Designing a 3D Printed, RC Version of World War 2's Most Iconic Airplane: The B-17G Flying Fortress
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- Most of my formative years as a kid were spent in the 1990’s, when the movie Memphis Belle was released. Being an airplane nerd, it instantly became my favorite film and still is to this day. It’s not really a critically acclaimed movie, but if you have any interest at all in aviation or World War 2 history, you must see it. It’s just a really great story about one of the first B-17 crews to complete 25 missions, a full tour of duty, which allowed the crew to go home.
I’m 37 now. Since I started in the RC airplane hobby at the age of 12 I’ve dreamed of having a model of the B-17 Flying Fortress. So, with my SOLIDWORKS tools and 3D printers sitting idle in anticipation, I decided to build one.
From the start of this project, I was committed to making the B-17 look as scale as possible. Little did I know that decision would add around 100 hours of CAD work to the project just designing the scale details like the tire hubs, dummy radial engines, and a ton of simulated panel lines.
I couldn’t be happier with the resulting look of my B-17. But good looks were only half of the goal with this project. If it didn’t fly, and fly well, I was afraid I’d walk away from this project unfulfilled. Check out the video to see the results.
Here are the specs of the final design:
Scale: 1/15th
Flying Weight: 5500g (194 ounces)
Wing Span: 83” (2.1M)
Wing area: 919.13 sq. in.
Wing loading: 30.39 oz/sq. ft.
Wing Cube Loading: 12
Motors: 4x Flightline 3530-860kV
ESCs: 4x 30Amp
Batteries: 2x 4S 5000mah
Servos: 7x Hitec HS-85MG
The B-17G Flying Fortress files are available for free here: www.3daeroventures.com/designs
All of 3DAeroventure’s 3D printable aircraft designs are now free! We are committed to keeping future designs free as well. If you are happy with the design, build, and flight performance of our models, please consider donating anything you see fit to help grow the website with exciting new designs and the UA-cam channel with fresh content. Thank you so much for your support!
Donate here: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...
Helpful Links:
Thank you to SOLIDWORKS and HitecRCD USA for sponsoring this video!
SOLIDWORKS world-class CAD tools are now available to makers and hobbyists for personal use for only $99 USD per year. They are also offering my viewers a limited time 20% discount. Follow this link to get your discount and access the best CAD tools on the planet.
Check out 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers:
discover.solidworks.com/maker...
Click this link to receive 20% off 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers:
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Hobbyists throughout the world continue to recognize Hitec as their preferred servo source. Click this link to learn more about all of there product offerings:
www.hitecrcd.com/
And here is a link to the Hitec HS-85MG servos I used in my B-17G Flying Fortress:
hitecrcd.com/products/servos/...
Learn more about 3DAeroventures at www.3daeroventures.com
Check out my buddy James Ray's drone chase footage on his UA-cam Channel:
/ @sgtjamesray
Music Attribution:
"Rhythm of War" by ZakharValaha - www.pixabay.com
"The Story Begins" by Hampus Naeselius - www.epidemicsound.com
"In Abundance" by Edgar Hopp - www.epidemicsound.com - Наука та технологія
Outstanding and the pilots and crews of the B17 would be proud .
Hands down, the nicest scale 3d printed airplane I've seen. Amazing! Hope to build this one day.
Thanks for the kind words Jason!
.thanks to the drone pilot for giving us a flight perspective .
Ive just started printing this majestic beast ,so far only printed the wings and when I placed them out i was struck by how big it will be .this will be the first 3d printed plane that i have built but will probably not be the first i fly, i couldnt bear hard landing because i wasnt ready for it so there will be several planes flown before daring to launch this B17.ive flown plenty of drones before but fixed wings is the new horizon .if anyone has any construction hints im all ears in regards to gluing types, methods etc .
After watching this video, I am officially convinced that 3d printing is the future of RC planes.
Wow, I can’t believe the skills some people have with design. Would love to print this
You are a legend, thank you!
Big, visually interesting, 4 motors, lots of guns, 3d printed... What's not to like! All that work. Must be heart stopping on the first flight!
