If I were still in Canada I would probably be a Progressive Conservative.
As it is I am in Australia and have become a Progressive Cementer. I assemble the fuselages of my model aircraft with a great deal less dash than I used to exhibit; I am cautious and careful and rarely glue myself to the bench.
The Skyvan is a case in point. Like some of the Heller French interwar monstrosities, this Short aircraft is made up of slab sides and a flattish top and bottom. When you put it together there are 4 seams that can go wrong, instead of two.
In reality, with scale aircraft you can have as many as 12 separate joins to make – some with helping tabs and sockets and some just out there waving in the wind. You are at the mercy of the designer and the mould as to whether they all fit at the same time. I have realised that it is far safer to assume that they will not – and take steps to minimise the trauma.
I cement in bits now – where before I might have leaped into the thing with one wipe of cement and a mighty clap of plastic. I do dry-fit as far as possible, noting the ill-fits and the prospective gaps. I do trim pins and enlarge sockets. And I do use a mixture of thick and thin cements for the joins.
If a part needs pressure to join, I have to devise some way of applying it. Just fingers doesn’t do – you cannot sit there for an hour with your hands locked together, unless they are around the neck of an in-law.
Clamps. Clothes pegs. Padded tape and vises. You cannot depend upon rubber bands or cello tape – cement runs under these faster than it runs down a legitimate seam line. If in doubt, dry-run it and think again.
And remember that clamps are cheap as chips at Bunnings.
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