F117 Nighthawk

thingiverse

I've always been fascinated by aircraft, and my family's history as United States Air Force pilots may have contributed to this interest. I decided to focus on modeling a specific class of USAF planes - those born from the Skunkworks division. These cutting-edge aircraft propelled our nation forward with unmatched speed, range, and stealth capabilities worldwide. The team at Skunkworks consistently pushed boundaries, embracing innovation and taking calculated risks for groundbreaking results. Their designs are truly awe-inspiring feats of engineering that fuel personal growth by offering fresh perspectives on these remarkable objects. I'm releasing these models as I complete each one, hoping everyone will appreciate the effort. Below are my print settings: Printer: Prusa i3 mk2 Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: User discretion (below 0.25mm) Infill: 15-30% Rectilinear (depending on scale) Notes: PLA (1.75mm) with a 5mm brim for one layer, 50c Bed temperature, and 212c Extruder temperature (210c remaining layers). No fan. Room temperature is around 73F, and relative humidity is between 10-20%. Post-printing steps: Merge two halves using 2-part epoxy, allowing 5 minutes for setting time to align the pieces as closely as possible based on adhesion quality. After drying, clean out the seam and fill it with a toothpick full of epoxy. Wait 30 minutes before wiping off excess with a lint-free towel. Wet or dry sand the entire body with 320-grit sandpaper, focusing on planar surfaces only to maintain accurate light dispersion around hard lines specific to this aircraft design. Next steps are user-discretionary. As part of a fleet of low-poly Skunkworks craft, I'm applying a matte final coat in the major color specific to each model - for this one, it's matte Black. 1st Round of Primer 1st Round of Wet Sanding and Glazing Putty Wet Sanded the Putty down 2nd Primer Coat and Wet Sanded after Putty 3rd Primer Coat Wet Coat of Primer One more top coat will complete this post. Design Process Top View of Design Table Top View of Design Table in Edge View Front View of Design Table Front View of Design Table in Edge View Side View of Design Table Side View of Design Table in Edge View