STEP 2 GENERATE A PLAN OF ATTACK
This is the main difference between kits and ARFs: You have to build the kit plane, and that requires plans, which are usually included with the kit parts. A good way to deal with the plans is to cut them apart and separate the various parts into smaller sections. Some of the drawings (cross-sections and details) show how things go together. I like to tape these to the wall so that they don’t take up room on the workbench and I can refer to them throughout the build without interruption. Place the drawings for the tail surfaces, fuselage, and wing panels on your work surface so that you can build the parts on top of them. I like to start building kits with the fuselage first since all the other parts are attached to it. If this is your first kit plane, start with the smaller tail surfaces and build them on the separate building board. Use the side-view drawing to work out the placement of the formers and doubles that the sides are made up of. When it comes to gluing the two sides of the fuselage together with the formers, use a straight reference line as a guide. Draw centerlines on all the formers and then, as you add the formers and draw the sides together at the tail, align the centerlines with the reference line. You can draw a line on the workbench or use one of the border lines that are drawn on most plans. It is also important to protect your plans to prevent your parts from being stuck to the paper. I use clear plastic Plan Protector from Great Planes, but you can also use clear film covering. You can also use small sheets of wax paper or plastic food wrap placed under specific gluing points to protect your planes.