[WIP] Cargo plane

[m00se]

Working on a fictitious cargo plane. Plane will be on a stand and behind it there will be controls including a joystick for 10 functions (for example the wings alone already have four: ailerons, air brakes, slats, flaps). So the focus is on those functions, not on very high realism. I am however in doubt if I didn't make the fuselage too big compared to the wingspan: what are your opinions on this? Continue as is, or make the fuselage 2 studs smaller?

 

 

[Bartybum]

Nice work so far! I think the proportions are more or less okay. How does the fuselage cross section look front-on?

[allanp]

I'd say make the fuselage smaller. Googling images of cargo planes, and just judging by eye, each wing appears to be a shade under 3 times the fuselage diameter in length. You're not far off though. Would it be easier to make the wings maybe 3 or 4 studs longer?

[HydroWorld Outlook]

3 hours ago, m00se said:

Working on a fictitious cargo plane. Plane will be on a stand and behind it there will be controls including a joystick for 10 functions (for example the wings alone already have four: ailerons, air brakes, slats, flaps). So the focus is on those functions, not on very high realism. I am however in doubt if I didn't make the fuselage too big compared to the wingspan: what are your opinions on this? Continue as is, or make the fuselage 2 studs smaller?

You could, but I actually think the fuselage is perfectly fine at its current size. The wider the fuselage, the better the structural integrity. Plus, like you said, this model is fictitious and not intended to replicate any one specific aircraft, so I would think this should be fine given how far in you already are on the aircraft's assembly.

Furthermore, I know you may not necessarily be thinking about the aircraft's propulsion yet, but when you get to engines, do you think you'll want to build turbofans, turboprops, or just standard piston propellers? Whichever engine form you choose, high-speed buggy motors or BuWizz motors will likely get them spinning more realistically than most other LEGO electric motors.

Edited Sunday at 12:30 PM by HydroWorld Outlook

[yqc]

It doesn't look terribly off, but making it smaller would probably increase it's realism. However, I fully agree  that it's ok like it is currently and if the structure and/or mechanics are doable like this more easily, I would keep it like it is.

[m00se]

Hey, thanks all! I'll keep it as is then, because it would indeed be more difficult to have the same structural strength if I would decrease the the diameter. I'll look into making the wings tiny bit longer. 

 

7 hours ago, HydroWorld Outlook said:

Furthermore, I know you may not necessarily be thinking about the aircraft's propulsion yet, but when you get to engines, do you think you'll want to build turbofans, turboprops, or just standard piston propellers? Whichever engine form you choose, high-speed buggy motors or BuWizz motors will likely get them spinning more realistically than most other LEGO electric motors.

Engines will be turbofans: might not be very clear from images, but the wings are more typical for a jet engine plane. Also there are front leading slats and flaps, I don't think that combination occurs in combination with propellers Might surprise you, but having the engines rotate is actually not on my functions list. I only have 10 axles which will connect these functions to controls:

- Front leading slats

- Flaps

- Ailerons

- Air brakes

- Rudder

- Elevator

- Wheel bays

- Wheels up/down

- Cargo bay front

- Cargo bay back

[HydroWorld Outlook]

On 6/28/2026 at 1:09 PM, m00se said:

Hey, thanks all! I'll keep it as is then, because it would indeed be more difficult to have the same structural strength if I would decrease the the diameter. I'll look into making the wings tiny bit longer. 

Good idea. The greater the fuselage width, the stronger the structural integrity of the whole aircraft.

On 6/28/2026 at 1:09 PM, m00se said:

Engines will be turbofans: might not be very clear from images, but the wings are more typical for a jet engine plane. Also there are front leading slats and flaps, I don't think that combination occurs in combination with propellers Might surprise you, but having the engines rotate is actually not on my functions list. I only have 10 axles which will connect these functions to controls:

- Front leading slats

- Flaps

- Ailerons

- Air brakes

- Rudder

- Elevator

- Wheel bays

- Wheels up/down

- Cargo bay front

- Cargo bay back

There are some special propeller aircraft that do have leading slats and flaps, but not the type that you're trying to construct. My apologies for not noticing the wing shape and failing to realize that you weren't planning driveshafts for the engines.

Given that you only have 10 axles driving the functions you listed, please feel free to disregard my previous comment. I assumed you would want the engines to be powered as do most other builders who construct aircraft models, but if you're not planning on doing this then don't feel pressured to, as doing so would add extra weight and complexity to the model. That being said, if you wanted to you could focus on the core functions you listed now and then add them in later. @lordkarsa took a relatively similar approach when building their model, which appears to be relatively similar in design to yours but far more complex. They started with static engines that were then upgraded to motorization. Here's the hyperlink to the forum thread for that model in case you would like to take a look:

 

Edited Tuesday at 06:33 AM by HydroWorld Outlook