Warplanes Online Community

How It’s Made

So you get your model airplane in the mail today. You excitedly opened the box like a kid opening presents on Christmas day. The next minute you found yourself in complete awe. You were admiring your precious possession for quite some time until you realized that you have no single idea as to how this work of art was made exactly!

Don’t bother! Your curiosity will be satisfied as we let you inside how each model plane, whether it’s a jet model plane, or a helicopter model is made by Warplanes – and how exactly a simple wood is changed into a beautiful, astounding model plane!

Here’s a supplemental video to get you started:

And now for a more detailed version of our model plane creation process:

Getting started

Information gathering – also known as “note-taking.” In the pre-production process craftsmen make use of diagrams and photos of the airplane they are going to make. This also includes getting the measurements and specific features correctly. Note taking is vital when producing custom-made aircraft as the final product depends on the information gathered during this process.

Production and Assembly

Cutting and Carving – after making sure all the details are properly collected, master artisans carve and cut the frame, the body, the wings, fuselage and all the parts of the model airplane. This is a magical process where a block of mahogany wood is transformed into a helicopter, a ship or an airplane!

Sanding – the model plane and its parts are then sanded using a fine grade sand paper to eliminate rough spots and give it a smooth finish ready for the next process.

Assembling – putting the pieces together. The wings, the fuselage, the propellers and the rest of the parts are glued and attached to the body of the mode plane. Assembling also means placing detailed parts like blades, rotors, fuselage, rudders and armaments to complete the model. Putty fillers are used to fill in any gaps or cracks.

Sometimes, pieces that have been glued together are set aside to allow them to dry before working with them again.

After the entire model plane dries, the puttied area is sanded a little to ensure it is completely smooth ready for painting.

Painting – Coating the model frame with special paint and bringing it to life. Depending on the type of aircraft, painting includes adding in the squadron name, initials, paint design, and nose art. A P-51 Mustang model for example, is painted in silver with red and blue paint schemes all over its body. The nose is also painted with its distinct nose art.

In some cases, some parts are painted before assembling. Bigger parts such as the fuselage and wings are spray painted before gluing them together. Internal pieces, such as instrument panels, engine parts, and landing gear are spray painted before gluing them inside the model airplane.

Painting and designing are all passionately done by the hands of our exceptional artisans whose dedication shows on every model they produce.

Post-production

Quality Control – Examining the final product for any flaws. This means looking at all the components that had been glued together after they have dried and looking for uneven areas, rough spots or gaps between the pieces.

During this part of the process, paint schemes, measurements and the over-all design are reviewed to make sure standards are met. To ensure customer expectations are reached, the final product is compared to the original airplane and to the notes taken during the pre-production process.

Packaging – Each model airplane is carefully placed in a heavy duty box with foam support to ensure safe delivery. The model airplane stand (which is also made of wood) is separately incased with foam and can be attached to the plane when unpacked.