3D LabPrint Releases Landing Gear Conversion Kit for the Messerschmitt Bf 109T

Warbirds! It’s time to take flight once again. And for many model plane enthusiasts, getting ready to do this may be just a little different these days. As with so many processes, 3D printing has had a hand here too, streamlining, as well as adding speed, affordability, and a new level of quality. While you will probably still see the hobbyist tinkering at a table in the home workshop, that may be just long enough to glue parts together after they’ve come off the 3D printer. Companies like 3D LabPrint have had a lot to do with this, and previously we’ve taken a ride through history with mini-aircraft like their 3D printed RC Spitfire, the P51-D Mustang, and the Thunderbolt.

Founder Stepan Dokoupil, a Czech Republic-based designer, as well as an architect and pilot, has just informed us that now, rather than a new plane, their latest product centers around accentuating the Messerschmitt Bf 109T with a landing gear conversion kit.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109T model.

“This is another interesting extension for 3D printers and pilots who have a paved landing strip at their airfield,” Dokoupil told 3DPrint.com. “We were look[ing] for a light, cheap, simple and robust solution, and after a long development phase and flight tests we can say, this is it.”

This is still a work in progress according to Dokoupil, who states on the website that they are still ‘trying to move things further,’ and that this initial setup may test you a bit. If you check out the video below, however, you’ll see that that the wheels down process seems to be going very smoothly.

The kit can be ordered online at 3D LabPrint for only $10 (amounting to filament cost) and it includes the modified wing and rudder parts for the Messerschmitt Bf 109T, meant for use with the landing gear.

Download files for the kit will include:

• Step-by-step PDF/video user guide
• Universal STL files
• Files with start settings for Simplify3D, Cura and MatterControl slicers
• G-codes for i3 printers

Basic requirements needed:

• 3D printer
• Nozzle with 0.4mm diameter
• PLA filament
• Minimum build volume of 195 x 195 x 150 mm (or 250 x 120 x 150)
• Heated bed (recommended)

The Messerschmitt Bf 109T allows for superior flying performance—and the 3D LabPrint team assures that enthusiasts will find the quality of this unique model to be either comparable to those made traditionally, or even better. Both the wing and the fuselage feature reinforcements which allow for proper rigidity while maintaining a light weight and exact air foil structure.

“This perfect and exact 3D structure is possible only due to additive 3D printing technology,” says Dokoupil, who is fond of welcoming users to the 21st century of model flying.

Along with the conversion kit, all of the planes are easy to assemble, requiring no extra tools. Only glue is required for what little assembly there is, and help is included in a video guide that takes you through step by step. Once in the air, you can look forward to watching your craft fly for seven minutes or more at full throttle, exceeding 150 kph, and with a low stall speed easily achieved for that smooth landing. Is this a kit you might order? Let’s talk about it over in the 3D Printed Landing Gear Conversion Kit forum at 3DPB.com.