JH Models 1/48 Wooden Stand First-Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of First Look | May 2012 | Manufacturer | JH Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Wooden Stand | Item Number | 4801 |
| Pros | A cool tool to hold your model during final assembly and decals | Cons | Nothing noted |
| MSRP (USD) | $33.99 |
First-Look
I was visiting with UMM-USA at the recent AMPS 2012 national convention and spotted an interesting tool - a laser-cut aircraft model assembly jig sized for 1/48 scale kits. Of course I had to take a closer look.
The jig comes as three laser-cut sheets of wood that also has calibration marks laser-etched into the surfaces. Since I've witnessed large and intricate RC aircraft wings assembled in one session with the help of cyano glue and Zip Kicker, I decided to have a go at this tool.
Following the instructions, I removed the parts from the wood sheets and arranged them in their subassembly order. The kit also comes with screws and nuts which allow the jig to be adjustable. Insert the nuts into the appropriate wood plates and cyano them into place. I built up the four risers first which are each four layers of wood sheet with the nut plate embedded inside and another nut plate installed underneath. Onto each riser is installed a model rest which has a strip of rubber laminated to the end to keep from scratching the surface of your model.
The base plate has a reinforcing frame assembled and glued underneath along with four feet, one in each corner. All of this goes together quickly thanks to the Zip Kicker. The four risers/rests can be individually adjusted for each project both in distance from the center as well as in height. You can see how this works with the Revell 1/48 F-14D Tomcat.
JH Models also has a wooden jig that will help with the assembly of biplanes both in 1/72 scale as well as in 1/48 scale. This jig is also available in a smaller size for 1/72 modelers.
My sincere thanks to UMM-USA for this review sample!