{"id":1741,"date":"2007-01-28T06:11:11","date_gmt":"2007-01-28T14:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fichtenfoo.net\/blog\/?p=1741"},"modified":"2009-02-12T06:12:28","modified_gmt":"2009-02-12T14:12:28","slug":"in-progress-%c2%bb-ornithopter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fichtenfoo.net\/blog\/in-progress-%c2%bb-ornithopter\/","title":{"rendered":"In Progress \u00c2\u00bb Ornithopter"},"content":{"rendered":"

03.06.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Concepts
\n\/ Intro<\/p>\n

For the Minimal G project I am also
\ncreating an ornithopter. An ornithopter is an
\naircraft that creates lift and propulsion by flapping
\nwings rather than by propellers, rockets, or jet
\nengines. This will be a small, single-rider ornithopter
\nfor recreational use created in the Kingdom of
\nHochebene. The pilot will lay on the mid surface
\nof the craft holding a control-bar. The feet will
\nrest behind on a foot-bar. Both can contour to
\nthe pilots position. If the pilot lays flat, the
\nfoot rest extends back and the control bar lowers.
\nIf the pilot pulls back for a landing or other
\nmaneuver, the foot rest shortens and control bar
\nextends so that the pilot can bend and pull the
\ncraft.<\/p>\n

I want this craft to have an elegant
\nappearance. Since it’s a civilian craft, there
\nwill be no weapons and the wings will be more
\nornate in appearance than an ornithopter meant
\nfor labor or military use. Below is a few top-down
\nsketchs of what I’m thinking. I like the bat-like
\nwings of the first one better so will go with
\nthose. The second sketch shows where the front
\nlanding gear will be when in flight and the rear
\nfins stretched out.<\/p>\n

As for construction, I’ll be using
\nmiscellaneous parts for the frame as well as the
\ncreation or many new ones from scratch. I have
\na small servo motor that runs slow. I’ll be using
\nthat to make the wings flap up and down. The pilot
\nwill be a woman I’m sculpting from Magic Sculpt.
\nSince she’s a civilian, I’m thinking to add to
\nthe elegant look, I’ll put her in a dress as if
\nshe’s using the craft to go out on the town so
\nto speak. Can’t all be machines of war! As for
\nthe wings themselves, I need a material that is
\ndurable, yet flexible so that it flaps a bit when
\nthe wings move. Perhaps model aircraft paper which
\nlooks like a parchment, or some sort of clear
\nfrosted plastic for a really unique look.<\/p>\n

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03.16.2006 \u00c2\u00bb First
\nBuild Shots<\/p>\n

I started back on this today. I
\nhad some of the figure sculpted while I was working
\non the Mosquito as a good way to use up leftover
\nMagic Sculpt without wasting it. In fact all I
\ndid today was clean-up some of the right leg and
\nstart the left one. The figure will start off
\nnude until I get the proportions right then a
\ndress will be added.<\/p>\n

You can see that the main body of
\nthis craft, which uses some leftover bits of the
\nMe-109s isn’t very large. The wings however will
\nbe big and besides, ornithopters should be light
\nto fly like a bird.<\/p>\n

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03.18.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Spread
\nYour Wings!<\/p>\n

The past few days I’ve been adding
\nmore MS to get the shape of the lower fuselage
\nhow I want it. When dry I’ll start sanding it
\ninto shape as right now it’s a misshapen blob.
\nIt would be easier to form the shape, but I had
\nthe wires sticking out the back and the motor
\nhatch to worry about. They needed to be there
\nso I can get the putty on correctly, but I’ll
\nremove them before sanding. While that was drying
\nI started the wing spars and the front landing
\ngear. I love the front gear as they have an almost
\nbug-anteanna look to them. They need to stick
\nout that far to not hit the conrods and crank
\nmechanisms for flapping the wings. I added a little
\nspring inbetween the wheel rod and strut to make
\na sort-of “shock absorber” as you can
\nsee in the pics below. For the figure, I finished
\nthe face I think (not pictured… doh!) and the
\nlegs to the point where I can add the tall boots.<\/p>\n

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03.19.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Feeling
\nCranky<\/p>\n

Today I did a little more on the
\nfigure sculpt, but the most exciting part of the
\nprogress was getting the crank mechanism to function.
\nI made several cranks and 2 sets of “conrods”
\nbefore I got just the right flapping. Originally
\nI used brass for the conrods but switched to steel
\nwire for several reasons. 1: it’s naturally a
\ndark metal so won’t requite painting which is
\ngreat since the paint is sure to chip from the
\nfriction. 2: The steel while slightly flexible
\nis rather rigid and difficult to bend. That means
\nI won’t have as much worry about damaging the
\nrods. I still need to trim the excess, but I can
\ndo that much later when I’m doing the final build.<\/p>\n

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03.22.2006 \u00c2\u00bb Wing
\nand a Gown<\/p>\n

At this point I have the wings nearly
\ndone with the frosted acetate as the wing material.
\nI also did a lot of sanding to the fuselage and
\nstarted the rear supports for the foot-rest and
\ntail. The support-bars for the handels are also
\nin place. Figure-wise I have started the dress.
\nWhat you see below is the very early stages of
\nthat with much clean-up and some added detail
\nto follow. Now that the control supports are in
\nplace, I can adjust the wire to make the forearms,
\nshoulders, and neck. The tall boots for the dressy
\ndesert crosser are still in need of clean-up and
\ndetail as well including laces on the upper rear
\nand more sole details. I’m happy with the results
\nso far as this is my first full figure sculpt.<\/p>\n

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01.28.2007 \u00c2\u00bb 10 Months
\nLater…<\/p>\n

Been a while since I’ve worked on
\nthis, let alone looked at it… but I’ve resolved
\nto finish up a few old projects that I’ve put
\noff and this seemed like a good start. I realized
\nthat I made more progress than I actually showed
\nin my last update. The pilot has arms and hair
\nhad been cleaned up and primed. It was the little
\nthings that I needed to clean up after I primed
\nher that made me put the project aside for so
\nlong… I just didn’t feel like doing it. But
\nnow I do… I started cleaning up some of the
\ngaps, dents, and whatnot on the pilot, modified
\nand cleaned up the boots, cleaned up the hair
\nand reprimed. I do have some more clean-up to
\ndo and another reprime coming, but she’s looking
\ngood. The ornithopter itself needed a little clean-up
\nas well. That didn’t take long and it’s pretty
\nmuch ready for primer and paint. I added a footrest
\nfor the pilot made from thick thread woven back
\nand forth on the rear frame. Here’s some pics:<\/p>\n

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