All in the Details...

I have been progressing on the M41 the last few days. Both with CAD and with physical modeling techniques.

One of the latest details I found lacking was the M41 drive idler. The kit part has two problems; 1) its the wrong shape 2) it does not have the holes carved out of it for weight reduction. There was no way to modify the kit part, and the shape would not be easy to replicate correctly by hand. This is were I turned to CAD once again. Using the kit part for size reference as well as correct connection points to the kit I was able to rebuild it with the help of several reference images.

As you can see, the cad software was able to easily recreate the proper shape of the drive idler. Much better!

Defining the Muzzle Brake

I have been doing a bit more research on the M41 and have found I modeled the muzzle brake inaccurate. This was due to using the original kit piece as a reference, A mistake I should have realized. But with a quick Google search I was able to pull a photo of the real brake. Using this I have remodeled the CAD drawing and it will print with realistic detail.

Reference Image:

You will notice the protruding tabs, in the kit part these did not extend past the outer ring. Mistake #1.

You will also notice there is a recessed hole on the bottom (and top) of the muzzle brake. The kit had them as embossed details with square corners. A close look finds these are indented and have arches on each end. Mistake #2.

It was a simple and quick fix by editing the CAD sketch of each of these details, and now the part is ready for print and assembly onto the model.

Reworked muzzle brake:

CAD to Print; Changing the Way I Detail Models

For many years I have wanted to make my own detail parts for my model kits. I have always wanted more detail than is molded into the kit, but never wanted to buy the existing items.

I guess you could call me a maker, a person that wants the detail but wants to do it myself.

This year I made many goals, one of which was to learn a 3D CAD software package to utilize the ever changing world of 3D Printing. I am happy to say I have learned how to use Solidworks, a very powerful CAD package that lets me build most any household item or vehicle parts.

The results have been beyond my expectations!