Introduction: Turning Popsicle Sticks Into One of the Most Iconic WW2 Planes Ever: the Supermarine Spitfire! (Ultra Micro Model!)

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In this instructable, I'll walk you through the build process of the smallest, and coolest, aircraft I have ever built! It even fits in your hand!
Hope you enjoy:)

Supplies

Popsicle Sticks
Superglue (or equivalent)
Sharp knife
Pen or pencil
Files or sandpaper
Printer paper or equivalent.
Scissors.
Paint (optional)
Reference images

Step 1: Glue the Popsicle Sticks

To start off, I glued two reasonably straight popsicle sticks together using super glue, making sure the popsicles were somewhat aligned. I gave it some time cure, and then moved to step two.

You don't want to use hot glue or something similar to glue the popsicles together because it's very hard to sand or file. If you use super glue, it also gives extra strength to the spinner or nose cone when you carve it.

Step 2: Draw and Cut the Sideview.

In this step I used some pictures from Google to help me draw an outline for the body of the spitfire. It helps to scale an image to the same size as the plane is supposed to be and then use a ruler to measure the exact dimensions.
After I was satisfied with the drawing, I used a sharp knife to cut out the outline, and then I filed the excess down to the lines.
I also decided to leave the plane attached to the rest of the popsicle to make it easier to handle, and then cut it off at the end.

Step 3: Draw and Cut the Top View

Once I was happy with the sideview, I used some images again to help lay out the top view of the spitfire. It took a few tries, but after getting it fairly centered I proceeded to cut and file the outline like in step 2.

Step 4: Round Off the Edges

The spitfire is finally beginning to take shape, but to make it more realistic I used some files to round off the edges and give the spitfire its final shape. Just filing it won't result in a super smooth finish, so fine grit sandpaper can be used to achieve a good finish.
Again, to get a more accurate result, it really helps to look at reference pictures.

Step 5: Make the Wings

For this step I used one popsicle stick and drew the outline of the wings on it. Then I cut them out with my knife and tapered them with a file.
I decided to leave the wings in one piece to give them more strength and also make it easier to glue them on to the fuselage. This also meant that I had to cut a groove in the middle of the wings to fit the fuselage.

Step 6: Attach Wings to Fuselage

All I did for this step was cutting the fuselage to match the groove in the wings while refering to images to make sure it still looked right. It took some time to get it right, but in the end it resulted in a good tight fit.
After I was satisfied with the fit, I glued the wings to the fuselage with superglue making sure they dried straight.

Step 7: Make and Attach the Vertical Stabilizer

For this step, I first thinned down a popsicle stick with a file, and then proceeded to draw and cut out the vertical stabilizer. After a visual confirmation with some references I glued the tail on.

Step 8: Make and Attach the Horizontal Stabilizers

I used the same thinned down popsicle stick as the one for step 7 for this step, and after cutting, filing, and fitting I glued the horizontal stabilizers on; completing the rear of the spitfire.
I cut and shaped the stabilizers as one piece, and then cut them in half before attaching them.

Step 9: Shaping the Nose and Making the Props

When I finished attaching the wings and stabilizers, I cut the plane away from the rest of the popsicle while at the same time shaping the spinner or nose cone.
For the propellers I just used regular printer paper cut to size with scissors and glued them on with superglue. I just eyeballed the size and position of the props, but a more realistic look may be achieved by exactly measuring and placing the props.
The props can also be covered in a thin layer of superglue to give them added stiffness and strength.

Step 10: Optional Steps

I chose to paint the spitfire to give it some more realism, but this is a completely optional step. The spitfire also has a few different color schemes, so you can chose which one you like best.
I also chose not to add physical details like the landing gear or exhaust pipes. I painted the exhaust pipes and other small details on, but actually making the landing gear, guns or attenas or exhaust pipes would be very difficult considering the already small scale of the model.

Step 11: Gallery