How-tos

From assembly secrets to repair tricks


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 […]
Troubleshooting Gas Engines

Troubleshooting Gas Engines

OK, so you’ve installed your gasoline engine properly, and made sure that the fuel tank is properly installed and the fuel lines and fuel filter are all hooked up correctly, but you still can’t get any fire in the hole—the engine just won’t start. As a safety note here, we always recommend using a properly sized heavy […]
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Fiberglassing Wings Made Easy

Fiberglassing Wings Made Easy

There are many ways to apply fiberglass cloth to a structure. The most common methods use either polyester or epoxy resin and catalysts. Some of the resins require unequal mix ratios, like 1 part epoxy to 2 parts hardener, which is difficult to measure accurately. I also dislike polyester resin because it really smells foul. […]
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 […]
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, […]
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