While browsing the K-Line catalog for 2004, I noticed their new animation of a boy flying a silver plane. This is my version of the animation using a K-Line O scale figure of a roller skating boy that has been cut apart and reassembled in a different pose. The plane is just a few pieces of styrene that have been glued together much like a balsa gilder. Since the K-Line product is very affordable, it might not be worth the effort and expense to make this project yourself.
There were 2 or 3 figures of the roller skating boy in a set of 32 unpainted K-Line figures that were purchased back in 1994 that I believed were from old Marx tooling. The original figure was quickly cut apart with a sharp hobby knife, then the limbs were reattached in the new positions with a liquid solvent type styrene glue that allowed the joints to remain soft for several minutes for posing the figure with a little squeezing and stretching. Only the left leg, up to the waist, was left attached to the base. The original base was trimmed down to an approximately 3/8 inch circle. After the glue cured, the figure was repainted to conceal the bare styrene and wire that supports the plane, then it will be installed on the layout with only a 1/2 inch hole in the layout's surface. The plane was painted a glossy deep red. A medium weight floral wire was used and left with its dark green paint to help minimize its appearance. A 30 rpm motor is installed under the layout so a level area surrounds the boy. It is best to use a low voltage motor, not one running on 110-120 VAC. Like the turntable animations in the suburban neighborhood, this uses circular motion very effectively. Depending on how much space can be devoted to this project, the plane can be "flown" on a wire that can be quite long, perhaps as much as a 12 to 14 inch diameter flight path.
Here he is on the layout. The plane just clears the handcar that runs on the track behind him and the skateboard that travels on his right.
