UGears: Mini Biplane (84pc)

The Wright brothers got it right. When these talented bicycle mechanics setout to build the world's first motor-driven, heavier-than-air airplane, theyneeded wings that could provide enough lift, yet be light and strong. They wentwith a biplane design, seen in early hang gliders. Biplanes have two fixedwings, one on top of the other, connected with supporting struts; the bracingpermits a lighter wing structure. WWI flyers took to the skies in biplanes, andwhile the Red Baron is known for his iconic crimson triplane, most of hisdecorated combat career was spent in biplanes. Advances in aviation technologyand materials made the biplane obsolete by the late 1930's, however, biplanesremain a fixture and fan favorite at airshows to this day.

Ugears is known for producing beautiful wooden DIY models characterized by athrowback, steampunk sensibility. Naturally, when we decided to add a flyer toour collection of “Easy” models for young modelers, we couldn't resist thebeauty and historical significance of the biplane. The Ugears Mini Biplane modelis both a fun toy and an attractive decorative item to place on the shelf. Weopted for an open design, making the Biplane fuselage light and transparent,revealing the model's inner workings. Machines should not be mysteries! We wantto encourage our young builders' natural curiosity, and help them learn aboutmotors and simple mechanics.

The Mini Biplane wooden model has a turning propeller and is powered by arubber band motor—just pull the model back along a surface to wind it up, thenrelease and watch it go! No glue or special tools are required to assemble thisDIY kit, just punch the pre-cut pieces out of their composite wood boards andsnap them together. When assembling the airplane model, remember to lightly sandand wax the moving parts to make them run smoothly. The model's toy-likeappearance and simple mechanics make the Mini Biplane an excellent starter modeland introduction to the fascinating world of Ugears 3D puzzles, DIY model kits,automatons, robots, wooden puzzle boxes and STEM Lab model kits. As your childlearns to build these delightful, engaging toys they will also be building theirmechanical knowledge and aptitude.

The Mini Biplane will appeal to anyone who loves model planes or who isinterested in aviation. It joins the Aviator (with its interchangeable airplaneand helicopter components) and the Flight Starter models in our Ugears family offlyers (you could also count the fearsome Windstorm Dragon and beautifulButterfly as flyers!). Are there any kids (or grownup kids!) who love airplanesin your circle of family and friends? Why not give them a Mini Biplane as a giftfor their next birthday or for the holidays? The Ugears Mini Biplane is a fun,lightly challenging, and satisfying creative project for families to work ontogether, and an attractive addition to your home decor. Let Ugears help yourchild's imagination take flight!

Specifications:

• Model size: 6 × 5.1 × 3.1 in(150 × 130 × 80mm)
• Package size: 8.3 × 3.6 × 0.8 in(210 × 92 × 20mm)
• Number of components: 84
• Estimated time for assembly: 1 hour