Plastic Model Aircraft Kits Recycling

For those of us who have been building plastic model aircraft for a long time, the obvious question is, “What do I do with the older models I built in the past before I reached by current skill level?”  The usual answer is, “Throw them out or maybe give them to the kids”.  

This is what most of us did over the years, but about 20 years ago, when I was pruning out my model display cases of models that no longer met my standards, I decided to disassemble them and store them in plastic bags with the idea that they might become useful many years later.  Of course, most of us saved some of the components, such as wheels, engines, props, etc., but I came up with the thought “Why not rebuild the kit to modern standards?”

One major factor is the condition of the kit.  In years past, we didn’t have the excellent glues and solvents that we have today, so kits were relatively easy to break apart.  If we had used Tenax or Microweld then, it would be virtually impossible to break a kit apart without doing some very serious damage. But with the old tube glues, breakdown is relatively simple.

Another factor is the paint.  I’ve always used enamels, and enamels, even when airbrushed on, can be removed provided the proper method is used.  Fortunately, years ago, I heard from some local IPMS’ers that standard automotive brake fluid was an excellent emulsifier, and that it would remove paint from styrene plastic without hurting the plastic itself.  I tried it with mixed results, and the idea languished for a long time.  A few weeks ago, however, I decided to try it again, and see what I could do.  I had an old bottle of brake fluid in my workshop that I had bought at a yard sale for fifty cents, so I figured that I would see how the system worked. I don’t know how this would work on lacquers or acrylics, as I’ve never used these.

RC Planes for Beginners: Aerobatics - Beginner Series

Another very useful clip

RC Planes. What’s it all about? (Part 3)

Scale building is left outside on purpose as both scale building and scale flying is such a big subject within the hobby, it would almost be rude to cover it in just a few words. But the main point of scale building is to build planes from grounds up using drawings and ‘walk around pictures’ from a real model.

The model is build after this original plane, and every bullet hole, paint scratches and other defects should be transferred to the scale model. The paintwork is also exactly the same as the original plane.

When you first start out with the model airplane hobby, there are tons of information out there. And there are loads of different paths to explore. What you like the most and what your interests are all about, only one person can tell. You! But you can be sure of one thing though, it is always smart to learn how to fly a model plane prior to take the action to do any of the other stuff that has been said in this article. This way you will know if the hobby suits you before you spend too much money and time on a thing that you later find out isn’t any fun after all. Start out slow, and grow with baby steps. That is a great advice.

How to Make an RC Paper Airplane

How cool is that! 😄

RC Planes. What’s it all about? (Part 2)

When time passes by, and you are getting better and better, and you feel that your first plane (very often a cheap trainer) has given you as much fun as it can possibly give you. You most likely will start thinking of buying yourself another plane. This time you probably would like a more advanced model. - A model that requires higher skills from the pilot to be kept in the air. Again, it’s time for building.

If you have a real interest of building stuff, you should consider purchasing a kit consisting of nothing else than just chips, and build your plane from the grounds up. You could use the wintertime to work on your new baby. Maybe you are lucky and have a spare room in your house that could be turn into a hobby room dedicated to model airplane building. This way, you can sit inside your house, looking out on the cold weather while dreaming about flying your new plane by springtime. But be aware that building a plane from the ground up is time consuming. Simple models could be done in 150-200 hours. Bigger projects can take you several thousand hours to complete. This is your decision, but it will at least take more time to finish a kit full of chips than it takes to finish an ARF model.

OK, so the winter has passed, the temperature allows you to be outside again, and your plane is finished already? Great! Time for the maiden flight! If you are lucky with this flight, it’s quite possible you don’t have to spend any time in your workshop this summer. If you are not so lucky, or maybe too daring, chances are that you will be in your hobby room real soon to repair the broken wing, or the landing gear that fell off. Don’t get scared, it’s lots of fun anyway!

RC Planes. What’s it all about?

When I was brand new to the world of RC airplanes I thought the hobby of RC airplanes was just about flying airplanes. Flying a mini model of a plane, which task was to entertain you by staying in the air due to the movements you did on the radio control. And that’s it I thought. Man, I was wrong…!

The model airplane hobby consists of so much more than just flying a plane.

There are lots of different sections and genres, and you would find out there are a lot of different interests presented within this hobby as soon as you look a bit more into it.

RC Planes - The Beginners' Guide

First Model

Some people consider a glider as the obvious choice for the first model. Although a glider normally flies slower and is supposed to be more forgiving, I think that's just a matter of taste. Being a skilled glider pilot doesn't necessarily mean being also a skilled powered aircraft pilot and vice-versa.

Assuming that a powered model was chosen, the beginner is advised to start with a so-called trainer. This type is usually a high wing aircraft model with nearly flat bottom airfoil that produces high lift, permitting slow landing speeds without stalling. It also has some dihedral angle to give a good lateral stability.

However, a flat bottom high wing with dihedral is more sensitive to crosswind gusts, so the first flights should be done during calm weather.

A beginner should avoid wings with too sharp leading edges, as it will worsen the stall characteristics.

A well-rounded leading edge is therefore preferable, as it better conveys the airflow onto the upper wing surface allowing higher angle of attack at low speed.