Enrique Cardenas
Monterrey, Mexico
Enrique scratchbuilt a 1/48 scale IAI-201A Arava, a cargo and troop transport of the Mexican air force since the mid-1970s. After more than a year and a half of building, he writes: “I implemented techniques to build custom parts with polyurethane resin. After lengthy research, I created all assembly plans. (By profession I am an architect engineer with knowledge of autoCAD programming.) He carved balsa forms but didn’t have the means to vacuum-form pieces. So, he used sheet and strip styrene to build a framework and bulkheads according to the forms. He used sheet styrene for the aircraft’s skin, scribing details into it before super gluing it to the structure. He resin-cast rudders, turbine housings, and propeller blades and spinners. Micromark clear and white decal papers were all he needed to design and print his own decals from his computer.