Micro UAV Plane

This is a tiny model of a UAV drone that I created from only a piece of thin aluminum from a soda can.  It is about an inch long.  Soda cans are a favorite material of mine because they are free, easy to work with, and are eco-friendly because they are being reused. 

You need a sheet of soda can aluminum, a template(shown in the third image; it is easy to draw but I will provide a print-out template if people request it), a craft knife, and a pair of scissors.  A ruler and a pair of pliers are helpful when making folds.

Cut ou the template pieces on the aluminum.  I drew the tail section template wrong at first, so I re-did it.  I indicated this in the images.  To form the wings, fold the wing assembly in half along the dotted line.  The tail section is complex to explain but simple to do.  First, create the rudder by folding in half, then folding out again where the flat area meets the angled part.  Then, fold the remaining parts in half on the angle to create the elevator fins.  All of these folds are indicated on the template where the dotted lines are.

The main body, or fuselage, is not much harder.  Make creases in the center and on the 1/4 and 3/4 areas.  Here is the hard part.  shape the oval section so that it becomes a three-dimensional dome shape.  The rest is fairly easy.  Use a craft knife to make four cuts as shown in the image.  These are where you will insert the wings and tail. 

Slide in the wings and the tail in the proper slots.  The tail is slightly trickier.  It helps to bend the elevator fins on the tail up slightly.  After these parts are placed in the slots, bend the center crease in more to create the shape of the aircraft.  The two long flaps on the sides should then be bent under the main body to create the bottom. 

Here are some images of the plane next to a paperclip for size comparison.  Try making one and put your pictures in the comments.