How to make a remote control model plane using a foam board

It may be a beneficial hobby to make RC model aircraft using lightweight foam boards. The foam center panel can be easily cut into complex shapes and then bonded to the desired model. Paper foam core board can replace uncoated foam core board from

Depron from

 The type of board. The paper coating can be easily peeled off from the foam, but it is usually preferred to leave the coating because it forms a good surface on the coating.

The steps to make a foam model plane are as follows.

First, get the design from a reputable designer. You can find many different designs on the Internet, or design your own aircraft on a piece of paper so that you can transfer your design to a flat foam board later. It helps to get started with designs made and tested by other modelers as they will find the balancing and cutting steps.

Second, transfer the design to the foam sheet to be cut. The most common sheet thickness is one-quarter inch or 6 mm. If you download the design, you can easily scale the pattern by printing out the design on your computer printer. If you need to print a design on a large piece of paper, you can always use the services of a print shop or office stationery provider that offers photocopying services.

The printed design can be temporarily secured in place using a spray adhesive applied to the back of the plane, or by affixing these portions down in the waste area.

The third step is to carefully cut the foam board using a sharp scalpel, craft knife or professional foam board cutting tool. Each tool has different strengths and weaknesses.

Fracture knives have a high strength and are suitable for straight cuts, but their blade width is not suitable for cutting small curved shapes.

Scalpels are ideal for cutting small pieces and curves, but often require frequent blade changes to keep the cut clean. Due to the design of the handle and the pressure required to keep the blade on the line you want to cut, it can be very tiring to use.

Professional tools, such as from

Foamwerks from

 A range of knives with several advantages, including an ergonomic handle that makes it comfortable to use, the correct blade angle, provides a clean cut, and they have different inserts that can be used to cut tight curves. from

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 The tool also has an adjustable depth setting that makes it available for scoring operations as well as full cuts. They can also be connected to rails with rails for straight cuts.

Once you have cut all the pieces, you can assemble them into the model airplane.

These parts can be more easily bonded together by using a hot glue gun. Compared to the use of wet or contact adhesives, the glue is easy to apply and quick to set up, making the assembly process faster.

You can use rubber bands and various tapes to hold the parts in place.

The ailerons and flaps can be connected using different tapes. The duct tape is rugged and flexible for these applications.

Many designs require the addition of carbon rods or tubes to increase the strength of the wings. These rods can be glued into place.

Most designs have an area inside the fuselage for easy installation of control units, battery packs and motors. Access to these areas is usually through the scribed and hinged sections, allowing you to fold back the opening to insert the component.

You can get the component as a separate project from the modeling vendor, or an easy way to get all the necessary projects is to purchase the complete toolkit. Sometimes it is more economical to purchase a complete kit for making RC plastic model airplanes than to purchase components separately. When you get the pre-assembly kit, you can see how some controls are connected, which saves you time trying to figure out how to do it yourself. This is a simple process that eliminates the model plane kit and transfers the necessary parts to the foam plane.

As you become more serious, you can buy better controllers and more options, you can get higher-end motors and battery packs, but when you start, pre-assembled kits can help you more easily.

A good suggestion is to test your model airplane before any decoration on it, because usually your early efforts can lead to crashes and failures, which may completely or partially destroy your model. Once your design work and flying successfully, you can decorate the foam board plane with acrylic paint and appliques.

Foam boards are an excellent economical styling material that you can easily shape into different models.

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