Very Off Topic, (P-26A), Paper Card Model

[smperry]

I needed to build a round fuselage paper card model to find out how the whole round fuselage out of flat paper thing works. I also have an R/C budy who loves Peashooters, so I downloaded this one from an outfit called Digital Navy. It came in the colors you see, (including the white instead of yellow horizontal tailplane and bassakwards Thunderbird), A blue fuselage scheme and a camouflage version with Philippine markings, (They actually shot down a Japanese Zero or two in 1941).



Construction started with the cockpit. The biggest pain in the posterior about card models is the need to deal with the white cut edges.Whether it is by colored pencil, marker pastel chalk or watercolor paint it needs to be done as soon as the edges are smoothed after cutting and before the part is worked further.



Fit between the cardboard reinforced formers and the round fuselage skins is critical. Once you glue the fuselage skin segment into a round shape, (exactly on the indicated line of course), that becomes the guide. The formers get adjusted to fit. The cardboard doesn't sand well. Next time I am using a very small amoit of thin CA on the former edges to harden them so they can be sanded. In the photo above, you see the result of insufficient former adjustment and dry fitting.



Rear fuselage segments now in place.



They start to grow pretty fast at this point.



Lots of little bits to make up even a semi exposed engine.







And it's finished.
I rigged with thread colored with Sharpies. I was afraid Mono or heat stretched sprue would bend the whole thing out of shape. Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, (Available in the US at Walmart). Turns out to be really great at making glue blob turnbuckles. It doesn't form a round ball, but stays the way you applied it. Very good for turnbuckles in the smaller scales.
I learned most of what I needed to and my Peashooter loving buddy will likely be glad to give it a home, so I can avoid display space issues.
sp

[rhallinger]

That's great sp!   I really like your Peashooter!  I need to try one of these.  What scale?  How long did it take you to build? 

The cowl came out very well.  How did you manage that compound curve?  Slits in the part? 

What weight paper did you use and what did you coat it with?  Have you ever tried repainting and decaling a paper kit?  I have not, but it sounds like Dan is going to with his current Arrow build. I better quit with the questions before I really get off-off-topic!

You did a very nice job on this.  I enjoyed your build log.  Thanks for the tip on the glue turnbuckles.  Good to know.

Best regards,

Bob

[smperry]

Bob
Thanks.
It's 1:33 scale. Took somewhat less than a week to build. The cowl was 2 sections, front and back. Both are tapered rings with the wide ends meeting in the middle. One had a strip of saw tooth tabs which had to be trimmed short to clear the engine cylinders. An awkward arrangement which might have benefited from a little water to soften the card. The parts sheets were ink jet printed and I did not coat them until the model was ready to rig. Then it got 4 coats of Krylon clear gloss and a final coat of Future. Big mistake to use ink jet printed parts without a good coat of Krylon clear first. Too easy to mess up the ink and too hard to remove dirt, glue spooges and especially dirty glue spooges, (Note to self, wash hands after handling pastel chalks)
Thanks again for the kind words.
sp

[rhallinger]

Thanks sp.  It really looks like a nice P-26.  I note the clear windscreen.  Did you use clear pvc with a paper frame, or some other method?

Best,

Bob

[smperry]

Bob
I used clear scotch tape doubled sticky side to sticky side and then spread glue on the back of the cut out wind screen frame after coloring the cut edges. I laid the frame on the tape. When the glue dried I trimmed the tape. Later when I sprayed Krylon on the model, the cleat tape frosted over. A coat of future cleared most of that up. Next time I will score the tape along the bend lines for a straighter appearance.
sp

[Gene K]

Big mistake to use ink jet printed parts without a good coat of Krylon clear first.

Sure agree!! Same with Laser printed parts, but not to avoid ink smears (toner is waterproof), but to protect the paper from errant glue. The coating doesn't have to be thick, and semi gloss works well for me (as a final coat also since to my eye it looks less toy-like than sparkling gloss).

As for white showing between the tubular parts, besides edge coloring, try coloring all the joining strips! Edge joining butted pieces without the strips can be done, but very painful. A "hint" is to print the pieces twice and cut the joining strips from the  second set - that will give you the correct shape as well as the color.

And finally (whew), as concerns using CA on edges -- be extremely careful if you resort to that since the CA will 1) run to places you don't want it, 2) stain unprotected paper, and 3) leave the paper inconsistent as regards bending. Rubbing the CA down onto edges with fingers before it dries works well, but sure leads to lots of hard skin. 

Great job on the P-26. You're turning into a paper model machine. 

Gene K

[smperry]

Gene
I have thin tips for my thin CA bottle, (Great Planes makes them). No problem getting it only on the edge of cardboard formers. I know full well how sneaky thin CA can be, I have ruined enough models and stuck enough fingers learning.

Thanks for the tip on the joining strips. That sounds especially helpful when the color is hard to match.

I prefer a satin finish myself, but the two museum examples of the P-26A are both high gloss which I tried to emulate. I have to make a rule, no more cutting parts without sealing the ink. My rear is sore from kicking myself for forgetting on this model.
sp

[Gene K]

I have thin tips for my thin CA bottle ... .

Same here, but for more "precision", I use sewing needles with the eyes snipped half off, stuck onto the end of a pencil. Dip the eye end into a small blob of CA and apply. Use a Butane fire starter to burn off dried CA from the needle.

The needle tip also works well with white glue, but these are also perfect for precise application: https://tinyurl.com/y3ko4j82 (that's a lifetime+ supply!).

What's coming next?

Gene K

[smperry]

Gene
For the past 20 years I have been using a single thin wire in a bamboo skewer handle for precise CA application. I use the cut off sewing needle eye in a handle for applying CA kicker in tiny amounts to quickly set up a small CA joint, (tiny PE bits for example). Those bottles look just the trick for tiny dabs of white glue. I will have to order some, thanks for the link.

Nothing next planned in card. I have to finish some started plastic and I am working on a paying R/C assembly job that needs to be finished by the weekend. There are a DH.2 and an I'lya Muromets paper card kits currently in the mail. Hopefully USPS will refrain from bending, folding, spindling or mutilating them and leave that pleasure to me.
sp

[Gene K]

...  I am working on a paying R/C assembly job

Looks like we have similar pastimes - plastic, card, and RC, scale, I assume.

I'lya Muromets in paper -- man, oh man ... you have a lot of courage and confidence!!

Gene K

[smperry]

Gene
This is just assembling an ARF Trainer and installing the gear. I have a 1/3 scale BUSA Pup kit and an Arizona Models Starstrutter kit and on the bench is a Peter Rake 45" Sop Tripe.

I am neither brave nor particularly confident, I just really like DH.2s and I'lyas. Sometimes that is a better source of modeling energy than anything else for me.
sp