Scratch-built 1/72 Scroggs Last Laugh

by Gabriel Stern

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Now there you have an idea: make a super-sized dart-like paper airplane, bolt-on a Curtiss OX-5 engine and climb on board.  Crazy?  Well, in 1930 Mr. Scroggs, a tailor, test flew such thing at a height of 10 feet!
The way he christened the machine, “The Last Laugh”, surely says something about the lesson he taught to the incredulous bystanders.  

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For the curious here is a link to Aerofiles, scroll down to Scroggs, The Last Laugh:
http://www.aerofiles.com/_sa.html
Hey, I just looked at it and knew I was in love.  In the photo sequence you will appreciate the basic simplicity of the construction, further simplified thanks to my suspicious building methods, but preserving the spirit of the original.  Even so, the engine alone took more than 40 parts.  Miscellaneous bits were made basically from styrene, and a few wires here and there. Aeroclub etched spoke wheels were used and a tiny home-made “The Last Laugh” decal completed the list, together with the wood hand carved prop and an etched boss.
Don’t you love those tiny windows?
I can still hear Scroggs laughter!

Many thanks to Jon Noble and Jim Schubert from the Wings of Peace forum for their kindness and knowledge.

Gabriel 

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Photos and text © by Gabriel Stern