Definitely, it's a natural high to be so nervous but to have the maiden go well. Thanks for watching.
I just finished watching Masters of the Air...soooo, here I am. This is so impressive!
Outstanding! I had the opportunity to help restore the Memphis Belle back in the 90's. It was an honor. And the stories from the veterans who flew the 17 working along side with me was amazing.
Beautiful model!
Wow, what a plane, great build, great story, and what a flying site !!
Outstanding !!! OMG........I need to build one of this. Nice work !!!
Very nice! My Grandpa flew B-17's in the war. i was able to go up in a B-17. 909. unfortunately that bird is no longer with us. A memory i will never forget.
An absolutely amazing model. The level of detail and access is truely impressive. I look forward to making this!
Wow. That looks incredible.
And you can never have too many magnetic hatches!
Haha! Right?!
The only thing I can think of that would make this better is a servo operated bomb bay door and bomb release mechanism.
Beautiful aircraft, I look forward to printing it.
Nothing but respect :)
Both for taking the time to design such an amazing model with all that detail, and for providing it for free - along with the option to donate.
The outcome is stunning and the plane looks awesome in the air. Majestic is the word.
Exceptional paintjob as well.
Your work is inspiring, honestly
This is the most awesome thing I have ever seen. Mr 3D I couldn't do this if my life depended on it. my hat off to you.
Oh Danny Boy, Oh Danny Boy!
Established in 1983, I don't recall how ild that made me but i was definitely in Elementary school and this was my favorite movie i watched over and over.
I've never seen a 3D printed bird like this, That's not saying much coming from me but 60 seconds into design description you know this is a special special build!
Thank you so much for such a Beautiful example of this icon and I love magnets.
I've yet to get into 3D printing anything, I've known that I most definitely am in when I can make the time and spare the money.
I'm not even looking at another designer for my Memphis Belle or any other warbird.
Your the right guy for sure, thank you!
Great job mate I'm 70 and I still get moved by the big Bird looking forward to seeing more
Thanks. Nice to meet a fellow B-17 admirer
Wow, been building flying things since I was about 12, over 60 years ....this is a work of art, quite a. Engineering feat .... Well done Sir...
Super detailed, very helpful to anyone thinking of a similar project. Being a UK boomer, building many Airfix aircraft (and other) models was part of regular childhood, but this is at another level, congratulations. The B17 was one of my favourites, as was the B29. All those swivelling gun turrets! On the British side, I assembled with pride, a couple of Lancasters, Spitfires and Mosquitoes and even (to my father’s disapproval as WW2 pilot) one or two Heinkel He 111’s. You have reminded me of very happy times, thank you. Hope you enjoy many hours of flying this beauty.
Amazing work. I absolutely love B-17s.
Your designs and detailing are beyond amazing. This one is off the charts.
ABSOLUTELY EPIC! i need to learn cad.
Wonderful really wonderful. Brings nack memories !
Thank a lot for sharing and explaining some of your very good ideas for conception.
Eric, the wait is killing me. My hair is falling out and ive chewed my nails to nothing awaiting your release of the B-17. As an avid fan of your work i simply cant wait for your release of this to get to work making. I love my Super Chipmunk and anxiously await your next masterpiece. Please take my money :)
Mike - no money necessary. The website has been updated and all designs are now free. The B-17 files are available. The build guide is more limited than my other designs but the file set is complete.
My respect to you! You have done great work! Its very impressive.
I absolutely love what you are doing for the RC and 3D printing communities. Giving away such a huge level of work puts you in the god tier of people on this planet. Thank you. =)
Thanks for the kind words Jeffrey. I'm happy to give away the files. But, "god tier" is a little over the top hahaha
@@3DAeroventures Seriously! No one just does this level of work and then gives it away to make people happy. Truly good people do that. If not "god tier" definitely in the top .5% of good people in this world- Something that we all need right now. =)
@@jhiggason1 thanks man!
I definitely will buy this awesome file
Thanks for watching!
Amazing work! , I can appreciate the CAD work great detailing. The inside is neatly thought-out that tail section is great and the wheel hub is perfect. Good to see someone do a big bomber 3d printed. Flys well too. Fantastic effort , can't wait to see more in the future !
