Building Airplanes

[BLAIJ009]

Hello, I am so interested with your system and would love to do something like this in America. I have a question about the airport. I know how the planes are reproduced, with fiberglass, but I am unsure how you seam the pieces together. It looks to be all one piece.

[Nordexpress]

Hello stranger,

Did you start out checking the videos Gerrit's Diary in you tube? If not, try this. Most are subtitled for your convenience!

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... MvLTz_14P4

[BLAIJ009]

Howdy, I did start with the videos but did not see exactly how they made it.

Happy New Year!

[Saphira123456]

Hey folks; I'm going to assume that this thread is for all things airplanes; at least as far as construction goes. I have A HUGE question: How on earth did you get Boeing and Airbus to send you their plans? Your aircraft are supposedly just linearly scaled down versions of the full-scale, real-world aircraft. I attempted to call Boeing with a request for construction plans; exterior only. I thought you guys did the same. I e-mailed Airbus. Same request. All I got in return, in both cases, was "We're sorry. That information is internal company affairs. We can't just send our plans to you." Now, I get that companies don't want to share all their secrets; no commercial enterprise wants to do so. Otherwise; a rival aircraft company could copy a potential new design and patent it before Boeing could do so; for example. That wouldn't be good. But the Miniatur Wunderland team somehow managed to get hold of Boeing's and Airbus' plans, and scale them down. How? My guess is that you guys had someone at the company; a close friend, perhaps, that leaked them to you. He was fired shortly thereafter; but you had all you needed. That's why a common; everyday modeler like me couldn't get them, as they were "internal affairs," but you guys could! Even before 9/11. neither Boeing, nor Airbus, nor any other aircraft manufacturer would have released plans; blueprints, etc., to either one of us; at least not if we just asked for them; honestly, while admitting you were going to model their craft. And promising that you wouldn't release them to anyone else wouldn't have done a thing. If you had tried the direct, honest route; as I did, you'd get the same answer I got, even back then. "I'm sorry. Plans for our aircraft are internal, company affairs. We can't release them." If I'm accusing you wrongfully; please, correct me. Tell me exactly how you got the plans. To the letter. From the e-mails and/or calls you sent, all the way down to what responses you received. I want every bit of it; right here in this thread. Or, if you'd prefer it sent discreetly, (after all; you're a company with secrets of your own now; aren't you?) e-mail me, with the details in them. Open every archive you have, if necessary. Be open; and completely honest. If I'm right, though... Just admit it; and your prison time will be served quickly. If I receive no response; or a sarcastic one; etc., I will assume that I am right. I will inform both Boeing and Airbus that you stole their aircraft plans for your models; and they will inform the law. At that point, you'll have to deal with Interpol and their court systems. So long, dreams! So long, airport! So long, fame and fortune! So long, Miniatur Wunderland! It's now an all-out crime scene. Your planes that you and your team worked so hard to get right, along with Boeing's plans; Airbus' plans, etc., are the evidence. You won't be able to say a thing; except for a plea of "guilty," for if you said "innocent," anything you said would be just as if you had admitted it; due to the planes being miniaturized duplicates of the larger ones in every way; following the plans "Boeing" and "Airbus," or rather, your "industrial spies," sent you, to the letter. The only thing different about them is the dimensions. And even they are just scaled down versions of the real thing. Even the proportions are correct. You'd be done for. Miniatur Wunderland and all your dreams and hopes for it would be history. Maybe in Heaven; the afterlife, (or whatever else you wish to call it,) or your next life; you'll have learned from your bigger mistakes in this one, and can actually build your dream from start to finish without getting into trouble.

