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Building Tips

What kind of glue should I use?

I’ve found that good old Elmer’s white glue works just about perfect.  The only downside to it is if you print the model out on regular printer paper it will tend to warp the paper and make it “wavy”.  I would STRONGLY recommend that if you’re building the wings, tail, or any other parts that need to be flat, that you press them in a nice heavy book and put a weight on top of it for at least an hour.  If you do this it they should come out perfectly flat.  An Elmer’s glue stick works pretty well for building the wings and tail parts, because it’s thicker it doesn’t warp the paper nearly as much.  If you do decide to use a glue stick, you’ll still need to have some regular Elmer’s on hand for certain steps in the building process, such as the seam where the wing meets the fuselage and for attaching the tail parts to the fuselage.  Another glue that I’ve used and had really good luck with is Loctite Stick ‘n Seal.  Because it’s not water based it won’t warp the paper at all.  The only disadvantage is that it is messy to work with.  It’s not nearly as easy to find as Elmer’s, although I’ve seen it for sale at Walmart and Walgreens.  I’ve heard that UHU is a good glue to work with if you can find it, although I have yet to try it myself.  Most craft stores carry it.

What kind of paper should I use?

.  All of our models fly best if printed on regular printer paper. If you want your model to look really good, and don't mind if it doesn't fly as well, try some glossy photo paper.  If you’re using an inkjet printer and trying to print on glossy paper, make sure and let the ink dry for quite a while before trying to build it, or it will smear like crazy.   Keep in mind that the heavier the paper you use, the worse the plane is likely to fly due to the added weight.  Personally, when I build the models, I print them out on regular printer paper, and then take it to Kinko’s and make color copies of it.  The paper they use for their color copies is a PERFECT combination of being light and glossy, without being TOO light or glossy. All the models shown on this website were printed this way.  Last time I was there they were charging $.89 per copy, which isn’t too bad.  The other advantage to this is that you only have to print it out once, saving your printer’s ink (which if you’re using an inkjet printer goes quick!).

What type of tools, supplies, and equipment do I need?

1. Glue

2.  Scissors

3.  A hobby knife, such as an Exacto knife, for cutting out wing and tail openings on the fuselage.

4.  Some paperclips for weight

5.  A small wooden dowel, or a thin round marker to help form the shape of the fuselage

6. A thick heavy book to press the wings and tail pieces in

7. A color printer, or a car that you can use to drive to Kinko's.

Printing Tips

When you first open up one of our models in Adobe, You'll notice that the model page(s) are much larger documents that the instructions and copyright pages. They are larger so that, during the design process, i can get as detailed as possible in the design. When you print it out, you will need to have it fit to page. Each printer has different names for the setting that does this. The most common i've seen are "reduce to printer margins", "fit to printer margins", and "fit to page".

 

That’s all I’ve got for you so far, I plan on creating a FAQ section, but I haven’t been asked very many any questions yet, so if i called them “frequently asked questions” I’d be lying.  If you do have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at JAY@JPLANES.COM.  Thanks!

Links:

For more information, check out WWW.CARDFAQ.ORG. We are in no way affiliated with them, but they have a wealth of information about card modeling techniques.

Also, check out WWW.FIDDLERSGREEN.NET, they have by far the largest collection of card models on the net, and have a lot of building tips on their site.

This site has some very cool models as well, and i believe most of his models are free.

This site has some of the most detailed card models i've ever seen:

If anyone who runs a card model or aviation site would have any interest in trading links, send me an email and i'll be happy to do so.