Completely 3D Printed! Curtiss P-1 Hawk Model Kit in 1/72 Scale - Build

The Curtiss P-1 Hawk was a biplane fighter aircraft that saw service in the inter-war period. Join me in this video as I build this Curtiss P-1 Hawk model kit in 1/72 scale, but this time the entire kit is 3D printed! (almost).
I explore the viability of 3D printing to produce model kits, and learn some lessons along the way. I used my Elegoo Mars 2 Pro and resin to create this kit - check out my review of this printer here:
• Could the Elegoo Mars ...
* The Elegoo Mars printer was received free of charge for the purpose of review, but I have not been paid to create these videos and all opinions remain my own.
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Take a look at the files I used from Thingiverse here:
Curtiss P-1 Hawk - Interwar Biplane (1/72) by Erich_with_an_H
www.thingiverse.com/thing:286...
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This video is intended for adult scale model enthusiasts.
Model Minutes holds no responsibility for any accidents, damage or injury that could occur as a result of attempting to replicate any steps depicted in this video. This video is intended for entertainment only.
All information in this video is believed to be correct at the time of editing. Model Minutes holds no responsibility for errors or changes.
Unless specifically indicated, all products have been independently purchased.
Music used from Epidemic Sound:
Dreaming Out Loud (Instrumental Version) - Middle And End www.epidemicsound.com/track/p...
Ljum - Strom www.epidemicsound.com/track/Q...
Somewhere - Jones Meadow www.epidemicsound.com/track/J...
#3dprinting #modelkit #modelplane

[@boubamazing]

Just a quick tip for your next 3d printed planes, never place anything flat on the base because the layers will show really bad on surfaces with very shallow curves, always place the "flat" side vertical so you can avoid the layer lines that ruin the finished product.

[@ModelMinutes]

Yeah, this is a lesson i have learnt the hard way lol

[@Klassmate0]

Never seen someone build a 3d printed model! Looks great!

[@ModelMinutes]

Glad you like it!

[@davegiles2344]

Well done Matt 👌

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks!

[@ShuttleFactoryScaleModels]

Amazing work Model Minutes its not everyday one sees on KZbin a USAAC or USN Yellow Wings era aircraft build. Yet alone an entirely 3D Printed model kit. Hope to see a few more 3D Printed builds or Yellow Wings aircraft videos from you in the near future!

[@ModelMinutes]

Perhaps I'll see what else is out there :)

[@ethanmakesstuff8887]

This looks amazing wow 👀👀

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks 😊

[@dukas54]

Very cool build! I'm definitely gonna have to print this when i get my printer set back up.

[@ModelMinutes]

Go for it!

[@modelermark172]

You did a very good job - both with the printing, as well as the assembly and finish! So far, I've only built styrene injection molded models, (as well as the odd vacuform kit.) Watching this must be what a builder of carved, solid wooden models thought back in the day when they first saw a then-new injection molded kit being assembled: unorthodox, but intriguing nonetheless. Thanks for sharing this build!

[@ModelMinutes]

Thank you very much!

[@valborchardt3596]

Thanks Matt, regardless of where you got that from, it turned out really lovely. Thank you

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks! :D

[@neilhaas]

Nice model biplane fantastic build single prop.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks 😊

[@thearmoredgeorgian2736]

Cant wait to get one for myself, resin seems to be able to have far more detail, and a smoother finish than normal plastic

[@ModelMinutes]

For detail, resin printers are definitely the way forward compared to the plastic printers - however functional parts are much more difficult in resin due to it being a bit more brittle

[@chadkennedy7261]

Nicely done! And you picked a great kit to start with! The designer is really good and his Instagram is worth a follow for some of the stuff he's still designing. I keep telling myself I'll build more 3D printed stuff, but the massive stash of purchased kits keeps haunting me haha.

[@ModelMinutes]

Lol i know that feeling!

[@adam2540]

Now I'm waiting for your 3d printer spitfire

[@ModelMinutes]

lol yeah, i'm sure it will happen at some point

[@goforitpainting]

Very cool.

[@ModelMinutes]

thanks!

[@foreverplastickits138]

*Very little fighter, i like the result!*

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks a lot!

[@Litten260]

haven't seen a biplane in ages, this one should be good!

[@ModelMinutes]

fingers crossed :D

[@wadejustanamerican1201]

For a first go, it really does look good.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks!

