10 Tips For Building From A Kit

Workshop Secrets That Speed the Process

- Gerry Yarrish

Our RC hobby has been around for many decades, and it has been, for the most part, a hands-on DIY pursuit. In the beginning, all there was to choose from were builder’s kits. In recent times, the hobby has evolved to include easier to-assemble “almost ready to fly” (ARF) planes, which greatly sped the development of experienced RC pilots. This, however, came at the cost of modelers having less workshop experience. This article highlights some of the basics of building a model airplane from a kit. Let’s get started.

STEP 1 CREATE A HEALTHY WORK ENVIRONMENT

One of the best parts of being a model-airplane builder is putting together a specialized workshop. Most of the time, this happens in a corner of the garage or in the basement, so you can contain all the wood shavings and not get the rest of your home dirty. All you really need is a bench or two, and these can be made out of inexpensive interior-grade hollow-core doors and 2X4 lumber from a home-improvement center. Your bench needs to be straight and true, and truth be told, your workbench should be your first building project if you want to become a kit builder.

Keeping your bench clean, organized, and well lit will go a long way in speeding the modelbuilding process. A handy shelf above your bench is good for storing often-used supplies and a roll-around toolbox/cabinet keeps tools handy and within easy reach. I have also found it handy to make a smaller work board topped with stick-on cork material for use as a secondary work surface. You can assemble and build long parts on the main workbench while assembling smaller items, like tail surfaces and wing halves, on the building board. This is more convenient if you don’t have the room for two full-size benches in your work area.