Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Clear a workspace approximately four feet deep and five feet wide (There are a lot of pieces that you need to keep track of and the assembled model will also take up a lot of room.). Set out four bowls to hold your screws and bolts. Make sure your workspace is dry and well lit---set up additional lamps, if necessary.
Put on your safety goggles. You can wear the goggles on your forehead while you are not working with adhesives. However, be sure to pull them into position before working with the glue. Set a pair of latex gloves to the side. They will decrease your dexterity so do not put them on until you use the glue.
Spread all of the pieces of the remote control airplane kit out in front of you. Keep a two-foot by two-foot patch of workspace clear in the center (for building the actual model). Read the instructions to get a feel for what the final model will look like. Look at the first step of the construction process. Pick out the pieces needed for the first step and place them in the center of your workspace. You may find "flashing" (i.e., stray bits of plastic or other material that should have been cut off when the piece was made but were not fully removed) attached to some of the pieces. Use a file to smooth down these areas until the flashing is no longer there. Start to build the internal structure of the plane by applying model glue (such as Super Glue) to the joints and then snapping them together. Apply the glue sparingly--just a dollop will do.
Gently slide the engine into the engine bay. Even though it is the heaviest part of the model, the engine is composed of many fragile parts, such as the hoses. The gas tank is attached to the engine, so keep track of where the filler hole is and avoid getting glue on the cap. Screw or bolt the gas engine into place. Do not use glue on the screws or bolts. If the engine is ever damaged you may have to take the retaining hardware out to remove the engine for replacement.
Do not attach the propeller. You will attach it last, to avoid getting any paint on it. Propeller blades, even on model planes, are delicately balanced and can be thrown off kilter by errant paint drops.
Paint the plane, if you wish, and let it dry for a few hours. After the paint is dry, attach the propeller blade. Do not use glue on the blade because it can cause damage. Tune your remote control to the controlling frequency recommended in your instruction manual, fuel the plane and take it out for a spin.