I haven't even purchased a 3d printer yet ( I have a few on the "hot "list, though).

The background...

My grandson broke a tiny (less than one inch high) plastic rudder on his airplane.
That part isn't available until OCTOBER 2015 from the manufacturer!

That got the discussion going (again) on whether or not we should buy a 3D printer at this time.

( I was an early investor (not early enough) in both 3DSystems and Stratasys...so I know little bit about the process)

The 3D printer's use would be two-fold. Teach the grandkids ( ages 8-11-13) the new technology AND make a copy of the missing rudder.

The teaching part is obvious. The machine would be housed at Grandpa's house until we got it up and running and we did some initial experimentation and training for the kids. The printer would then be moved to their house for more continuous experimentation and use.

The more practical issue, though, is ....assuming it was legal...how do I take a picture of the broken airplane piece (glued back together); convert that picture into a usable computer format; and what program do I use to convert the picture into a slice-ready image? etc.

I don't want to buy a 3D printer and then be limited to only buying ready-made images and toys over the internet.

Any and all help appreciated. Thank you, Rich