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Hi Mayzshon,
Thanks for sharing the old paper models from Science Comics magazine. I always enjoy seeing paper models from the past, whether they be good or bad. Also, it was great to see your built-up models of the Rocket Ship and Arctic Schooner. I know first-hand that building these models is more than a challenge. A few weeks ago I decided to build the Schooner, or Antarctic Cruiser, and I ran into the same problems you did. I’ve included some photographs of my various builds.
I agree with you that the designer did not do a test build before he handed his work over to be published. My model has the same lousy cab with its poorly placed rear window and the mismatched side windows. The designer appeared to be a competent graphic artist, as his cartoons, layout and lettering are fine. It’s his lack of spatial recognition that was his downfall.
My first build was straight from the page, with some disappointing results. Sometimes when I’m building a card model and the parts don’t fit together, I think it’s my fault. That’s not the case here, as the Schooner has some real clangers in its design. Bad fit, miniscule tabs and fuzzy line made me think twice about continuing. But I’ve known about the Antarctic Snow Cruiser for years, and I wanted a model of this fabulous failure of a machine. By the way, Mayzshon, I liked the way you glued the “speed fin” to the deck of the Schooner. It makes it look faster.
If I was going to get the model I wanted, it was time for a new cab. I tried to draw one on the computer, and the result is seen on my second model, the one with the three speed fins. My cab was nearly as bad as the original. When I scratchbuild my paper models, I still use my drafting board and technical pens to get the job done. So, I drew out the part, scanned it, colored it and printed it. It’s not exactly true to the prototype, but it goes together and fits. Now, on to the hull of the Schooner.
I cleaned up the lines, firmed up the color, drew bigger tabs and lengthened the hull. Other additions were 3-dimentional yellow tires and the green wheel-hubs representing the four electric motor drives. After looking through the internet, I found what I was looking for, a color painting of the very Beechcraft Staggerwing that was carried on the rear deck of the Antarctic Cruiser. A quick build of the profile model airplane, a bit of installation and the Schooner was finished.
This build took me a lot more time than it should have, but I am enjoying the end result. I thought about building some of the other Science Comics paper models, but no, I’ll leave that to the next generation. I wish them the best of luck.
Score and fold,
Thumb Dog
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