MIRAGE 111 in a bottle

After building a 1/30 scale card model of the Mirage jet fighter, I found that the ratio of the fuselage length to wingspan was perfect for it to fit into a 1 gallon bottle at a scale of approx 1/56.

The first problem was how to convert the card parts to solid parts in order to assemble inside the bottle. The solution was to fabricate the parts using car bodyfiller.

The fuselage was constructed like a card model. The internal frame templates were reversed and fitted outside to keep the shape of the fuselage whilst the inside was filled with bodyfiller. The outside tube of a 3cc syringe was inserted into the centre of the filler and after a minute or two when the filler started to set, the syringe was carefully twisted out and the filler left to cure for about a quarter of an hour. A piece of toilet paper was then inserted into the hole in the filler. Another card stage was added to the fuselage and when completely dry, more filler was added as before.

Parallel joiners were fitted to the fuselage where the cockpit section started as the cockpit would go through the neck of the bottle in one piece.

The templates were then removed and the cockpit section was cut off and fitted with two, 2mm brass pins to its joiner pieces. 2 parallel holes were then drilled through the side of the cockpit body in order to mount the air intakes later.

The main body of the fuselage was drilled with 2 parallel  3mm holes in the side, one near the front and the other near the rear. These were then fitted with 3mm brass tubes and the holes patched up on the exterior of the fuselage sides. By fitting 2mm pins in one half of the tubes when the fuselage was cut down the centre line, these would be used to locate the two halves when the fuselage halves were joined together inside the bottle. The wing mounting section of the fuselage was drilled with 2 parallel holes and fitted with 3mm brass tubes for the mounting of the inner wing sections.

The fuselage was then cleaned of all the card cladding and the main body of the fuselage cut along the centre using a jewellers saw.

Strips of wood, the thickness of the saw cut were glued to the fuselage halves to maintain the original circumference. The whole assembly was then fitted together again and re-clad with its card parts.

The interior of the cockpit was fitted with a seat and pilot and then the canopy made and fitted.

The wings and tail were now constructed.

These were filled with the bodyfiller using an aerofoil template to keep their shape. When set, they were touched up with ready-mixed polyfilla and pins fitted.

They were then cut into sections to fit the neck of the bottle.

These sections were then clad with their relevant card parts and pins fitted.

A complete upper wing card part was then attached to the inner section of each upper wing. This would be glued down over the assembled 3 wing pieces to cover the joins, once they were fitted in the bottle.

The tail was similarly treated.

The air intakes were pinned.

The bombs were made from dowels, shaped and clad with their card parts.

All parts ready for insertion and assembly.

The two halves of the fuselage were inserted and glued together.

The lower tail was then fitted and when dry, the upper part located.

The inner wing sections were then glued in place.

The tail cladding was now glued in place over the two tail parts.

The wing centre pieces were fitted and when dry, the outer pieces fitted.

The top wing claddings were now glued down to hide the joins in the top of the wing sections.

It was not necessary to re-clad the underneath of the wings as the joins could not be seen due to the ammunition carriers and servo covers.

The cockpit section was now inserted. The air intakes were inserted and fitted to the cockpit sides.

The cockpit section was now fitted to the main body of the fuselage.