How to make a Vintage Toy Airplane Cookie

These toy airplane cookies were part of the custom order for a vintage-toy themed baby shower. The order came in with out enough time to order a vintage airplane cookie cutter. My cousin Emma (Click here to see her website) suggested altering the jet airplane cutter that I already have. This cutter is plastic so I had to work with changing around the dough after the shapes were cut. This is still less time than hand cutting each airplane.

For this project I used:

1) airplane cutter + small number 1 cutter

2) sugar cookie dough

3) Royal icing, both thick piping consistency and thinner flood consistency in tan, vintage red and vintage blue. For a good royal icing recipe check out SweetSugarBelle's blog and this post.

I modified the jet airplane shape by making the wings go out to the side and the edges straight. I also used the small number one cutter show for the propeller. In the oven the pieces form together on their own.
When I get to this point I'm so happy, all the hard work is over and the fun begins. I hurt my wrist rolling dough a couple of weeks ago so I only used disposable piping bags. I think I may do this more often. I felt I had better control over the flood icing and I didn't have to squeeze so hard to get the icing out.
Outline the airplanes with the blue piping consistency icing.
Now flood with the thinner icing. I love love love this step. I worked with about 5 cookies at a time for this project. Try to under fill the cookies as you will be adding more details to the wet icing. So many times I fill them too much and there is not room for the wet details. Icing ends up all over the sides of the cookie.

While the icing is still wet add a large red circle. Do this to all five cookies. Nice photo, huh? I really need a robot to help me with my pictures. It's hard to pipe dots and take a picture with a clunky camera.

Gently shake the cookie so the icing flattens out.
While the icing is still wet add the small lines. I wanted them flush with the blue icing. Don't work with too many cookies at a time or you will not get that look. I used a Wilton size 1 tip. Add the red propeller.
Here they are!
I made 20 of these cookies. Figuring out the design was the hardest part. Is that why people get mad when other's copy their designs? Copy away... even with a design to follow this is a lot of work. I bet someone with more cookie experience could even improve this design.
A sample of the cookies for this baby shower.