[@piccadillymodelrailways]

A fantastic model which looked like a lot of fun to do. Despite your claimed inexperience the model has come out well, something to keep and be proud of. As you do more, including designing your own models, the first will always stand as a benchmark to what you will achieve shortly.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks very much!

[@docbrownscalemodels]

Very cool, Im keen to see more printed planes, I bet its a good place to grab some of those less-sought after types of plane.

[@ModelMinutes]

It really depends if someone has designed a model (and different designers produce different quality of work). Sadly if there isn't a particular model you want you might have to design it yourself - my skills aren't good enough for that at the moment haha

[@brianartillery]

It's a very handsome aircraft. Would look great displayed with the 1/72 Matchbox Boeing P12-E, and the Revell P26 'Peashooter'.

[@ModelMinutes]

Sadly I don't have either of those . . . Yet :P

[@brianartillery]

@@ModelMinutes - I recently got a P12-E again after 45+ years, and it's as beautiful a little kit as I remember. I've had several P26 kits, and, although not great - it is an ancient kit, with a little work, it looks superb. My favourite one has a possibly spurious paintjob - aluminium all over, except for a glare panel in front of the pilot. I'd like another, to paint red and give it some 'Warhammer' decals I found. Wrong, but I think it would look cool.

[@ModelNerd]

Nice result, Matt. I think the split layers and the layer lines are just par for the course when you start with a 3D printer. The aircraft looks good regardless. Looking forward to seeing more 3D prints from you.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks!

[@argentinianspotter]

3D printing is a great way to bring little known aircraft to reality. I have built four of these, two Pulqui 2s, an IAI Dagger, and an A-4B. The first three are in 1:48 and the Skyhawk is in 72nd. Hopefully 3d printing will evolve fast enough to have parts without the mold lines and with more detail.

[@ModelMinutes]

With the high resolution printers that now exist I think we are pretty close to that goal

[@bravodelta3083]

For brush painting acrylics, try using Vallejo glaze medium rather than thinners. I'm finding it gives a much better, smoother, more consistent finish. Thank you for this upload; very interesting!

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks for the tip!

[@StaplesandVine]

Looks great considering it is 1/72. Try upscaling it to 1/48, it'll look fantastic! 😎😎😎

[@ModelMinutes]

Yeah - If I can get it all to fit in the printer then that would be a really cool project :D

[@AAOMorpheus]

That looks quite good, great job as usual. Funny I saw a vid by Kathy Millatt about the best way she found to fill in and smooth 3D prints (The BEST Way to Smooth PLA Scale Models 3D Prints). Pretty sure it may even work with this to get that smooth look.

[@ModelMinutes]

yeah, some of the methods she demonstrates in that video could be used

[@lpjmodels]

Cool build @model minutes , gotta crack my own 3dp back out. Its been a little neglected

[@ModelMinutes]

You definitely should!

[@michaelabraham9233]

recently i made my first ever balsa model and it was quite fun its very different from the way you make plastic kits and i think you should try one ( i got a p51 mustang from tbe vintage model company)

[@ModelMinutes]

I have built some balsa models in the past and i've got a Hurricane which I bought second hand which has had most of the parts already cut from the wooden sheets which I may build at some point in the future

[@julianmhall]

Blimey that's /brilliant/ work Matt! I bet that took ages to print! What amount of fill did you use?

[@ModelMinutes]

If i remember correctly it took a couple of hours and I used 100% infill seeing as resin printers do a whole layer in one go unlike fdm printers

[@stuartwren5526]

Will this eventually replace vacuum moulding I wonder?

[@ModelMinutes]

Maybe 🤔

[@AussieGunzel]

If you could you should see if it's possible to 3D print ground crew for dioramas.

[@ModelMinutes]

I've had a look online and the STL files don't seem to be particularly easy to come by . . yet

[@math7652]

I did my own 1/35 waffentrager ausf e100

[@ModelMinutes]

nice!

[@StaplesandVine]

Try orientating your parts at 45 degrees that and reducing the layer height should help reduce your layer lines. 🙂

[@ModelMinutes]

yeah, that's something I do now but at the time I had absolutely no idea what I was doing haha :P

[@Russianpaintrain]

Always wondered if replacement parts could be made for plastic ship , autos, and aircraft

[@ModelMinutes]

Definitely! I recently built a Hawker Hurricane but managed to lose the pitot tube which goes under the wing. I couldn't find this part, so instead quickly designed a new one and printed it out (which took about an hour in total). I've got an old Airfix kit in the stash somewhere which I know is missing parts (and very unlikely to get spares for) so may have to look at designing replacements for that one when I get round to it as well

[@Russianpaintrain]

@@ModelMinutes thanks

[@Funsho97]

How would I obtain a file to print 1:72 scale P40 propeller blades?

