In the early days of stealth there was a design nicknamed the “Surprise Fighter”. This concept featured a variety of unusual features and got me itching to try my own goofy wedge shaped flat bottomed airplane concept. Overall HX-3 represents a fictional “X-Plane” stealth demonstrator trying a different early design technique to achieve stealth. In this case, an entirely flat bottom. So how would an airplane designed using only flat faces AND with an entirely flat bottom possibly look? Cuneus is what was in my head! Once the fully flat bottomed was selected as the driving constraint of this faceted concept the nose became distinctly wedge like to provide a big enough cockpit. Like the real historical “Surprise Fighter” concept, a V-tail seemed to fit nicely with a trapezoidal nozzle closing out the wedge shaped fuselage. The final tricky design problem would be where to put the inlet? Even as a fictional model like this, turns out the main landing gear would be a big influence! To give room for the landing gear the inlet would have to be either on the sides or on the top. If on the sides, it would mean 2 inlets with potentially poor performance while also compromising stealth. Therefore a raised dorsal inlet was selected and thrown on its back to close it out.

This model is roughly a 1/72 scale airplane, 6.4” long, designed around a posable Hogwerks 1” pilot figure and/or other 1” posable figures like from the Jazwares Micro Galaxy line. Cuneus also features a movable canopy as well as movable landing gear. To complete you will need: 1--A resin printer, try FDM at your risk 2--CA glue 3--1mm x 1mm magnets 4--0.52mm steel piano wire 5--For a clear canopy and sensor window: clear resin + high gloss quick shine floor finish or other high gloss clear coat; the more it can self-level the clearer the finish can be! 6--I recommend wet sanding for all resin printing, less dust and can get real smooth finishes! 7--Misc small modeling hand tools such as xacto knife, sprue cutters, pin drill (hand or powered) 8--Lack of friends 9--A proclivity for airplanes, really an obsession. Probably an obsession for airplanes that encourages your loved ones to wonder if you should be diagnosed with autism, or really already have said neuro divergent tendencies towards flying machines. Aren’t airplanes cool? Seriously. Probably the coolest. You should stop reading this now and just start building one of these! Maybe even 2!