
A Kid Spent 9 Years Building a Detailed Paper Model of a Boeing Jet (2017) - ycombonator
https://www.ge.com/reports/try-this-at-home-this-kid-built-an-incredibly-detailed-model-of-a-boeing-777-from-cut-up-paper-folders/
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ricardobeat
This “kid” is 25 years old, studied architecture and works as an artist. The
work is amazing on its own, no need for clickbait.

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deytempo
I can never figure out why people care more that a kid made something.

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nickelcitymario
Really?

"Group of children place toddler on the moon" wouldn't be more surprising than
"Thousands of highly trained grown-ass engineers put man on the moon"?

We care more because we EXPECT impressive things to be accomplished by adults.
We expect kids to be morons, because when we were kids, we were morons.

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izzydata
What slightly irks me is when some "kid" makes the news about something they
did, but in reality it was basically their parents guiding them the entire
time. Pretty much how some kid shows up to a science fare and wins despite
their parents doing most of the work.

Not the case here, but that is usually what I expect when I see a kid making
something news worthy.

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crikli
Don’t miss his Flickr, particularly the landing gear.
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucaiaconistewart/albums/72157...](https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucaiaconistewart/albums/72157639452020185)

That degree of focus is extraordinary. I think of myself as meticulous and
detailed but this is several levels beyond.

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freetime2
In those landing gear photos you can also see a bunch of insulin vials lined
up in the background. So he did all of this while managing T1 diabetes as a
kid / teenager. Very impressive.

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RobertRoberts
I like his encouraging statement in the video. Often when we see amazing
things we don't think we can accomplish something similar.

