Hot Model Cars, Rockets & Trains How-Tos
How To: Build a 2.5 scale sherman tank
This is an instructional video on how to build a massive, fully-functioning model of a Sherman Tank.
How To: Make a house out of 750 matchsticks
Print out and build the house out of paper first and then glue on 750 matchsticks to craft this masterpiece. Watch this video tutorial and learn how to build a little house out of matchsticks.
How To: Make a Simple Pop Pop Boat
This video tutorial shows you how to make a simple pop pop boat (putt putt boat) out of house hold items. Very simple and easy to do.
How To: Build a Simple High-Powered Water Rocket Launcher
There are plenty of things you can use at home to make your own rocket, like sugar, matchsticks, or even trash. They may not be as impressive as a real rocket, but they can still be a lot of fun. In this video, How To Lou shows how he made a high-flying water rocket out of some basic materials like PVC and a soda bottle. As Lou points out, the bigger your soda bottle, the further it will go. He used 1/2" PVC pipe, valves, and connectors, as well as some brass adapters. He added an air compres...
How To: Add mask and fade detail to the shell of a toy car
Sure, your RC car runs like a champ but does it look the part? With a little bit of customization, it can. In this hobbyist how-to, you'll learn how to add mask and fade detail to an RC shell.
How To: Build a 2/5th scale M60 tank
This instructional video series is on how to build any type of 2/5th (40%) scale, fully functional tank. The specific model demonstrated is the M60 Patton. An MBT. A destructive force. If you have any questions about your backyard tank build, please address them to "Dave's Tank Foundry" at Scaled Tanks.
How To: Make model railroad tunnels
Tunnels can help make your model railroad set-up come alive. But professionally made tunnels can be expensive, and they lack character. In this tutorial you'll learn how to make your own, customized tunnels.
How To: Paint model railroad tracks
Joe's Model Trains Co. has developed a mini paint roller specifically designed to paint model railroad track. It comes in two sizes; one for Z / N / HO scales and one for larger track like O / S scales. Each size is adjustable and includes rollers and extra disks to easily paint all sizes of rail.
How To: Make a Balloon-Powered Paper Plate Racer
With a little spare time and and a few items you can find around the house, you can make your own balloon-powered paper car. This is a great and easy DIY project that's perfect for competitive kids.
How To: Build a cool cardboard RC airplane
Model airplanes are cool and all, but making them out of your typical 8 1/2 X 11 printer paper isn't going to cut it for long, especially if any sort of rain or misplaced foot is involved. Make your awesome model airplanes even more awesome by crafting them out of sturdy cardboard instead.
How To: Make a Homemade PVC Rocket
This homemade hairspray-powered PVC rocket takes less than an hour to construct and only costs about 20 dollars to make. Check out my video below for the step-by-step instructions on building your own backyard rocket, and follow the written guide below for reference.
How To: Build a '60s Mack F Series Cabover Conversion Model Truck
A series on how to build a Mack F series cabover conversion model truck at 1/25 scale. Part 1
How To: Make fuse paper to light a rocket motor
Do you like drinking coffee? It may seem like this question has nothing to do with homemade rockets or fuse paper, but indeed coffee filters - which you should have in ample supply if you enjoy making your own cup of Joe - are the key ingredient in a kick ass construction of fuse paper.
How To: Make a silicone mold in your kitchen with common household items
You can easily make an inexpensive silicone mold in your kitchen for cheap! This is a great project to do with your kids, or just for fun! You can also use this method to easily make theatrical props and prosthetics.
How To: Use the correct tires for the temperature and improve RC performance
Optimize vehicle performance by knowing the differences between the different tires available for your RC vehicle. Each type of tire (commonly referred to by the red dot, blue dot or green dot) is optimized for a specific operating temperature range. Knowing about the different temperatures and what tires are best suited for them could be the difference between first place and second. Find out more in this instructional video.
How To: Install a ProLine universal shock kit and power stroke system in an RC car
Upgrade the shocks on your RC vehicle to new aftermarket parts with this informative video. This video details how to install the Universal Shock Mounting kit with Proline Power Strokes. Tools needed for this install are a 5.5 driver and a 2.0 hex.
