Intro
After initially finding and identifying the Bearcat, I returned with Drew Wilson to conduct a second dive to get photos for a model of this very nice aircraft wreck. The resulting photogrammetry model won the Underwater Photographer of the Year Award for the Wreck Category in 2023.
A while after that Drew surprised me with a very nice gesture: he 3D printed a version of the model which turned out very nicely and even included the finer details like a stick in the cockpit, the de-laminated prop, etc.
Painting the Model
For a long time, I had wanted to get the model painted but it kept getting put on the back-shelf and then I finally did something about it. Tyler had done some research and recommended Mike at Glue, Paint, and Plastic. I sent him photos of the model and a link to the on-line photogrammetry model. He has a pretty long queue so it took some time, but I recently received the model back from Mike. He even built a little 3D box to protect the propellers during shipment (one had busted on the shipment out to him).
He also built a nice base for the model and a little placard to provide some information. It turned out very nice:
Mike does all kinds of work so I highly recommend contacting him if you want to get a model built, painted, etc.
Mike made a cool video of the plane in his shop before he sent it back:
Thanks To…
- Drew for 3D printing the model for me — much appreciated!
- Tyler for spurring me on to finally get it painted
- Mike, of course, for doing such a nice job
