On the workbench: 1/200. P-51B and 1/144 Fokker Dr.1

[Larry R.]

Making progress on a 1/200 P-51B "Bald Eagle" and a 1/144 Fokker Dr.1 (Udet).

[mikeemagnus]

Looks good so far - hope you post pics of the finished aircraft

[Teaticket]

Quite the work Larry. Look forward to seeing the finished product.

[Flying Helmut]

Puts a whole new spin on the phrase "Ouch! paper cut"!

They're looking great so far.

[camelbeagle]

Looking good. A test in one's patience! Hope to see the finished plane.

[Windy Jack]

Hi, Larry. How are your paper models going? A few people said they were looking forward to the finished model, and I would like to see how you got on.

[Larry R.]

Hi, Larry. How are your paper models going? A few people said they were looking forward to the finished model, and I would like to see how you got on.

Great question, Doug! I have discovered that, while I can turn out a pretty decent paper model at 1/100 scale, building at 1/44 scale is the very limit of my ability. The P51B was going together well enough; partially completed, I set it aside to work on the triplane which has become an obsession....I am currently working on the fourth version as I find different and better approaches (in my mind) to creating the tiny details such as the machine guns and the engine cylinders. One big issue is the wing struts (or cabane struts) and landing gear struts....at 1/44 scale these parts are a mere 1/32 inch wide!.....at this size, the wing supporting struts are quite weak and would not hold up well if the model were used as a game piece.

Doug, there are many WW1 and WW2 paper models available at 1/100 scale on the Ecard Models website. I have toyed with the idea of building at this scale; the models would be 50% larger than the standard WoG minis, and would require 50% larger maneuver cards, I would suppose. Would I want to go that far? Would I??.....???

[ReducedAirFact]

I know it would break the "all-paper" paradigm, but I wonder if you could do the struts in styrene plastic rods (square and round)? Back when I used to collect H&R and C-in-C 1:285-1:300 models, they didn't come with struts, and the wings were quite flimsy. I used styrene rods for struts, rebuilt undercarriages, and sometimes even wheels (which were frequently mis-cast). The models were much stronger and looked better for my efforts.

[Larry R.]

I know it would break the "all-paper" paradigm, but I wonder if you could do the struts in styrene plastic rods (square and round)? Back when I used to collect H&R and C-in-C 1:285-1:300 models, they didn't come with struts, and the wings were quite flimsy. I used styrene rods for struts, rebuilt undercarriages, and sometimes even wheels (which were frequently mis-cast). The models were much stronger and looked better for my efforts.

Daryl.....on rummaging through my stuff, I discovered some .015 music wire! Could be just the thing I've been needing!!