a - Hang Glider Assembly

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Finalist BCantwell writes:

Stage 1: Assembly

The first thing I noticed when I received the model was that it was much bigger than I had anticipated. I immediately decided to go with my original plan to scrap the base that came with the model and build up a custom base. By doing so, I can make it much heavier. The plastic flying bases like the one provided are often too light for the model, with the result that your flyer often ends up nose first on the table. Also, the plastic pin on the top of the post is a weak point on these bases and tends to snap off when the top heavy model goes nose over.

The model had very little in the way of flash or mold lines. A few were cleaned up using needle files and a hobby knife. I filed and dry fit the joint between the fuselage and wings.

I attached the two parts using a medium viscosity, gap-filling cyanoacrylate glue. I've always had very good success using a high grade CA glue such as Zap or Jet. The medium-high viscosity glues also stay where you put them, reducing the "superglued my fingers together" syndrome. The extra cost and trip to a hobby store is well worth it for these glues compared to supermarket-variety superglues.

Since I am going to fabricate a base, I am able to do a little bit with the positioning of the model. I decided to place the model in a slight banking dive. This provides a more dynamic look and also allows the pilot to be seen better (at least from some angles) as he's well hidden under the wings.

To accomplish this, I drilled out the mounting hole a bit with a pin vise and attched a length of 1/16" brass wire which I had given a slight bend. The entire assembled model was stuck into the cap of a 20 oz. drink bottle (my prefered painting handle - big enough to pick up easy, and the textured surface keeps me from dropping them). I primed the model in white using Krylon white spray primer.