Model Airplane News Reader Tips

Model Airplane News Reader Tips

From emery boards to bandages, put common household items to good use in your workshop! If you have a tip of your own to share, please drop us a line at MAN@airage.com.

 

Beauty Tape

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | Model Airplane News Reader Tips

For years, scale modelers have used paper hair styling tape to reproduce rib tape on their scale planes. It works very well but will require many extra coats of dope or primer to fill the open paper weave. An even better tape to use is cloth bandage tape. It has a mild adhesive to hold it in place but allows repositioning. It also has a smaller pinked edge pattern and looks great on 1/4- or 1/3-scale, cloth-covered airplanes. This tape takes less coats to fill and is excellent for straight lines, but is a bit less flexible than the paper tape. Using both types together on your model will greatly enhance its scale appearance.

Sanding Sticks

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | Model Airplane News Reader Tips

A great source for sanding sticks is the beauty aisle of your local grocery store. Emery boards, which are used for trimming and sanding fingernails, are ideal for many fine sanding jobs on a model airplane. They come in various grits, are inexpensive, and last forever. They are also great for cleaning out hinge slots on painted model airplanes.

Credit Card Trick

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | Model Airplane News Reader Tips

We all want our battery packs to stay put during flight, but sometimes the Velcro used to hold them in place can be difficult to separate when you want to replace the pack. A good way to convince the hooks and loops to give way is to use a plastic credit card and slip it between the two halves. The card prevents the fasteners from reattaching while removing the battery pack.

Long Reach Screwdriver

Model Airplane News - RC Airplane News | Model Airplane News Reader Tips

A great way to get screws into place in a deep or cluttered radio compartment is to slip a piece of fuel tubing over the end of the screwdriver and slide it over the screw. The tubing holds onto the screw and you can maneuver it into place and tighten it without the screw falling deep inside the model.

4 Comments

  1. I would like to see more “how – to” for electric sailplanes

  2. Sometimes while a new covering job is at hand and old covering was taken off wrong we are left with color left behind. To remove this unwanted paint I use my scrap 21 century fabric to remove it. Simply iron on the fabric over the unwanted paint and peel. It saves sanding time and works well.

  3. I use a plastic putty knife to separate stubborn hook and loop. Sanded it down to be more flexible.

  4. more please

Comments are closed.

Air Age Media ©
WordPress Lightbox