[@ModelMinutes]

there may be some free ones online if you google them, alternatively there may be some that could be purchased. You could ask/pay someone to design them for you, or have a go at 3D design yourself

[@mattheweagles5123]

How does the cost of this compare to a similar kit from a shop do you think?

[@ModelMinutes]

If you just consider the resin used (and not that you might have to get decals and paints etc) then like £1 - £2ish Edit: naturally not including the cost of a 3D printer in that which can be like £200 upwards, but if you printed like 20 models with it, it kinda recovers that cost pretty quickly

[@crazylocha2515]

Well, it's going to change how much you can complain about kit manufacturers from now on.... You are one 😜. Came out pretty nice all considering the lessons along the way. Well done 👍

[@ModelMinutes]

Haha! Thanks!

[@damien5748]

Looking forward to this Mat

[@alexeybusygin5551]

Quite a funny model. and quite interesting. However, the quality of the 3D printing seemed a bit rough to me. This is especially evident in the propeller and fuselage. Have you tried sanding these surfaces with an abrasive material?

[@ModelMinutes]

This was my first attempt at 3D printing and a lot of the rough areas are due to poor orientation of the parts during the print - a lack of experience on my part. Were I to revisit this today I could get much better results

[@dpswets]

Would absolutely love to build this kit. But currently 3D printing myself isn't an option sadly.

[@ModelMinutes]

that's a shame - there are websites that will send you prints if you upload designs but can't remember any of them off the top of my head

[@dpswets]

@@ModelMinutes yeah, I've seen a few. Might do that sometime but they seem to be very expensive here in the Netherlands. After watching this video though I might have a look again at those websites :)

[@ModelMinutes]

@@dpswets it might actually end up cheaper to buy a printer in the end though 😂

[@dpswets]

@@ModelMinutes haha true, hope to do that one day as well. Right now I sadly just don't have the space for it in my student room. Someday it'll come.

[@Gremlins_Modelling_Mayhem]

Good build matt 👍

[@ModelMinutes]

Glad you like it :D

[@connorsarf2970]

I recommend 60 degrees and a layer of 0.04 or 0.035 mm. It is good to choose the supports, their number and the thickness of the connection with the model. Remove supports before curing. It is best to immerse it in hot water and gently break it off. Remove the residues with fine sandpaper. Look for better made models. Have Fun :)

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks! Some of these tips I already kinda figured out in the last couple of months of using the printer, but I will certainly have to try the other ones :D

[@connorsarf2970]

@@ModelMinutes Look for user groups for your printer. They have setup tables for the appropriate resins. Exposure times, printing speed, the amount of blurring of the edges of the model. The quality of the files is of great importance. It's best to look for well-designed, multi-piece models. Sometimes it's worth buying something. They are cheap and you can print them endlessly.

[@ModelMinutes]

@@connorsarf2970 good tips!

[@lpjmodels]

0.002 lyf

[@ModelMinutes]

@@lpjmodels 0.0000000002

[@Maxtherocketguy]

I had a printer for 2 years but never know where to get designs

[@ModelMinutes]

thingiverse, printables and other websites like that

[@Maxtherocketguy]

@@ModelMinutes I know thingiverse but never managed to find one with such detail

[@cuberdude7710]

what was this printed with

[@ModelMinutes]

Elegoo Mars 2 Pro - as shown at 01:25 Edit: It's also listed in the description

[@cuberdude7710]

@@ModelMinutes as in the material. Is it Resin?

[@ModelMinutes]

@@cuberdude7710 yes

[@neilhaas]

🛩️🛩️🛩️👍🤗🤩😊😀🤠❤️

[@ModelMinutes]

😊😊😊

[@mikemodels928]

The finished model looks very nice but cleaning 3d prints gives me a headache. I also wasn't aware of wearing mask since i thought it is more like plastic... hope my lungs are fine 🙈

[@ModelMinutes]

If it is only limited exposure I'm sure that they are, but resin does present a bit of a risk (inorganic compounds or something) so i think it is better to be safe than sorry

[@mikemodels928]

@@ModelMinutes these were two figures and i didn't sand them. But now i will always use protection ;)

[@Maxtherocketguy]

Be careful with the printer because the resin is highly toxic

[@ModelMinutes]

it is inded an unpleasant substance