Bluebird K7 Hydroplane Model Kit

###1:28 scale printed at 50%, finished model is 11" in length

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Donald Campbell's famous but ill-fated Bluebird K7, as it was configured at the time of his final 1967 attempt at the world water speed record at Coniston.

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I've yet to design the transparent side-skirts, but those are probably best cut from clear acrylic or plastic. The strakes are included as a separate file for those printing at a smaller scale and would rather use thicker aluminum foil.

I've included a punch/die style cutout for heat forming a clear canopy. It is 1/1 with the included canopy file, and can be resized depending on the thickness of clear plastic used.

The rectangular alignment plugs are also 1/1 and should be re-sized accordingly.

Also included are parts for a split float for easier printing on a flat surface without supports.

More up-to-date files will be included as I incorporate details from my SketchUp render file to the model, as well as inevitable structural changes to aid with printing/part alignment.

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edit 05/03/22

Thickened cockpit walls and canopy rails for easier printing at smaller scales.

Added new front cockpit with fairings incorporated. I'd suggest starting with this one before finding the fairings are too thin! All components labelled "alt" have modifications for improved printing.

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edit 06/03/22

Added new solid canopy for use with heat-forming.

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edit 08/03/22

Front struts and floats now have alignment pegs.

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edit 21/11/22

Changes made to nose profile. "Bluebird Front Alt" is now the more accurate model.

Cura is still flagging it as non-watertight/manifold, but I suspect it's an incredibly small hole because it's not actually visible in Meshmixer, SketchUp, or Cura.

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edit 18/07/24

Higher poly rear float + added alignment block for float halves.