High Speed Pepsi

[Dave Swindell]

Hi there guys, here's a build that's a bit different, I hope I'm not breaking any rules here, and I hope you like it.

This is a model of Concorde in the Pepsi livery to 1/144 scale, nothing unusual there, but:-

The model is made (almost) entirely out of paper

The model kit is available for free

This posting is a complete build

Ergo "I've finished it!!"

I've always been interested in paper models, both building them and designing them, however this interest has grown in recent years primarily due to tightening of airline restrictions on what can be carried as luggage, especially paints. Working as I do on ships I often fly to join or leave them, and have always taken models with me to build in my "spare" time, but these restrictions have limited what i can take - paper models have several advantages over plastic models in this respect.

Small tool kit - Knives, scissors, steel rule, dead biro for scoring, cutting matt, tweezers, and glue (usually available easily on board)

Loads of models available for download from the internet - we don't get internet access on board, but we do have a colour printer on board, so I've got loads of models stored on my laptop to print out when the fancy takes me.

The finished model is light, even when boxed up for travel - airline luggage goes by wieght not size, therefore if I can pack it, it can come home.

With a bit of practice very good results can be obtained

Oh, and did I mention, lots of them are free!!

This model was partly built whilst visiting my parents (social modelling, it's allowed in the front room and chatting /watching telly / doing the crossword etc can continue unabated), and completed on returning home, total build time approx 5 evenings / 20 hours.

Anyway, on to the model, it's available from Ralph Currell's excellent paper modelling site here:-

Concorde Models

If Concorde isn't your cup of tea (why are you reading this then?) then go back to the free models page and there's several airships that loosely fit this group build, or go to

Airbus A340, A320 & Boeing 747

for some other slightly simpler airliners that do fit the bill.

Here's the instructions, parts sheets and building tools all laid out.

 

I prefer Uhu glue for it's quick stick properties, but PVA can give better results if you're prepared to wait. The Bic biro is an old trusty friend, long run out of ink, it is used to score along fold lines where a sharp crease is required. Blunt knives, or the back of a blade are often recommended, but my enthusiasm has sometimes resulted in cutting right through, teearing the part, or leaving a messy red stain from self inflicted wounds using these methods - the biro works for me!

Construction starts with the centre fuselage section which is a parallel tube with formers inserted from each end, below you can see the parts cut out, the fuselage section prior to rolling round a wooden spoon handle, the tube joining/reinforcing section, parts for one former and the other former built up.

 

The joiner is stuck to the back of the fuselage section, then rolled round a suitable "tool" (wooden spoon handle in this case, but anything of a slightly smaller diameter than the part to be rolled can be used) and the two edges joined. Once the glue has set up the former sections are pushed in from each end to give the correct cross section

Here we see the centre fuselage section built up, with the wing locating spars pushed through slots cut in the fuselage before it was rolled, plus the parts cut out for the rear fuselage sections.

 

The rear fuselage sections have been built up after rolling to shape, each section is a conical section and has a former inserted at one end to give the correct cross section and reinforce the joint to the next section

 

The sections are joined by sliding the open end of one section over the ring of tabs on the next section, 3 rear sections and 1 nose section are pictured just before joining, alignment is by the bottom seam, printed detail and the butt join of the two outer skins.

Fuselage minus cockpit/nose section assembled at top, parts for one wing laid out on cutting matt, and other wing under construction in the centre.

 

Ribs and stringers have been glued together to make a frame which has been attached to the back side of the wing top skin, bottom skin awaiting attachment.

Both wings built up, elevon actuator fairings under construction - one in position, one ready to attach and one being cut out.

 

Wings complete, on to the engines...

 

One engine unit is shown built up with the other under construction, the intake splitter/engine face unit is complete, and the thrust reverser buckets have been formed, formers are cut out, and the outer skin has been folded and rolled where required.

Engines fitted to wings, and wings attached to the fuselage.

 

The underbody wing/fuselage fairing has been cut out and formed ready for fitting in position.

