How-tos

From assembly secrets to repair tricks


Paint Scale Markings with Vinyl Masks: Neat and precise results every time

Paint Scale Markings with Vinyl Masks: Neat and precise results every time

For this 1/3-scale RC Thomas Morse S4B, I used Replicraft 1/5-scale plans for reference. They include everything needed to build a full-scale aircraft let alone a model. You can see my entire building thread at the Radio Control Scale Builder forum (rcscalebuilder.com), which includes multiple photos of all the scratch-built details. For color & markings […]
DIY Control Horns and Servo Mounts

DIY Control Horns and Servo Mounts

I receive at least one unsolicited credit card every month. Usually, I cut them up and throw them in the trash. Ollie Edwards of the Scottsdale, AZ Model Flyers uses the cards to make control horns and servo mounts. They work great on his flat-wing models and probably would be adequate for backyard airplanes of […]

LAND LIKE A PRO

LAND LIKE A PRO

We’ve all heard the old adage: takeoffs are optional; landings are mandatory. Bringing a plane back to the ground safely is a pilot’s top goal. Unfortunately, one of the hardest maneuvers for an RC airplane to perform is the landing, and it is the first one that we pilots must learn to perfect to keep […]
Corsair Metal Canopy Frame

Corsair Metal Canopy Frame

William Warburton is building a heavily modified, totally scaled-out Gold Edition Top Flite Corsair, and he has shared some of this aircraft’s special details with us. Check out the canopy frame in process! William writes: I fabricated the canopy frame from 0.016-inch brass sheeting material. I made a paper tracing of the canopy frame from […]

Custom Servo Installation

Custom Servo Installation

This neat workbench trick is the work of Ken Park, who worked out his servo installation issues while working on an electric jet with relatively thin wing panels. Here’s what Ken has to say. Well, it’s been a lot of fun getting into RC Jets, but I have noticed is that the really impressive ones come […]
3 Favorite Workshop Tips

3 Favorite Workshop Tips

From “part stickers” to prop safety, these tips have got you covered!   Propeller Safety Tips To prevent accidents, full-size aircraft are equipped with propellers that have brightly colored tips. Do the same with your model airplane propellers. Mask off the tips and spray on some bright yellow or white to make the prop tips […]

Easy Scale Louvers

Easy Scale Louvers

When I built a scale model of a World War I German Albatros D.V, I needed to make some functional louvers. I powered the model with an Enya .53 four-stroke engine, and it was almost completely enclosed in the fuselage. To add sufficient cooling, I needed to make the louvers function, but at the same […]
Master the Basics: Straight & Level Flight

Master the Basics: Straight & Level Flight

You should practice straight and level as much as you do any other maneuver. It is also where new precision aerobatics pilots  should begin. It may seem like the most boring thing to do, but in reality, straight and level flight is one of the most difficult maneuvers to master. Sure, rolling circles, tail slides […]

Balancing Bipes: The Right CG for Safe Flights

Balancing Bipes: The Right CG for Safe Flights

When it comes to RC airplanes, I am of the “two sets of wings are better than one” kind of guys. For any model to perform properly and be safe to fly, it has to be properly balanced. This is especially true for multi-wing models. As a basic rule, you first find the MAC or “Mean […]
7 QUICK WORKSHOP TIPS

7 QUICK WORKSHOP TIPS

MAN readers are a clever bunch; you’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 You may not always […]
Easy Rivets on Film Finishes

Easy Rivets on Film Finishes

I thought I would share a quick and easy way that I have found to put rivets onto MonoKote or other plastic covering. Anytime I happen to be in a craft store, I always look around to see what I might be able to use on a model (you never know what you might find!). […]
Weathering Tricks: Add realism with paint chips and wear

Weathering Tricks: Add realism with paint chips and wear

After you’ve painted your model, add some weathering to really bring a scale plane to life. Each technique by itself is very effective and, added together, really produce astonishing realism. My friend Dave Reid commissioned me to paint his giant-scale SNJ Texan, and it has been the example for these ongoing how-to articles. I weathered […]
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