Fabrication / object
F1
wing.
I made a Formula One front wing from 3D-printed pieces, then assembled, sanded and painted it until it looked like the real thing.
Getting the shape right.
The wing is based on the 2024 Singapore GP Mercedes Petronas livery. A front wing is all about its proportions, centre section and layered elements, so the challenge was keeping that character and assembling it from over 30 separate pieces.
Printing was only the start.
It took about 35 printed pieces, which I glued together with superglue. I filled the gaps with wood filler which needed sanding down by hand using a sanding block and both wet and dry sanding.
The hardest part was the alignment: getting everything in position and looking as desired. Painting was the easiest part, because the masking and design were less tricky, and I was able to get stickers for the livery and the more intricate details.
The entire project took about 3 months while juggling school work, football and Young Enterprise.
The finished wing.
Finished wing / mounted on the wall
What I took from it
Finishing is what makes it.
This project showed me the difference between making something and finishing it. The shape needed to be right, but it was the sanding, painting and livery that made the wing look deliberate rather than unfinished.