This is so beautiful! Stunning job on it!! Thanks for sharing! This is exciting!
Your the right guy for sure, thank you for all the extraordinary job & effort U don.., THANK-U ...!!!
PS
I just starting to print the Super Chipmunk, thank you again...!!!
Amazing !!! The detail is fantastic. Definitely shows the capability of 3D printed parts.
Way to go!! You need to be very proud!! It is by far the best 3D Printed airplane to date. Congrats! Thanks for following through with this complex project!
Thanks for following along and for the kind words Tom!
Beautiful model!!! Well done.
Absolutely amazing! I'm 42 now but same as you I was inspired by Memphis Belle movie when I was a kid. I was building scale models and now I came back to this hobby after 25 years when I got B-17 Memphis Belle scale for my 39th birthday. Your project left me speechless. It's extraordinary. Huge respect and congratulations for your great work!
That’s awesome Pablo. Thanks for the kind words and for checking out the video. Send pics when you finish up your model
Incredible job, inspiring, awesome... Thanks for sharing and keep making these incredible printable planes
Great design, lovely details and a very nice story with a sympathic voice
Awesome build and great video. Respect to all those that did the right thing in WW2.
Thanks for watching Keith, and for the kind words.
Just an excellent job. Great design, great attention to detail, terrific job with the video, I'm beyond impressed!
Well Done! This is a very well thought out model. Careful attention to detail always pays off!
im 12 and super in to rc planes splashily 3d printed ones so thank you for making this its so cool
Great job on the plane, video & narrative
Thanks for watching James !
Wow, well done! Bravo
Thank you for this!
FANTASTIC!!! I’ve been following your design and construction on Facebook. So happy for you to see it fly, and happy for me that I will soon be following once the design is released. You’ve made history.
Awesome - Thank you for following along during the build progress! I'll keep you posted when the files are ready.
I'm not even at the flight part yet... wonderful... just wonderful. Well done!
You rock David, thanks for watching!
I am so glad I found this, I also subscribed. That is probably the most amazing RC B-17 I have seen, even down to the tread on the tires! I would love to have one like it, she would make a beautiful display peace also.
Just fantastic! Congratulations on the successful culmination of an incredible project. It's so cool to see what one dedicated individual can do in this hobby.
Thanks for watching Barry!
@@3DAeroventures hi, this ils just amazing! Would you sell the files, this is my dream plane too! I had a parkzone p-47 that i mod into a Razorback and always wanted a b-17!
Man - this is wonderful - like your way of thinking and telling things - go on for your dreams and share with us...
AWESOME ..... I simply dont have words to describe....
Thanks Gustavo!
Incredible.
Great plane, great idea, great work
An that's only 6K views. But production quality is like millions. I hope you'll get there eventually because you totally deserve it. Great job! Love the work and much appreciate all the tiny details you've put there. I've just started modelling Northrop YB-35 and you pushed me to add all the details I can into the model. Greetings from Poland! Have a good day!
Thank you for this great design. I am in the process of printing right now. Wings are almost done. I love the double walls with infill, feels really strong. Stringing is easy to clean. I will try to make de flaps operational.
Again thank you so much for sharing the files.
Any progress report?
Beautiful 😊
Great job guys 🥰
Awesome 🫡
yes, it is gorgeous!
Very impressive!
Downloaded . Wow, what a great work you have done. 24/7 for my printer in the next time.... Greetings from Germany.
Gorgeous job!
Thanks for the info re SolidWorks for makers.
Luftwaffe pilots going up against a bomber stream of B-17s for the first time were struck by their beauty.
Great video. I remember you posting this on FB. Superb engineering and attn to details. Im not a great rc pilot but would love to build this! I didnt know SW had a maker version. I use the full version every week at work..outstanding work!
Are you kidding me? You are giving these STL's away for free?!?
The first fuselage part is already on the printer. Thanks a million for all the work you put in to this design/build.
Tremendous.
Happy to provide the files for free. Enjoy your build!
Following on Facebook. Great to see it in the air. You have done an excellent job .... VERY impressive!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for following along on this project!
