=== VERSION 2 IS NOW AVAILABLE - https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6946673 ===

The Interceptor is a medium-sized 3D printed wing designed for high-speed flying & aerobatics. It is built for speed and features a forward-swept wing with twin tractor motors.

The Interceptor is a 1m wingspan forward-swept flying wing with twin tractor motors. It's free to download. This is a fast machine primarily designed for line of sight flying (LOS). It features a slippery 4 degree forward-swept wing with a slim reflexed airfoil. This makes the plane naturally fast, extremely precise and very stable at high speeds. The use of twin tractor motors allows for a very fast plane and eliminates dangerous torque roll too. The Interceptor can be setup with a pair of inexpensive 5 inch quadcopter motors and easily achieve a top speed of 200km/h. There is a generously sized fuselage with a sliding magnetic canopy for quick easy access.

The Interceptor is also suitable for FPV flying and comes with a range of accessories including FPV parts for Walksnail & DJI systems. This plane can be built in two different configuration, a single tail fin or twin tail fin version. I think you will enjoy building and flying the Interceptor. It is an incredible plane with excellent handling comparable to that of expensive composite pylon models.

Specifications

Wingspan = 100cm
Length = 55cm
Printed weight (PLA+) = 580g
Flying weight = 950-1250g
Airfoil = PW51
Wing area = 18dm²
Wing loading = 52-69g/dm²

Features

• Forward swept wing
• Thin semi-symmetrical airfoil with reflex
• Streamlined drag-free profile
• Twin tractor motors
• Secure sliding magnetic canopy
• Cooling air intakes & exit holes
• Fuselage hatch
• Removeable motor mounts
• Secure battery attachment plate
• Flight controller electronics tray
• Optional rear LED neopixel ring
• Differential thrust capability

NEWS

June 2024 - two changes have been made to the Interceptor. #1 The tail fin is now a separate piece so that it can be easily replaced if damaged. The original one piece part (and the one piece twin tail fin version) are now included in the accessories folder. #2 The flight controller tray has been modified so that it can be dropped in and glued instead of using slots inside the fuselage. This allows it to be removed and modified easier.

EQUIPMENT

Filament

It is recommended to use PLA+ filament for the Interceptor. Approximately 580g of filament is required. eSUN brand is recommended.

PLA+ is very easy to print and the strength & rigidity of this filament makes it highly suitable for RC planes. Please note that it can be susceptible to UV and heat damage especially when using darker colored filaments. Regular PLA is not suitable, PLA+ is much stronger.

Light-weight filaments can be used however the weight savings are not that important with the Interceptor as it has a very high power-to-weight ratio with its twin motors.

PETG, ABS & ASA filaments could also be used.

Hardware & supplies

• Carbon fiber tube 6mm x 900mm (1)
• Carbon fiber tube 6mm x 300mm (1)
• Carbon fiber rod 3mm x 320mm (2)
• Carbon fiber rod 3mm x 100mm (2)
• Carbon fiber rod 3mm x 30mm (2)
• Magnet round 6mm x 3mm (2)
• Brass heat-set insert M3 x 10mm x 5mm OD (4)
• Hex head screw M3 x 12mm (4)
• Hex head screw M3 x 8mm (8)
• Battery strap 20mm x 200mm (1)
• Velcro adhesive strip 25mm x 180mm (1)
• Push rods, ball links, clevises (2)

Servos

Two 12-13g mini sized metal geared servos are required. Measuring approx. 24x11.6x24mm.

Emax ES08MDII digital servos are highly recommended.

Motors

Two 28mm O.D. quadcopter style motors with a 19x16mm or 16x16mm bolt pattern are required. Weight ranges from 30-45g. 2204, 2207 or 2306 size.

T-Motor F series and V series motors are recommended.

Propellors

Use 5/6/7inch propellors.

ESCs

It is recommended to use two small BLHeli 40-50A ESCs or a BLHeli 4-in-1 ESC.

Battery

It is recommended to use a 4S 1500-3000 mAh or a 6S 1300-2000 mAh LiPo. Weight ranges from 175-350g. The battery bay has a width of 60mm.

