1080tommy

I know the more experienced builders probably see this kind of thread all the time. I have flown electrics, progressed to rtf gas, and my last plane was a Hangar 9 Cosair arf which flies very nice. However, now that I am hooked on this hobby, I want to progress to kit building. The guys at my LHS suggested for a first kit a sig something extra, so I ordered one today. I hear that this is not the hardest kit to build, but can those of you who have some kit building experience give me some advice on what tools I need besides clamps, heat gun and covering iron. My next plane, if all goes well is going to be a kit in the 50cc class, possibly an extra 260 or edge 540, so I know that it will not be as easy as the something extra. Any help from you guys will be greatly appreciated because I have seen some really good skills and want to emulate that in my builds. Thanks.


Tom

CafeenMan

Tommy - What you're going to get in this thread is an ungodly list of tools you need starting with a building board, knives and sandpaper and progressing through a milling machine and lathe.

The tools you *need* are very minimum but if that's all you have you might find building very frustrating. My advice is buy the basics and don't let frustration consume you. When you start building just realize that whatever it is that's frustrating you there is a tool available (or one you can make) to not only resolve the frustration but actually make the process something you enjoy.

I have a very large section on my site about tools. If you have a gazillion dollars to spend you can get them all and then some but if you're an average Joe, then you obviously can't stock your to the extent us long-time builders have in only one build.

If you really think that you will want to build a lot of planes, then I strongly suggest you start with a magnetic building system. It can be a little pricey but you can add more as you can afford it. It will make it much faster and easier to build accurately. That's the first advantage but there are so many other advantages you'll have to use it to see how nice it is to have.

[link=http://www.airfieldmodels.com/information_source/model_building_tools/index.htm]Model Building Tools[/link]

[link=http://www.airfieldmodels.com/information_source/how_to_articles_for_model_builders/tools/magnetic_building_board/index.htm]Build with Magnets[/link]

1080tommy

Thanks very much. I have most of the minimum tools but you have some great ideas. This will help a lot because I'm sure this stuff is not the easiest to perform and make look professional.

Tom

WCB

Read the manual. Inventory and separate the parts. Look at the plans. Reread the manual. It will tell you basicly what tools you will need. Make sure you completely understand each building step in the manual. Compare the parts to the plans. Dry fit the parts to make sure they fit and are the correct parts. Follow the instructions! Don't get in a hurry. If you get frustrated stop and do something else for a while. If you're not in the mood or too tired to work on it...don't... you'll screw something up everytime. Measure twice and cut once. When finishing sand and sand. When you think you are done sanding...sand some more. Build light and true. Do these things and you'll have a nice looking model that flies great. You will make mistakes now and 25 years from now. It doesn't have to be perfect. "Close is usually close enough." Don't point out your mistakes to others. Chances are they would never have noticed.

WCB

1080tommy

Thanks very much. I was going to buy an extra that was already built and then I saw KMOT's thread on the four*60 and thought to myself, I want to build my own. I am nervous but the info contained in this forum is great and I think I will be able to do it. I am very exited at the thought of building a kit. Hopefully I feel confident enough to build a larger extra or edge. Thanks again.

Tom

bingo field

Download and watch the covering videos. Even watched them 4 or 5 times, and covering my wing on the venture 60 still took 8 full hours over 2 days.

Don't worry, you will also become good at covering your small mistakes.....

1080tommy

Hey bingo, what covering videos. Are those the ones in the thread on the four*60 or are they different?


Tom

ChuckW

Whether you use a board with pins or a magnetic building board, make sure you have a flat surface to build on. This will have a major effect how straight the plane turns out. In addition to the usual currtng tools, clamps , etc., I'd make sure you have some good straight edges & triangles to make sure everything is straight & true. Another tool that I waited too long to buy was an actual covering iron and heat gun. I figured I could do just fine with an iron made for clothes; the right tool works much better. You'll like your SE, believe me.

ChuckW

Also, make sure you label each part in the die cut sheets before you start the kit. Use the diagram in the front of the manual for reference. This saves a lot of time and frustration. The pieces can fall out of the sheets easily. If you are using transparent covering and don't want to write on the parts, use masking tape. Speaking of marking on parts, be careful with some ballpoint pens, you could actually cut the surface of the balsa if you have to press too hard; I try to use a fine-point marker.

bingo field

Read this:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...?article_id=67

Then watch these videos:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=726

These should get you started!