VW "Tractor-Trailer" - 1/35 Scale Paper Model

Inspired by a photo on the internet, I started with two copies of a 1/35 paper model kit of a 1962 VW Westphalia camper conversion, a PDF from PaperDiorama.com. With a bit of Photoshopping and a lack of adult supervision, it was an easy conversion and a nice break from more complex projects. The variety of similar full-size conversions pictured online suggests that a fair number of VW minibuses end up as camping trailers. (Mine ended its days as a chicken coop.)

With typical performance of "0-60 in 11 Minutes," could a 1960s VW bus really pull a trailer like this one? Apparently, swapping out the VW hamster cage for a Porsche engine was the common answer to that question. 

Paper Diorama's kits are free to download, easy to build, and fun one-to-three-evening projects. They look pretty good, too. Most are 1/35 scale, but like most digital kits, you can scale them up or down (within reason).

SNNNJ "Longhorn" -- 1/33 scale paper model

It's early 1942. As America enters World War II, the Navy desperately needs new pilots, but it lacks enough basic trainers and instructors to meet the demand. Enter North American Aviation Co. and good old American ingenuity. The SNNNJ "Longhorn" (Army version, AT-6½ "Texxxan") allows one airplane and one instructor to train three students simultaneously, helping to fill the needs of the Navy's new carrier flight groups.

I started with the 1/33-scale ANG Texan from Dave's Card Creations. I printed the canopy frames on full-page 8½x11 label stock, cut out the frames and applied them to thin clear plastic. I cut out the insides of the frames first, leaving a margin of about half an inch around the outside of each frame. That made it much easier to apply the frames to the plastic without distorting them. Once the label stock touches the plastic, it cannot be repositioned.

The glue I use (Aleene's Tacky Glue®) does not adhere well to plastic or metal. I applied a thin strip of label stock to the inside of each canopy frame along the bottom of the frame. The label stock sticks like glue to the plastic and the Tacky Glue sticks securely to the label stock.

The resulting aircraft would probably be underpowered and a bit tail-heavy, though it's not entirely unlike a Fairey "Battle" or Nakajima BN5 "Kate." Most of all, it is evidence that I don't have enough adult supervision.