Project "Mini Spirit," Replicating an Enigma
For this project we had to build cardboard toys for younger students at Explorer elementary, however I decided to make a toy for my younger brother. Who shared similar interests in me. So I brainstormed ideas on what he liked, and one thing in particular stood out, the Grumman B2 Spirit. A stealth bomber. Designed to slip behind enemy lines and deliver a precise payload.
Part 1: Design and Planning
Building a replica of a stealth bomber is no easy task, especially when the aircraft is comprised of curves and angles. In order to make sure it was accurate, I measured the radar reflection angles, and the basic shape of the aircraft. Another thing that I did that stood out from the rest was that I used the metric system for all my measurements shown here:
A couple of things shown in this early draw up, shows the cockpit, low signature engines, and jetwash markers. It also shows the bomb bay, angles, and wingspan. Both initial and scaled.
Part 2: Drawing and Cutting
After I finished planning, I marked and cut the cardboard. A challenge I ran into while I was picking cardboard was finding a flat undamaged piece. Most of the undamaged pieces were small, and did not fit so to compensate for the size, and the roundness of the aircraft, I thought about making the aircraft layered. I also cut the larger parts into halves so they could fit together.
Part 3: Assembly
Once I had all the pieces I needed, I glued them together using hot glue. I also taped the halves together for a temporary hold. Once the parts were secured, I went along the edges and did a thin layer of hot glue to make sure none of it got unstuck.
Part 4: Giving it Lift
In order for a plane to fly it must have wings, In order for a wing to have lift it must have the right shape. A wing has the shape of a teardrop to create a pressure difference that causes the phenomena known as lift. So to replicate the shape that a wing requires I used paper mache. This also allowed me to make the rounded engines, and the cockpit.
Part 6: Stealth Coating
Unfortunately the actual paint mixture for the B2 Spirit is classified, so I just used black paint from my airbrush.
Part 7: Getting it Airborne
From a drawing, to an accurate replica this B2 is ready for a combat sortie!