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About

Airplanes & Rockets

Kirt Blattenberger, Webmaster - Airplanes and Rockets

Kirt Blattenberger

Carpe Diem!

(Seize the Day!)

Even during the busiest times of my life I have endeavored to maintain some form of model building activity. This site has been created to help me chronicle my journey through a lifelong involvement in model aviation, which all began in Mayo, MD ...
Copyright

1996 - 2026

Webmaster:

Kirt Blattenberger

BSEE - KB3UON

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All trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other rights of ownership to images and text used on the Airplanes and Rockets website are hereby acknowledged.

Sketchbook - Model Building Tips
March 1967 American Modeler

March 1967 American Modeler

March 1967 American Modeler magazine coverTable of Contents]

These pages from vintage modeling magazines like Flying Aces, Air Trails, American Modeler, American Aircraft Modeler, Young Men, Flying Models, Model Airplane News, R/C Modeler, captured the era. All copyrights acknowledged.

They might be 46 years old, but there are still a couple good tips for modeler in the March 1967 edition of American Modeler. In particular, a really slick method for holding your fuselage cross-section square (or any other shape) while the glue is drying. Another great tip is one for holding leading edges in place without pins while drying was submitted - by a guy in Hong Kong, China. 1967 was a bad year in Hong Kong because of widespread riots instigated by Communists from Red China. Of course we were having our own riots and violence here in the U.S. during that awful era where groups like Bill Ayers' Weather Underground were bombing police stations. But I digress.

This page has links to every edition of Sketchbook that I have so far.

 

Veteran modeler Frank Heeb, Xenia, Ohio, keeps supply of silk and tissue pre-doped discs - Airplanes and Rockets

Veteran modeler Frank Heeb, Xenia, Ohio, keeps supply of silk and tissue pre-doped discs for quick patching of small holes in covering. Discs are quickly cut with paper punch.

Roll of gauze inserted in eyedropper gas model tank does not restrict fuel flow claims Stephen G. Kinner Jr., Gloucester, Mass. - Airplanes and Rockets

Roll of gauze inserted in eyedropper gas model tank does not restrict fuel flow claims Stephen G. Kinner Jr., Gloucester, Mass. Fuel is filtered and tank capacity only slightly reduced.

Lewiston, Idaho modeler Joseph Evans cuts simple jigs or templates from waxed cardboard to slide onto fuselage frames - Airplanes and Rockets

Lewiston, Idaho modeler Joseph Evans cuts simple jigs or templates from waxed cardboard to slide onto fuselage frames during assembly. Held by friction. Assures "square" corners and accurate alignment.

Non-noise-generating RC antenna mounting system is idea of Earl A. Thompson, Livermore, Calif. - Airplanes and Rockets

Non-noise-generating RC antenna mounting system is idea of Earl A. Thompson, Livermore, Calif. Eyelet joins antenna end with tension rubber loop. Used reliably four years, says Earl.

Difficulty of pinning spruce leading edge member in place during wing assembly was solved by Kenneth Lau, Hong Kong, China - Airplanes and Rockets

Difficulty of pinning spruce leading edge member in place during wing assembly was solved by Kenneth Lau, Hong Kong, China. Rubber bands looped around strip, stretched and pinned, holds L. E. in position during cementing.

Sketchbook Editions

| Sep 49 | Jan 52 | Jul 54 | Aug 54 | Sep 54 | Dec 54 | Mar 55 | Jan 57 | Feb 57 | Mar 57 | Apr 57 | May 57 | Jun 57 | Jul 57 | Sep 57 | Oct 57 | Nov 57 | Dec 57 | Oct 58 | Mar 59 | Jul 59 | Aug 59 |Nov 59 | Dec 59 | Jan 61 | Feb 61 | Mar 61 | Apr 61 | Jun 61 | Jul 61 | Aug 61 | Dec 61 | Mar 62 | Jan 62 |Feb 62 | Jun 62 | Jul 62 | Oct 62 | Sep 62 | Dec 62 | Jan/Feb 63 | Mar/Apr 63 | May/Jun 63 |Jul/Aug 63 | Sep/Oct 63 | Nov/Dec 63 | Mar 67 | Oct 67 | Feb 68 | Apr 68 | May 68 | Jun 68 | Jul 68 | Sep 68 |

Back when the Sketchbook, Gadgetry, Powerless Pointers, and Engine Info columns were run, there were very few pre-built models, and there simply was not as much available in the way of hardware and specialized modeling tools. We were still a nation of designers and builders. The workforce was full of people who worked on production lines, built houses and buildings with hand tools, and did not have distractions like Nintendos and X-Boxes. Remember that plastics were not common material until the early 50s and the transistor wasn't invented until late 47. Enjoy the tips. Some of you will no doubt wax nostalgic over the methods, since you can remember the days when you did the exact same thing!

 

 

Posted February 23, 2013
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