Speed Building Tips

by FliteTest | September 25, 2013 | (32) Posted in Tips

Here are a few fast tips for building your scratch build and speed build kits. Some you've seen before and some have been developed by viewers like you!



If you're thinking about getting into scratch building, you can learn a lot from watching some of the beginner build tutorials.  AVAILABLE HERE 

You can reinforce your wing using a BBQ skewer.

Adding this reinforcement is also great for turning your scratch build into a powerful combat plane!

Hot glue spread thin over control surfaces will help keep the paper from pulling away from the foam.

Magnets on the end of two popsicle sticks are great for aligning control surfaces and freeing up your hands.

Ed from ExAir uses the plastic from old gift cards to reinforce foam and it's a great technique to use on the mounting point of the speed build power pods
See more from Ed from ExAir here:
http://flitetest.com/authors/ExAir 

A Flite Test fan named Denver shared a great idea for using pop rivets on homemade landing gear!

It's ideas like this, from viewers like you, that inspire us to do what we do!  
Thanks for all of the input and be sure to submit your tricks and tips in the FORUM HERE! 

Check out some of our speed build kits as well! AVAILABLE HERE

 

COMMENTS

sailorJohn on September 25, 2013
I especially like the magnets and popsicle sticks ,note I have 3 different diameter bbq sticks. I can remember if I uploaded drilling into fb to reinforce kinked wing.
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Crashpilot1000 on September 26, 2013
I wonder how many planes he already made from scratch. Probably he will build a plane accidentally while sleepwalking and try to find the owner of that RTF model the other morning.....
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Bur_Lion on September 25, 2013
Exelent tips!
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iceman07 on March 8, 2015
I am very new to this fun.
I am old school. 22 yrs retired from the U.S.C.G. 1989.
I bought the Ft Bloody Wonder kit and I am lost as a goose out of water. where do I go to see how (this) kit goes together. it has parts in the box that you never talk about.
someone please leave me info on how to build this GREAT PLANE. I love it.
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LordVader on September 25, 2013
I love how everyone shares such great tips. Really makes this hobby that much more fun.
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Flynn on September 26, 2013
I literally smacked myself in the head watching the pop rivet tip! A why didn't I think of that moment. Awesome tip!
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Adventure rc on September 29, 2013
There is something wrong with the article writing section of flitetest, I go to edit my articles and it seems that the title and all are there, but the text has vanished! anyone else have this problem? or is it just my computer? Because it's getting on my nerves.
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Art Lane on November 10, 2013
Hey, how bout an article on Airbrushing the models??????????
Am in the process of building a Spit, from scratch, and am almost done, now the painting...
An article would be of great help, if you haven't already done one....
Art.... Foamball...
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MickFly on October 22, 2013
Great video's on your site guys, but what kind of foam our you using for scratch building? I'm from the Netherlands and read something about depron, epp and using demping floor (used for demping sound of wooden floors).
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mrscale on March 3, 2014
I just received my Viggen and have a question.
Is there a size to the hot glue gun and glues .?
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coffeebean56 on November 12, 2014
About building Power Pods or other places that you will be putting the bbq sticks in and out: I fray a plastic straw to connect the two holes so the bbq stick has nowhere else to go but to the other hole.
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danield on January 2, 2015

Foamies how to measure for turtle deck, link don't work.

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Madpco on January 23, 2015
A note on Parchment paper: it is the best non stick material available to my knowledge. NOTHING sticks to it CA, epoxy, hot glue or any tape.. For CA i use 2 layers as the glue might seep through a tiny bit. Its the best thing to put on the top on your bench or pin-board to prevent sticking of parts.

Also, I use parchment paper for toner transfer from laser printing to balsa or printed circuit boards (probably works on many many other surfaces too) Parchment paper wont run through the printer by its self, it needs to be supported on a sheet of normal paper using Pritt permanent roll-on glue which lightly tacks to Parchment paper. When the paper comes out, the toner is very weakly set so just iron on the desired surface to transfer. This may not work in all laser printers; ill write an article on the subject.(dont mess up your daddy's new laser printer LOL)
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Speed Building Tips