Dio question on fastening aircraft to base...

I find simple superglue on the bottoms of the wheels works great. PVA glue (Elmers style school glue) works well too, especially if you want to remove the plane at a later date. To make it more secure, you can drill a small hole in the wheel and the base and put a piece of metal rod in them and glue it that way as well. I find the glue by itself works fine for me though.

hmm I like the metal rod idea...

I am making a plane for a co-workers kid... he is 8 so you understand now the questions about fastening it to the base...

I've heard of drilling a pair of small holes completely through the base near where the aircraft will sit. Then a thin wire/fishing line is run up through one hole, around the axle/strut/wheel and then back down through the remaining hole and tied off on the underside. The wire loops hold the aircraft in place, and then you can remove it at a later time as well. I personally haven't tried it yet, but its another way to solve your problem.

i agree with the othr guys ive heard those systems work well. id only suggest that you also try to beef up the struts and their joints to the wings as well, because if the connection to the base is too strong, the next place where the plane could break loose is at those places

cool - thanks for the ideas... the main thing I want to do is curb the boys urge to take it off the base and fly it around... I may just get another less expensive AC, like one of the monogram P-51's and let him have a "free flight" version of the same aircraft on the base... I'd feel bad, and I think his mother would be upset if an aircraft with about $70.00 of kit and detail pieces and several weeks of work into it ended up as scrap...

oh wait.. that's what *I* did to the models my dad made me.. haha.. ok maybe I'd understand, but the mother would feel bad if it happened all the same haha..

I would suggest you place it on a high shelf, out of his reach. If he wants to get it and fly it around, it doesn't matter how well you have it attached to the base, he will get it off and fly it around. Usually, at that age, they are not ready to resist the urge and just look at it. In my opinion, a $70+ model is kind much for an 8 year old.

Hmmm, I agree. And there's nothing wronf with the monogram P-51's. I have one on my to build list. I picked mine up for 4 bucks at michael's. Can't find a cheaper 1/48 stang than that. And it's completely true that at 8 they can't resist prying em loose and flying with 'em. Hell that's what I did. But now I'm satisfied to just look at them and pick them up occasionally.

yeah but yall dont know his mother haha... I am going to put it in a case and seal it... plus this is a mature 8 yr old... he is in martial arts and takes his black belt test next month so it is a bit of a present as well...

if nothing else he can do what I did many yrs after maturing and realizing the quality of my dads models he did for me..... he can realize what time and hard work was put into it after he tries his own model. and keep up wit it to try to meet that benchmark....

I wasnt knocking the Monogram kit Tanky... while it is a bit sparse on the inside it doesnt go together bad and doesnt need a lot of sanding and filling like some of the other things I have come up against from them and Revell... in fact I have one hanging from my ceiling right now that was a joint build of my wife and I...

Which P-51 kit are you building for him?