Now; I'll be honest. Yes, this sounds like blackmail to a certain degree. However, it is only to get you to be honest about these things. I know the aircraft shells are made from fiberglass now; but not how accurate they are to the real world aircraft. Gerrit, you said in your diary that you received "scales" from Boeing and Airbus. I tried it, and I got the answer stated above. So how did you manage where I couldn't? No one else has a functioning airport like you do. Before you did it; it wasn't considered possible! So I'm asking you to share your source for that information. It would give the world great satisfaction knowing how they; too, can have a realistic airfield. Plus, people are always looking for a challenge. Stuff can always be improved! You want a challenge? Re-build that airfield of yours. Make it more realistic than it already is. Someone will eventually find a way to top your achievement. Then it becomes a competition; a race: Who can build the most accurate; realistic, and fully automated miniature airport possible. It will happen, no matter how long you hold on to your secrets. It's best to just divulge them. Hold nothing back; because somebody's going to best you eventually; despite you having "all" the secrets. Then, it's GAME ON; as you start building, expanding, and rebuilding. At the same time; he's doing it too. All other operations; constructions, expansions, etc., will grind to a halt; whereas at the airport; it's all hands on deck, all the time. In other words; spill the beans and get the races over with quickly. Then it's back to business with the rest of the Wunderland. Otherwise, you're going to end up all but ready to tear the airport section down for good! No one will like that! It's one of your star attractions! Plus; all your hard work will have been for nothing! Wasted effort, they'll call it. Guests will begin to go to other model railways. Clubs, conventions, etc., will be elated. You won't get the visitors; but they will! Disappointed workers will quit because their jobs in the airport section are eliminated. Or they might even be fired; given a pink slip.

[Nordexpress]

You'd also wonder, how the German national soccer team won the World Soccer Championship 2014? Maybe they were just smarter and better qualified!

For aircraft modelling, try this Revell for a start.

[HahNullMuehr]

Hi, Saphira123456,

maybe You're missing one important aspect: The airplanes at Knuffingen International are NOT scaled down copies of real aircrafts. (If you observed several entries of "Gerrit's Tagebuch" You would have noticed, that the inner values of the originals and the models differ somehow.) It's only their outer shell that is kind of look-alike.

The knack in modelling is always (besides any plan or blueprint): Have an open eye!
Watch the object of your desire thoroughly, watch it from any possible angle, an THEN try to model it.
After some initial fails You will get closer, and closer...

And I think that the dimensions of such famous airliners are not kept secret by the manufacturers; I would guess You could pick them from a lot of websites.

Regards

[Saphira123456]

You'd also wonder, how the German national soccer team won the World Soccer Championship 2014? Maybe they were just smarter and better qualified!

For aircraft modelling, try this Revell for a start.

Well excuse me, Mr. Sarcasm; but I know that! I ask because the team there made their own models. They didn't rely on commercially made ones; because the ones that were commercially available were not desired due to the way they were constructed. Toy planes aren't very durable; especially the scale ones. They aren't made for launching via catapult; even if it is a fake launch. And besides; I don't care about sports. Hell; I've never even been to a baseball game in my life. Baseball is supposedly our "national pastime." Well; mine isn't. It's trains. And your dumb old "world cup?" To me; it might as well be a red Solo drinking cup; because that's the only way I'll use any cup. I don't care if it's supposedly a "reward". If I can't drink out of it; I'll refuse it, because it's not only useless; but it's worthless. If I win some "cup"; I'll say, "Give that thing to the runner-up; because I don't care for it. If that's all you've got; I forfeit. Losers..." I don't care if it's the highest honor I can get. I'll throw it away without hesitation. If necessary; I'll throw it in the trash, or the incinerator, or perhaps the dump. I'll shoot holes in it; stick dynamite into those holes, and blow that stupid cup to bits if I have to; just because I don't care. I don't even tune in when the Olympics are on. Gold; Silver, Bronze, or no medal at all, I really couldn't care less. Win or lose; I don't care.

...the dimensions of such famous airliners are not kept secret by the manufacturers; I would guess You could pick them from a lot of websites."

I guess I should have thought of that...

But I just had an idea: I'm going to go work for TW TrainWorx this summer as an un-paid volunteer. T.W. TrainWorx is dedicated to building train layouts of all sizes and all gauges; from Z-Scale to G-Scale; so I'm hoping to pick up a few tricks. Also; they and the guys at Lionel are great friends; so when Lionel introduces a new accessory or set that can be placed trackside; for example, they turn to TrainWorx to set up and photograph the accessory and/or set for their next catalog. (T.W. TrainWorx won't do Live Steam; and they won't go higher than G-Scale; but that's no problem.) Anyway; T.W. TrainWorx is actually not a self-contained business. Its' Parent Company is T.W. Design. T.W. Design is a theatrical design business; and it's also where the "T.W." in both companies' names comes from. (It stands for Theatrical Warehouse.) Anyway, the TrainWorx side is; as you can probably guess from the name, all about trains. They do nothing else but trains on that side of the biz. But what about the theatrical side? I wonder what response I'd get from there? Thanks for reminding me! I'll e-mail my contact/friend at TrainWorx; Dorcie, righr now.

Thanks;

Kerry Freeman; AKA Saphira123456.