[smartd]

Originally Posted by Rush104

Thanks for the info. It looks good, but I think I'll wait until I see one in a shop before I make a final decision whether to pick it up...

I bought this one tonight and looked it over quite well. No real problems with the hump, but it still suffers from the Rush screwed up tailplane. Nice kit, worth getting.

[Rush104]

Originally Posted by smartd

I bought this one tonight and looked it over quite well. No real problems with the hump, but it still suffers from the Rush screwed up tailplane. Nice kit, worth getting.

So, you've seen the crooked tailplane on these models?

[smartd]

Originally Posted by Rush104

So, you've seen the crooked tailplane on these models?

Oh hell yeah, you're not nuts. All the Skyhawks on display at my local store have it to some degree. Same with the F-104 wings being out of alignment.

[PappyB]

Originally Posted by smartd

Oh hell yeah, you're not nuts. All the Skyhawks on display at my local store have it to some degree. Same with the F-104 wings being out of alignment.

I didn't notice it myself 'til I read this... mine has the crooked stab, too, but it is oh so slightly out of alignment... nothing as bad as the 104s I have.

[smartd]

Originally Posted by flyXwire

You've done it now, vagm! Boy, you gonna get some major grief from our buddy, Elmer, for showing those intakes without the engine fan blades details!!!

Focus solely on the nose in this pic. Anyone else see the mouse from Ratatouille? Now add whiskers.

[vagm]

Originally Posted by smartd

Oh hell yeah, you're not nuts. All the Skyhawks on display at my local store have it to some degree. Same with the F-104 wings being out of alignment.

The tailplane on the Skyhawk I got was also not perfectly horizontal but I was able to fix it so that it's now acceptable. The horizontal tailplane is plastic.

[smartd]

Originally Posted by vagm

The tailplane on the Skyhawk I got was also not perfectly horizontal but I was able to fix it so that it's now acceptable. The horizontal tailplane is plastic.

Yeah, it's an easy enough fix but one we should not have to do.

[Rush104]

Originally Posted by vagm

The tailplane on the Skyhawk I got was also not perfectly horizontal but I was able to fix it so that it's now acceptable. The horizontal tailplane is plastic.

Good morning vagm,

How did you achieve the fix?

[vagm]

Originally Posted by Rush104

Good morning vagm,

How did you achieve the fix?

Hi Rush! It was a low-tech fix: just try twisting (bending) the tailplanes in the opposite direction of their slant. If they slant to the right (with the tail of the plane facing the viewer) I twist the tailplanes to the left and keep repeating the procedure until they remain horizontal. One must be careful though so as not to break the tailplanes off.

I call it twisting rather than bending because I hold both pieces of the tailplane with the fingers of one hand (with the other holding the fuselage/wings of the plane) and twist my hand in the opposite direction of the slant. I hope I'm making sense. If not I'll try rephrasing it or better yet try capturing it in a picture.

[Rush104]

Originally Posted by vagm

Hi Rush! It was a low-tech fix: just try twisting (bending) the tailplanes in the opposite direction of their slant. If they slant to the right (with the tail of the plane facing the viewer) I twist the tailplanes to the left and keep repeating the procedure until they remain horizontal. One must be careful though so as not to break the tailplanes off.

I call it twisting rather than bending because I hold both pieces of the tailplane with the fingers of one hand (with the other holding the fuselage/wings of the plane) and twist my hand in the opposite direction of the slant. I hope I'm making sense. If not I'll try rephrasing it or better yet try capturing it in a picture.

You're making perfect sense, vagm! Thanks for the tips. Initially, I tried the twisting motion to fix the horiz stab, but it keeps returning to the original position. I'm going to try lanslides' heat suggestion next.