A Fun Teaching Tool

There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about how to get kids — or, people in general — interested in manufacturing as a career. One of the biggest hurdles in approaching the subject is how to explain all the interesting challenges that manufacturing involves. A handy way to get over that hurdle is to apply a time-honored writing guideline: Show, don’t tell. A tangible example can be helpful particularly when it’s an unfamiliar concept, such as what’s involved in modern metalworking. Seattle-based Fascinations offers a collection of laser-cut sheet metal model kits that illustrate nesting, fabrication and assembly as well as how precisely steel can be cut with lasers. Plus, they’re fun to put together.

Just as the NASA programs had spinoffs over the years, so has manufacturing technology. Producing this line of models has only become practical in the last few years with the extension of laser cutting into the realm of toy manufacturing. More than one company offers this type of miniature models, but Fascinations’ Metal Earth series, which the company refers to as “a parallel universe,” is definitely worth a look.

Many of the Metal Earth offerings consist of a single 4-in.-square piece of light-gauge steel that has been laser cut to yield, in some cases, dozens of parts.* Here’s where the needle-nose pliers come in handy: Many of the individual parts require some bending after being broken out of the sheet. It’s not hard, but it can be delicate, ship-in-a-bottle like work. It’s a great example of what metal fabrication is all about, and yes, it also leaves you with a fine specimen of a sheet metal skeleton.

The company offers a variety of models ranging from simple to complex. Nine examples of U.S. architecture are available. There are 10 international architecture models. My favorite: the Neuschwanstein Castle, although the (leaning) Tower of Pisa is a close second.

Transportation models make up the bulk of the offerings – four ships, four tanks, six motor vehicles and a dozen aircraft. The Staten Island Ferry and the P-51 Mustang plane (above) are each notable for their detail, but in different ways. The ferry has rows and rows of windows and other openings, which provide a good example of an arrangement that could be difficult to punch, because they are in such close proximity, but is much easier to achieve with a laser. The P-51 has far fewer pieces and openings, but features a great deal of surface etching, replicating the custom paint job that gave each Mustang its own identity.   

Recent additions to the Metal Earth collection are more complex and require two sheets to accommodate all the parts. The farm tractor, for example, has 48 separate part numbers and provides a fine example of nesting. The individual treads for the knobby rear tires (38 each of part nos. 44 and 45) are sprinkled throughout the sheets wherever they fit. As a teaching tool, this provides a good example of how repetitive manufacturing can be, but you may not want to make it the first model you tackle.

Each kit comes with a printed instruction sheet, which is quite detailed and also can be downloaded as a PDF file from the Fascinations website. The kits are available in hobby shops, which is where I stumbled across them, and other retail establishments, as well as on the web.

Finally, thanks to Zach Klemens for these field notes on the recent assembly of a Fascinations commercial  jet model:

“The needle-nose pliers were a must. Then, it’s a matter of perfecting the skill of bending the ‘tabs’ without warping the structure of the plane. After a couple tabs, it’s relatively easy and fun.” Elapsed time: about 45 minutes.

* If you’re a baby boomer, you may remember the simple kit of airplane parts – a wing, a tail, and a rudder – we would punch out of thin sheets of balsa wood. These models are like that, but way more fun to assemble (even though they don’t fly).

ADDENDUM (May 2, 2013): One good online source for the Metal Earth kits is Marco's Emporium, with a physical presence in Pompton Plains, N.J., but accessible online from anywhere. Select "Fascinations" from the Brands pull-down menu. They have a good selection, offer the best prices I can find, and their customer service is great.