Whitewings Paper Airplanes
Whitewings is a celebrated line of high-performance paper airplane kits designed by Japanese engineer Dr. Yasuaki Ninomiya. Spanning from its debut in 1980 through the early 2000s, the Whitewings brand released numerous sets that captivated hobbyists around the world.
Photos on this page are a work in progress.
Core Whitewings Series (1980–1995)
Between 1980 and 1995, eight core Whitewings volumes were released, each containing 15 different glider models. Each volume was sold as a boxed assembly kit with paper templates, a rubber-band catapult launcher, and a detailed instruction and aviation science booklet. Early sets were named rather than numbered on the packaging (Original, Collection, Heritage), but later ones explicitly noted the volume number. These core sets covered a range of themes and aircraft types, showcasing Dr. Ninomiya’s creativity and engineering skills. Collectively, they introduced 98 unique paper airplane designs. Below is a breakdown of the core series, including release dates, set names, and the airplane models in each.
This was the very first Whitewings set, effectively Vol 1, although it was not labeled in this way. The kit came in a white box with an "Authorized Edition" banner across the corner. This introductory set featured a balanced mix of 15 models, including a series of "Racers", several jets, replicas of real aircraft, and some creative experimental designs. The kit included a simple rubber band catapult which was used to launch the airplanes by attaching it to a small metal hook glued to the plane. The kit also came with a detailed instruction booklet and some lead weights which were used by eight of the models to balance them correctly.
Racer 501 Familiar
Racer 502 Cirrus
Racer 503 Elliptic
Racer 504 Dolphin
Racer 505 Hi-wing
Racer 506 White Panther
Racer 507 Grace
Jet Trainer
Tailless Plane
Clean SST
F-15 Eagle
Flying Boat
Spirit of St. Louis
Bi-plane
P-51D Mustang
This second volume introduced all-new designs with a vibrant rainbow Whitewings logo on the cover and a "Official Edition" banner across the corner. It contained 15 unique models, many named after birds. The "Racer" series continued with numbered models 512-518 and a new series of "Light Planes" was introduced with numbered models 301-304. This set also included some replicas of real aircraft but it did not include any creative or experimental designs. As in the previous volume, the kit included a detailed instruction booklet, some lead weight for balance, some metal hooks and a rubber band catapult launcher. Eight of the airplanes required lead nose weight for balance. Ten of the airplanes used a metal catapult hook and four used a hook built into the model via the paper cutouts. One model, the Wright Flyer, was only suitable for hand launch.
Racer 512 Finch
Racer 513 Meadowlark
Racer 514 Goose
Racer 515 Robin
Racer 516 Mockingbird
Racer 517 Ptarmigan
Racer 518 Cardinal
Light Plane 301 Flycatcher
Light Plane 302 Oriole
Light Plane 303 Bluebird
Light Plane 304 Thrasher
Boeing 747
Wright Flyer
Winnie Mae (Lockheed Vega)
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
Volume 3 continued with another 15 new models, many of which were named after famous aviators. The rainbow logo was switched back to the plain blue color and a “Certified Edition” banner was added to the corner. This volume made several design improvements. It dropped the metal hooks used by the rubber band catapult and replaced them with built in paper notches. This made the construction easier for beginners. The kit also dropped the usage of lead as nose weight for balancing the aircraft. This also made construction easier, but more importantly, it was no longer toxic! This set debuted the “TriLinear” series of gliders and continued with the "Racer" and "Light Plane" series.
Racer 519 Pappy
Racer 520 Amelia
Racer 521 Jacqueline
Racer 522 Richard
Racer 523 Billy
TriLinear 701 Lindberg
TriLinear 702 Rickenbacker
TriLinear 703 Chennault
Light Plane 305 Wilbur
Light Plane 306 Orville
McDonnel Douglas Phantom II
Strega (Modified P-51 Mustang)
Lockheed Constellation
Lockheed C130 Hercules
Voyager
Volume 4 shifted focus to imaginative and experimental aircraft. As the name suggests, it showcased futuristic concepts and advanced aerodynamics. In addition to the 12 futuristic designs (one of which is a replica of a real stealth jet), this kit also continued the "Racer" series with 3 more entries. One design, the "Tailless Plane" had been seen previously in Volume 1, but this version was slightly updated to use a paper notch instead of the metal hook. The packaging for this kit switched to a silver box with a "Reserved Edition" banner across the corner. This was also the first edition to include the volume number on the spine of the box.