The CNHL Black Series 4S 40C 2200mAh or the CNHL Black Series 6S 100C 1500mAh LiPos are recommended.

Li-ion batteries are not recommended. The power output of twin motors would likely exceed the max discharge rate of Li-ion batteries.

Glue

Super glue medium – this glue is used to join most of the parts together. It is a very strong permanent bond that cannot be easily separated. Zap-a-gap Medium CA+ is recommended.

UHU Por (or E6000) - this glue is used to join the winglets to the wings, and the wings to the fuselage. This glue is recommended for these parts as it can be removed if needed to replace damaged parts. UHU Por can also be labelled as “Expanded Polystyrene” or “Styropor”.

PRINTING

Hole size test

Before printing any of the Interceptor parts, it is recommended to print 'Hole_Size_Test.stl' from the files section. This is used to check that your 3mm & 6mm carbon fiber tubes/rods fit inside the holes in the elevons, wings & fuselage. The Interceptor has been drawn with with very small tolerances to ensure it has a tight fitting wing spar and no slop in the elevons. Unfortunately there are many variables when it comes to 3D printing and sometimes the holes can be too tight.

Print the hole size test part vertically with a single wall and about 5% infill. If you find that it is impossible to insert your carbon fiber tubes/rods into the holes, please contact me and I can send you a set of custom files.

Print bed

The 3D printed parts will fit onto a print bed no smaller than 210x210x210mm. This will be suitable for common printers such as the Creality Ender 3/5, Prusa MK3/4 & Bambu Lab range.

Layers, lines, walls & infill

A layer height of 0.2 to 0.28 can be used. Thin layers will give a better appearance, however using thicker layers will significantly speed up printing times on older slower printers.

A line width of 0.4 to 0.42 should be used.

Most of the parts should be printed using a single wall with a small amount of infill density, typically around 3% with the cubic pattern. The battery plate, flight controller tray, motor mounts & servo trays should be printed solid with 3 walls and 50% infill density.

The elevon inner parts should be printed with 3mm of bottom layers to create a solid control horn (eg. 0.2 x 15 layers).

Support & brim

A brim should be used on taller/wider parts to prevent warping and bed detachment.

The canopy front, nose, wing inners & motor mounts should be printed with support, all other parts do not require support. It is recommended to use tree style support.

Other slicer settings

Pay attention to the Z seam position for each part. The Z seam is quite noticeable on single wall prints so it’s best to hide it as much as possible.

Increasing the printing temperature & reducing the fan speed can help improve the strength of single wall PLA+ parts.

Settings for the nozzle & bed temperatures, flow, speed, retraction & cooling are very important and need to be tuned for your specific printer and type of filament.

Recommended slicer settings

Below is a list of recommended slicer settings for a PLA+ Interceptor printed with a 0.4mm nozzle. These settings have been tested on a Bambu Labs P1S with eSun PLA+ filament.

SETUP

Throw

Roll = 14mm
Pitch = 8mm

Reflex

2mm up

Centre of gravity

The CG is 20mm behind the leading edge join of the wing and fuselage. There are CG bumps underneath the wing.

ACCESSORIES

Walksnail

There are a number of canopy parts to suit most of the Walksnail cameras & VTXs. Some are two-part setups with the camera in the front of the canopy and the VTX/antenna in the rear, others have all parts built into the front section of the canopy only.

• Canopy Front Walksnail 1S Kit
• Canopy Front Walksnail Camera 14mm
• Canopy Front Walksnail Camera 19mm
• Canopy Front Walksnail Nano Kit V3
• Canopy Rear Walksnail VTX V1 Dual Antenna
• Canopy Rear Walksnail VTX V2 Single Antenna

FPV

There are two different front canopy parts available for 14x14mm or 19x19mm FPV cameras. These parts include an antenna mounting hole. There are also two different canopy parts for a pan servo. The pan servo can be positioned towards the very front of the canopy or backwards.

• Canopy Front FPV Camera 14mm
• Canopy Front FPV Camera 19mm
• Canopy Front Pan Servo Forward
• Canopy Front Pan Servo Backward

DJI

There is a two-part canopy for the DJI 03 Ait Unit.

