P-51D Mustang, Paper Models International, 1/32

[ccoyle]

OK...off on a total tangent here. Every year at my school, I teach a brief (6 hours) course on card modeling. Every year, a few kids 'get it', but most aren't all that much into it and just end up boogering some models and tossing them at the end of the class.

This year's group is really bad...can't cut, can't glue, can't follow instructions, can't interpret diagrams, can't pre-visualize a finished part. Granted, these are all skills new card modelers must learn to some degree, but trust me, this group is worse than usual. I don't know why that is, but my temptation is to point a finger at the obsession today's teens have with electronics, whereas 'back in our day' there was less of that stuff available, and we actually had HOBBIES. I started building plastic models when I was six or seven, but today almost none of my students have ever touched a plastic model, let alone a card model. Heaven help these kids when they start buying IKEA furniture!

Anyways, after mangling a few postcard models, a group of students started working on some various 1/32 scale airplane kits from Paper Models International (with lots of coaching from me). These are pretty simple kits, designed in the early 90's. They're hand-drawn, have English instructions, good diagrams, formers printed on heavy card, and options for clear or opaque canopies (very crude cockpit interiors, though). Despite all the explanations, demonstrations, and free tips from me, most of these models look, well...grim.

To make a long story shorter, I intend to build this model in order to model modeling, if you catch my meaning. Therefore, I will be building it on the quick, and may possibly not even finish it once it has served its purpose (depends on how 'into it' I get). My sincere hope is that once these guys see one of these PMI kits go together, they'll catch on quicker, especially since all the kits use essentially the same construction techniques. I'm going to 'pre-fab' some of the sub-assemblies prior to class tomorrow, so that I can expedite things and keep ahead of their learning curve.

Well, wish me luck. I don't know if this will work any better, but at least I may get one decent model out of this week's efforts.

Upward!

[dto]

Hi, Chris!

The PMI P-51 is a good advanced beginner kit. That and the PMI P-40 were my first large scale paper aircraft models, and I was pleased with the results.

For the engine exhausts, I used thin plastic tubing reamed out by twirling an x-acto blade in the openings, then painted rust with black interiors. Can't remember if I used thinner plastic tubing or aluminum for the wing guns. Check to see if your landing gear tires are too skinny, and add additional discs if needed. I spun the wheels in a Dremel and gently rounded the tire edges on a sanding block, before painting the raw cardstock black.

Beware the bubble canopy. Try to pre-shape the acetate before gluing it to the canopy frame. The acetate is stiff and WANTS to spring back to its original flat shape. I recommend using a solvent-based glue (NOT superglue since it will fog the acetate), since water-based glues don't hold acetate very well and a soggy canopy frame will tear apart. In fact, I found that the canopy frame is too thin to hold the curved shape by itself, so I instead glued the acetate bubble top to the fuselage first and then added the frame to keep the gore cuts flush against each other.

You might also consider using a more flexible clear sheet, but be careful with vinyl sheet protectors. I tried that once and the vinyl melted after a quick spray of gloss coat.

Good luck with this project. I look forard to seeing your future posts.

David T. Okamura

[ccoyle]

Hey, David.

I don't plan on doing anything fancy with this kit. It will be pretty straightforward -- something the students can emulate.

Give my regards to the SMA members!

Cheers,

[dansls1]

Hope to see some pictures, I've got the very nice metallic Mustang from Halinski in my stack waiting for me to get a lot better to see what I can do with it

[lolson]

I did something similar at a summer camp once, and trust me, I feel your pain. The number of kids that just give up without trying is astounding but a few got it and I was happy that many asked me for websites to get free models from.

[rickstef]

sounds to me like you need to wow them with Mike Bauer's SR-71 or F-104

[Keds_Girl_Lala]

I am a girl but I still learn to make things with tools. Both like the regular tools you use (hammer, saw, brace etc) but also tools like sewing machine, scissors, etc. That you use at home for craft and hobby things. But then I suppose it is different between the USA now and the Ukraine.

I am glad my daughter she is still too young for video games, computers, etc.

[ct ertz]

My boys do card modeling as well as sewing. The 10 year old asked for and got his own sewing machine last year. We also do wood working and some small scale blacksmithing. I think if a child is motivated, they will get it. Today though, if it dose not have megabites or gigs then too many kids can care less.

Other must learn skills for the boys are camping, shooting, cooking, gardening, and so on.

[rickstef]

when I was going through grade school in the Netherlands, in our craft classes, we learned to knit, crochet, and in the summers learned cross stich, and taught myself origami.
when I hit High School, we were taught to sew.

When I came back to the States, I learned to tool leather, and paint the Bob Ross style of Oil Painting.

and interspersed with that, modeling in paper and plastic.

and I have also become a Boom Smith(one who makes boomerangs) and I can also build kites.

Yeah, I am not hurting for hobbies

[ccoyle]

Ha ha...mentioning boomerangs made me go dig out one I built a few years back. Still flies great.

The student models are looking a little better today. Some of the work from yesterday needed some serious repair, but one can see progress.

My own kit isn't looking so good itself. I got a serious glue smear on one silver panel and ended up rubbing off some of the ink when I attempted to wipe off the glue. Plus, the graphics alignment from one fuselage section to the next has ranged from pretty good to pretty bad -- I suppose that might not be unexpected in a hand-drawn model. Don't expect great things from this one. :o

Cheers!