Zap Glue Archives - Model Airplane News

Warbird Wing Sheeting

When it comes to sheeting the wings, you want to do it right with any airplane, but for giant scale warbirds, you really need to do it correctly. I like to start once the retracts are setup and the plywood support ribs and the mount rails have been epoxied into place. We used the landing […]

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. […]

Magnetic Engine Cowl Attachment

Recently, I found out that home repair stores like Home Depot stock in their hardware section Rare-Earth magnets ideal for use as engine cowling attachment devices. They come in all sorts of sizes and types and for my ongoing workshop build-along for the Sopwith Camel, I used 1/4 inch and .47 inch diameter x 1/8 […]

Resin Casting Scale Parts: Mass Production Spark Plugs

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, […]

Make Engine Cowls: Easy tips for Beginner

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Workshop Tips: Smooth Sheeting

One of the important tasks you need to do correctly while building a giant scale airplane is to produce a smooth and flowing outer surface to apply your finish and paint too. There’s an old saying that a fair paint job applied to a superior surface will look much better than a great paint job […]

Easy Aileron Servo Installation

Here’s a common, very popular way to install aileron servos. To make field maintenance more convenient, install your servos with hatches built into the wing so they are flush with the wing’s underside.. The first thing I do to get the aileron servo hatch properly aligned is to install the aileron control horn and then attach […]

Workshop 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 […]

Easy RC Scale Details — Turn a Straw Hat into a Vintage Pilot Seat

So my Fokker Triplane had been finished for a few weeks and the airplane had flown 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 […]

Working with Aluminum Engine Cowlings

When building my Balsa USA Fokker Triplane, I switched from the included fiberglass cowling to one made from aluminum for some improved scale appearance, I replaced the one that comes with the kit with the Arizona Model Aircrafters aluminum cowl. Start by installing the engine in your fuselage so you can center the face plate […]

New Rubber Toughened — ZAP Glue

There’s probably not one single RC modeler on the planet who hasn’t heard of ZAP Glue. Distributed through several outlets including Robart Mfg., www.robart.com and, Frank Tiano Enterprises (FTE) www.franktiano.com . The Zap Gang www.zapglue.com has an adhesive for just about every conceivable job where you want to stick two things together regardless of what they […]

RC Plane Workshop: Edge-Gluing Balsa Sheets

At some point in your model-building career, you will be faced with a problem. You will have an area of your model that requires a sheet of balsa wider than the material you have on hand. If you are like me, this usually happens when you are starting to make significant progress and when the […]