How To: Strap your RC tires with duct tape to improve traction
If your RC car tires are lacking some of the rigidity you'd like them to have, check out this video to learn how to strap your tires. You'll need some duct tape and a flat surface, ad then you'll be back at the track ready to eat up the competition with better traction and stability.
How To: Install 17mm hex adapters into a short course truck
In this video, 17mm hex adapters are installed on a Short Course truck. Installing these adapters allows a greater range of wheels and tires to be used on your SC racer vehicle. Squirrel of ProLine demonstrates the installation technique.
How To: Lay and ballast O-Scale 3-Rail track
In this tutorial we learn how to lay and ballast O-Scale 3-Rail track. First, lay the track down on a piece of bare plywood. Also, you will paint the wood to prevent it from absorbing liquid when you place glue on it. Put the track down onto a flex bed and then set the flex bed on the wood. From here, place the track onto the road bed and line it up. Make sure the track is centered completely. After this, take a track screw and secure the ends down. Continue to do this throughout the entire t...
How To: Build your own stomp rocket out of household materials
In this video, we learn how to build your own stomp rocket out of household materials. Materials you will need are: plastic bottles, bicycle inner tube, 2 feet PVC pipe, duct tape, masking tape, and file folders or card stock. Now, take your PVC pipe and roll paper around it and tape it. Then, remove the paper from the pipe and tape it more so it's completely closed. Then, make your nose cone for the rocket. Place this and the wings onto the rocket in your choice of colors. Then, make the lau...
How To: Repair a coax receiver antenna including AM, FM, 2.4ghz, airtronics and more
Working on an RC project, or really anything that involves RC, at some point there's a chance that you will end up breaking your antenna for your receiver. If you're a little lost on how to fix the antenna, have no fear. In this video you will get a tutorial on how to fix various antenna receivers and more!
How To: Paint your favorite sports team logo on a racing shell
In this video, we learn how to paint your favorite sports team logo on a racing shell. First, you will take your shell and trace out the logo on it with a Sharpie marker of your choice. Use tape to cover the areas that you don't want marked, so the lines come out cleaner and straighter. After you have done this, paint the logo onto the racing shell with small brushes and your choice of paints. Leave the tape in place until all of the paint has dried. Then, remove the tape from the shell and y...
How To: Recreate Models of Christopher Columbus's Sailing Ships from 1492
Columbus Day celebrates Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas in 1492. In most of the New World, it's celebrated on the 12th of October, the day Columbus actually discovered the Bahamas. But in the United States, the holiday is observed on the second Monday in October.
How To: Make miniature models of Columbus's ships (Niña, Pinta & Santa Maria)
There's no better way to celebrate the discovery of the New World than by recreating Christopher Columbus's three ships from the famous voyage— the Niña, Pinta & Santa Maria. In this short ship-building how-to, you'll learn a simple activity for you and your kids, where you'll make miniature ship models of Columbus's boats with egg cups, brown paint, white paper (sails), toothpicks, clay and glue.
How To: Detect an air leak in a Nitro RC engine
In this tutorial, we learn how to detect an air leak in a Nitro RC engine. Air leaks damage your engine which will take your tuning and completely void it. Now, take some soapy water and apply it to your engine and anything that is connected in between. Block off one end of the host where you aren't going to blow into. Find where you think the leak is, then make sure you don't have a cracked tank. Next, make sure everything is sealed and apply soapy water. Blow in the other end of the valve a...
How To: Rust a model car to make it look old and beat-up
If you like making miniature models for their own sake or for use in playing Warhammer and other table top games, there may come a time when you want a shiny new model to look like an old rusty model. If you're working with plastic, you've come to the right place, because this video will show you how to give plastic models a rusty look that will blend them into your post-apocalyptic or just plain derelict scene.
How To: Make the staging mechanism for a multi-stage water rocket
Most really powerful rockets fire their payload in multiple stages to distribute it better. To control the release of each stage, you need staging mechanisms. This video will show you how to make a staging mechanism for a multi-stage water rocket, and references written help here.
How To: Splice two water bottles together to make a large water rocket
If you want to make a really powerful water rocket, one water bottle is not going to give you enough propellant. You're going to have to splice two or more bottles together and do it well enough that they don't come apart. This video will show you exactly how to do it step-by-step.
