Luca Iaconi-Stewart built a meticulously detailed scale model of a Boeing 777 out of manila folders. | Photo: Mark Mahaney

It all started with a can of cocoa: Iaconi-Stewart used it as a stencil to design the first cross section of the fuselage. | Photo: Mark Mahaney

An Air India seat map came in handy for precise placement of the 348 seats.

Photo: Mark Mahaney

Thanks to an enthusiastic online aviation community, details for almost every angle of the plane were readily available. | Photo: Mark Mahaney

Parts with curves—like the 12 landing-gear wheels and two nose-gear wheels—proved to be the most challenging. | Photo: Mark Mahaney