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Aircraft Build Jigs


Uncle Pete

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I've had a look on the internet for jigs that hold planes steady during building and painting.  Do any of you experienced guys use them?  Are they worth getting or do they "catch more fishermen than fish"?  So far I've been muddling through with blu-tak, knees, teeth and bits of bent wire.

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I recently built one and have been semi-using it. I think it's not totally devoid of value, and I'm grimly determined to get my money's worth from it, but it's kind of a hassle and in retrospect I would not have purchased a wooden one.

 

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Hmmm, interesting experience PC - is that the bi-plane jig I've seen in recent photos? Like this one:

 

39477548620_4962f635ba_z.jpg

 

I was thinking of getting one of those but maybe not :( 

 

I have two types of stand that I find really useful (for my 1/72 builds). The first is from Sphere Products and I've just ordered the bigger one for a 1/48 build (or two 1/72!)

 

39728086622_52e5e157cc_n.jpg 38863912595_bda64cf300_n.jpg

 

You do need to drill out the prop mount so you won't get spinning props (you have to glue it on afterwards) but once the widget is in the front it grips really well on the back of the hole so it doesn't split the seams like pointy sticks do. You can either use the supplied stand or, as seen above, any other thing with a hole.

 

The other stand I have is from JH Models (I got mine from Modelling Tools) and I use it all the time when applying decals. You can adjust the supports so that the model is stable, or just use it to prop things at an angle:

 

25566178277_11d1720fa8_n.jpg 40392876122_fb1461fc96_n.jpg 

 

HTH :) 

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I'd rather build than buy, so I made my own from bits of scrap and four pencils (with rubbers). To my surprise it works quite well. The cylindrical side bits swivel.

dbc480dc-7c0d-4beb-b125-1a2106e206b1.JPG

 

I have thought that an improvement would be to add small but strong magnets to the end of the pencils (with a bit of padding glued at the end so as not to damage paintwork) and then glue washers into the wings, but I haven't got around to doing it yet.

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When I’ve needed to jig something in the past, as bentwaters suggested, good old Lego did the trick.

Couple of quid for a bucket of it at a car boot sale plus cardboard shims stuck on for adjustments.

The pound shops probably have some of that knock off Lego if needed.

 

Mart

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I bought some Wilko ersatz Lego recently to help align the wings on things like (old) Ju-88s which are difficult with the gondola underneath I find. Works quite well for lining things up, quite cheap and you'll probably find other uses too. I'll post some pictures when I get home

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Yep, another vote for Lego too for those 'bespoke' stands. I find the 'roof tiles' particularly useful when trying to level things out:

 

36852222382_2147f71030_z.jpg&key=4aa1b5d

 

... and I also put some BluTak on the ends to allow precise adjustment and secure attachment of tailplanes.

 

My new Sphere Products Medium stand arrived this morning too. Post over here but here are the small and medium together:

 

42209147491_e29f49c1a0_z.jpg

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  • 1 year later...
On 18/05/2018 at 18:22, Gorby said:

I'd rather build than buy, so I made my own from bits of scrap and four pencils (with rubbers). To my surprise it works quite well. The cylindrical side bits swivel.

dbc480dc-7c0d-4beb-b125-1a2106e206b1.JPG

 

I have thought that an improvement would be to add small but strong magnets to the end of the pencils (with a bit of padding glued at the end so as not to damage paintwork) and then glue washers into the wings, but I haven't got around to doing it yet.

Genius. 

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  • 2 years later...
On 5/18/2018 at 6:22 PM, Gorby said:

I'd rather build than buy, so I made my own from bits of scrap and four pencils (with rubbers). To my surprise it works quite well. The cylindrical side bits swivel.

dbc480dc-7c0d-4beb-b125-1a2106e206b1.JPG

 

I have thought that an improvement would be to add small but strong magnets to the end of the pencils (with a bit of padding glued at the end so as not to damage paintwork) and then glue washers into the wings, but I haven't got around to doing it yet.

 

I'm obviously late to this topic, coming across it whilst thinking about something that might be useful to me. 

 

Shame we can't see this image now. Did anyone build something similar I could see please?

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 11/7/2022 at 11:28 PM, Nerazzurri said:

 

I'm obviously late to this topic, coming across it whilst thinking about something that might be useful to me. 

 

Shame we can't see this image now. Did anyone build something similar I could see please?

 

Click on the link and you will see the image.

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15 hours ago, dragonlanceHR said:

 

Click on the link and you will see the image.

 

The link doesn't work for me 🤷🏻‍♂️

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  • 1 month later...

Hey everyone,

 

It's been a few years and a lot more options are available these days.

 

I'm considering getting one and I'm wondering what you guys are using?

 

Is it actually useful in general?

Wood, plastic, else?

I saw some with felt like material padding the contact surfaces, does that help or is it a gimmick?

 

Thanks in advance for your insight :)

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  • 1 month later...

Hi guys,

 

I took the plunge on a AK interactive "small" stand (MSJ01) after breaking a stupid amount of parts from my phantom (canopy mid section, that fuel dump on the tail must have broke 3 times 🤬)

 

I must say I'm really pleased with the tool. Assembly was easy, there's plenty of adjustment axis to allow a perfect fit and shipping to my corner of Europe was surprisingly affordable on Ak's webshop.

 

All told, if you don't already have a solid DIY solution and no lego stock to play with, it's a decent investment. 

 

Mig stand

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

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