How-tos

From assembly secrets to repair tricks


Install a Scale WW1 Engine

Install a Scale WW1 Engine

When it comes to really looking scale, it’s in the details that we make the most progress in giving our model’s that “used” look. For my 1/3-scale Fokker Triplane, I wanted to bring a better scale look to the front end so I  installed a resin cast Oberusel rotary engine available from Nick Ziroli Plans. […]
Resin Casting Scale Parts

Resin Casting Scale Parts

Once you get to a certain level of scale modeling, you’ll start making parts that need to be produced in multiples and, most likely, are not commercially available. This is easily dealt with by making a master part and then reproducing it with a mold and resin casting liquid. Resin casting is considered an advanced technique, […]
Making Strong Wood Splices

Making Strong Wood Splices

I was sitting under a shade tent at a giant-scale fun fly recently when someone asked me where I got the longer-than-standard-size materials I use to build my big airplanes. I didn’t know what the fellow meant. He told me that his local hobby shop carried only 36-inch lengths of balsa and spruce, and that […]
Flight Technique: Cobra with 1/2 Rolls

Flight Technique: Cobra with 1/2 Rolls

If you follow full-scale aerobatics, there is another maneuver that goes by a similar name, but it is called the Pugachev Cobra. The Pugachev Cobra shows post-stall maneuvering as it displays an abrupt pitch change and a high angle of attack. The Pugachev Cobra is very similar to the common “3D” maneuver, the “Wall,” where […]
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Easy Scale Details — Vintage Pilot Seat

Easy Scale Details — Vintage Pilot Seat

So my Fokker Triplane had been finished for a while and tI flew the airplane several times without any problems. But there is that big issue of an empty cockpit. So, I converted my old Mini-Me 1/3 scale pilot figure into a WW1 leather helmet and goggles guy with a great set of cloths including […]
Fuel systems for Giants — Update your gas tank

Fuel systems for Giants — Update your gas tank

During a recent rebuild project of a Ziroli 77-inch Stearman PT-17 biplane, I replaced the the fuel tank and plumbing with newer hardware. Here’s how to install a new gasoline fuel system in your plane. (Above.) For the Zenoah G-38 engine powering the Stearman, I chose to install a 20 oz. fuel tank. I also used […]
Add Flaps to your Foam Warbird

Add Flaps to your Foam Warbird

Kick your foam warbird up a notch by adding flaps! The techniques shown here upgrade a P-47 Thunderbolt that has optional functional flaps (an upgrade available on many small electrics). The flap outlines are already molded into the wing so it’s easy to figure out where the flaps belong. Here’s how to install them: YOU’LL […]
RC Model Workshop Tips

RC Model Workshop Tips

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 on your next project! (Have a tip you’d like to share? Send it to MAN@airage.com!)   CLEAR GLUE TO THE RESCUE Sometimes a hard […]
Model Airplane News 7 QUICK WORKSHOP TIPS

Model Airplane News 7 QUICK WORKSHOP TIPS

MAN contributors and readers are a clever bunch, and they’re always coming up with easier, more efficient ways to build and set up airplanes. Here are 7 workshop tips that we think you’ll enjoy using. Have a tip of your own you’d like to share? Send us an email at MAN@airage.com.   Simple Pushrod Guide […]
Install a Dummy Scale Engine

Install a Dummy Scale Engine

If you’ve been following my online Build-Along Series on the MAN website for my Sopwith Camel, then you know I have been featuring little mini projects as they pop up in the construction. Well, as master scale modeler Dave Platt has mentioned numerous times, “A scale model is never truly finished–you simply stop working in […]
Mending Broken Wings

Mending Broken Wings

Let’s face it. If you fly RC airplanes, sooner or later, you’re going to damage your model. Knowing how to deal with common damage inflicted on our models saves you money and extends the life of your plane. So why buy a replacement wing when you can fix it yourself? Here’s our damaged wing. This […]
Make Laminated Formers

Make Laminated Formers

If you have been building RC warbirds for a while, you may notice that there is a terrible blight plaguing many of them… tail-heaviness!  The scourge of tail-heaviness leaves the modeler with few good options.  First, he can fly the model as-is with the CG at the limit of its aft location and stagger around […]
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