Friday, 28 October 2016

Michael LaFosse's Origami Airplanes. Review.



Easy-to-fold paper airplanes from America’s top Origami Designer!
By Michael G. LaFosse & Richard L. Alexander
Tuttle Publishing 2016
Paperback + DVD £9.99  $ 14.95 US
ISBN 978-4-8053-1360-2

Star rating: ****

This book soars! This is a fabulous collection of 28 paper airplane designs that are aerodynamically efficient and aesthetically pleasing – so you can fold, then fly in style. Designer Michael LaFosse has been honing his  papery aviation-design skills since childhood – and it shows. This book is a labour of love – and a distillation of years of paper-plane folding experience. There’s lots of variety in the plane designs and they all look great.

This book comes up with the goods whatever your origami folding preference – you can follow the excellent step-by-step line illustrations or use the pause-and-play DVD (video tut for each plane design). Plenty of tips ensure a successful outcome. 

Each paper plane has a fun intro that puts you in the picture about its design origins and advises about its flying style (glider or mover) – with tips for successful flight. Whether you fancy the elegant Art Deco Wing or the no-frills Stacked Over Logan (it is guaranteed that if you toss a bunch into the air, “they never collide” – cool), there’s a paper plane to intrique and entertain you.

A very useful feature is the icon at the beginning of each design that shows the required paper shape (and provides preferred dimensions).

LaFosse and Alexander are all-round, renowned origami gurus (their business is the Origamido Studio) – but their first love is paper airplanes – and it shows in this delightful title. Chapters include Selecting and Preparing your Paper, Masterful Folding Techniques, How to Design Exceptional Paper Airplanes, The Planes, and Hosting a Paper Airplane Competition. There’s even an endearingly geeky Glossary of Paper Airplane terms and Jargon back-of-book. 

This is not a book to be put away – it is ideal for Christmas or birthday gifting. Your go-to guide for paper plane-making.
 Note: I was supplied with a review copy of this title.

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