Aeroclub Biplane Assembly Jig

By Paul Thompson

I’ve heard much speculation about this item on the Internet, so after talking to John Adams about it at Scale Modelworld decided to buy one. The example on display (holding a 1/48th Fe2b, with a note to the effect that the model wasn’t included in the box) looked very promising. I’ve heard many comments to the effect that you can do the same with a few quids worth of Meccano, that it’s bound to be too flimsy, and that it’s too expensive. Well, I’ve put mine together, and as an incorrigible former user of Lego, scraps of plastic, Blue Tac and plasticine, here are my thoughts on it.

Contents.

Surprise! The box doesn’t lie when it says this is a kit. You get a sheet of PE brass parts that are the sturdiest I’ve ever seen. There are also several baggies of nuts, bolts and washers, plus an assembly guide. The photos could be clearer but the text and diagrams leave nothing to be desired.

Preparation and assembly.

Slightly out of the ordinary, to separate the parts from the fret you’re recommended to use a 3mm (1/8th inch) wood chisel and a mallet. Then you de-burr with snips and files. You need to get a 3mm thick sheet of plastic to stop the PE distorting under impact. This went by the book, no problems, just tedious. 1 hour tops. Then you need to fold parts such as brackets and the base units. A small vice and protection for the parts is recommended and easiest, the folding been done with a block of wood and a bit of elbow grease. Then you just bolt the bits together according to the diagrams. 1 ½ hours after opening the box it’s all done. You just need to learn to use it. One of the photos here should have some numbers on it. 1 shows one of the completed jig pieces. 2 shows the remaining parts for the second jig. 3 shows the other bits which can be assembled in various ways.

Now What?

Okay. You’ve made your jig. What on earth can you do with it? Well, so long as you have plans from which you can obtain the wing gap and stagger, you can set these by twiddling the various bits. There are 1mm gradations stamped into the vital parts to help. Incidence and dihedral you’ll have to work out for yourself, but just to see if it worked and was sturdy enough I threw a Blue Max American DH4 at it in a hurry. I’ve not glued it up because I have to do more work first, but with a few struts just clipped in after setting it up it all appears to work as advertised. Once the top wing is clamped and the nuts tightened all evidence of wobble disappears.

Mr Adams said that one of the hardest parts of the design work was making the bearing surfaces for the nuts and bolts the minimum size to grip reliably while keeping the whole job compact enough not to get in the way when working on the model. I’ve thrown the thing about a bit and nothing shows any sign of coming loose yet, so I’d say he’s cracked it.

I’ve not needed any accessories (except the PE spanner) for this particular model, but there are enough stands and gadgets to let you firmly support the tailplane, rudder, any booms, the rear fuselage, or the airscrew attachment or cowling. So you can fix anything firmly no matter how odd the shape.

Conclusions.

The jig assembles easily (with a bit of care) and works as advertised. The box states that it’s usable for 72nd, 48th and some 32nd scale kits. I’m not sure about 72nd, but think it’s probable if the subject is large enough. I’ll be trying it out in cold blood with a 72nd Bristol Fighter or two, the DH4 shown here, and (if the gods are kind) a 48th scale Gotha. If all goes well you should be able to read the results here next month.

As to the price, I believe it’s been kept as low as realistically possible. The key factors here are the third part photoetching company, and the high quality nuts and bolts. IIRC I paid around 32 pounds 50 and at this stage think it money well spent. If you have no problem using your modelling time constructing fiendish instruments of torture to exacting tolerances then no doubt you’d prefer to make your own jig, and more power to you. But personally I prefer to save my small fund of skill and patience for the model itself.

Finally, if this jig sells well enough, there are plans to add bolt-ons that among other things cater for triplanes.