"3D Print a Walk-About Flight Stand?" Topic

You know those big flight stands they use for certain air-combat games? The ones with a 6-foot pole and a triangular, wheeled base?

Has anyone tried making a version that could be 3D-printed? (Well, not the pole…)

Nope.

Seems like for such a large item, it would be much cheaper and easier to make from scratch, using various materials.

With a 3-D footprint to support a 6' pole, it'd cost a fortune to print out. Probably more than many people's aircraft collections, unless they're a really committed aerial gamer.

Knowing how much I've paid for little 1/700th aircraft to be printed, as well as for 1/144th scale armor, I suspect the price even for a WSF print would be horrifyingly high.

If you had a home printer the best you would do is print connectots for poles. Say a connection that held the polke and say 3 or 4 side pieces and then possible the other end to hold the castors. Commecially the wouold be a non starter, cheaper to buy the printer.

Yeah why would you 3D print that? A trip to Home Depot would get you everything you need cheaper and faster. And in quantity.

THe main problem I see is weight. Plastic would be too light unless you add weights. If you are adding weights you might as well start off with wood.

Now for 6 or 10mm? Hmmmm.

As a side note, there are templates for the Mustangs and Messerschmitts bases listed on their yahoo group.

You can use that, if desired, and produce to any size.

I'd go with a thicker, heavier, probably weighted base, just to make sure the whole thing stays upright, when models are suspended at 6' high.

You can have them custom cut by someone out of wood, or plexiglass. I think I'd go with 1" to 2" thick material.

2" thick plex will be crazy expensive too, but virtually indestructible.

IIRC, Reviresco used to sell the M&M trolleys in two sizes, cast from lead.

There's a little, tabletop model for 1/300th aircraft, and a larger one, both with metal bases. I doubt even the larger one would work with 6' poles – it's probably better for 1/72 scale aircraft on a tabletop.

If someone would make one master, and a mold from it, casting it in lead would be ideal, since it would provide the stability required, but again, it would be crazy expensive to buy, not to mention probably cost prohibitive to ship.

Even the tiny and little bases mentioned above were pretty expensive. The kits slightly less so.

This is how I did it.

runtus.org/page13.htm

Small steel plate; small pipe socket; dowel. About 0.5 metres high and quite stable.