Recolored ModelArt P-180

[Willja67]

I find that if I don't do some cutting and gluing from time to time that my creative juices begin to dry up. So being unable to resist this years 2 for one from ModelArt I picked up the A-4N and the P-180. The good doctors models are always a treat to behold. I decided to go with the P-180 mostly because the PDF's for it are not encrypted and although I generally consider Dr. Zarkovs work to be excellent he does one thing that really irritates me and that is he leaves the lines right in the middle of the parts after he has mirrored them. For those unfamiliar with the design process if an object being modeled is symmetrical only one half of it is created in the computer then the part is unrolled and mirrored. Dr Zarkov doesn't remove the line in the middle. Since this file could be imported into Corel Draw I took the liberty of removing the offending lines and making it a tad bit more colorful. In the history section it states that the canard is fixed but the model has lines indicating a moveable control surface. After a very brief review of some pics ( no close ups) I decided to delete said lines.

This model will be made as simply as possible. No cockpit, landing gear or prop blades.

I think I made a mistake somewhere in the print scale because the main wing spars were too long but everything else has fit well so I'm going to continue without reprinting. Hopefully I can finish this model before the ADD kicks in.

[Yu Gyokubun]

Originally Posted by Willja67

although I generally consider Dr. Zarkovs work to be excellent he does one thing that really irritates me and that is he leaves the lines right in the middle of the parts after he has mirrored them.

I agree with you and am looking forward to following how you remove it

[Willja67]

Well Yug I wasn't really planning on showing any of the recolor since I didn't do anything too fancy. I am only familiar with Corel Draw and not even very proficient with it.

There are 2 ways to go about removing those lines. The first and the simplest is to use the virtual segment delete tool (looks like a hobby knife) and just select the line you want to get rid of. That method works fine for this model because it is overall white but if you had a model with color deleting the segment like that would cause the color to disappear(you have to have a closed border to do color fills). The second method is to select the offending line and everything that is associated with it. Depending on the layer that the object is on and a hundred other considerations that I'm not aware of you might get a bunch of other objects highlighted when you select one line. Hit ctrl k which is the "Break Curve Apart" command and it seperates all the lines into individual objects. After that you have to go back through and close all the boundaries so you can get it to fill if you want.

Hope that was helpful. If you have other questions I would be happy to at least try and answer them.

[Yu Gyokubun]

Thank you Will, your explanation is a great help to me.
I found Japanese version of CorelDraw at amazon.com Japan and went through its introduction.
BTW, mind giving me a brief explanation about designing software that you use since I really want to design a certain model in the near future and seeing your Sparrowhawk at the gallery, I think you are proficient with model design.
What I have in hand are CAD, ROKKAKU DAIO and PEPAKURA DESIGNER but unfortunately ROKKAKU DAIO and PEPAKURA DESIGNER are incompatible with Windows Vista which is only OS for two of my computers at home.

[Willja67]

I wish I could claim the sparrowhawk as my design but I purchased that kit several years ago from PMI (now out of business I beleive). The company that designed the sparrowhawk is called Birdmobile and I have seen some of their offerings on other e-stores specializing in paper models.

As for myself I use Rhino3d for the 3d design and Corel Draw for the coloring. I am not at all familiar with Pepakura but I know there are more than few other members on this site who have used it and I'm sure they will come running to help if you ask for it. Currently I have 2 threads regarding my design projects, patchwork quilt which is about the XP-67 and one about my Super Corsair design. I'll be happy to give any help I can, if you turn out to be as good a designer as you are as a builder that should be a real treat.

As far as the P-180 goes have most of the fuselage done will post some pics tommorrow.

[Yu Gyokubun]

I’ve gone through the Super Corsair thread and knew that you are the designer who designed that superb super corsair kit which I bought at GreMir and now in the middle of its build.
I was careless. Please excuse my ignorance but I am grateful such a heavy hitter gave me kind advices.
I also checked Rhino3d and knew it isn’t inexpensive software so I must contemplate for a while whether to buy it or not but it looks attractive because the fact that you use it is convincing enough.

Thanks again and please excuse my interruption
If I start the design someday let me be your apprentice

[Willja67]

One way to procure Rhino for a reduced price is to find a friend or relative who is currently enrolled in an accredited educational institution and give them the money and have them order it for you. My brother was attending college at the time and that was how I got mine for the discounted rate.

I thought I had seen a post from you in another thread that you had purchased one of my models. I look forward to seeing some pics of your build.

[Willja67]

As promised here are the pics. As you can see I have most of the fuselage done. I changed the blue stripes to red and changed the registry on the tail to 1-WhiskeyAlpha. And note the lack of the afore metioned lines down the middle of the top of the fuselage. I also got rid of the black part outline that otherwise would have run right through the middle of the windscreen. Makes the model look a lot better I think (if one chooses not to build the cockpit). I forgot to remove the black rectangle where the nose gear goes.

[Willja67]

Building really does help me in my design work. I'll show it after I have a little more done but I have never got very far in my attempts to design a certain part of my Super Corsair but yesterday I got a considerable amount done.

Here is one pic of my progress on the P-180. You can see here some of the major colored elements I added, namely the canards and the fronts of the engines

[Tim Crowe]

Great looking build - You've captured curves on the fuselage nicely.

The P180 Avanti has no constant cross section on the fuselage at all! and I think all the wings are used for lift - even the fuselage provides a good portion.

I went round the factory in Genoa some years ago and was very impressed with how these are built. Unlike most other aircraft where the aluminum sheets are laid over a former. Piaggo do it the otherway round and pull the sheets into a former. Some of these sheets were milled out reduce thickness where not required.

To save on weight the engine mounts are welded titanium tubes, very pretty but very expensive.

Back in the England we went for a few flights, it's the only aircraft i've been in when you can hear the stall progressing along the fuselage till it reached the wings.

Unfortunalely, all this high tech stuff and complex build made the Avanti expensive for a turboprop. For less money you could have a turbo prop King-Air or for the same as the Avanti choose from numerous Citation jets.

A great shame it's a lovely aircraft. Thought, we did have one noise complant from a local resident at Cranfield. Complaining about the noisy aircraft that looked as it was flying backwards.

Good luck with the rest of the model

Tim Crowe