Blackhawk Helicopeter

[Mark E Wilson]

1/8" Baltic Birch. Tail rotor has a 20 degree tilt and the spins along with the main rotor (not geared though). Cabin doors slide. We are working on a Special Forces version for the Special Operations Air Command.

264998


Little Bird - this is the slick version, but can also be built a a gunship.
264999265000265001

The first one we built way too big, wouldn't fit on a bookshelf. This guy I can get two each out of a 15"x30" sheet of birch with the option the build either one.

[Jeff Belany]

Those are both REAL cool!!! Did you use plans from a kit or elsewhere? Way beyond my capabilities. Great job.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin

[Mark E Wilson]

We design them in Autocad 3D then figure out how to slice them apart and put everything back together. I have a guy that does most of this, I really just reel him in from time to time. We started with a F15 because Laser Buzz didn't have one and it has grown from there. It keeps us busy when the screen printing slows down.

[Joe Hillmann]

How long does something like that take to cut out?

[Chris DeGerolamo]

The only explanation as to how those look so amazing is that you have too much time on your hands. :)

[Jeff Wilkins]

you should get 123D Make - also an autodesk product (free). It will do the slicing for you and lay it out on a laser sheet. We use it in my classroom.

[Brandon MacDougall]

Love the 500!!

[Frank Trinkle]

Just to clarify, The "slick" is a UH-1 Huey. The MD-500 should NEVER be referred to as "slick".
Slick = UH1
Cobra or Snake = AH-1
Kiowa = OH-58
Apache = AH-64
Blackhawk, Nighthawk, or Seahawk = UH-60 series
Loach or Cayuse (Rarely used) = MD-500, 520, 530

Never refer to a Helicopter as a "chopper". If anything, it should be nicknamed a "Copter". (We hate CNN when they say "chopper", which is a motorcycle!)

Nice work though! Cheers.

[Chad Fitzgerald]

they look too cool. is there a way to get the files??
chad

[Mark E Wilson]

Loads of design time and about 20-30 minutes to engrave/cut.

[Mark E Wilson]

Frank the "slick" terminology was used by the 160th SOAR pilot that helped us take the model from a huge MH-6J to the current desktop/bookshelf friendly AH/MH-6M. It took over a year, working on it when we could. Even though I have 13.5 years of active duty in the Army he might have been dumbing down his terminology for me. We learn a lot from every model we make and they grow in complexity. We should eventually double back on the early ones to tweak them a little. F15E was the original PLaYWOOD model.

Looks like you have a lab. I bring mine with me to work everyday. 265550265551265552265553265554265555265556265557

These take and have taken a huge amount of time and I'm not inclined to give any away. I have sent a P-51 to one user here. I'll probably never get out what we have in them, but it keeps me connected to the men and women I love so much. It also keeps us busy in the winter time when screen printing throttles back a little.

[Mark E Wilson]

We have tweaked the C-130 to get it down to about 8 1/2" long with 9 3/4" wing span. It still has a moving ramp.
268379
Also worked on a MH-60 to Special Forces version of the UH-60. 268380

[Mike Lysov]

you can buy a lot of model plans on makecnc website. There is a lot of toys and dollhouses there and they are quite cheap.

regarding 123 autodesk, it is good software but it can create slices only.
Unfortunately it cannot flat your model and cut faces only. Unless you do it manually which is huge amount of work for big models.
If I am wrong please show me how to do it.

I have tried sketchup too and it is the same it cannot do it automatically.

[Mark E Wilson]

Mike - we use AutoCad. It is still a great deal of work and time.

I have a guy that came to me from the climbing gym next door several years ago. I had him working in my screen print area first. He had been driving a long haul/cross country truck before that. I later discovered he was 3D modeling for a local architect in AutoCad before he got sick of sitting in an office all day and took to truck driving. He is the guy that does most of the work. I keep him on task and help with some of the problems we encounter. We have learned a few tricks since we started. He now works three days a week as he re-earns his EMS/Paramedic certification. He is a restless soul.

I have cut pieces for some planes before, but never built one. CNCKing also has some neat designs. Our P-51 is on there. I think we have sold one. I can now retire :-).