Racer 524 Blue Jay
Racer 525 Sparrow
Racer 526 King Fisher
Canard
Tailless Plane Mk2
Delta Plane
Circular Wing Canard
Oblique Wing Plane
Pair Plane
Ring Wing Canard
Tandem Plane
Multi-Tandem Plane
Asymmetrical Wing Plane
Panorama Plane
Northrop B-2 Stealth Bomber
Volume 5 was dedicated to military jets. It arrived in a black box with a white logo and a "Collectors Edition" banner across the corner. This kit continued with the popular "Racer" series and added two new entries in the "TriLinear" series. The remaining 10 models were scale replicas of famous fighter aircraft from WWII through the late 20th century. Three of the designs in this kit were duplicates from prior volumes; the F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Falcon were modified designs from Volumes 1 and 2, replacing the metal hook with a paper notch and the Phantom II was an exact copy from Vol 3.
Racer 532 Dragonfly
Racer 533 Sparrowhawk
Racer 534 Heron
TriLinear 704
TriLinear 705
Messerschmitt Me-262
De Havilland Vampire
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
North American F-86 Sabre
Hawker Siddeley Harrier
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle Mk2
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Mk2
Dassault Mirage 2000
Lockheed F-22
McDonnel Douglas Phantom II
Now sporting a blue box and a "Limited Edition" banner across the corner, Volume 6 celebrated civilian aviation history with 10 models of famous passenger transport aircraft, from early airliners to jumbo jets. Three new gliders were added to the "Racer" series and two "Simple Plane" aircraft were introduced. These were small gliders made from 2 parts, so they were much easier to construct than the other models. Each scale model in this set came with historical background notes in the manual.
Racer 538 Wren
Racer 539 Hawk
Racer 540 Crane
Simple Plane 1
Simple Plane 2
Junkers F-13
Ford 5AT Trimotor
De Havilland D.H.89 Dragon Rapide
Douglas DC-3
Martin M-130 China Clipper
De Havilland Comet
First Jet Transport in USA
Aerospatiale SE210 Caravelle
Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde
Leading Large-scale Passenger Plane
Volume 7 revisited the very first Whitewings set. In fact, every model in “Pioneers of Flight” is the same as the Original Series (Volume 1). The only difference is that they have all been updated by replacing the old metal launch hook and weight system with the newer all-paper hooks. This re-release was put in a green box with an "Original Edition" banner across the corner.
Racer 501 Familiar Mk2
Racer 502 Cirrus Mk2
Racer 503 Elliptic Mk2
Racer 504 Dolphin Mk2
Racer 505 Hi-wing Mk2
Racer 506 White Panther Mk2
Racer 507 Grace Mk2
Jet Trainer Mk2
Clean SST Mk2
Flying Boat Mk2
Spirit of St. Louis Mk2
Bi-plane Mk2
P-51D Mustang Mk2
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle Mk2
Tailless Plane Mk2
Volume 8 was the final core volume and introduced 15 entirely new models with an emphasis on light aircraft and private planes. True to its name, twelve of the models were small general aviation planes – the kinds of light propeller aircraft one might see buzzing around local airfields. This set also included three more of the "Racer" style of airplanes. This set captured the spirit of recreational flying and was a fitting finale to the series, brimming with easy-flying, graceful little planes. This final set came in a red box with a "Sport Planes" banner across the corner.
Racer 546 Canary
Racer 547 Skylark
Racer 548 Sunbird
Light Plane 312 Cessna Type
Light Plane 313 T-Tail
Light Plane 314 Speed-Racer-Shape
Light Plane 315 Little Bonito
Light Plane 316 Twin-Engine
Light Plane 317 Negative Stagger Bi-Plane
Light Plane 318 Business Jet
Light Plane 319 Open Cockpit Bi-Plane
Light Plane 320 Sky Car
Cessna 210 Centurion
Beechcraft V35 Bonanza
Caudron C630 Simoun
Balsa Wood Whitewings Series
While the original Whitewings airplanes were all-paper, Dr. Ninomiya also introduced versions that incorporated balsa wood components for simplicity and durability. These hybrid kits used a lightweight balsa fuselage, with the wings and tail still made of cardstock. The balsa made assembly easier (fewer parts to cut and glue) and the strength of the wood added to the durability of the airplane. Several balsa-based Whitewings products were released in parallel to the core paper series.
This set of 6 balsa and paper gliders was released between Volumes 1 and 2 of the core series. It included 4 new models in the "Racer" series and a two scale replicas of commercial jets. The kit included a rubber band catapult that connected to a metal hook on the airplanes. Some lead foil was included to add balancing weight to some of the models. The kit came in two different styles of packaging.