Wow!!
wow im speechles of that work and the stl files are for free ? that alone is crazy most of the 3d printed plane's out there you have to pay much money for ! that scale of the b17 is just awesome good work, greetings from germany
Thanks for the kind words. Happy to share the files!
😍 Amazing Eric! congratulations 🎉
Thanks Coen!
Hurry up and take my money! Great work on the plane and the video.
Wow, what a great build, I was subscribed to your channel after 5 minutes in! That is a massive amount of CAD work that you play down to an extent, the thinking behind that internal structure is awesome.
Thanks for the very kind words and for the sub!
Awesome work.
Thanks Mike
Super awesome job. Love to see this next time in the model air show event. All the best!
Thanks for watching. Hoping to take it to a few events in the Southwest US
@@3DAeroventures Sounds good. Let me know if you plan to come to AZ.
OMG....you absolutely nailed this Eric, the scale detail is another level and I love the top hatch access using gun. I'm with you on the magnet click, I actually smiled with a small nod as it clicked into place....lol. You must have been buzzing after this, please tell me you let off a big WOOHOO with that scale take off. I'm just amazed constantly at the level of workmanship and time you put into this. Thank you for sharing your passion. This has been an amazing project to follow, I'm so happy to see this fly and fly well.
Thanks for always following along, Stuart. Glad to hear your a fellow magnet admirer. Yes, I was extremely excited, and relieved, to see this model fly so well! The footage shown in this video is during a 10 mph quartering cross wing, but I took it out again a few days later on a dead calm morning. It flies wonderfully scale at half throttle, but plenty of power at full throttle if needed. And it slows down nicely without using any flaps.
@@3DAeroventures what’s not to love about a B17, perfect mate and I love the scheme you went with. Glad it flew even better on a calm day. Happy flying my friend 😁
I've started printing mine out of ABS as non-flying hangar art, thank you for sharing this amazing project. How about a B-29 to go with it?
If you ever get to Salem, OR we are restoring a B-17. And you can do a walk through of one at Evergreen Aviation Museum where the Spruce Goose is.
That sounds awesome. The only one I have seen fly in person and did a walk through was Nine-O-Nine. Sad to hear it crashed a few years ago
Incredible CAD work and planning, definitely one of the greatest LWPLA planes I've seen. Looking forwards to the finished paint! A few water slide decals and some black wash will make her look even more impressive.
Thanks a bunch for the kind words and for watching the video. I am looking forward to it to! I already have the decals that I ordered from callie-graphics.com and I plan on doing some wash to dirty it up a bit. I having done much black washing, and definitely not on a model this large. Any good videos or websites you can suggest to help learn about the wash technique?
@@3DAeroventures There's a ton of good videos about it, nightshift or sprue therapy come to mind. But basically you just smear the whole thing with very diluted black or dark brown and then rub most of it off with a paper towel (or cotton swabs in tight areas).
I'd probably start somewhere behind the engine nacelles when trying it on the B-17 first, since that's where there ought to be the most engine grime and soot I guess, impossible to feel like you ruined it even if it doesn't come out as expected at first.
@@tobZZZilla Awesome, thanks for the suggestions.
@@3DAeroventures You're welcome. Can't wait to see how she'll turn out with finished paint and possibly retracts! Really one of the coolest builds I've seen in a while, and probably the coolest 3d printed one. Clicking subscribe has never been more of a no brainer.
That is an epic build and a well put together video. I’ve added this one to the build list so thank you for sharing kind sir. Did you use any epoxy or fibre glass on the LW PLA sections??
Awesome. Can STL files be bought anywhere yet, please?
your designs are free...? and you make amazing videos? subscribed instantly keep it up please, and maybe pleas make more wwii planes i love em
Gotta say it looks fantastic, I'd love to see a Grumman avenger get this kind of love some day. It's way beyond my skill, still in the zone of making round bricks punch through the air like a freight train with wings, but I'm hoping to make and avenger for my grandpa who flew one and crashed 2.
