A step by step guide for building balsa models

Balsa models are a fun way to build model airplanes, but they might be hard to build for someone that hasn't built them before. This article is going to be part of a tutorial showing how to build balsa models and giving tips regarding it. through this guide I'm going to use a Guillows 500 series Fw 190 kit. In this first part I'm going to show how to get started and also the assembly of the boy, elevator and tail.

Some basic stuff and tools needed for the build

First of all your going to need a kit or at least a set of building instruktion for a plane (if this is your first time building a balsa model i do not recommend to do a scratch build as your first), then your going to need something to build the plane on and to use as a cutting board. take a straight wooden piece and put on top of it a piece of cardboard (tape the cardboard to the wooden piece and make sure that they are big enough to fit at least the wing and body separately) now you got yourself a good building board to build the plane. Your going to need tape to keep the plans in place while you build (preferably electric tape due to that it dosent as easly rip the plans as you pull it of). Pins are also a thing that you will need to keep pieces in place as the glue dry. I recommended to use wooden glue to glue the pieces together instead of using super glue for it, but you can use epoxi to glue the landing gears, propellers and tailwheel while glue the plastic parts on whit model plastic glue that you can get in most stores that sell plastic models and can usually be found next to plastic models. a set of sandpaper and a good  knife to cut the balsa is also needed. 

Step 1: preparation
Before staring the build take the plans and put it out on the building board and use tape to keep it in place, use the plastic that's around the box and cut it open and spread it out over the plans (this is to prevent the parts fron sticking to the plans as the glue dries), keep it in place whit either pins or tape. 

Step 2: starting with the base of the body
Look at the plans and see where the keel part are supposed to be put and glue them together, and keep them in place whit the help of the pins.

Step 3: start with the base for the elevator and tail

I tend to start whit the elevator and tail as i wait for the glue to dry that was applied to the keel parts, this is a way to speed up the building of the plane but you don't have to do this if you don't want to right now.

Step 4: glue the fuselage frames to the keel
Glue the fuselage frames to the keel and make sure that they are standing as straight up as you can get them, keep them in place whit the pins and let them dry i peace. use the pictures of the fuselage frames in the middle of the left side of the plans to make sure that its the right part and that you have cut it right.

Step 5: adding the side keel and finishing the elevator and tail
Glue the side keel in place (its place is easy to finde, it goes in the middle of the fuselage frames where the deppert cut is. as you wait for it to dry finish the elevator and tail.

Step 6: repeat

After the glues has dried, removes the fuselage from the plans and repeat what you did in step 4 & 5 on the other side

Step 7: put the side stringer on 

Step 8: cut off any extra side strings

This has been part one of my step by step tutorial of building balsa models, in part two ill be building the wings and covering the body and wing whit balsa and also assembling the plane, while part tree is going to focus on the painting of the plane.

I have already a few ideas how i will paint this plane but if you have any suggestion leave the link to the picture of the paint scheme or the name of the paint scheme in the comment. also if you have any questions ask them in the comments and either i or someone else will answer it probably.

due to that im going to cover the wing and body of this plane in balsa, i would like to know how many would be interested in a guide in how to cover the wing and body whit tissue paper. And if there is enough people that want to se it, ill write a new article covering it after finishing the Fw 190.