ALL OF
THE MODELS YOU SEE HERE WERE MADE FROM PAPER (A FEW PLASTIC
PARTS).
TIME FROM PRINTER TO DISPLAY STAND WAS ONE DAY TO ABOUT THREE
WEEKS.
Questions? Comments? Requests? iconoclast@therealmidori.com
Sikorsky S-389
customized (22 inch span) __ The Yellow Goose DH-JKN __ The Navy G-21
Goose
The Yellow Goose
DH-JKN --Wing Floats are same as the J2F Duck -- Everything is paper
(card) except the tyres. 1/32 scale.
The scratch-build
Travel Air 4000. The Wright Cyclone engine was made of laminated grey
papier Maché egg carton, shaped on a band saw and then affixed
with pushrods, oil cooler, rockerarms, crankcase and sparkplug wires.
(Engine about 1.75 inches or 4.45 Cm). Not quite accurate but I like
it. I'll try a D4d next. About 20 hours over 3 weeks. 1:28th
scale.
All card except a few small engine parts (and the stand, of course).
With the pedigree this plane has, it should fly as long as the owners
can find parts for the engines.
Cost for materials, including paint: probably less than $2
US.
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Sopwith Triplane. The
first triplane to enter military service. This excellent, nimble
fighter paved the way for all triplanes to follow.
It was withdrawn in favor of the Camel in July 1917...100 years ago!
To say this 33rd scale card plane was a challenge is an
understatement.
Sopwith Camel F.1,
1:33rd scale. Rigging was the most difficult part.
On the right: A 1/33rd
scale Curtiss Robin with a Kinner K5 engine. 14.5 inch span. Paper
with wood undercarriage struts.
Notta Vega; Notta
Lysander; Notta Norseman; Notta Stinson. Notta Howard. Modeled on the
Lockheed Vega but customized to suit me.
1:33 scale. 13 inch span. Time to complete: five days. I'm working on
another, slightly different, slightly larger. All paper.
The original Vega,
designed by Jack Northrup and Gerald Vultee for the Lockheed Company,
was constructed of laminated
plywood compressed in half sections into a concrete mold and nailed
and glued together. Because the wing spar could not cut through the
fuselage,
it was attached to the top. Visibility was poor in front, to the
sides and below. The only thing the pilot could see from the flight
deck was the sky.
I lengthened the cowling, widened the windscreen and added the large
windows. I'll call it the Nova Vega.
Above images: The painted larger and different Vega. I'm going to try
to replicate Amelia's 5B Vega using 3-views and photos from the
web.
Completed model on stand. 16.5 inch span. Engine was made of
laminated egg carton, cut on a band saw, pushrods, crankcase,
sparkplug wires added.
Amelia's "Little Red Bus." 1:28th scale. All paper. About 10 hours
total. Cost: less than $2 US. Cover paper, pizza boxes, cracker
boxes, egg cartons. white glue, paint.
ABOVE: A scratch build
Lockheed Sirius with the Nova Vega I built earlier. I relied on net
photos and three views to fabricate this 1:33rd scale model. That's
why the fixed landing gear is there. By the time it reached this
stage, it had morphed into a combination of Sirius, Altair,
Laird-Turner Meteor and the Boeing P-26. All paper, cereal boxes, egg
cartons, spray enamel, felt pens for little details. Cost about $1.00
and two weeks time. I'll call it R U Sirius? Not quite, I guess. After I built this Sirius, I
found and purchased the Fiddlers Green model, which I have yet to
build. The great feature of card models is that you can alter and
customize your favorite airplanes any way you want. How many people
have models like these?
LEFT ABOVE: Piper J3 Cub at
1:33rd scale. 13.5" span. Cost about $2.00 US. It took me ten years
to build this little card plane. I started and quit four times
because I couldn't figure
out how to make the engine and cowling so it looked "real." Then one
day I picked up a paper punch. Outerzone plan really
helped.
On the RIGHT above and
on the LEFT below is a 1:33rd scale Piper Pawnee with an 8 cylinder
radial engine. Yep, paper punch for the cylinders.
Time about six hours. Cost about $1.00 US. I used an Outerzone plan
for reference to build the Pawnee. Span 12.5 inches.
BELOW RIGHT: Piper Super Cub revista with side numbers. BELOW:
Aeronca Champ revista as a tail dragger. Originally on floats. Looks
better this way.
The Pipers and the Aeronca
all have about 12.5" to 14" spans. Cost for all four planes was less
than $8.00 US.
1939 Nationals winner. Keith Rider R4 "Firecracker" at 1/2 inch
scale. 9 inch span. Three days. Cost about $1.00 U.S.
Chester "Goon" racing plane of the 1930s. My repaint. It was yellow
and green but I have too many yellow models.
1/24th scale gives this model a 9-1/2 inch span. Took me about a week
to figure out how to attach the wings and
I finally just butt glued them on. Seemed to work okay. Cost: less
than $1.00 US.