Amazing detail , I can appreciate the cad effort just wow!. Thanks for sharing the details you've built it up so well. Just the insides alone are great to look at specially the tail section and wheels. Great job ! It reminds me of a airfix kit . You should do a bomber series , b52 , Lancaster. Not many 3d printed big bombers around so very unique. Can't wait to see more of your work , did you do the spitfire to?
Hi Mark, thanks for watching and for the kind words! I would definitely like to do more bombers, but will likely do a few less involved designs in-between these complex bombers. I'm thinking the Lancaster will be my next bomber.
No, I didn't do the Spitfire. Those little escorts next to the finished B-17 are foam models from hobbyking.com. The British one is not a Spitfire, it's a Hawker Tempest. It wasn't actually used as an escort fighter in WWII, it was primarily a ground attack aircraft. But it's one of my favorites!
@@3DAeroventures tempest is my favourite as well and the hurricane for the fact that it was all wood and simple. Great field to fly in to wish I had that much space!
I loved that!
Thanks James! Great work on the drone!
@@3DAeroventures
Tomato soup for everyone!!! Lol 😆 🤣 😂
Love it, very interesting vid.
Glad you enjoyed it
So... I've been on a bit of an RC hiatus... And I gotta say, Mad props man! 👍👍
In my "real job" I use Bentley's Microstation but in the Civil Design field (OpenRoads Designer to be exact)...
My dream is to one day do a 3D printed SR-71. This video just might have given me the inspiration to try!! Are you by chance going to attend Flite Fest this year?
This is so awesome and i was thinking of making one myself. I was wondering how many roles of lw-pla did you use and did u print most of the wing parts with support?
Great project. I do RC tanks and unfortunately probably will never get into aircraft especially after being treated like crap from the local airplane club where we used to share a tank battlefield and an RC airfield. Despite our club being a paid member of the airplane club they decided to secretly vote us off the land. Not really the kind of folks I want to hang out with.
Simply amazing you are very talented! Will this print without support material?
First off what an awesome design. Your CAD skills are much better than mine & I’ve been making a living at CAD for about 40 years.
I have one question. Were you able to sync up the RPM on the 4 electric motors?
I have a friend that just acquired an old C-47 balsa/plywood kit & he’s having second thoughts about building it because of it being a twin. Maybe electric would be the way to go?
Thanks!
How long are you gonna keep us waiting for the files to be released. This model looks awesome!
Excellent work! Once released I might have to mod a functional bomb bay into mine to make some bombing runs 😄
Awesome work...
Thanks Joe. Are you going to be at the fly-in this weekend?
@@3DAeroventures no, up in alaska for work. Won’t be back till 25
I greatly admire you, my friend.
Dang, thanks for the kind words!
@3DAeroventures Your designs are wonderful because they are very scale and designed to print correctly. Also, the B-17 is my favorite airplane. I am a mechanical engineer, and I appreciate how much work you put into your designs and the instructions. Your work stands out and is the best, in my opinion. Your superchipmunk was so much fun to print and build. God Bless!
Thanx for the B-17 and others.
This B-17 is awesome!
But, and the Tempest Mk.V ??? Where i get the files???
Awesome work. Can’t wait for this to be ready!! Please take my money!! Are there plans for the same scale mustang too?
Awesome, cant wait to put my hands on it BUT what about this TEMPEST behind B17 - are working on it ? I like Tempest very much and didnt find any printing stl for sale.
Awesome work and detail. Will you be selling files. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Christopher! Yes, I’ll have the files ready soon and on my website
Beautiful Model Sir. Wing loading looks to be a little too high for scale flight, but beautiful none the less.
Where do I start? Great project. I want to get into 3d modeling. I am a CADD drafter but we dont use 3d currently. By the end of the day I want to get away from the computer. But now with 3d printing I feel like there is so much I could do.
Inacreditável que, os únicos modelos realmente projetados para impressoras 3d, sejam gratuitos. É simplesmente uma obra prima, a impressão é tranquila, as peças se encaixam perfeitamente sem qualquer problema...Eu comprei um modelo da 3dlab print, e não consegui terminar de imprimir, acho que a estratégia de modelamento, ou o software de modelamento, ou, na verdade, os dois, estão completamente errados.