1/18ish Custom 1911 Curtiss A Pusher

[Coreyeagle48]

Greetings

This is the second custom I recently finished. Some of you will see that is started out as a Cox Curtiss Pusher. I'll explain the process of this model too.

This model was found at a craft store with the top wing shattered in half, the propellor missing and several cracks in the bottom wing. I took it home and decided it may be salvagable if I customized the plane. So my first order of business was to dissemble the top wing from the struts and fix that. That was easy enough, then I repaired all the missing pieces and cracks in the wing by using carboard as to get the shape of the wing back.

I then decided to try a new techinque on the wing. I covered it with fabric that was of linen color, glued it as tight as possible, trimmed it, etc. Then I covered it in three coats of craft paint. The craft paint soaked the fabric and really tightened it to the wings. The rest of the plane I simply painted, including the little rivets and detailing. The controls near the pilot come from a motorycycle and look close to what the original levers look like. I left the control mechanisms in place as a testament to what the plane was originally. The decal on the tail was made using computer photoshop and self stick adhesive for printers.

That was when I decided to make the front. This plane was originally modeled after a D, but having a mint Cox D I decided an A would be neat. Plus, the A has some local history here. The A was demonstrated at the Allentown Fair in 1911 and was one of the first demonstrations of a airplane in the Lehigh Valley.

Using the aircraft at Olf Rhinebeck as a guide, I took some photos and set to work. I made the wing piece and the nose rudder using cardboard covered with fabric, just like the wings. For the struts, I used lego rigging from the pirate ships, cut to fit, painted, and glued and nailed into the wings and the front piece. It was a pretty simple job, though took some patientence to get everything to stay in place.

Two coats of sealer, will protect the airplane. I might try to make the engine area more detailed, and make the rigging more complete. But right now it is finished so here it is. Hope everyone enjoys. It took six to eight months to restore this machine. Turned out well

It's in the Custom Curtiss A Folder. I included one shot of my original Cox plane, to show what it started out as.

http://community.webshots.com/user/coreyeagle48