 _" I was not born with these skills, I developed them over time. And the
original model was actually pretty crude. And I've really learned a lot over
the past number of years, and that's how I've gotten to where I am at now."_

~~~
baroffoos
A similar quote I heard "You can do anything, you just can't do everything".

I could have built that model plane for sure. The amazing part that's worth
giving credit for is that someone did sit down and dedicate all that time to
actually doing it

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pjc50
In some ways this is the most difficult thing. By doing X you're inevitably
giving up doing all the possible not-X things you could have been doing. The
Internet makes this worse by showing you more choices which you're giving up.

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balabaster
Opportunity cost is huge... and the internet definitely compounds the feelings
about that.

I think the key is to find things that cause you not to care about the
opportunity cost of everything you're missing because you're doing the thing
you most want to do.

Right now I'm at a point in my life where I'm seriously considering shunning
all media, not just social media, but media altogether.

The constant nagging reminder of the opportunity cost of things I'm missing
because the choices I make pander to responsibility instead of fun and
happiness while all those around me sink themselves into debt having fun is
depressing. I have nobody to blame but myself of course, but the media
constantly showing you what you're missing out on definitely doesn't help.

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johnnylambada
Boeing should give this guy a ride on a 777 - or a job! They need all the good
publicity they can get right now.

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chrisseaton
I'm sure he's flown on a plane before - he's a fully grown man.

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sangnoir
Parent didn't mean any plane - the _777_ as he clearly loves that specific
model from how he describes it.

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crispyambulance
It is remarkable work, regardless of how you define "kid" or "adult".

What I find interesting is that it _really_ is made entirely of file folder
cardstock.

Most model makers would have chosen foamcore or sculptable foam. But here,
even the hinged parts and wheels are made of paper.

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barking
If he wanted to cash in on this, I wonder how much he'd get for it? To my eyes
at least it's worth far more than any of the modern art "installations" that
sometimes sell for millions.

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Broken_Hippo
With art, everything is a crapshoot. The famous artists of the 20th century?
Creativity and work meant less than who was in one's network. It is basically
the same today.

This man is lucky enough to have some press, so if he ever decides to sell it
he could _probably_ get a decent price. It probably won't sell for more than
art installations without him having displayed it _unless_ he has contacts in
industry.

He might find himself a niche buyer, though: Boeing, for example, or a number
of aircraft hobbyists. Obviously, the company will probably pay more.
Hobbyists aren't as likely to have "big money", like so many ordinary art
buyers. This may very well limit his income from such things.

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mark-r
I found it interesting that this was hosted on a GE web site. Obviously they
were impressed with the detail he put into the engines.

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Broken_Hippo
That he has any press whatsoever is a grand thing. I honestly know folks that
spend as much time promoting themselves as they do working on artwork. I in no
way thing that is what this man has done.

Now, more specifically, GE or any company as such: Considering the scope of
this man's research and skills, they may or may not be interested in the
artistic side of his skills. This is a man who has studied engineering, has
spent numerous years looking at the details of airplane design, and has
constructed delicate, movable parts alongside support bearing parts for that
airplane ... out of freaking paper. This project could be the antithesis of
art. It could be the most hideous thing you or I have laid eyes on. But
nevertheless, it took serious dedication and attention to detail. The man
worked with a material to the full potential that he has been able to do and
designed parts. I can seriously see why this man would wind up working for GE.
The artwork is a secondary but _very_ complimentary skill.

Personally, I would absolutely love this man to get that and use it to, in
part, fund his artistic career. Imagine if he took his skills and was more
free with them. He could make impressive futuristic and surrealistic scenes
with these skills. Miniature worlds, movie models, and so on.

(Full disclosure: I'm an artist, of the sort that doesn't make much money from
my work. If I were rich, I'd fund my own art fun to a larger degree.)

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cstrat
This is so random!

I can't imagine the amount of patience and focus this guy has.

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Myrth
Or maybe Boeing reputation management op

No one ever checks those stories

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woodrowbarlow
i saw this video a couple years ago which shows it still in-progress.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg_jpZsLf4s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg_jpZsLf4s)
(2014)

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syntaxing
I wasn't expecting much when I first clicked until I saw the landing gear and
the engine part moving. Seriously impressive how there are joints and hinges
in his design!

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anonu
This is pretty cool. Wonder what his techniques are: How does he get the paper
fitted and molded the way he wants?

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linsomniac
I'd be especially impressed if it exhibited anti-stall+trim related nose dive.
:-)

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dotancohen
This is a 777, not a 737-MAX. You want burning batteries I believe. Or a
disappearance. Or a SAM.

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pbourke
The batteries thing was the 787, wasn’t it? At least I recall the ANA 787
fleet was grounded for a battery issue shortly after revenue service began.

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soul_grafitti
I wonder how he got access to the plans that have this level of detail?

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dickeytk
Since when is a 25-year-old a "kid"?

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jvolkman
He's been working on it for 9 years. Do you consider a 16 year old a kid?

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Broken_Hippo
No. A 16 year old is at best, a teenager. Sometimes they can be viewed as
young adults.

A kid is, generally, younger than 13, though a 13 year old can sometimes be
called a "kid". An 8-10 year old fits squarely in the "kid" bracket.

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jvolkman
Where are you getting your definition? Merriam-Webster defines it as "a young
person" and even gives "kids in high school" as an example usage. Wikipedia
includes "young adult" in its definition which includes people from late teens
through their twenties (again, according to Wikipedia).

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lupire
Calling teens "kids" is part of the cultural problem in modern society. We
expect too little of teens, and infantilize and demean them, instead
respecting their talent and accountability.

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wowxp
I hope that it's not Boeing 737 Max..

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jamisteven
I dont understand the praise for someone building model airplanes, is there
some secret moral superiority about kids who build model planes from scratch
versus kids building lego boats from kits or.

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ricardobeat
Usually ‘building model airplanes’ involves buying ready-made, moulded plastic
parts and kits, mounting and painting. This guy studied the plane and designed
the whole thing from the ground up using paper only, made the mechanical parts
functional and accurate. Entirely different story.

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jamisteven
Yes, and for what reason, and what result? Perplexed why someone would spend
this amount of time on such a thing. To each their own I suppose.

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pauletienney
> for what reason

the pleasure

> what result?

a wonderful piece of work, self accomplishment, vast sum of knowledge in both
airplanes and "sculpture", find any job in modeling with a snap and headline
on HN :)

