P-40 Model

Kawasaki will be shut down next week. Though I'm sure I'll be working from home a few days during that time, one thing I plan to do is build this balsa plane which arrived in the mail today. I ordered a P-40 from Guillow's. As a kid I built a whole bunch of model airplanes, mostly plastic, but only a couple of balsa models. Balsa is a lot more fun yet more difficult. The structures are similar to actual aircraft with regard to fuselage and airfoils which makes it more interesting to me (as a former aircraft mechanic). After the framework is glued together it gets covered with tissue paper. You want to keep your airframe straight, free from warped & twisted pieces, and sand your glued seams so that your finished model has a smooth streamlined exterior. The smoother it is, the less drag it will have and also better lift, if you intend to actually fly it. This model is powered by rubber band but I don't intend to fly it. This will most likely hang somewhere in my apartment or in my cubicle at work.

When was the last time I built a model airplane? Cripes, I think it was when I was 12 or so. I used to stay up late at night in the basement of my parent's house, listening to oldies and drinking instant coffee. I can remember routinely calling in to the radio station and dedicating songs to girls in my class. Damn I was smooth. I built a lot of models and dedicated a lot of songs. Anyway, I'm sure it will keep me busy, and I'll post some pictures of the progress.