Soda/Beer Can Models - Page 36

**papermate** · #**351** 05-03-2021, 03:10 AM

No.29 in this series is Zio's Kitty Hawk P-40 with a great white's mouth, carved from spare can strips of appropriate colour and then glued to become a shark's mouth graphic. It's a bit oversized and that's why I call it the great white's mouth. It's not an easy job to fix this plane as I have to re-cut the wing fairings larger than the templates provide to cover the ugly gap in the original setting. I think in the original paper version, it's much more easier to fix it, but with cans, it's another story. Other than this, I have to add some sort of central wing spar to make the belly look fatter and better. Anyway, it's done.

The next one will be the Bf-109, another ZIO gem/challenge!

**Bob Penikas** · #**352** 05-03-2021, 04:01 PM

Really Nicely Done!

What size is the wingspan?

BP

**papermate** · #**353** 05-03-2021, 06:42 PM

Thanks, Bob.
The wingspan measures 7-1/8" or 18 cm.

**papermate** · #**354** 05-03-2021, 06:46 PM

Actually, the P-40 was on the verge of becoming a candidate for the dustbin had it not been the enlarged re-cut wing fairings that salvaged the project and saved the day. The shark mouth came later to beautify it more with the stuffed belly.

**papermate** · #**355** 05-03-2021, 07:04 PM

And here we go, No.30, another Zio's baby, Bf-109 (or Me-109, I always get confused) made out of Heineken beer cans. The previous one is obviously out of Red Bull cans.
The build was generally uneventful and again had to struggle with adding a central wing spar to keep the dihedral right or near correct. It was all eye work, not really scientific, lol!
The extra detail is that addition of the wind screen frame instead of painting over the relevant part. Also the two small machine guns in the gun slots on the front of the fuselage.
Here comes the photos.

**papermate** · #**356** 05-03-2021, 07:09 PM

A dumb question to ask. Did the P-40 ever meet the Bf-109 in WW2?

**Texman** · #**357** 05-03-2021, 07:14 PM

As far as I remember, most likely in N. Africa with the British, and on the
Russian front, in Russian service.

**papermate** · #**358** 05-03-2021, 07:18 PM

Thanks, Ray, for the info.

**Bob Penikas** · #**359** 05-03-2021, 11:11 PM

Your canopy frame addition looks great! Checked it out by enlarging your photos.

What is your spinning prop build method?

Perhaps an in-process photo with your next build?

Thanks,

BP

**Gman93643** · #**360** 05-04-2021, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by papermate

It's not an easy job to fix this plane as I have to re-cut the wing fairings larger than the templates provide to cover the ugly gap in the original setting.

I have found that building the P-40 out of cans presents some unique challenges no matter what templates you have at your disposal. The last one I built was Sky Captain's P-40B during which I used a custom rendered pattern to complete the model in 1/24th scale. It was a challenging build to say the least with a clear canopy and shark's teeth created out of solid colored can. And yes those wing fairings were fun to work out. I can only imagine the challenges you faced while building at a much smaller scale. Looks fine from here!

My P-40B from a few years back is in my signature