Tailplane under construction

 

This is built up in a similar manner to the wings, ribs and stringers glued inside one side of the tail with the other side ready to be folded over and glued. Rudder actuator fairings built up ready to fit as per the elevon fairings.

Tail installed and various flat aerials and cable ductings added to the fuselage, parts for the nose cut out.

 

The nose is left to a late stage in the build as two options are available, nose up or nose down, and the nose down option can be posed for landing or takeoff position. These are the nose down parts, the nose up option is simpler to build.

Nose installed, and on to the undercarriage - 3 options here, up, simplified down, or realistic down. I'd already elected for down as you may have noticed that the undercarriage doors were cut out and the bays are visible in the earlier construction shots.

 

These are the parts for the realistic undercarriage, and are the most fiddly part of the build - rolling the legs and struts taxes ones patience, but the simplified version has these parts as flat cutouts which are easier. Twenty wheel halves to cut out is a bit repetitive, and I've put thick card blanks between them to give the wheel width which is not shown in the instructions. The tyre tread is added after sticking the two halves together with the blank in between by wrapping the strip round the edge. The wheels are probably the least convincing part of the build, but difficult to improve on in this scale without a lot of effort.

On finals now, here's the two main bogies and nosewheel leg assembled with the doors, struts and tail bumper ready for installation

 

And here it is finished with undercarriage attached and blade aerials added.

 

[RussTnailZ]

Great job i made a load of cars ages ago using the patterns but i cant remember the site i found them on

Russ

[Dave Swindell]

And here's the result on display with two other Concordes I built previously, BA with the nose up, and regular AF with the nose in landing position.

 

Completed photos in the Completed Aircraft Thread

[woody37]

OMG - incredible. I can't get my head around how good they look for something that hasn't been bathed in filler, sanded to smitherines then layered with an ozone depleting lump of paint !

Insipirational

[Micha]

I got that PEPSI Concorde paper sheet, too ... and the Air France version. But I like the plastic models more than those paper models

But nevertheless it looks very good, Dave!

[garryrussell]

Amazing undercarriage given the media.

I almost made a huge Viscount onece..1/32 I think it was.

Thoroughly enjoyed although I never finished it, simply because it was so different

Garry

[big kidd]

brilliant mate. Best looking paper planes Ive ever seen. Don't know if I'm brave enough for one of those

BK

[Milo Black]

Very nice, Dave - I did some locos a few years back in a similar way (now long consigned to the bin during house moves). It's not *really* origami, of course.... "proper" origami means you don't cut.... but that's a nerdy distinction I can see why these paper models are good for you, doing the work you do - and a really good-looking result!

[Kev1n]

they look pretty cool

like em!

[CliffB]

Really impressive.

A naff question I know, but do the 'fly' (like schoolboy paper planes)?

Cliff

[Micha]

A naff question I know, but do the 'fly' (like schoolboy paper planes)?

you wont try this

[Dave Swindell]

Thanks for all the kind comments, glad you like them. Aside from the limitations of the paper format, I think these are the most accurate concorde kits available, but I've still got half a dozen Revell kits in the stash to build, and I'll be using some details of the paper kit to improve these!

they look pretty cool

like em!

'corse U do Kev, they're £R€€!!

Really impressive.

A naff question I know, but do the 'fly' (like schoolboy paper planes)?

Cliff

Depends on how hard you throw 'em Cliff! Constructional failures go better if reformed into an aerodynamical sphere, launch in direction of small round open topped receptacle! Print another and try again. Most are designed as statics as per your plastic kit, but some of them do fly as gliders. I've got a model of the colditz cock, 18" wingspan which flies quite well;and there was a couple of books of scale flying paper planes published in the 80's, I've got one of them and saw the other on ebay a few days ago.

[RussTnailZ]

I posted a thread with a link for anyon intrested in making the paper models earlier there is some cracking stuff

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=54407

Russ

[richellis]

No rules broken!

But I will be looking at those kits!

[Kev1n]

"'corse U do Kev, they're £R€€!! "

I like free

free and me are very good m8es....