How To: Make a DIY 9mm Gardena water rocket nozzle
Most people who are really serious about rocketry prefer solid-fueled rockets, but if your passion is for water rockets, then this video should help you with your advanced eater rocket project. It will show you how to construct and troubleshoot a 9mm Gardena nozzle to control water flow that costs much less than a storebought one.
How To: Make a water thrusted rocket out of a plastic bottle and other basic materials
If you like the idea of building rockets that will soar through the air like angels but don't want to bother with operating high explosive, it's possible to build pretty darn powerful rockets out of water. This video will show you how to do so very easily out of junk that you probably already have.
How To: Glue VTR tires easily for your RC
If you're getting into the hobby of building RC vehicles, there are many different tasks that need to be done before you have a beautiful working, and looking, vehicle. Tires, engine, the body, etc. all can be built from the very start.
How To: Assemble a model rocket for launching
In this Hobbies & Toys video tutorial you will learn how to assemble a model rocket for launching. This video will show you how to do this using the Estes Alpha model rocket. For this project you will need the rocket kit, masking tape, glue, sand paper, a knife, scissors and a pencil. First you sample the engine mount, glue it up and set it aside to dry. Next you cut out the fins and sandpaper them together. Then you apply glue on the inside of the tube up to 1 1/2" and push the engine mount ...
How To: Strip magnet wire for soldering
In this video, learn how to strip a magnet wire for soldering when making mini-RC cars. This process is incredibly easy to do and you will be surprised how fast it works. So, check this out and assemble your cars faster and easier.
How To: Understand the inner workings of an RC car engine
Are you a radio control car enthusiast who's never moved beyond the store-bought toy models from Radio Shack? Then this nine-part series of videos is what you've been waiting for. It breaks down how RC engines work in exhaustive detail, including whole sections on carbs, pipe tuning, fuel mixing, and super chargers, among other topics. You may not be able to put your own RC car together entirely from scratch after this, but you will have a broad, deep understanding of how their engines work a...
How To: Easily make a simple matchstick rocket
Crazy for homemade rockets and other flammable toys? This is your video. In this tutorial, learn a quick and easy way to make a matchstick rocket using a match and foil. These rockets can travel as far at 20 feet, so stand back as your DIY rocket flies!
How To: Easily make a water rocket
Is there anything cooler than a water rocket? These things are super easy to make and can shoot distances of up to 50 meters away!
How To: Make a simple bottle rocket
There's nothing like playing outside, especially as a kid. The grass beneath your feet, the blue sky in the air, and the endless amount of possiblity that lies in such a wide open space. This tutorial takes advantage of that space and shows you how to make a simple bottle rocket. Many of the supplies needed are easil found in your home and are usually cheap and inexpensive. So sit back and enjoy! Oh, and please be careful!
How To: Remove RC Lexan paint from a model car
To remove the lexan paint, obtain a bottle of brake fluid. Make sure you read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for its harmful effects, and put on a pair of gloves to avoid contact with the hands when applying the brake fluid. To remove a large area of paint, pour a little amount of brake fluid onto some paper towel, and rub the area in a circular motion until the lexan paint is completely dissolved and removed from the area. A Q-tip can also be used to remove smaller areas. Apply as muc...
How To: Make a wooden fingerboard kicker
In this how to video, you will learn how to create a finger board kicker from simple materials. You will need a saw, wood glue, an index card, and thin wood. First, draw three shapes. The top is a rectangle while the sides are triangles. Put glue on the top of the side pieces and place the top on. Glue the index card at the bottom of the kicker. You can also print a photo of a stop sign on a piece of paper with the index card under it and glue it to the kicker. Once you have done that, your f...
How To: Paint shadow lines on a model car
If you want to paint shadow lines on a model care you should first realize that you can pair this technique up with any other technique you want to for different effects. Shadow lines occur when the out lines get thick and it provides a contrast to make something pop out. Shadow lines will focus on the light source. You want your shadow to be realistic so you want to think about where you light source will be. To paint on shadows lines, focus on where the light source is coming from and darke...