Ariel

Diacov 1000 would be my choice. Tough as old boots and no issues in the sun. Got to be worth a metre from Sarik to test and see what you think of it. https://www.sarikhobbies.com/product/diacov-1000-adhesive-film-for-model-aircraft/ and the Diatex website https://www.diatex.com/diatex-produit/covering-fabric-diacov-1000/

Very happy with my Ender 5 S1 with the Klipper Sonic pad. Depends a lot on what you want to do but the Ender is less expensive than the Bambu labs printers and works fine for my requirements. Even with Klipper 3D prints are measured in hours rather than minutes.

Have a look at Bartsharp https://www.bartsharpairbrush.co.uk I got mine from them, very helpful and quick delivery. It's worth emailing them with what you want to do with it and they will advise on the setup to go for. If you want to spray wings and things an airbrush isn't ideal. Something bigger is needed really. Great for detail and small areas. Also, I can imagine solvent based paints would make the airbrush a pain to clean. I use Vallejo acrylics. It's fun but there is a bit of a learning curve.

Result. Tenacity wins the day again! Will check out OpenCore Patcher. Maybe bring my old iMac back to life.

I'm just speculating from what it says in the link. Note: Fusion 360 will continue to work on the operating system after the March update, but will no longer continue to update. Eventually it will stop functioning correctly, as it no longer meets the minimum system requirements to run Fusion 360. As it's primarily an internet based program (from the login to use point of view) it's possible that they just turned off the servers that Handle that version. Post the question on the Autodesk Forum for a definitive answer.

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/End-of-life-for-Fusion-360-on-macOS-10-15-Catalina-Windows-8-1-Windows-10-Version-1803-older-Effective-March-2023.html This might be the root of the problem given that it's 12 months since they stopped supporting it. Hopefully not.

There have been a few issues recently with Fusion hanging and being slow. I'm running the free version on an M2 Mac Mini / Sonama and also on a 2014 MacBook / Monterey. It's been a bit Flaky on both at times It seems to be a network issue at their end judging by the little messages that pop up, so don't despair just yet. (Link to Auto Desk trouble shooting page and suggestions.) https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Fusion-360-hangs-freezes-on-startup-on-Mac-OS.html#:~:text=Check if the issue is,Network Preferences in Fusion (macOS) If the link doesn't work try a plain text search in Google. Should get you somewhere near an answer.

Plus one for the Scam attempt. Lifestream the bank said so maybe there is another one. Cards blocked by the bank and new ones being sent to my home address. Great, except i'm not there. Setting up two stage verification on all my transactions from now on. Seems like a pain until something like this happens!

You have no idea how much I want a Glider right now!

Those look good! Festivities and travels over I should be back at the bench next week so I'll see what I can come up with. I think I can still get a better quality print once I get Klipper dialled in. There's a lot to learn before you start! All in all very pleased with the printer though.

Same on Safari

There is a video on the Easy composites website where they use coating resin but I'm not sure how well acrylic paint would stick.I guess it's going to require some testing. I'll run a few more rabbits off and see how they come out with various finishes.

I have printed a pilot's head and I was wondering what techniques everyone uses to prepare the surface for painting. It's not bad at the moment though the printer will stand a bit more tuning, but I can see the lines showing up once the primer hits it. I would like to get the surface as smooth as possible. It's printed in grey Creality Hyper PLA. First serious attempt other than a few rabbits for the grandchildren. They seem happy!

Thanks for the encouragement PDB. I made the mistake of trying to do the setup while I was doing something else at the same time. Should have known better! Hopefully I will get it to print something this weekend. Erflog, I'm no expert on Fusion 360 but I am beginning to get a grip on it. It is counter intuitive in some ways especially coming from older 2D software. I usually start with a simple version of what I want to do until I figure out how the tools work. For your exhaust stack you could try sweeping between profiles along a path. If you haven't seen it already this might help. https://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/?guid=SLD-SWEEP-SOLID If you do it as a New Component you can delete the sketches and try again until you get it right without messing up the Timeline. I found that getting my head around the 'Project' and 'Project Intersect' commands made a huge difference. Timeline still catches me out occasionally but No retreat, No surrender as Bruce Springsteen once said. Good luck.

ok, scrub that. Senior moment. Turns out it doesn't have a Z axis limit switch. My fault entirely. It's always what you think you know rather than what you don't know that trips you up. Now, where's that Rabbit Hole?!

Not an enjoyable experience so far. All assembled and stands up by itself but that's about it. As part of the Black Friday Deal it came with the Sonic Pad. Switched on followed the instructions and after manually levelling the bed etc. I pressed next and it promptly drove the Hot End nozzle into the front left corner of the Hot Bed because the touch probe is missing the bed by 10mm. The sonic pad downloaded and flashed it's firmware when I connected it to my network and the Printer profile is definitely the right one. Even the picture on the icon is the same. Ender 5 S1 with CR Probe. I have emailed Creality but they are not falling over themselves to reply. Any one come across this before or have any ideas? Doesn't appear to be a phone number for Creality UK? ( This should probably be in the 3D printers Thread. Sorry! )

Thanks. Should be interesting. If it's enjoyable too , I'll call that a win

So... the bullet is bitten and the die is cast. I went for Ender 5 S1. Should be here some time next week. Thanks again for taking an interest.

That's all very useful food for thought. I think deciding on what the workflow will be and what I want it to do is very sound advice. Fusion 360 will definitely want to bite your toes off when you first dip them in but I'm starting to get to grips with it now and it's becoming more intuitive. There's a Fusion way of doing things which seems to be different from other CAD packages especially when you started out with French curves and a drawing board in your youth. What is important to me in a printer is Reliability and Resolution. (not looking like a ploughed field). I think I will do a dry run starting with something in Fusion and then using some of the other software to get to a point where it would be ready to print. That should throw up any potential gotchas. As always thanks for the advice. The great thing about this forum is that there are always people who have experience and are willing to share it. Appreciated.

Thanks for the advice chaps. I'm moving into the realms of which one and file types. I absolutely agree that doing is leaning whilst trying to avoid painting myself into a corner. More complicated than it looks on the surface. Thanks for reining me in.

Thanks for the speedy reply! Interesting to hear your thoughts on Fusion. Is the export issue a 'Feature" of the personal licence? Which design software did you settle on? I'm pretty much sold on the idea of getting a printer but getting the design front end is going to be important too. Also thanks for the last comment. I will use that when a new lump appears on the bench. 'I've had that for ages' is beginning to sound a bit implausible.

Anyone have experience of the Ender-5 S1 3D Printer? Some rather good deals on at the moment and I'm very tempted. I'm Mac based using Fusion 360 Personal Licence if that is relevant. Thinking about printing Wheels and scale parts. Maybe as a base for plugs for cowls etc. Also what filament is most useful to get with it and what else will I need? What do we all think, good idea?

I bought these from Amazon uk and they work really well. You can nip the set glue off with a scalpel to open the tube up again. I guess you could think of them as self sealing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-Tips-Precision-Applicator-Dispensing-Dispensers/dp/B086SSLKYH/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1VOL20EL7LJ0W&keywords=glue+micro+tips&qid=1700125535&sprefix=glue+mic%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-10

https://nebulapaintproducts.uk/products/mipa-high-build-white-primer-filler-400ml Might be worth a look. MDS an TDS are available if you scroll down the page.

Good to know, thanks. At least I now know it wasn't the last 'update'