Building Models

While the performance of a slot car is about what's contained within the chassis, it's the body of your slot car that racers will see. Lexan bodies come in a variety of choices and can be quickly...

Making homemade cars from boxes is a great way to engage kids' imaginations and give them a fun (and practically free) new toy. This is a great activity for a rainy day or a kids' party, as the...

Testing your RC engine is an important step toward creating an airplane capable of steady efficient flight. To test your engine though requires that you can safely prevent the aircraft from taking...

Building a house to a smaller scale can provide you with a visual representation of that house that you can take in easily from all angles. For students, it can be a lesson in home design and...

For safe, enjoyable flights, you need to install the electric motor in your RC airplane correctly. Mounting the motor securely ensures that the plane will operate as expected, flying at level and...

Trimming plastic differs slightly from performing an actual cut on the plastic. This is due to the chemical makeup of the plastic. When you cut plastic, you generally have two larger sections of...

Balsa wood is a common building material for model airplanes. Strong, steady and lightweight while remaining easy to work, the wood is used to build models of any size covering aircraft from the...

Flying RC airplanes is a hobby that interests people worldwide. From building your first airplane to flying for hours at a time, it's a hobby that requires skills that can take years to master,...

Radio controlled model airplanes can be an enjoyable hobby for people of all ages, but it can end in expensive frustration when something goes wrong and the plane falls from the sky in a body...

Using foam to create the wings of a model aircraft is a way for remote aircraft hobbyists to speed up the building of models using a strong, sturdy easy to shape material. Though the foam operates...

Fuel model RC airplanes have the benefits of speed and long lasting flight, with a quick refill option that can keep you flying for hours at a time. They're also difficult to control, noisy, and...

It seems as though more and more people around the world are becoming conscious of the importance of recycling in keeping our planet healthy. While some people may simply throw their used aluminum...

Building your own RC car battery is a way to control the quality of your car's battery pack. This DIY RC car battery consists of six 1.2 volt Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) rechargeable batteries,...

Conformal cooling is defined as the ability to create cooling/heating configurations within a tool that essentially follows the contour of the tool surface or deviates from that contour as...

A desktop wire tree is a moderately challenging art project with a big payoff for your diligent work. Use decorative wire trees to hang necklaces and earrings. You can use most pliable wire for...

The use of stonework on models can add realism to your indoor or garden railroad displays and make them stand out as unique. Using real stones, you can create railroad scenery in miniature with...

Modifying an RC engine can gain you greater engine efficiency, increasing the air/fuel mixture flow through the engine without requiring major modifications that could otherwise throw off the...

Welding generally involves using heat to create a bond between two or more materials. Although you can weld acrylic plastic with a hot air gun, acrylic bonding adhesives are an easier option. They...

While mathematicians still don't agree on a single, clear definition for it, the term "polyhedron" generally refers to a fully-enclosed, three-dimensional shape that consists of multiple polygons...

Your choice of a battery for an RC car can make a great deal of difference in the speed and efficiency of your car. Most battery packs used for an RC car are similar in make, usually containing...

MonoKote is an easy-to-apply plastic film that's scratch and puncture resistant. Used for model airplanes, MonoKote, from model-manufacturer Top Flite, comes in a variety of colors, making it...

Building a model RC plane doesn't have to become an expensive or complicated project. Use foam as a building material to cut down on both costs and complexity while creating a sturdy, easily...

Model blimps can be easily built to fit any shape desired. Faster to build, lower in price and easier to operate than other model aircraft, an RC blimp is little more than a helium balloon with an...

RC model cars are scale model vehicles made for either on or off-road driving. Cars made to utilize a gas engine have several advantages over those using battery powered electric engines. By...

Building a plane made completely of wood that can be done using one of thousands of remote controlled airplane kits on the market. With a kit, even if you're a beginner at modeling or RC flight,...

Making a model pyramid is an excellent student project, whether for art class, archaeology, or history. The pyramids were an important part of Egyptian and Mayan cultures, and creating one of your...

Creating a model of a brain for a school project can be both educational and entertaining. You can take this opportunity to teach your child about the brain while spending time together and...

For a remote controlled model plane to achieve efficient level flight the model must first be balanced. A balanced model plane is one that has had its weight carefully distributed so that it...

Balsa wood is a commonly used material for building model planes in a large variety of sizes and types, from the earliest flying machines to WW-II era fighter planes. Balsa is light but strong,...

Beginning in the 1920s, small cardboard houses, known as "putz" houses, were sold as holiday decorations and used around the Christmas tree or as part of the Nativity scene in many homes. You can...

With Lego, the only limit is the imagination, but there are a few moments where the imagination needs a little help. For example, making a toy gun. It can be a little confusing, but there are some...

Making a mold of an object is a simple project. The biggest investment is the amount of time it will take. Plaster of Paris and silicone are two of the easiest materials to work with when creating...

Building scale model scenery often requires that you do a good deal of DIY work. While there are many models available that represent most real-world objects, there are times when finding the...

Architectural models are created when a replica is needed of a building or site for demonstrating the look and layout of what the model represents. By building a model you can provide a three...

Creating a vacuum-formed fuselage is a cost effective way of producing aircraft fuselages suitable for any model-making activity, from remote-controlled airplane bodies to scale-model aircraft....

The Pinewood Derby is a popular past time in the Scouting world that involves each Cub Scout building a wooden car with certain specifications, requirements and weights. The derby has become...

Model houses are built by a wide array of modelers for a variety of reasons. Whether you're a tabletop war gamer, making a diorama, creating the scenery for a model train or attempting to create a...

Making an atom out of Styrofoam balls is a classic project in many science classrooms. Coloring and placing the balls is a simple task. It's figuring out how many balls to use and where to place...

Building with Popsicle sticks is a timeless children's activity that can create many kinds of objects. With a little patience and ample glue, it's even possible to construct a building out of...

Model houses made from cardboard offer an easy-to-construct and inexpensive alternative to wooden or resin models. Quick to build, a cardboard model house requires little more than scissors and...

Model shipbuilding is hobby that could cost as much or as little as your like. You an create attractive conversation pieces for the marine or historical enthusiasts with fine wood or can get...

Planking a model boat is a difficult and time-consuming process. Each plank must be individually shaped and placed, using glue that binds nearly instantly, leaving little room for mistakes. Once...

Building model boats from wood is a hobby enjoyed by millions of people around the world of all ages. Using wood as a building medium, you can recreate boats from any historical period you desire,...

Egyptian Sphinxes are ancient structures built for burial tombs of Kings. The most famous one is the Giza Plateau which displays two pyramids alongside a sphinx. The sphinx is a statute combing a...

Here's a guide to cleanly etching designs into Styrofoam using a soldering iron.

Model wooden airplane building is a popular craft pastime. However, once the airplane is built, you need a subtle but effective way to display your art. You don't want the display taking attention...

A straight-wing balsa wood model glider is one of the simplest kinds to make. As with all gliders, the center of gravity, a point generally located about one-third back from the leading edge of...

Your children would love a new Wooden Toy Box, and you could also benefit from quality time in creating this new chest. You could also make it yourself for a special Christmas present.

The Dalek is one of the most fearsome creatures in the "Dr. Who" universe. Fans can recreate this monstrous robot with some common household items and a little ingenuity.

Toggle clamps are tools used to steady your work piece or hold it firmly in place. These clamps are essential parts of a hobbyist's or professional workshop in which large pieces must be...