DIY: How to build a miniature plane. ( part 1 )

Before i began i will need to clarify that i am not an expert in building miniature figurine.

The first miniature plane i built was called a p38 lightning. I have gotten the p38 lightning plane layout from the web. Its a twin engine world war 2 plane built by a company called lockheed.


This is how is look like when its done.


Tools needed:
Balsa wood, super glue, a short wooden stick, sand paper, 2 cellphone motor.

Step 1.
You will need to get 2 cellphone motor. I have gotten myself 4 cellphone motor after scavenging it from my friends. Most of the time the cellphone motor are found attached with a tiny weight at the top of the motor. It requires a lot of patience to removed them. You cant yank the weight out with a pair of pliers of you will risk pulling the entire motor shaft along with it. If you need help in removing the weights you can browse here. http://www.robotroom.com/TinyMotor.html


Step 2.
Then you will need to create the nose cone for the cellphone motor. Below you could see how i carved out the tiny nose cone from a short stick. You will need to carved out a cone shape on the small wooden stick in the beginning. Then placed the wooden stick into a mechanical drill. Secure the wooden stick tightly, and you can began to slowly placed a sand paper to grind the wood into a really tine nose cone. Just snip off the nose cone when its about 3 to 4 mm in diameter. You will need to create two tiny nose cone for this particular plane. Make sure it is identical.


Step 3.
Once the nose cone is completed, you will need to drill a really tiny hole at the base of the nose cone. I used a needle, as the shaft of the cellphone motor is pretty small. It is about 1 mm in diameter.

After the tiny base hole is made, i have decided to test the nose cone for symmetry. If the hole at the base of the nose cone is not dead center, the nose cone will spin wildly and wobble the entire cellphone motor.


Step 4.
Carved out six tiny propeller blades of the same size. Glue the propeller blades onto the nose cone. Make you glue the propeller blade at an angle. I glue three propeller blade to a nose cone and slant each of the propeller blade to approx 75 degree angle for each of them. The angle will help the propeller blade propel the plane forward.


to be continued at part 2.