A biplane

[techgirl]

All these buttons all over the place! Takes more time to figure out how to use them....could uv finished the model by now.

This paper model is alot like crafting with my mom. The only problem...no directions and i don't know what all the stuff is.

i figured out the body thing by looking at a picture of the airplane on the internet. its called a Caudron Luciole whatever that means. i don't know a thing about planes...they fly. i do know something. LOL i know its silly!

Ok, like im using Elmer's gel glue same stuff i use to craft...is there anything better? I hate holding the little fiddly things that hold the sides of the body together with my fingers until it dries....the nose took me forever!

i got the body together. I even figured out the place where the pilot sits. no instructions...no pictures...no nothing!!!! how do you guys know where everything goes? looked at some pictures of the cokepit to see what its supposed to look like. Looks really complicated!

The fins on the rear were easy.

But, i cant figure out the wing. Therz this big hole on the side of the body where the wing goes. But, if I fold the wing over, its gonna be flat. What should i do?

[techgirl]

oh yea....what am i sposed to do with this propellor thing? anybody have any idea why its in pieces?

also why are there so many wheels? the airplane only has two.

thanks for the help guys! i will get this thing done.

[kenlwest]

Nice work!

Get a bottle of Aileens Tacky Glue (gold bottle) from an arts and crafts store. It dries quickly. If you want even faster, try the purple bottle.

Ken

[kenlwest]

Oh, the wheels (most likely) get laminated to thin cardstock, and then stacked on top of each other to form the wheels. Then the band probably wraps around the wheel assemblies.

You are looking are the front and back of the prop. Most people insert something between them to create a "shape".

Ken

[member_3]

The propeller pieces are front and back. The wheels are usually done in three pieces - the two sides and a long strip that is formed in a circle and goes between them. The Design Group Alpha models (of which this is one) are a mixed blessing - not too many pieces and simple construction but lacking in assembly instructions or diagrams. The wings are not folded flat but rather rolled into a curve at the leading edge so that an airfoil shape is formed when you join the trailing edges. The leading edge curve can be started by using the edge of a desk, a ruler or a small diameter rod of just about any material. Here is a build thread for this model...DGA Caudron Luciole

[2Kamser]

hi TG
if this is your first one, you're off to a very good start
really nice built, lot better than my first try
keep up the good work

[lancer525]

Techgirl:

Ken is the best designer in the Aviation section I've ever seen, and he's dead on the money when he suggests Aleen's Tacky Glue. Either the gold or the purple bottles are good, but remember to use a toothpick or some other similar small instrument (I use a dental tool or a blunt quilting needle sometimes) to apply your glue. Use less than you think you'll need, as little as possible, and your seams and joints will look better.

Another glue you could consider, is Tombow's Mono Aqua. It comes in a weird bottle that has a pen-point on one side, and a little brush-thing on the other, but it's one of the best acrylic glues I've ever used.

Think about how your parts go together, looking at as many photos as you can, and remember to score every line that needs to be folded before you cut the part out. I use that blunt needle, or a seam ripper (take an emery board to the pointy part of it first, or you'll cut/tear your paper, or even one of those dental tools (I got them free for the asking from my dentist!) to lightly score a groove on the paper. Makes folding a snap!

The propeller is going to be an interesting part to build. If you look at propellers on airplanes, they have a "twist" or camber on the blades. If you use a thin piece of cardboard from a cereal box in between the two parts (front and back) of the prop, then you'll be able to get that twist into the blades. Just smear a little extra glue on the cardboard to coat it, and then apply the part of the propeller. Once it's together, just twist the blade *slightly* and hold it until it sets. Voila! You have a permanently twisty blade!

There are lots of little tips and tricks around on the boards, so feel free to ask.

One thing that's bugging me however... Is your model Polish or German? I don't think that most models come without at least some kind of diagram, so you might have missing pages. In any case, if you do have instructions in a foreign language, trip on over to the Language Arts area of Tech, and see if you can find someone to translate. If that doesn't work, put up a thread here. There are several guys (and gals!) who are always willing to translate instructions.

Oh, and POST SOME PICTURES!! LOL!

[Zathros]

Yo Techgirl, Welcome to the forum. This forum needs balance really bad. The thicker you make the wheels the more realistic the look and you can round them off like a real wheel using an emory board, then a Black Sharpie to color them in. You can use different color Sharpies to color a lot of edges of the model that are white from the paper edge. Same thing goes for the prop. They work like little wings so if you make them look like that they will look more realistic. Try searching Kedds Girl LaLa threads. She has the ability to make the most incredible teeny tiny realistic models here, (there are others but she sticks out) and has a lot of pointers, and knows things about vehicles and airplanes, tanks etc. that rival historians on the History Channel.

You fuselage is very clean and straight. That's probably the most important thing in an airplane as everything references off of that.

I use a glue called "Zip Dry" that I got from 'Michaels Crafts Store", I built a 2 foot long ship with it around a year ago and it is holding up really well. Here's the build thread. You can do amazing things with paper.

200% Lilla Weneda

[Thomas Meek]

Hi, techgirl;
You already know the most important thing to do if you get stuck: Ask for help. Somebody will always step in with what you need.

By the way, when you look at a build thread, sometimes it is possible to be intimidated by the level of expertise shown. Bear in mind that some of these people are what I would call Master Builders who have learned their art over the course of many builds. You don't have to do everything they do to make a really sharp looking model.

Yours is coming along very well. I am impressed that this is your first model airplane. Hang in there, it's going to look great.

[Keds_Girl_Lala]

Hi Techgirl!

I make some biplane and triplane models here. Perhaps there is some advise or comments that will be helpful.

I finished this model and discuss how I solve the poor propeller issue...

Fokker Triplane Fiddler's Green

And this is pictures of many failed biplane models.

Where bad model go to die

For the glue, I do not like Elmers very much. I prefer the solvent type glue like Devcon Weldit, which I buy at Ace Hardware, along with Aleene's Quick Grab, and Uhu Twist and Glue from Michaels.

I show some glue and things I use here

Lala's Tool Set

I make some other crafts with paper, like Faeries and rubber stamp design.