Make a papier-mache airplane using a water bottle

Hurray! Finally we've finished this papier-mache aircraft made of a plastic bottle after Tatyana Dubinsky's "Goldfish" (in Russian). The process was taken pictures of for those who're interested.

Step 1: Remove the middle part of the bottle to make it shorter and cut off all those juts at the bottom, except one. Cut off the bottleneck. All this for the fuselage to look nice and smooth. One jut on the bottom should be left to support the tail.

Step 2: Join the two parts of the bottle using a masking tape.

Step 3: Cut out the wings and parts of the tail from thick cardboard, and attached them to the fuselage with the masking tape.

Step 4: Build the landing gear by stacking plastic bottle caps and fixing them with the masking tape: two caps for the front and six for the main unit.

Step 5: Plug the bottleneck with a foamed plastic ball, but a crumpled paper ball will also do.

Step 6: Cover everything with three or four layers of papier-mache, that is small pieces of paper dipped into white craft glue mixed with some water. We often use copy paper scrap. Although this sort of paper isn't the best choice for papier-mache, it allows getting thick layers quickly — for impatient little craft makers :) When coating the bottle, leave a strip of uncovered plastic in front of the aircraft, that would be the cockpit. The pilot should be able to see the way!

Step 7: Decorate, of course. You may want to glue pictures of your family members into the windows. Be creative as much as you can at this stage.

More pictures for inspiration (click to enlarge):