixed.
Will revisit the engine turkey feathers and probably go for photo etch to match now I know that's what they used.
Jon
Not sure if it's of any use as, but I now own this:
http://www.modelermagic.com/?p=61966
It was made from pieces/molding of one of the Firefox miniatures. How much I'm not sure, but the intakes are the same as the upper ones.
Just PM me if you need any pics/measurements.
Lee
http://www.modelermagic.com/?p=61966
It was made from pieces/molding of one of the Firefox miniatures. How much I'm not sure, but the intakes are the same as the upper ones.
Just PM me if you need any pics/measurements.
Lee
Congrats! I saw this when Mark Stetson and I went over to visit Greg at his shop one summer long ago...
Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
Think it is about 50% lengthways of the intake shape as far as I can tell from a quick guesstimate measurement off the screen, thanks for the offer but I'm not even sure what I would get you to measure!
Jon
Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
Gene found a piece of the exhaust turkey feather photo-etch and sent me a high-res scan. Angle and rotate 18 times to get this
Good news is the size matches what I had very close, I was fractionally undersized on the bigger radius but pretty insignificant.
Odd thing is the details I thought were raised, the lighter parts are half etched into the brass. The "T" parts on each one (turn you head to the left) are composed of around 1/64" dots, probably a half-tone Letraset pattern.
For my 1/24th version it can be copied exactly, the dots and lines are over the 0.15mm limit for half-etch most photo-etching companies quote, but too small for 1/48th, so....
Had to reduce the number of notches near the end of each nozzles (that copy to the inside also) from 15 to 11, and scale up the dot pattern so it will work. This is scaled for 0.15mm thick brass. Looking at it now the inner parts are not angled in enough maybe.
Thinking to print a inner core to fit the parts onto, then make a master providing the small etch details will be picked up properly by the rubber, anyone have any thoughts on that?
Good news is the size matches what I had very close, I was fractionally undersized on the bigger radius but pretty insignificant.
Odd thing is the details I thought were raised, the lighter parts are half etched into the brass. The "T" parts on each one (turn you head to the left) are composed of around 1/64" dots, probably a half-tone Letraset pattern.
For my 1/24th version it can be copied exactly, the dots and lines are over the 0.15mm limit for half-etch most photo-etching companies quote, but too small for 1/48th, so....
Had to reduce the number of notches near the end of each nozzles (that copy to the inside also) from 15 to 11, and scale up the dot pattern so it will work. This is scaled for 0.15mm thick brass. Looking at it now the inner parts are not angled in enough maybe.
Thinking to print a inner core to fit the parts onto, then make a master providing the small etch details will be picked up properly by the rubber, anyone have any thoughts on that?
firefoxUSSR
New Member
Totally understand and respect that. I do graphic art & 3D design for a living and get that creative works are easily appropriated.
I would urge you to put backups online, make them private of course. Consider having a trusted person release them if you don't finish at some point, it happens to the best of us.
If you ever want someone to collaborate with in SketchUp, I'll work for Firefox parts!
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Firefox3D
Well-Known Member
Have been working away, and have 3 backups at any time on a different drive, memory stick and another pc, if I lost what I have now I would swear cry and shoot myself, probably not in that order...
Gene sent me two very high res pics of what I now know is the other 63" hero model without working undercarriage or air-brakes, but a lit cockpit. I thought I was seeing things when looking at the panel lines, but the two big models do have differences, sometimes just spacing, but in other areas like the top front surface of the wing completely different. Have ending up doing a blend of both, choosing the slightly less complex option in places as there's a lot on there for 1/48th scale!
Digitised the fuselage and wing air-brakes form Gene's scans. I think I will get these done in photo-etch and integrate them into the master so they are moulded as surface detail, that way I won't need to get a set for each kit.
I have rebuilt a number of pieces as the high res scans let me see previous small details clearly. The defence pods are all new, more of a stretched egg shape now. Alignment of the intake strakes, this again is different on the one hanging at the WB museum, but this one seems the odd one out as the top and bottom ones don't line up looking nose on. They do appear to on the others, so going with that, which looking back to when I started is how I had them originally as I had worked it out but forgotten!
Most of the front fuselage from the rear of the cockpit to the wing is also redone as the high res scans let me see the exact profile and subtle shaping of the cockpit top. The geometry was a bit of a mess there as I was still learning when I did it originally and then I cut it up with panel lines which were also too wide, so quicker to start over.
Got a bit bored with panel lines one night and made a missile model, helped me visualise the bay dimensions as looking at the different model shots I realised yet again they are all a bit different. I'm unsure about adding the missile bays as it adds another lot of work, will have to mull that one over. They are tiny at 1/48th as they are less than half the size of a standard air-to-air missile.
View attachment Firefox panel lines 01.jpgView attachment Firefox panel lines 02.jpg
You will need to click and click again (or save them) to see them full size as these are around 7-8000 pixels across, discovered you can do this in Sketchup.
Also rebuilt my 3D printer so I can now print 0.04mm layers which puts print time up exponentially but does mean I can master nearly all the plane myself. Also bought but have yet to fit and test a 0.3mm nozzle which will make corners and the detail around the exhausts crisper, will see how that pans out over the weekend probably.
Gene sent me two very high res pics of what I now know is the other 63" hero model without working undercarriage or air-brakes, but a lit cockpit. I thought I was seeing things when looking at the panel lines, but the two big models do have differences, sometimes just spacing, but in other areas like the top front surface of the wing completely different. Have ending up doing a blend of both, choosing the slightly less complex option in places as there's a lot on there for 1/48th scale!
Digitised the fuselage and wing air-brakes form Gene's scans. I think I will get these done in photo-etch and integrate them into the master so they are moulded as surface detail, that way I won't need to get a set for each kit.
I have rebuilt a number of pieces as the high res scans let me see previous small details clearly. The defence pods are all new, more of a stretched egg shape now. Alignment of the intake strakes, this again is different on the one hanging at the WB museum, but this one seems the odd one out as the top and bottom ones don't line up looking nose on. They do appear to on the others, so going with that, which looking back to when I started is how I had them originally as I had worked it out but forgotten!
Most of the front fuselage from the rear of the cockpit to the wing is also redone as the high res scans let me see the exact profile and subtle shaping of the cockpit top. The geometry was a bit of a mess there as I was still learning when I did it originally and then I cut it up with panel lines which were also too wide, so quicker to start over.
Got a bit bored with panel lines one night and made a missile model, helped me visualise the bay dimensions as looking at the different model shots I realised yet again they are all a bit different. I'm unsure about adding the missile bays as it adds another lot of work, will have to mull that one over. They are tiny at 1/48th as they are less than half the size of a standard air-to-air missile.
View attachment Firefox panel lines 01.jpgView attachment Firefox panel lines 02.jpg
You will need to click and click again (or save them) to see them full size as these are around 7-8000 pixels across, discovered you can do this in Sketchup.
Also rebuilt my 3D printer so I can now print 0.04mm layers which puts print time up exponentially but does mean I can master nearly all the plane myself. Also bought but have yet to fit and test a 0.3mm nozzle which will make corners and the detail around the exhausts crisper, will see how that pans out over the weekend probably.
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