Thought Experiment

[GMahaffey]

I have a little kernel in my mind about model kits. I know that most kits, especially aircraft have the fuselage and wings in half. The experiment that I am proposing is that what if instead of the wing/fuselage halves, kit manufacturers use interlocking panels (similar to armor tracks) to create wings/fuselage. or include the detailless halves and each panel goes over them. This thought popped in as a way to eliminate seam lines and eliminate the filler that is needed to fill those seams. For those that abhor excessive part counts, this would be cool in that you could literally go thorough the process of what its like to build an aircraft. This could be used in the armor/sci-fi/vehicles.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Oh thank god, I though this was going to be one of those math word problem quizzes

So just to not be disappoint anyone


Some of the little Meng aircraft kits had different wing and body configs that snapped together really well, as did the Bandai Star Wars stuff.

[DrSprue]

I think you really have to know the mold making process that has been around for more than a hundred years. Yea I know plastic injection is as old as me, but they used to make cellulose acetate stuff since the beginning of the century. If you google it you can find out we have been making molds for a very long time and the thought process to make stuff we have now is amazing. People like Meng, Tamiya and Bandai (to name a few), I am sure have awesome kit builders on their parole as well to give the mold makers Ideas.

Really tho, it sounds like a really good Idea. Maybe write it down in some detail (seriously, get it copy-written somehow) and then send it to who you think is a really good plastic manufacturing representative. Do some research and maybe find some people in this business that could see the value in it.

[Tay99]

Have a look at some zoukei Mura kits
They are like building a actual plane with
Wing spars and even internals for the engine
Only down side is they are expensive

[Tomcat64]

I know it's not aircraft but the Fine Molds Y-Wing kit did exactly what you're suggesting.

From memory some sections overlapped the adjacent one to hide the seams, and in other cases where they couldn't do that a separate panel went in to hide the seam underneath. I just remember being really impressed by the thought the designers had put in to achieve this.