Thanks for the pointers, Yeti! Some inspirational video channels there. Also really well done on your models! I might follow your lead on the F-14.
Planes I've made in the run-up to this project, with some pics attached:
- PaperAircrafts.com 1/80 JAS39: Faceted; reliably excellent glides.
- PaperAircrafts.com 1/72 F-117: The perfect faceted model subject! Awkward to hold for tossing, but glides great on a lucky one.
- Ojimak 1/80 F7F: Neat design, though the partially faceted fuselage doesn't capture that svelte oval F7F look. Seems that the nacelles are pretty draggy, since in the middle of the glide the glideslope steepens. I don't think it's stalling, because elevator changes don't help. It's a good lesson for future engine nacelles to try to reduce flow separation, maybe by curling over the leading edge of the paper, certainly by making the seams between sections less sharp. My model needed extra nose weight, so I took the opportunity to add pieces of a paperclip as machine guns.
- Ojimak 1/230 Concorde: A nice glider, especially after I had some fun shaping the wings to be like the real wing's contours (which were made that way for low-speed handling, after all!). Got a lesson in the need for nose reinforcement when, on too good of a glide that hit the far wall, the nose collapsed telescopically. Will be nice to build a little bigger, likely using other plans, and add details like engine nozzles.
- Scissors & Planes 737-300 (static): Hopefully will upscale OK, with mods: nacelle pylons that go over the wing leading edge, hollow engines, and no-thickness wings that carry through the fuselage. Getting the wing root fairing right will be tricky. Will look to bigger papercraft 737 plans for guidance.
- ZDE Designs Pterosaur X: An excellent park flier when you get the elevation and bank just right on launch. The designer isn't afraid to build sturdy and fly faster. It's a neat trick that he added a canard wing for pitch stability. I have in mind next making a fully scale pterosaur with some forward wing sweep (without a canard) to get the balance right.
Good point on building hollow. It turns out I'm strictly sticking to healthy materials; even glue sticks are out. So I've been using PVA glue like Aleene's Tacky Glue. It's still a bit too watery though. Between that and inkjet printing on 25 lb. bond paper to keep the model thin and light, you can see how on the F-117 the spars and formers show, the paper warps, and there are a few smudge marks. Might have to switch to laser printing, thicker paper, and/or a thicker glue. Or go even thinner for the surface paper and add more internal structure? Like regressing to 1910s-1920s aircraft tech, haha. Probably too much work compared to building to available plans. While I've got CAD experience, I don't know that I've got the kind of time to learn how to do my own papercraft designs yet.
Good point also on the detachable nose. On the F7F I tried to cut through the nosewheel door area when adding the paperclip pieces for nose weight, and still the underside ended up rumpled by the time I closed it back up.
Yes, definitely not going to include pitot tubes etc. My interest is more in getting the major shapes right and including the bigger, more distinctive details like flap fairings etc.
Funny extra thing: I got a net to hang in front of the far wall when I'm flying. Helps avoid the irony of even a good flight ending in a crash!