Murphys Twin Otter question

[Sidney Schwartz]

I'm new to paper modeling, though I've had a fair amount of experience with building plastic car models. This question probably has more to do with my ignorance than with any fault with this model.

I'm working on the first sections of the nose of the plane and am unclear on how to attach the finished sections to each other. The first few sections attach by inserting the tabs extending from one section into the next section. Then you get to the parts that have bulkheads. From the illustration, it looks like the tabs are folded in and the bulkheads attached to them, leaving no tabs extending to fit into the next section. So the edge of section A gets glued to the surface of section B? That seems like a difficult way to do it. If it's correct, though, I'll have another go at it. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[dhanners]

Welcome to the hobby! I gave up styrene for card a couple of decades ago and have never regretted it.

Re: Murph’s planes. I’ve built several of his Twin Otters. They build into nice replicas. But I’ll admit I’ve never liked or used his tabs. I always cut them off and make my own joining strips from lighter-weight paper, such as normal copying paper. That way, instead of a stepped appearance at the joint (one section overriding another) you can get a nice butt joint.

As for the parts with bulkheads, I always cut off the tabs and wound up making two copies of each bulkhead, usually using cereal box cardboard. One bulkhead will go on the back of one assembly and the other bulkhead will go on the front end of the part you’re joining to the aforementioned assembly.

Cut a square or circle in each bulkhead so you can get your finger or a tool inside and work the bulkhead so it is flush with the edge of the kit part.

Once the glue is dry, I lay the piece on fine-grit sandpaper and sand the bulkhead sides flat using a circular motion. Do this to each edge you’ll be joining. When everything is flat, do your edge coloring and glue the pieces together.

Although other modelers have never expressed this issue with Murph’s Twin Otters, I always had difficulty getting the landing legs to support everything once done. I wound up making a cardboard bulkhead with legs that stuck through holes I cut in the fuselage; it is pictured below. The landing gear struts fit over the cardboard legs.

Now if we could just get a Twin Otter repaint in Air America/CIA livery….

[Butelczynski]

it looks like the tabs are folded in and the bulkheads attached to them

No. Tabs are meant for joining skin of each section together . I insert bulkhead after section is glued to next one while glue is still wet.

Bulkhead is only meant to keep that particular crossestion of fuselage in particular shape. Half the time I only use two or three tiny drops of glue to keep them in place.
If you look closely at instructions you will notice nearly every time tabs pointing away from middle section. That's the section you should normally start with and go both forward and rearward from.

Patience is your friend. You didn't pick the easiest model to learn on Fouga Magister is nice and easy jet to learn on imho.

[Burning Beard]

Very nice builds on those Otters.

[Sidney Schwartz]

Excellent info...thanks all. Thank goodness for internet forums. I don't mind experimenting and improvising...that's par for the course with plastic models as well. I know there's a learning curve and that doesn't bother me.

[murphyaa]

Originally Posted by dhanners

Now if we could just get a Twin Otter repaint in Air America/CIA livery….

Do you have any pics? When I google "Air America Twin Otter" I get this:

And This:

[theOshkoshModeler]

Originally Posted by murphyaa

Do you have any pics? When I google "Air America Twin Otter" I get this:

Air America wasn't supposed to be popular/well known since it was run by the CIA for covert operations; the airline was infamous for (allegedly) supporting the drug trade in Laos during the Vietnam War.

I'm pretty sure those are the only existing photos of an Air America Twin Otter.

[dhanners]

Originally Posted by murphyaa

Do you have any pics? When I google "Air America Twin Otter" I get this:
Attachment 498393
And This:
Attachment 498394

There’s this:

DHC-6 Twin Otter

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Don’t know what the wings would’ve looked like, though….

[Sidney Schwartz]

Originally Posted by dhanners

As for the parts with bulkheads, I always cut off the tabs and wound up making two copies of each bulkhead, usually using cereal box cardboard. One bulkhead will go on the back of one assembly and the other bulkhead will go on the front end of the part you’re joining to the aforementioned assembly.

Are the bulkheads flush with the end of the section, or recessed to allow room for the joining strips?

Originally Posted by dhanners

Cut a square or circle in each bulkhead so you can get your finger or a tool inside and work the bulkhead so it is flush with the edge of the kit part.

That is just straight up genius.

[cafe]

There are also some pics of N774M here: MSN 236 — Twin Otter World Database