• Canopy Front DJI 03 Air Unit
• Canopy Rear DJI 03 Air Unit

RunCam

• Canopy Front RunCam Link 19mm

Other accessories

• Fuselage Rear Twin Tail Fins - this is an alternative rear fuselage part with v-tail shaped tail fins. This part is recommended for FPV builds that have additional weight of cameras/VTXs/antennas up front in the canopy or for builds using heavy batteries (250g+). The extra weight of the second tail fin (approx. 18g) will help with battery positioning for CG.
• Motor Mount 16x16mm & Motor Mount 19x19mm - these are motor mounts with a 16x16mm & 19x19mm bolt pattern instead of the default 19x16mm.

GALLERY

HISTORY

June 7, 2024 - Interceptor_20240607.zip

• Fuselage Rear updated & Tail Fin added - a separate tail fin is now used.
• Fuselage Rear Single Tail Fin One Piece added to Accessories - this is the same part as the old Fuselage Rear.
• Fuselage Rear Twin Tail Fins One Piece added to Accessories - previously named Fuselage Rear Twin Tail Fins.
• Fuselage Mid & Flight Controller Tray updated - the flight controller tray is now glued into the fuselage instead of using slots.

March 11, 2024 - Interceptor_20240311.zip

• Motor Nacelle L/R, Motor Mount, Motor Mount 16x16mm & Motor Mount 19x19mm updated - fixed a small alignment issue. The holes were out vertically by 0.5mm.

March , 2024 - Interceptor_20240301.zip

• Canopy Rear Walksnail VTX V2 Single Antenna updated - the antenna has been raised on a small mound so it doesn't interfere with the battery below it.
• Accessories added - Canopy Front Pan Servo Backward, Canopy Front Pan Servo Forward, Canopy Front Walksnail Nano Kit V3, Canopy Front Walksnail 1S Kit, Canopy Front RunCam Link 19mm Camera, Canopy Rear DJI 03 Air Unit, Canopy Front DJI 03 Air Unit.

February 18, 2024 - Interceptor_20240218.zip

• Fuselage Mid, Motor Nacelles, Wing Inners updated - the hole for the motor wires has been enlarged to make it easier to pass the wires through.
• Fuselage Rear updated - a small notch has been cut out of the rear of the fuselage. This notch allows for installation of a UHF antenna and also allows a rear LED to be removed easier.
• Wing Outer Led Strip L & Wing Outer Led Strip R added - these wing panels have a slot behind the leading edge for an embedded LED strip. The slot measures 10mm x 2.6mm and will fit neopixel RGB strips.

February 11, 2024 - Interceptor_20240211.zip

• Instruction manual added.

January 23, 2024 - Interceptor_20240123.zip

• Motor Nacelles added, Motor Mounts & Wing Inners updated - the motor mounts have been changed from a one-piece part to a two part setup. This uses a motor mounting plate that bolts on to the nacelle making the motor removeable.

January 7, 2024 - Interceptor_20240107.zip

• Canopy Front & Rear modified - the position of the canopy join has been moved to make it easier to draw FPV accessories.
• Accessories added - Canopy Front FPV Camera 14x14, Canopy Front FPV Camera 19x19, Canopy Front Walksnail Camera 14x14, Canopy Front Walksnail Camera 19x19, Canopy Rear Walksnail VTX V1 Dual Antenna, Canopy Rear Walksnail VTX V2 Single Antenna.

December 20, 2023 - Interceptor_20231220.zip

• Fuselage Rear & Fuselage Rear Twin Tail Fins updated - the size of the tail fin has been reduced a little bit so these parts can fit onto a Prusa bed. The max part height is now 205mm.

December 16, 2023 - Interceptor_20231216.zip

• Interceptor released.

SUPPORT

If you enjoy using my planes and have a few $$ to spare, please buy me a coffee. All donations are used for drugs and hookers.

Please join my Facebook group 3D Printed RC Planes by Stunt Double for help & support. There are 10,000 members now with posts daily.