YF23 Coming Soon

I was lucky enough to receive a set of declassified drawings of the Northrop YF23 stealth fighter from an aerospace enthusiast who happened to buy one of my SR71 Blackbird Models. I was immediately taken its curves and the challenge of modelling this prototype and optimising it as a 3D printed model.

It took me 11 attempts to model this aircraft from the drawings provided, I was never sure I could do it justice. I discovered eventually that the key to getting it right was reading up about the design intent behind the curves and angles and realising that not a single surface is the way it is, by accident. I finally suceeded in approximating this beauty buy staying absolutely true to the 2D profiles.

A couple of samples of the drawings I received. I thought I might go blind staring at them.

My favorite part was modelling the intake ducts and exhaust outlets. Air is sucked into ducts beneath the wing and exits above the wing. Probably the most challenging part which took me days.

The first test prints at a smaller scale. The aim is to get enough detail for a 1/35th scale model.

The finished model with more texture detail and optimisation to fit smaller printers will be available for download on Pinshape and Cults 3D very soon!