Mark Turner creates vintage model planes from copper wire , old computer chips and electronic resistors .
this look better ’ and began shaping things so that they looked like bugs , with curly tails and glued-on eyes . People loved them . I still make the bugs , and I give them to everybody as gifts . They ’ re all over the world by now .” when he found a source to purchase undamaged resistors delivered in sheets , which eliminated hours of straightening and reshaping their delicate wires . He ’ s been successfully using his technique for the past decade .
Bugs aside , Turner quickly moved on to designing his first creation – a bi-wing airplane . Over the years he ’ s worked out technical difficulties and learned to modify the original materials to add strength , simplify the process and create consistent results . “ It ’ s taken me all these years to perfect , since I have to make it all ,” he said . “ I don ’ t just drop wires or chips onto a frame ; I have to twist the copper wire into stronger sticks to work with , which is the key , plus working with the chips and sauntering . Wires are actually filled with holes , when you look under a microscope , and the sauntering fills in those holes and holds it all together .”
Another huge obstacle was eliminated , Turner said ,
Turner doesn ’ t actively seek out customers , but has created many commissioned pieces over the years . One of them , an E-3 AWACS , was presented to the commander at Offut Air Force Base , where it now has a place of honor on his desk . With an impressive 43-inch wingspan , the model contains over 14,000 resistors , each hand-sautered .
One of the most meaningful – and most technically challenging — commissions Turner received was a request to re-create a vintage crop-dusting plane , which he had to do using old faded photos as a reference , instead of written specs . The plane was commissioned for the client ’ s wife , who had memories of riding in
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