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Just for kicks, I thought I would show y'all

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  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: From the Mit, but live in Mason, O high ho
Just for kicks, I thought I would show y'all
Posted by hogfanfs on Saturday, August 10, 2019 4:21 PM

I was in my basement painting a kit today when looked up and saw a "model" I built when I was 13. I'll give you a little back story of why this might be significant. My junior high school wood shop teacher (ironically his name was Mr. Wood) had a talent for building WW2 aircraft out of wood. He had built, with exceptional skill, many aircraft from the US, Germany, and Japan. 

Unfortunately, my junior high school split in to two junior high schools for my 8th grade year. And Mr. Wood relocated to the new school. The new wood shop teacher gave us an assignment to make anything we wanted.

So, in the spirit of Mr. Wood, I made this: 

I used the plans from a Gullow's balsa wood P-51D, which puts it about 1/24 scale. I bought the decals from The Squadron shop, which was on John R back in Michigan. I hand painted the canopy, the nose checkers annd the prop. And I built the stand. I did get an A on the assigment, and presented it to my father as a gift, since he loved P-51's. 

 Bruce

 

 On the bench:  1/48 Eduard MiG-21MF

                        1/35 Takom Merkava Mk.I

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Saturday, August 10, 2019 4:28 PM

Very nicely done Bruce. Are the wings and fuselage done from one piece, i can't see any seam.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by keavdog on Saturday, August 10, 2019 4:29 PM

That's pretty impressive!

Thanks,

John

  • Member since
    April 2015
Posted by Mopar Madness on Saturday, August 10, 2019 5:31 PM

Great story and an impressive specimen of a P-51!

Chad

God, Family, Models...

At the plate: 1/48 Airfix Bf109 & 1/35 Tamiya Famo

On deck: Who knows!

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: From the Mit, but live in Mason, O high ho
Posted by hogfanfs on Saturday, August 10, 2019 6:44 PM

Bish,

The wings, fuselage, stabilizer, and tail were separate pieces. The fuselage was rough cut to shape and the rest was sculpted on a stationary belt sander. I don’t remember what I used on the seems as filler, but, I do remember applying 6-7 coats of shellac to cover the grain and pores of the wood.

John, Chad,

Thank you for the kind comments!

 Bruce

 

 On the bench:  1/48 Eduard MiG-21MF

                        1/35 Takom Merkava Mk.I

 

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Saturday, August 10, 2019 6:56 PM

That is amazing, Bruce.

13yo. Holy cow.

fox
  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Narvon, Pa.
Posted by fox on Saturday, August 10, 2019 9:14 PM

Very nice job!Yes Yes Yes

Jim  Captain

 Main WIP: 

   On the Bench: Artesania Latina  (aka) Artists in the Latrine 1/75 Bluenose II

I keep hitting "escape", but I'm still here.

  • Member since
    March 2005
Posted by philo426 on Saturday, August 10, 2019 11:27 PM

Excellent job and what an interesting back story!

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Naples, FL
Posted by tempestjohnny on Sunday, August 11, 2019 5:14 AM
Wow. Great skills even now never mind a 13 year old

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 9:22 AM

When I started modeling, airplane kits were of two types, stick and tissue models (we called them stick models), and nonflying scale models (we called them solid models, because they were made of solid wood).

Kits featured a block of wood sawn to profile of the fuselage, and with deluxe kits sawn in planform also.  The kits included cardboard templates to use to carve the final shape of the fuselage.  Wings were thick wood sheet sawn to planform- you needed to carve in the airfoil.  Tail surfaces were thinner sheet wood usually die cut. Seldom did the kits include landing gear- they came with a stand to depict models in flight.

The P-51 shown in the original post is what a finished plane typically looked like. Plastic kits came along four or five years after I got into the hobby.

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    June 2014
  • From: New Braunfels , Texas
Posted by Tanker - Builder on Thursday, August 29, 2019 3:59 PM

Dyna-Mite?

  Really? Did you know at thirteen your plane would be famous? Yup. One of the local winners consistantly at the RENO air races was a modified Mustang. Yup, she had modified wings and her name was Dyna-Mite ! !

     Great job there. As a wood shop teacher I would've had to give you an " A " also . T.B.

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: From the Mit, but live in Mason, O high ho
Posted by hogfanfs on Thursday, August 29, 2019 6:08 PM

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the kind comments!

 Bruce

 

 On the bench:  1/48 Eduard MiG-21MF

                        1/35 Takom Merkava Mk.I

 

  • Member since
    September 2019
Posted by aaronc on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 6:13 PM
That's some solid work for 13. I am curious if the original shop teacher "Mr. Wood" ever got to see this piece?
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