Possible College "Art" Project....

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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Get this. My next semester in college I’m taking a sculpture class. From what I hear, you get four projects, all are due at the end of the year. A clay sculpture, a wood sculpture, a stone carving, and something else. I forget.

ANYWAY-

The wood sculpture has got me thinking. The studio the class is given in has a full compliment of power woodworking tools- belt sander, lathe, etc., etc. These are provided for my use anytime, “free” of charge (not counting, of course, my tuition).

Why not take advantage and try my hand at a “solid” aircraft scratchbuild? It would be 99% wooden, as per the instructions. I believe the final product could be painted, and I may be able to vac form a few clear parts so it’s rather accurate. Also, size isn’t an issue. (He he he…)

So what did I have in mind to make? Something (relatively) simple, with few compound curves and a relatively basic wing profile. Engines should be easy to make, and install. Maybe someting Russian?.. How about this-

The Tupolev ANT-26. A proposed Russian 12 engined bomber. Approxomate wingspan in 1/72 (my scale of choice)? Oh, about 4 feet. That would put it up there with my Spruce Goose in size.

Of course, this is all academic right now. I’m not taking the course yet, and I don’t know the particulars of the project. I think this might work, though. We’ll have to see…

Hopefully this doesn’t turn into one of those, “a man’s reach exceeds his grasp” sort of thing. But… if it DOES happen, it should be AWESOME!!!

Thanks for letting me share another one of my hairbrained ideas and allowing me to revel in my own madness once again. Thanks for reading this whole post all the way through!

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Good luck getting into the class!! What’s your proposed major, anyway? Mine’s Engineering.

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Art, right now, with a possible minor in Art History. The way I see it, Art is pretty much like Engineering and/or Engineering Desgin, without all the fancy math and calculations (I hate math). I was thinking of a career as a movie concept artist, but my instructors said something about archetecture, so I don’t know.

Aircraft design would be awesome, but that seems like the most technical field you can get it to. Airplanes aren’t like cars- you can’t just slap anything together on a frame and have it work. Cars are really “function follows form” anymore. Airplanes, on the other hand, are purely “form follows function”. Sure, it can LOOK cool, but she’s still gotta fly!

I’m not too worried about size. Bigger projects are actually similed upon. I once used an entire piece of mat board for one project in a photo class. The teacher thought I was “thinking outside the box”, as it were. In reality I was just too lazy to cut it to size! [:D] [;)]

Like I said, I’ll know more when I actually HAVE the class. Next year, sometime. I’m already confirmed in the class, having registered for them a month or two ago. I can see how I’ll enjoy this class! (Better than ceramics, my other choice. You try and make an airplane out of clay? It ain’t easy!)

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Maybe I am just a huge slacker, but I would carve a North American “Flying Block of Wood”

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You know what? If I could BS a meaning behind it, I might be able to get away with that! I love art! [:D]

Back to the ANT-26- the fuselage and tail would actually be rather tiny- only 21 inches long. The WING, on the other hand, would be the real monster. An inch or two thick, almost a foot “deep” (chord), and of course, about 4 feet long.

We’ll see. I REALLY hope I get to build this…

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Good luck with that. You are right it will be awesome if you can pull it off. When I was taking art classes we had to make a cardboard sculpture as high as we were tall or as wide as we were tall. I made a 6’6" long U-boat and was asked to put it into the student gallery at the end of the semester. As I was building it I said about the beginning stages “This is more engineering that art at the moment!”

Cheers,

Eric

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I’m going to need to do a joint Art Exhibition my Senior year (as a graduation requirement), and if the ANT-26 becomes a reality, you KNOW it’s makin’ it in there! [:D]

I hear ya on the “engineering first, art later” part. In my opinion, it starts becoming art once you either paint it, or start adding the smaller details. Unfortunately, it’s making the large parts that are a pain in the posterior! (I still have no idea how I’m going to make the tapered wings…)

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That’s pretty funny right there! Anyway, good luck on that one.

Andy

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That sounds like a fun project.

I would lean towards making a single-seat WW2 fighter, but that’s
just me. In general, they are pretty simple in shape. Focke Wulfs
and Jugs would be quite easy, i’d bet.

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And if all else fails- make an ash tray! [;)] LOL

Maybe make a 1/24 scale B-2. Just carve a big triangleazoid thing…

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Hm… I guess I didn’t realize “triangleazoid” was a real word… I’ll have to start using it now! [:D]

But I’ve already got a B-2, Testor’s 1/72 kit. Well, now that you mention it, I may get a better result from a carved one, anyway… (If you have seen the Testor’s kit, you know what I’m talking about. [;)])

IL2windhawk- there is one reason I’m staying away from a lot of WWII fighters and bombers, and was even the reason I deep-sixed my original idea (A Luft 46 eight engined bomber with three parasite fighters). It can be boiled down to two words-

“compound curves”

With something like aircraft, getting two sides of a carved shape round and symetrical is one of the hardest things imaginable (for me, anyway). That’s why I chose a Russian, inter-war design. Like the ANT-20 ‘Maxim Gorky’, the ANT-26 is very angular. The fuelage is square (with knocked off corners), the canopy doesn’t have a very complex shape (unless I plan to do the “bug eye” canopy mentioned in the text), and the wing gun positions are square enough to be manageable, I hope. I imagine the engines, both wing mounted and push-pull nacelles, will be the most complex items to fashion.

The hardest part will be size. But since when has that scared me?

Also, the ANT-26, being only a paper project, leaves quite a bit of room for “creative leeway” (ie, mistakes!) .

Thanks for the comments, everybody. They are defintely appreciated!

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no

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Um… Elaborate? Please?

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LOL… It’s sort of a trianagle… and I knew shapes that end in “zoid” are kinda different… so there ya go… I invented a new word! Use as needed!

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Oh, don’t worry. I like it! [:D] [:D]

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Hi Lucien

having all that power hardware around, have you considered making a master for vacform or resin casting.

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There is one reason right now why that wouldn’t be possible. I don’t have access to a vacuuforming table large enough to make the main components. The wings are about 26 inches long by themselves, and about 10 inches deep. Also, I would need to use thick plastic to get a decent result (without it falling apart), and would lose major detail. Also, trailing edges would be impossible to get thin enough and maintain a correct profile.

My 1/72 Spruce Goose kit was made the same way, and wouldn’t wish that kit on my worst enemy. [xx(]

I guess the option is always open, though. I’d like to make one for myself first off, and perhaps later make another as a master for a series of “expert only” kits. Don’t hope for this sort of thing anytime soon, though.

(I could always make a master and sell it to someone who has the resources to make kits. I don’t know… We’ll see.)