Building from plans.

**wonwinglo** · 10-10-2004

For those of us who do not want the restraints and the cost of purchasing a kit then the answer is to buy a set of plans for your subject,if approached in a logical manner then a plan can give hours of pleasure as a means of building the exact model subject that you want.
We will deal here with the many readily available drawings from many different sources rather than designing your own which is a subject worth discussing in itself which we will deal with some other time.
The first thing to do is to familiarise yourself with the drawing,the best way to do this is pin the plan up somewhere where it can be easily viewed for at least a week before you start to build,by doing so you will get a good idea in your mind of how certain things fit together,before you start you must be confident that you know how the original designer intended his plan to be used otherwise you will hit a snag which will not only slow you down but probably put you off any further work on the model because you are confused.
Having studied your drawing the next step is to make up some simple templates for the parts,you could if you wish transfer the parts straight from the plan but this can be a bulky job wrestling with such a large piece of paper ! by far to arm yourself with useful card templates that can be used again and again if necessary,above all you will be able to plan the parts out by swinging them on the grain of the wood to get the best direction,also slot parts out against a sheet of expensive timber,the choice is yours but having built hundreds of models from plans I can say that the template system has always proved useful.
Stockpile those card carton boxes from cereal packs,they make ideal template material,just slip carbon paper underneath your plan and transfer the design with a hard pencil straight to the card,next cut out either with a craft knife or scissors.
Another way to maintaining the interest wiyth your model is to build up a set of parts just like you have in a kit,this will mean that you can get down to the job of building without having to keep resorting to cutting out parts that will hinder you and certainly slows you down,what nicer than to have a set of formers,ribs and even wire pieces all ready to assemble ? give this system a try and I guarantee you will never go back to cutting out bits and pieces as you go along again.
Dont forget to protect your plan with a piece of plastic sheet,this will ensure the parts do not stick to the design and also protect the plan,above all do not cut on your plan ! use one of those self healing boards for this which will not only save your drawing but your knife blades as well.
Well a lot of the above will seem common sense but remember like everything else,building from plans is as much about organising your building process,if you plan out your steps then your building pleasure will be further increased and there will be a better chance of a successful model in the end.