'Drill Holes' - Little Help Please?

[Tom143]

I'm getting prepared to start my first model, a 1/72 Revell F-14D Super Tomcat (kit number 03960). In getting ready I downloaded this PDF of the instructions (in German, but they're mostly Ikea-style pictograms anyway). In Step 1 on page 6 the instruction appears to be to drill holes in one of the model parts. There is no mention of what size the holes should be. I have seen similar instructions given for other kits in various sizes. I'm sure others can infer such things, but for me... well, drilling these holes will be the first time I use a drill, so if any of you could please help me out I'd appreciate it.

 

So, my questions are:

1) What size holes are required in the attached instructions?

2) Are there standard sizes for holes to be drilled in aircraft of particular scales?

3) Would a normal handyman's drill be the appropriate tool, or should I really be using a hand drill or dremel?

4) Is there a reason some holes are molded into kits and some are to be drilled by the maker?

 

Thanks for reading, all assistance would be welcome

[John B (Sc)]

Generally these additional holes are to allow you to add optional items, such as drop tanks, stores pylons etc. If you don't want to add them then the surface of the model is untouched. 

Typically I'd suggest a 1mm hole if not otherwise stated.   Perhaps for 1/72 start with 0.8mm - small enough that its easy to cover up if you change your mind,. Generally easy to open out with large drills or a fine needle file.

Hand drilling is better; plastic is usually quite soft. Theses small drills will break easily , so use a short shank and rotate slowly.  

 

Sets of small drills and suitable hand chucks (drill holders) are available from good model shops or online.

 

John B

[Dave Swindell]

11 minutes ago, Tom143 said:

So, my questions are:

1) What size holes are required in the attached instructions?

2) Are there standard sizes for holes to be drilled in aircraft of particular scales?

3) Would a normal handyman's drill be the appropriate tool, or should I really be using a hand drill or dremel?

4) Is there a reason some holes are molded into kits and some are to be drilled by the maker?

 

1) The same size as the blanked off hole on the inside of the kit part

2) No

3) Any ordinary drill bit of the correct size can be used, you can generally just twist it between your finger and thumb. A pin vice makes it easier drill, you don't need any powered drill to make the hole.

4) The holes are flashed over and require drilling through by the modeller when different options are provided, either for the decal versions in that particular kit, or for different versions in kits using common moulds.

[Tom143]

10 minutes ago, John B (Sc) said:

Generally these additional holes are to allow you to add optional items, such as drop tanks, stores pylons etc. If you don't want to add them then the surface of the model is untouched. 

Typically I'd suggest a 1mm hole if not otherwise stated.   Perhaps for 1/72 start with 0.8mm - small enough that its easy to cover up if you change your mind,. Generally easy to open out with large drills or a fine needle file.

Hand drilling is better; plastic is usually quite soft. Theses small drills will break easily , so use a short shank and rotate slowly.  

 

Sets of small drills and suitable hand chucks (drill holders) are available from good model shops or online.

 

John B

 

8 minutes ago, Dave Swindell said:

 

1) The same size as the blanked off hole on the inside of the kit part

2) No

3) Any ordinary drill bit of the correct size can be used, you can generally just twist it between your finger and thumb. A pin vice makes it easier drill, you don't need any powered drill to make the hole.

4) The holes are flashed over and require drilling through by the modeller when different options are provided, either for the decal versions in that particular kit, or for different versions in kits using common moulds.

 

Thank you both - glad to know both that the hole will generally be marked and a good starting size to use if it's not, and I'm especially glad to know a hand drill will do the job before power drilling my way to disaster!

[John B (Sc)]

Thanks Dave 'pin vice' was the description I was struggling for ! 

[Rob G]

All the above, with the additional comment that if you don't yet have / can't afford/justify a set of micro drills, you can just use the tip of your #11 blade. Be careful not to over-enlarge the hole, and be aware that it's pretty easy to snap the fine tip off the blade, but it's quite doable - I did it for many years when I was a young'un, and still use the technique when I can't be bothered finding the right drill. 

 

When you do look for micro drills, there's no need to spend a fortune - plastic is pretty easy to drill, so an el-cheapo set will do until you figure out what exactly you need/want. 

[John B (Sc)]

Good point, 'Rob G'.  I have in the past used a sharp needle , or even a pin with very thin plastic when modelling away from home. . Just pushed through, with the protruding edges then skimmed off with a sharp blade and eased out as required. 

 

[Tom143]

15 hours ago, Rob G said:

All the above, with the additional comment that if you don't yet have / can't afford/justify a set of micro drills, you can just use the tip of your #11 blade. Be careful not to over-enlarge the hole, and be aware that it's pretty easy to snap the fine tip off the blade, but it's quite doable - I did it for many years when I was a young'un, and still use the technique when I can't be bothered finding the right drill. 

 

When you do look for micro drills, there's no need to spend a fortune - plastic is pretty easy to drill, so an el-cheapo set will do until you figure out what exactly you need/want. 

 

14 hours ago, John B (Sc) said:

Good point, 'Rob G'.  I have in the past used a sharp needle , or even a pin with very thin plastic when modelling away from home. . Just pushed through, with the protruding edges then skimmed off with a sharp blade and eased out as required. 

 

Thanks, great ideas! It's really useful to minimize the amount of kit I need to start

[Giorgio N]

Using a pin is a good alternative, however a set of drill bits will only cost a tenner, with maybe an extra £5-10 for the pin vice. Back in the days when Maplin had shops almost everywhere, they had similar sets for even less, today the same kind of stuff can be bought from Amazon for similar prices.

They are invaluable tools that come handy in many situations, IMHO investing in these kind of things is always a good idea. I've used my Games Workshop pin vice and Maplin bits for almost 15 years and while I broke a few bits (mostly my mistakes really), everything else is still working well.

[Seawinder]

One thing to add: the proper finished diameter of the hole depends on the diameter of the shank of the part that will be inserted from the outside. You can therefore look ahead in the instructions to find the part that will go there and test fit at any point. If, as usually happens to me, the hole is too small, it's pretty easy to enlarge it with a larger drill bit or by lightly spinning a no. 11 blade in the hole.

[Tom143]

21 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

Using a pin is a good alternative, however a set of drill bits will only cost a tenner, with maybe an extra £5-10 for the pin vice. Back in the days when Maplin had shops almost everywhere, they had similar sets for even less, today the same kind of stuff can be bought from Amazon for similar prices.

They are invaluable tools that come handy in many situations, IMHO investing in these kind of things is always a good idea. I've used my Games Workshop pin vice and Maplin bits for almost 15 years and while I broke a few bits (mostly my mistakes really), everything else is still working well.

 

Thanks, that's a good point. I do plan to buy a set early on, but I'm reliant on home delivery for stuff, meaning there is at least a day (and often a week) between placing and receiving an order, so it's good to know a drill bit breaking (or similar) needn't put a project on hold

18 hours ago, Seawinder said:

One thing to add: the proper finished diameter of the hole depends on the diameter of the shank of the part that will be inserted from the outside. You can therefore look ahead in the instructions to find the part that will go there and test fit at any point. If, as usually happens to me, the hole is too small, it's pretty easy to enlarge it with a larger drill bit or by lightly spinning a no. 11 blade in the hole.

Roger that. I did look ahead to see how the holes would be used, but eye judgement isn't my thing so I had dismissed the idea of even looking at the shank diameter ahead of time. I hadn't considered that I could use that shank diameter to measure the correct drill bit, thanks!