World's Largest Collection of Paper Models!
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Motorized Fiddlersgreen Models Gary's
Flying Foamies Page
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.jpg)  Joachim Bergmeyer from Germany recently wrote us with these pictures and had this to say... "I have enlarged your "Flying Bathtub" plan by factor 2 and have built an electrically powered, radio-controlled model with a span of 17" and a weight of 1oz. The foam material I have used is a polystyrene foam called "Selitac" that is used in Germany beyond parquet flooring for noise reduction. It is 2mm thick, flexible and tough and can be glued easily." More (if the page is still up) can be read here and here.
Greetings: Neighbor Jim emailed us with an invite to watch the test flying
of his new monster P-47 Jug. The new foam construction method looks to be the ideal material
to use to fly enlarged Fiddlersgreen models and Jim has taken
the time and effort to do a great little tutorial from which
we can all learn.
All dimensions are exactly like the plan (which I printed in
double size on 2x2 sheets using the 'poster printing' feature
of my printer driver), the tail surfaces seem to be big enough.
I am curious if the wing area is big enough.
 While I am not into this hobby, I stumbled across your page and thought I'd pass this on. The trouble some models have in flying may be a result of aerodynamics that don't scale well... or original planes that flew as if balanced on a needle, for maximum responsiveness in a dogfight. I suspect the WWI models are the worst examples of those. Better results may occur if the fuselages are lengthened... IE compare the short fuselage of a Sopwith Camel to just about any trainer such as a JN-4 type. Extra length means extra stability. Also, additional rudder area may be a big help... it should not be hard to increase rudder area say, 30 or 40 % without it being too noticeable. This is the sort of thing that has to be done to make a flying model based on a real plane. I hope you do a CA-82A Packet. It'd be complicated but imagine the fun of converting it to the "Phoenix" from "Flight of the Phoenix"! Two kits in one... can't hardly lose!.....Dwayne Horton Another little thought on this. ... Put down a sheet of foam and on top of that a B&W FG design is attached with low tack spray adhesive. They cut out the part and peel off the pattern. Then it's all directions from there. A very low cost "kit" to produce. RM (0403)
In the UK we have a polystyrene foam on a roll 2mm thick *20" wide and30 foot long, it makes great light weight rubber fliers , any thing from 5" span up to 28"+.The large PDF versions look about right giving around 12"-14" span.The idea is to print on to tissue paper and stick this to the foam with PVA glue. The plane can then be assembled by cutting off the tabs and butt jointing the foam, the wings are usually a single surface with a smallbalsa spar let into the foam for strength. Keep up the good work.--regards paul (Dec 28, 00)
"What do you do when you want a model of a plane that is not available for sale - anywhere? One answer is to scale up a Fiddlers Green plan, choose an appropriate construction medium and make your own! This radio-controlled Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker carries a high-tech brushless, sensorless electric propulsion system, yet the airframe was quickly assembled from materials costing less than $10.00 US. The result is unlimited vertical performance squeezed into an inexpensive scale-like fighter jet. Kudos to Fiddlers Green and their innovative paper airplane plans for making this possible! Specs: AUW: 18.3 ounces WS: 24" Materials: Fanfold airframe, Hollow EPP nosecone, Posterboard canopy. Mega 16/15/5 brushless motor Prop: 7x5 APC or 7x4 MAS Speed Controller: Castle Creations Phoenix 25 9 cell 1100 mah Hecell battery pack 7-8 minutes flying time 17 flights and counting!"
You might also want to look into Zepron - it's like Depron, but available in the US and lends itself to vacuum forming (if done right). J Cangero (4/03) Wow! What a load. I've been diverted into turning your models into Foamies, hoping to enter the challenge for a Foamie B-36. I converged on Airdyn "Zepron," which is about 1/8 inch thick. Much experimentation. First, I tried just cutting and pasting like they were paper. (Of course, with butted edges instead of tabs.) I formed curves just like the material was paper. It is not paper. Bends show (but can be sanded smooth), and sometimes the material will crack at the bends. I built the two flying MIG's in the attached photo that way. I managed to cover up the blemishes by first sticking your printouts to the foam. I printed on plain 20 lb bond paper. Also used odorless C/A to paste things together. Both MIG's fly. The big one is four times the area of the small one, but it weighed four times as much. One lesson learned is that the tail surfaces need not be airfoiled like the paper versions. One thickness of foam should be OK. I also built a poster size F-117, thinking that the flat surfaces would be easier. Turned out that there were so many butted joints at odd angles that it was hard to cut things precisely. Paper is more forgiving. No chance that the F-117 will fly. I also built a "large" size SPAD covered with your printouts. Looks good, but very heavy. I'll take some pics. Finally, I've built two foamie Fairchile Cornells, one regular "large" size and one poster size. I've learned better construction techniques. First, the Zepron will form curves when heated. I use my Monokote covering iron like a dowel on the paper models. It works pretty well. No breaks, no visible sharp bends, and pretty strong. Second, I've discovered that tapered edges need not be sanded. The foam compresses under heat, and it's enough to run a hot iron along the edge. Third, you don't have to use glue! I attach the bond paper printouts with "Twin Tak," a double sticky mylar sheet that art stores sell to mount photos on hard backing. It's pretty expensive, though, about $4.00 for a 2x4 foot sheet. Individual folded pieces (like wings) can be held together at the trailing edge with any of a number of double sticky tapes. (About $3.00 for a 50 foot roll two inches wide. I cut it into about 1/2 inch wide strips.) In fact, Airdyn also sells a double sticky "no tape." It's just the sticky stuff on a brown paper backing. You press the tape onto one of the parts, peel the paper off, and stick the other part on. There is no "film" in the middle. It's just the sticky stuff. These "double sticky" techniques also work on the paper models. No mess, no drying. Working my way up to the B-36. My plan is to use as much paper as possible, making flying surfaces and fuselage from foam. Since it is circular, I plan to use a hollow tube central core on which I will mount circular formers. Used this technique building a scale model of the airship Los Angeles. Then, cheat with a prop on the front and rubber band inside. How does that sound? Dave Finkleman Colorado Springs (9/03)
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