Well...alright, I guess I'll have to finish the DC-10 and release it then. If I color it, I'll probably do so in United Airlines colors.
I know, there are other DC-10 models out there for sure, so its not like this newest model is filling any gap, like some of my other models have, but I wasn't really pleased with the detail of the simple models or the simplicity of the detailed models of this plane out there, so I decided I'd do one myself.
Some of you may have noticed something about this model different from the rest of the models I've designed, something I'm rather pleased with; the lift and control surfaces for this DC-10 model are actually full dimension, they are not simply two pieces of card glued flat together. The only other model with a similarity in this area is my V-22 Osprey, which requires 3-D wings to accomodate tilting rotors. Besides that, it would just look silly with flat wings.
For the most part however, I've felt that flat wings have been sufficient for my models, like those on Ojimak's. Most of all, I've felt that the flat wings were necessary to maintain the level of simplicity I wanted. After design and construction of the Osprey however, I found that making 3-dimensional wings could be done in a way that was almost as simple as flat wings. When I decided to create a DC-10, I decided flat wings would look bad on it, and decided to try and use the same method I used for the V-22. The end result is more than satisfying.
I was also worried about the effect this shape would have on aerodynamic and lift capabilities of the model. I know, being designed after a real plane, one would expect that the shape should easily accomodate flight, but I am certainly not an aeronautic engineer, and had no idea if I could actually get the shape of the wings right. The good news is that I did for this particular model. It glides very well when a weight is placed in the nose.
Like I said, the L-1011 is probably next, and should be relatively easy after setting down a good foundation with the DC-10. After that, another model I'd really like to do is the PBY-5A Catalina. I can say that it should have folding pontoons, and may even have folding gear if I really get carried away.
I know, Kancho Illiev has a free PBY-5A model for free. Unfortunately, this model is pretty complicated, which means I don't want to build it. Its also a rather large model. So, hopefully I'll get that done and looking good.