Racer 508 Sky Cub
Racer 509 Falcon
Racer 510 Twin Comets
Racer 511 Cosmos
Jet Liner
Prop Liner
This was the first set of Whitewings airplanes to include pre-cut paper pieces, which made construction much quicker (nothing to cut out). This quick assembly and flight was ideal for introducing kids to the hobby. It was released concurrently with Volume 4 of the core series. It included 3 designs from the prior set of balsa airplanes (this time pre-cut) and 3 new designs. All 6 gliders used a metal hook for launching with the included catapult.
Prop Liner
Jet Liner
Fan Liner
Racer 508 Sky Cub
Racer 527 Sky Fish
Racer 531 Pheasant
The second volume of balsa airplanes was released concurrently with Volume 5 of the core series. It included 6 new designs: three Racers and three Light Planes. This time, the metal hooks were abandoned in favor of a notch built into the wood/paper designs. This further simplified the construction, making this kit perhaps the best option for new builders who want to get up in the air a quickly as possible.
Racer 535 White Lark
Racer 536 Swallow
Racer 537 Gull
Light Plane 307
Light Plane 308
Light Plane 309
Continuing with the Pre-Cut series, this volume was released concurrently with the Volumes 7 and 8 of the core series. It added three new "Racers", two new "Light Planes" and updated a popular design from Volume 1 to work with a balsa fuselage.
Racer 543 Macaw
Racer 444 Snipe
Racer 545 Kingbird
Light Plane 310 Motor Glider
Light Plane 311 Twin Engine
Flying Boat II
This set was the first one to include full color printed designs, which was very popular. It included 8 new or modified designs from prior sets. Five of them were constructed from all paper and three used balsa wood fuselages.
Wright Flyer
Ryan NYP Spirt of St. Louis
B-17G Flying Fortress
P-51D Mustang
SR-71 Blackbird
NASA Space Shuttle
F-16 Fighting Falcon 'Thunderbirds'
F/A-18 Hornet 'Blue Angels'
This was the first set to feature a new vertical style of packaging with updated graphics. It re-released five "Racer" airplanes from the 3 volume Pre-cut series with minor updates and added one new design. All of these models included pre-cut paper pieces and a balsa wood fuselage with a pre-cut notch for the included catapult.
Racer 537 Gull
Racer 544 Snipe
Racer 549 Swift
Racer 527 Sky Fish II
Racer 543 Macaw
Racer 550 Sky Cub III
This set re-released two airplanes each from Pre-cut Volumes 2 & 3, added a new bi-plane design and updated the Flying Boat to version 3. All of these models included pre-cut paper pieces and a balsa wood fuselage with a pre-cut notch for the included catapult.
Flying Boat III
Light Plane 311 Twin Engine
Light Plane 307
Light Plane 322 Bi-plane
Light Plane 308
Light Plane 310 Motor Glider
This set included six designs based on real military jets. Two of the designs (WW-15 and WW-22) were updated from the core series of paper airplanes and the remaining 4 airplanes were new designs. All of the airplanes used balsa and pre-cut paper pieces for easy construction.
WW-71 Jet Reconnaissance
Kawasaki T-4 Jet Trainer
WW-18 Jet Fighter / Attacker
WW-15 Jet Fighter
V/STOL Jet Fighter / Attacker
WW-22 Jet Fighter
This set of three balsa and paper two-winged airplanes included one new model (Travel Air 4000) that was printed in bright red. The other two models were reprinted from the Pre-cut Vol 3 and Core Vol 8 sets.
Flying Boat II
Travel Air 4000
Negative Stagger BiPlane
Whitewings Spin-Offs and Re-Releases
Beyond the core volumes listed above, Whitewings saw several limited editions, re-packaged collections, and promotional releases over the years. These often emerged from partnerships with retailers, museums, or for special commemorative purposes. Here is a sampling:
In a surprising cross-industry partnership, the outdoor clothing retailer Eddie Bauer sold co-branded Whitewings kits in the early 1990s. There were three Eddie Bauer series: Classic Edition, Sport Wings, and History of Flight. Each was a curated set of 15 planes reprinted from the first four core volumes. These sets came in special Eddie Bauer packaging and were sold through the retailer's catalog and stores. Across the three sets a total of 36 different airplanes were reprinted.
This edition was a re-release of the Core Vol 3 with new packaging branded with the Discovery Channel logo.
The Smithsonian Institution, with its focus on aviation history, partnered to produce a couple of Whitewings-related items. These were sold in museum gift shops and educational outlets. They repackaged existing designs for an audience specifically interested in aviation heritage.