Small Scale Military Headquarters

Do you guys think we will ever see civilian 1/18th scale models? I would like to see something like a Gee-bee racer, or other neat aircraft that are not of military origin. What would you like to see in civilian models?

Piper J-3C-65 Cub. Would buy one in a heartbeat

The Piper Cub is a good one. How about a Lockheed Electra?

there are a fair number of small civilian and 30's era racing aircraft available as 1/20 scale wood desktop models. That's about as close as we're ever likely to come i think..

Yeah, I can't imagine a 1/18 Cessna 210 or Twin Engine Bronco

But, there is the repaint angle on the cub. You can do it in various military liason schemes (I did a 1/48 kit with D-Day Stripes as a forward arty spotter) and then there are the classic red/black and yellow/black civillian schemes. I like the possibility of one but I higly doubt we will ever see one.
Aaron

That could be done in balsa if there were plans in 1/18th.

also a Stearman. :tasty:

I would love to see a Stinson L-5, I could deal with it in 1/18 until I get one in 1:1. :p

Yeah! Pan American DC-7C "Clipper America" would be my choice, followed by a TWA Super Connie!! Just kidding guys, but then again, dreams are cheap.

Ed

There is a 1/18 scale balsa wood model kit of a Cessna 170. I bought it a couple of months ago and have plans to convert it into an O-1 model when I have the time. Hopefully one day I'll have some pictures of the finished product to share. I've seen this kit at just about every Hobby Town I've been in. Here's a link to a picture of it:

http://store.yahoo.com/airfield2000/guillows-0302.html


There is also the Piper Super Cub in 1/18:

http://store.yahoo.com/airfield2000/guillows-0303.html

and the Aeronica Champion in 1/18:

http://store.yahoo.com/airfield2000/guillows-0301.html

How good will these kits look when finished? What do you cover them with...tissue paper?

Yeah, it's a tissue paper like material, but for the Piper Super Cub and the Champion, the major metal surface on the real thing is the engine cowling. The engine cowling, prop, and windsheild/canopy pieces are molded in plastic. I think those two should look fairly good with the material given to use as skin. A real Cessna 170 is skinned in metal so something different might have to be used to make it look more realistic. Have to wait and see when I start skinning mine. I think it will be a fun project when time permits. We'll see.

A while ago someone posted a metallic material you could use on these balsa planes. I had looked into it for when I finally build the balsa Zero I bought. Never bought some, and now I can't remember who made the stuff. Anybody remember what I'm talking about?

aferguson wrote:How good will these kits look when finished? What do you cover them with...tissue paper?

Tissue Paper is 1/18 scale Stits Poly Fibre.

Hello everyone:

I've purchased two of the Guillow's models, the B-17 in 1:25 scale and a Piper Cub. They're excellent quality models with very accurate shapes.

These models came with tissue paper for their skin, but I've decided to use 1/32" balsa wood sheet to completely cover the B-17, except for flight control surfaces: Ailerons, rudder and elevators. These wood sheets are very thin and easy to shape to the contours of the body frame. It does take a long time to do this, but if you stay with it and do a little at a time, the end results are simply awsome.

Then there's monocote (not sure if spelling is correct), a kind of thin plastic covering that comes in rolls of many colors, is easily applied, and must be heated with a special iron, which you must purchase separately. If you choose silver, it looks very much like aluminum; however, it still shows all the spars and spacers and everything on the frame of the model. This is ok for a WW-I biplane for example, but not the best choice for an all aluminum made bomber. That's why I decided to go with the balsa sheets: More work but much better results.

Hope this helps!
Eddie