I think I will also post this under “techniques”, but I have just spent the better part of 1/2 hour fooling with a 1:48 T28 that is my second attempt to get the wings into the proper dihedral without doing a lot of filling and thus missing the proper angle.
I finally was able, after holding it for a few minutes, to balance it between 2 jars and weight the cockpit with a bean bag and a water jar balanced above. I am OK if there is no earthquake! [whstl] And this is a relatively small model and wingspan. I hate to think about a larger 1:48. [:P]
There must be an easier way? A jig? I used plastic cement but suppose I could have filled with CA and then hit it with accelerator but that always goes awkwardly for me. Any thoughts?
try rubber bands or tape next time and no matter how much tamiyagawa says it no model is absolutley perfect- putty is always neccessary (unless you’re building a hawker hurricane, no dihedral!!! lol) hope this helps!!!
I use masking tape. At least 1 inch on the bottom at the wing tip, bring it across/over the fuse (make sure to pull it tight, bringing the wing up), push the other wing up, and continue the tape over the wingtip, sticking it to the bottom.
I can’t “draw” well with a mouse, but the idea is there. head on view of a/c , blue line is tape.
You could use the same method, but apply some weld type adhesive (Ambroid, Tenax) into the joint after setting up, capillary action will draw it into the joint & it will be cured in a fraction of the time.
You could also use more traditional adhesives & tape the wing, from the underside of it’s tip, over the top of the wing & onto the top of the fuselage.
One of the guys in our club builds the jigs before he builds the model. Some of his jigs are elaborate, he has a CNC milling machine so he can carve them out of what ever material he deems best. In a pinch you can use LEGOs and Styrene shims.
Unless the angle is so whacked, I rarely worry about it…as long as both sides are equal distance from the ground once standing on the gear.
Ditto on the jigs and LEGOs… I’ve used the tape method as well, but sometimes it just doesn’t do the job because the parts on some kits are so outta place, the gap so wide that pulling it tight to close them will result in a dihedral that’s only slightly less than it would be if I were folding the wings up like a carrier-based fighter…
Rough;y half the kits I build can be tightened up on the same jig…
I do something similar, but I also put a strip of tape under the wings and then tension it to get some inward pressure and THEN I put on the top tape. This way, you get a better seam joint which will require a bit less filling. If I find I need additional support, I have a little pseudo jig I built which consists of a ruler stuck into a piece of wood with a slot in it. I stand one on either side of the plane and use wooden clothes pins to prop up the wing a bit on each side. It’s hard to describe, but you get the idea.
I usually pull some tape taut across the bottom of the wing before pulling another piece taut across the top. The top tape pulls the wing up to get the right dihedral, the bottom pulls the wings in tight against the fuselage. You need to play with it depending on the model. Also on a high wing aircraft (like a B-25 or the like), you may need to lay a small piece of wood, lego brick, small Testors paint bottle, or whatever, on top of the fuselage to hold the tape up and give it leverage.
