How-tos

From assembly secrets to repair tricks


RC Airplane Aerobatics: Master the Rolling Circle

RC Airplane Aerobatics: Master the Rolling Circle

One of the most challenging and admired maneuvers in all of aerobatics is the rolling circle. As a rule, you can achieve early success learning most maneuvers as long as you first understand the proper control inputs, and hand-eye coordination adds the final touches to perform the maneuver nearly perfectly. The rolling circle, however, is even […]
RC Airplane Modeler’s Tips

RC Airplane Modeler’s Tips

Everyone appreciates a good building tip or trick — especially when it makes our hobby easier and more enjoyable! Here are a few of our favorites. Send your tips to MAN@airage.com!   Propeller Balancer (Clear Spray Paint) While balancing plastic propellers instead of removing material from the heavier blade, use clear spray paint to add weight to the lighter […]
RC Airplane Easy Scale Tips & Tricks

RC Airplane Easy Scale Tips & Tricks

I started this exercise with an idea, an ARF model and a small investment in time and materials. Since scale is really the focus of most of my RC activity, I thought it would be great to take an off-the-shelf ARF, gather some basic documentation (which becomes the bible in Scale competition), and choose some […]
RC Plane Workshop: Edge-Gluing Balsa Sheets

RC Plane Workshop: Edge-Gluing Balsa Sheets

At some point in your model-building career, you will be faced with a problem.  You will have an area of your model that requires a sheet of balsa wider than the material you have on hand.  If you are like me, this usually happens when you are starting to make significant progress and when the […]
Model Airplane News RC Model Reader Tips

Model Airplane News RC Model Reader Tips

These field and bench tips are all courtesy of MAN readers (the best aircraft modelers around!). Here are a few of our favorites; bet you’ll use at least one! (Have a tip you’d like to share? Send it to MAN@airage.com!)   GARAGE STORAGE SPACE When you need more storage space for wings, the garage door can […]
Model Airplane Covering Tips: 3-color fuselage

Model Airplane Covering Tips: 3-color fuselage

The fuselage adds some complexity to our covering procedures because of the compound curves and the overall shape of the fuselage. Plus we have three different colors that have to be added on to different parts of the fuselage. The placement of the color seams will have to match up from one side of the […]
RC Model Jet Makeover — Added details for the fast lane

RC Model Jet Makeover — Added details for the fast lane

I’ve been waiting for a F86 Sabre EDF to come along that didn’t have a HUGE “out of scale”nose intake and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Finally E-flite did it. Watching the performance of this model on the stock setup , I was finally satisfied. Having just finished a repaint, retract install and […]
RC Model – Soldering Landing Gear — Old-School Tips for Giant Scale Mains

RC Model – Soldering Landing Gear — Old-School Tips for Giant Scale Mains

When I made my landing gear for my Sopwith Camel project, I did it the old-fashioned way–I cut and bent all the parts from music wire, wrapped the joints with thin copper wire and soldered everything together. So, the first step for producing any wire landing gear is to install the two main verticals onto […]
RC Model Airplane Tips and Tricks from the Readers

RC Model Airplane Tips and Tricks from the Readers

We have the best readers, and we love your unique ways of making building and assembling RC planes easier. Here are a few of our favorites; bet you’ll use at least one! (Have a tip you’d like to share? Send it to MAN@airage.com!) Cutting corners on patch jobs When using MonoKote or UltraCote to repair rips […]
RC Model Aerobatics: Conquer the Three-turn Negative Spin

RC Model Aerobatics: Conquer the Three-turn Negative Spin

In the early days of aviation,  spins were often fatal because most pilots did not understand how to properly recover from a spin. While in an upright spin, the pilot would pull back on the elevator stick in an effort to save the airplane (and their life!) and only make the situation worse. Since the […]
Model Airplane News Workshop Tip — Installing Hinges

Model Airplane News Workshop Tip — Installing Hinges

Perhaps the most important technique any RC modeler needs to learn is to properly install hinges for his model’s control surfaces. They need to be strong, in proper alignment, and sized correctly for the model being worked on. The crew over at Du-Bro Products has lots of good tools and supplies to get the job […]
Scale Metal Finish Made Easy

Scale Metal Finish Made Easy

I can hear it now, “Oh great, not another Mustang,” from readers everywhere!  Truth be known, I found myself saying the exact same thing at almost every Warbird event I attended, despite the fact that I actually like the Mustang as an aircraft. When this sleek American airframe was outfitted with the British Rolls-Royce Merlin, it […]
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