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How-tos

From assembly secrets to repair tricks


Wing Repairs for Built-up Airplanes

Wing Repairs for Built-up Airplanes

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 […]
Easy Tips for Balancing Propellers

Easy Tips for Balancing Propellers

When operating RC airplanes, properly balanced propellers are very important. Having a balanced prop helps prevent excessive vibration which can cause electrical connections to loosen, fuel in your gas tank to foam up, and can even cause structural damage.  Balancing your propeller helps avoid all these problems and it is very easy to do by following this two-step […]
Scale WW I Finishing Techniques — Applying Plywood Panels

Scale WW I Finishing Techniques — Applying Plywood Panels

When it comes to any model of a Sopwith Camel (and some WW I German aircraft), there are some plywood panels that give the aeroplane its characteristic look. It was always part of my over all finish scheme to include these side and top panels. Since they are added after the model has been covered […]
Painting Proper Scale Markings

Painting Proper Scale Markings

There’s one thing all scale warbird modelers need to know. How to paint proper warbird markings. If you are one of many RC modelers who has acquired an ARF model of an American warbird, the chance that its star-and-bar markings is correct is about one in 10. It’s sad but true. Among models built by […]
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Painting RC Pilot Figures

Painting RC Pilot Figures

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 […]
RC Warbird Tail Repairs

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 […]
Easy Soldering Tips

Easy Soldering Tips

There is always that occasional opportunity to do some soldering. When you need to add some connectors to a battery pack, or to make a set of wiring adapters for your battery charger, using heat and molten metal to join wires together is one of the oldest do-it-yourself tasks for RC hobbyists. The task is […]
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, […]
Easy RC Model Engine Testing — Keeping it Cheap and Safe!

Easy RC Model Engine Testing — Keeping it Cheap and Safe!

When ever I test run and adjust a new engine, I prefer to set it up on a sturdy test stand/table instead of on the model airplane. Here is my Zenoah GT-80, 80cc twin-cylinder gasoline engine for my Fokker Triplane that I am test running. Fuel tank (and smoke oil tank) are installed and the throttle […]
RC Airplane Scale Workshop Building Tips

RC Airplane Scale Workshop Building Tips

When it comes to building  airplanes, all scale modelers seem to have mastered the art of Imagineering. Where sport models are utilitarian and have basic Monokote finishes and switches are easily accessible and located, scale planes are all about looking realistic. Here are some basic workshop building and detailing tips as well as a few […]
Mixing Custom Scale Colors

Mixing Custom Scale Colors

One of the trickiest jobs for a scale model builder is mixing custom colors for their RC scale project. The difference between accurate and “pretty close” can be the difference between winning and not even placing at a scale contest. For those who are considering going the next step in scale accuracy, this article digs […]
Laminating Balsa Parts Made Easy

Laminating Balsa Parts Made Easy

When building model airplanes, especially scale WW I subjects,lamination work for parts of the wing and tail are a requirement. This technique has been used for decades but to new RC model builders the technique of producing lightweight curved parts may need some explaining. Here’s how I do it. There’s nothing exotic about the technique. […]
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