How-tos Archives - Model Airplane News

Painting Proper Scale Markings — Get the Stars-and-Bars right

If you are one of many modelers who acquired an ARF-type model of an American airplane, the chance that its star-and-bar markings is correct is about one in 10. It’s sad but true. Among models built by usually careful modelers and displayed at meets, like the Toledo Show and Joe Nall, the situation is somewhat […]

Scale RC Pilot Figure Painting — Add life to your fighter driver

I put a huge amount of detail in the helmets of my Best Pilots pilot figures because its the topmost thing that’s viewed when your pilot is sitting in the cockpit. Most flight helmets are leather and that’s what’s shown here. The following technique works like magic in replicating leather of all kinds, but it […]

Wing-to-Fuselage Fillets

Advice from expert scale designer and builder Nick Ziroli: Instead of adding the fillet after the wing and fuselage are built, I make the shape of the fillet areas as part of the fuselage formers themselves. This requires having at least the wing center section built and attached to the fuselage, but to make sure […]

RC Warbird Tail Repairs

I’d like to present this article as one more example of how doing repairs to your favorite warbird can be done if you take it one step at a time, and “eat the elephant in bites” rather than fretting over the entire sad picture. I will also say it was a privilege to work on […]

Built-Up Wing Repair

We all make dumb moves when flying. Practice is the best cure for this problem, as the ones who make the least dumb moves are usually the ones who fly the most. Since I have moved about an hour’s drive from the flying field, I no longer go flying several times a week. And this […]

RC Airplane Night Lights

Why not customize your aircraft so that night flying will be as simple to do as flying during the day? (That is, for those of you who find it easy to fly during the day!) I decided to give night flying a try and I have outlined here how I went about installing lights on […]

EZ DIY Workshop Table

As a long-time-fan of the PBS show “New Yankee Workshop” I’ve seen quite a few good woodworking projects, but none more handy than the large roll around shop table. I knew I’d have to build it one day when I had the room for it in a workshop I hadn’t even yet built. Sorry to […]

RC Landing Gear Repair

Damaged landing gear caused by landing off-field is probably the single most common repair needed during an RC model’s lifespan. While flying a 30cc Ultimate biplane from Aeroworks, an engine out on the downwind gave us a bad case of landing gear down. Test Pilot and MAN contributor Aaron Ham was doing an inverted pass […]

Pro Tips for Spray Painting

Here’s a great workshop technique from editor Gerry Yarrish’s workshop. Over the years, the products may have changed but today, painting your model airplane with “rattle can” spray paint is a less expensive alternative than using an air compressor and an automotive touch-up gun. When you start building models that have formed plastic or fiberglass parts such […]

Covering Wingtips made Easy

Covering a wing panel with film covering is fairly simple and easy to do, even for those with little skill; that is, until you get to the wingtip. Of course, all wingtips are different shapes, and not all fall in the category of difficult to cover. Some have a gentle taper to a rounded […]

Micro Warbird Makeover

Over the past several years, the arrival of ARFs has provided a means for many to quickly get into RC flying. Today, preassembled models have improved to the point where many exceed the level of ability, interest, and even flying skills of the purchaser. No matter the reason, ARFs do fill a very necessary niche […]

DIY Vacuum-Forming Machine

You know all those models you wanted to build, but did not attempt because they required a vacuum formed canopy? You remember reading about all manner of complicated vacuum formers that took a month to build and cost as much as a seven channel transmitter? Got $20.00 for materials, a few hand tools and an […]