My rebuild/repaint of the
Cessna CR3 Racer at 1/2 inch equal 1 foot. 9-1/4 inch span. Fixed
gear because I think it looks cool.
Reshaped tail feathers, cowling and canopy. Basically a new airplane.
The great thing about card models is that you can alter them any way
you wish.
80 pound cover paper, egg carton for wheel spats. About one week slow
work, cost less than $1.00 US.
Nikolai Polikarpov's
nifty little Rat. I thought about building this I-16 for three or
four years before I worked up the fortitude to do it.
Proceeded slowly for nearly a week, using 80 pound cover paper and a
few strips of 20 pound bond. Finished it by sealing the paper with
white spray enamel,
then detailing it with water based paint and a couple of scrap box
decals. Scale: 1x33. 9.5 inch span. Cost about US$1.00 with the
stand.
The kit has plenty of small pieces but you can build a nice little
model if you persevere and follow the pictures.
I struggled with this scratch
build Stinson SR6 off and on for about four years trying to work out
how to construct the gull wing so it looked "real."
Finally, on December 7th, 2018, I completed this 1:33rd scale card
plane. It is not absolutely accurate, but close enough to qualify as
a "keeper." Span is 18 inches.
I used an Outerzone stick and paper plan with Wiki photos to
fabricate this model. Now I'll try to do a scratch build Stinson
108-2 Voyager as 1:33rd scale.
Fokker D8 at 1/32nd
scale. This is the third model of this plane that I have made. The
first at 1/48th I gave to my daughter.
The second at 1/32nd I gave to a neighbor kid who wanted it. I'll
keep this one.
Ryan FR-1 "Fireball.
I've wanted to build this model for many years. This aircraft (#117)
was assigned to VF-1E at North Island, San Diego, California, and
deployed aboard USS Badoeng Strait CVE116 during the Korean Conflict.
I hand drew the VF-1E Insignia (Firebirds) and colored it with felt
markers. 1/33rd scale. Cost about $3.00 US and two weeks time. I
redesigned it three times before I was satisfied with the completed
model. Lots of paper in the trash bin.
Fiddlers Green J2F Duck. My rebuild/repaint @1:33 scale. I thought
this would be an easy build but I had to try it four times before I
worked out how to assemble the model in the proper sequence. There
are several little tricks you must perform if you really want a
realistic airplane. I gave this Duck an RAF paint job because I have
plenty of USAF and USN airplanes. I'll pretend it is assigned to
Costal Command during WWII. I sealed the assembled model with white
spray paint, then painted it with acrylic paint , then clear acrylic
after applying the roundels. 80# cover paper, papier maché egg
carton for the tyres and some cracker box strips for the fuselage to
wing and interwing and stabilizer braces.
A "RAREPLANE." This scratch-built card model is my version of the
Chech Avia 51. I could not find plans anywhere, so I "winged it." Pun
intended.
Avia total production run: three (3). One was observed in service
with the Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War (this
livery). The other two were
lost when the ship transporting them to Bilbao was sunk during that
conflict. I modified the fuselage engine by shortening the cowling
and I added bracing to
the long main undercarriage strut. 80 # cover paper, cracker box card
for struts and stiffeners for fin and stabilizer; papier maché
laminate for wheel spats.
18 inch wing span. Two weeks of leisure cutting, glueing and
painting. Finished with clear enamel. Cost: less than $2.00 US. Nice
addition to my 300+ plane collection.
The most astonishing thing is that I built this rare Avia model the
first time I tried. And in only two weeks without plans!
This is a scratch-built Japanese Scout floatplane designed from the
"Jake," but not the Jake. Approximately 1:40th scale. All card. About
a week slow work. Cost $2.00 U.S.
Roundels were hand made. The floats were a bitch.
Back in the day the skies above Pensacola, FLorida were filled with
these SNJs as cadets trained to become U. S. Navy pilots.
Approximately 1:40th scale.
All card and paper. About one week easy cut and paste. All roundels
were hand made. Cost about $2.00 U.S.
This is a scratch built card model combo of a FW-190 and a Saab J-22.
Just another model to add to my collection and occupy my time.
About 1:40 scale. The manji (right turning swaztikas) and side
numbers were hand made. Cost about $1.00 U.S.
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Another "Fantasy Plane" at 1:40 scale. Bell Aircobra fuselage with
F-86 wings and tail. "Flying Tiger" Teeth. Cost about $1.00
U.S.
A scratch-built 1929
OX-5 American Eagle 1/32nd scale. My father-in-law's first plane.
Number is real.
Stuart Duncan Tomson was a barnstormer back in the day. Worked for
Boeing as a production test pilot (B-17s and B-29s) during WWII.
Some people just have all the luck! I used a Cleveland plan to build
this model.