[Dave Sheldrake]

I know what you mean Mark, cut time minutes, design time months ;)

268381268382

cheers

Dave

[matthew knott]

Stop being greedy and share your, designs free for all ! Because I love them :)
I can't find the P51, will keep looking. I have an old VW campervan 1963, would love to make one of these in this style, where to begin !?!

[Mike Lysov]

Mike - we use AutoCad. It is still a great deal of work and time.

I have a guy that came to me from the climbing gym next door several years ago. I had him working in my screen print area first. He had been driving a long haul/cross country truck before that. I later discovered he was 3D modeling for a local architect in AutoCad before he got sick of sitting in an office all day and took to truck driving. He is the guy that does most of the work. I keep him on task and help with some of the problems we encounter. We have learned a few tricks since we started. He now works three days a week as he re-earns his EMS/Paramedic certification. He is a restless soul.


Hi Dave,

you are lucky to have that guy and AutoCad. It is a kind of combination I cannot afford.
And thanks for the CNCKing name. I have not known there is somebody else selling things similar to makecnc.
Although I do not really think these kind of toys are practical in terms of selling them in good quantity based on the time spent to cut them out. But these guys sometime sell more than just toys and it may be worth doing.

My friend has bought a dollhouse for his daughter's birthday from makecnc. I am going to cut it for him. It's quite big even in a small scale and we will need at least nine 900x600 1/4" thick MDF panels to do it. Even on my 100W machine it will take at least 2-3 hours to do that's just for cutting all parts.

[Dan Hintz]

I have serious respect for the guys who can visualize a model to that degree...

[Isaac Clarke]

I have serious respect for the guys who can visualize a model to that degree...

Snap, I can barely visualise a helicopter, let alone build a 3d model.

[Dave Sheldrake]

It actually looks a lot harder than it is :) you just need to work 3D and think 2D.

Hi Mike,

Not me with the cad guy, I do most of my own stuff (I do have one VERY good guy who helps though) Paul & Julie Campbell at MakeCNC are great, Paul is a fantastic guy to deal with and his models are very good quality.
The last completed model I did was the Amityville house for one of the previous occupants who lived there (and from the family who the original film was made about).

268432268433268434268435268436268437268438

(Please note:I have NO sympathies with the use of the original Fessler 103, it was made as a matter of historical interest)

Cheers

Dave

[Mark E Wilson]

Very nice!

[Dennis Watson]

These "Helicopeter" are cool. Is that french?

I gotta get some 1/8" birch and make some puzzles and stuff.

[Mark E Wilson]

Funny, my bad.

[Mark E Wilson]

I checked out makecnc's scale tool. Worth every penny of the $5. We would struggle with different wood thicknesses. You would think that a hundredth or a few thousandths wouldn't make a big difference, but when you are stacking 10-12 sheets it does. We take a few caliper measurements around the material, input the values, make the suggested scale adjustment, and it works perfect. Honestly we chased our tail a little and threw out a lot of work in the past.

Dave, you are a great designer.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Thanks Mark,

It gives me something to brighten the day when cutting thousands of the same pieces gets boring :)

cheers

Dave

[john passek]

Love the projects. I would love to have the time and patience to beable to design and build these types of projects. What would be a good 3D CAD) program for a beginner to get his feet wet with.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Hard call John,

Likely Rhino 3d as a base point.

I use Solidworks, AutoCAD and Rhino to do most of my stuff but that can be expensive in software license fee's if you're doing it for fun alone.

cheers

Dave

[Mark E Wilson]

Here is a new one we are working on. It is a helicopter (did I spell it right this time), OH-58.279881279882279883

[Bert Kemp]

ooooh oooh prezzy's I love prezzys LOL

[Kevin Cederquist]

Ah, the poor OH-58 Kiowa, very soon to be only a thing of the past. Probably a smart move though, very limited in high altitude places like Afghanistan.
Those models are fantastic though. I'd love to see one up close and compare the details.

[Chris DeGerolamo]

I know what you mean Mark, cut time minutes, design time months ;)

268381268382

cheers

Dave


You gonna share that CDR??? ahahhahahhaa

[Dave Sheldrake]

I don't think my accountant or the Union Pacific rights holder would be very happy if I did :)

cheers

Dave