INTERDISCIPLINARY MAKER
Desktop Plane Model
For this project, I sought to design a desktop plane model with a stand for my dad. My dad is an aviation meteorologist and collects small desktop plane models. I came up with a concept commercial plane design and modeled it with Autodesk Inventor. I also designed a stand which would allow my dad (or other aviation enthusiasts) to adjust the pitch axis of the plane as a fidget desk toy.
Design Moodboard
These are some images and color palettes that I considered when designing my plane model and how its stand could change conformations, specifically an adjustable laptop 2-bar stand.

User Moodboard
This is a moodboard illustrating the day in the life of someone like my dad: the target audience for this project. This is someone with a vested interest in aviation who spends a lot of time at their desk or home office.

Ideation + Design
Before I began modeling the plane desk model in Autodesk Inventor, I spent a lot of time brainstorming concept planes (how organic or realistic would the plane be?) and different stands (how would the stand move?).
In this design, I was really aiming to practice drawing a plane and exploring how I could separate the plane into multiple parts that could be fit together during fabrication. I sketched some tabs which could fit together the fuselage to the wings and so on. Additionally, I noted some characteristics I liked about this fuselage design which I ultimately preserved in my final design.
In these concept sketches, I focused on engine placement. I thought incorporating the engine under the plane wing and angling its profile into the back tail pieces would be a sophisticated design. In the end, I decided I wanted this piece to be more of an art-object and less of an accurate plane model, so I omitted the engines from the final design.
This design is what I based my final model on, with its rounded nose cone, snap-in wing features, and articulated stand. Based on feedback, I had taken inspiration from articulated camera mounts and laptop stands to develop this two-bar, pitch-flexible design. I was really pleased with this because it would lend the final product to be a movable and adjustable desk toy.
In this design, I was really aiming to practice drawing a plane and exploring how I could separate the plane into multiple parts that could be fit together during fabrication. I sketched some tabs which could fit together the fuselage to the wings and so on. Additionally, I noted some characteristics I liked about this fuselage design which I ultimately preserved in my final design.
Product Flyer
Here is a flyer I designed advertising the final product: Adjustable Plane Desk Model

Color Variations

Adjustable Stand Movement

Exploded Assembly View

