HOW TO BUILD AIRCRAFT DIORAMAS

[JohnReid]

The next step is very repetitive and after doing one or two a little boring also.
I guess that the kit designer had to come up with a way of strengthening the delicate ribs that have no stiffeners.Ribs marked W5 are especially vulnerable to breakage . Because there are no stiffeners to help balance the caps on the ribs while gluing in the vertical position it became necessary ,for these two reasons, to glue them on individually now.
After the ribs are free of the laser sheet give the edges a slight sanding to remove any bumps where they were attached to the sheet.Do not lacquer the cap strips at this time as they require a little bending and you want them as flexible as possible.Some harder pieces may even require a little more persuasion with the curler iron and water bending technique.Test bend the caps in one direction and if you see evidence of splitting especially along the edges turn it over and try bending the wood the other way.You may occasionally run into a piece of wood that will break no matter what you do.Just save it for another purpose and try again.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

These are some of the laser cutouts that I have saved over the years from various projects.Don't just throw them out! you never know when you could use a small circle,square etc.. of perfectly cut plywood!

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I use the 1" pink insulation,large and small pins and a piece of wood 1/32X3/32 for making the jig.
Place the rib on the wood and then using the pins hold the cap strips firmly against the ribs edge and glue.I use super-thin superglue and just let it wick into the space between the two pieces.Add a touch of accelerator and the pins can be removed right away. Sand the caps lightly and brush on some lacquer that has been thinned about half and half with lacquer thinner.This will ensure it sinks in and does not just remain on the surface.Leave the strips a little long at both ends to ensure a good fit for the leading and trailing edges to be added later on.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

I just used water and carefully bent the strips by hand to conform to the top edge.You may want to put a large pin on the underside to hold the rib steady as you bend the cap .If you used water to bend the strip you can now dry the whole thing with a hair dryer and glue.Repeat for the bottom cap.

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]

[JohnReid]