1/48 Scratch Built IAI -201A ARAVA

Gallery Article by Enrique Cardenas on Dec 12 2011

 

Hello this is my second submission that I present, also want to share with all of you that this is my first Scratch built project.  The airplane I present is the IAI-201 A - Arava which was utilized as a cargo and troops transport by the Mexican air force from the mid 70's, and this year this airplane will be decommissioned to bring its new successor the CASA 295.

This personal project took me from April 2010 until November 2011, this project was like a learning school to me in which I implemented a technique for building prototype airplane parts and the build custom parts using Polyurethane resin, then after a long research on the web and having draws and a lot of reference pictures I created all assembly plans, by profession I am and Architect engineer with knowledge using AutoCAD programming, I generated 1:48 scale drawings to develop the base model of this magnificent air plane.

This idea to build this airplane came to my mind after investigating how "master modelers" do their work, this is done using and carving big balsa wood Blocks, then vacum-thermo formed large parts such as wings and fuselages an tail sections, it was not a viable option since I don't have the tools or resources to build them that way, so I decided to take the "old school of Modelers" as to get the profile bulkheads and cover them with strips of styrene as the way the remote controlled airplanes are build, this was done only for the structural part of the plane, I show some photos of the construction process.

 

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The next step was to make prints of the drawings from 1:48 scale to fit on A4 sheets and then transfer to Sheets of cal. 0.2mm styrene and cut two pieces as a model reference of balsa wood and assembled on a wooden frame half fuselage right and then left then follow the aircraft's skin was cut, perforated and scribed the panel lines before adhering it into place with cyanoacrylate same process for wings and empennage for rudders the direction and made one then I clone with polyurethane resin, same case for turbine housing, blades and propellers spinners The Decals was home made with Micromark plain and white decal papers in my printer. I enjoy so much this project I have next one the Casa 295 in the same scale.

Please take a look to the website where you will find photos of the entire process.

http://s255.photobucket.com/albums/hh151/enriquemcardenas/IAI%20ARAVA%20210/

Thanks for watching Grettings from Monterrey Mexico.

Enrique Cardenas B.

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Photos and text © by Enrique Cardenas