Small Scale Military Headquarters

Hi all. I need to know how to hang 1:18 planes from the cealing. Please tell me what materials and where to buy them (not online), techniches, hints, ideas, anything helpful for an amateur first-time "plane-hanger"

you can send your helpful messages to [email protected]

thanks guys

Hanging planes is really rather simple and its a great way to increase your storage space on the ground.

The basic method is to securely screw an eye-hook into the ceiling and then make a couple loops of fishing line that the plane hangs on. You will want to use sturdy fishing line and double-knot it. (I use 50lb test line, though that is a bit excessive). A good-sized eye-hook that will support the weight of the plane is also a must, but you don't really need an oversised one. You can use different sized loops of fishing line to make the aircraft look as though its climbing or diving.

Take a look at this picture of part of my room display (from about 10 months ago) to get an idea:



My hanging display is a bit minimal compared to what has been seen from other members. I used to have alot more aircraft (XD & other) displayed hanging, but then the "cottage cheese" was removed, the ceiling replastered and 50 some-odd holes from eye-hooks filled...

Some board members have also had success hanging their aircraft on the wall, forming a unique display.

Hope all this helps

ok thanks. but what is a LBS Test? and can i get these at home depot?

i need to hang:
P-51 Mustang Sky Captain
P-40 Warhawk
BF-109G-6
F-86 Sabre

So where can i get these? and how do i test them?

"LB Test" means pounds test, or how much weight the fishing line can support without snapping.

Most XD & BBI WWII fighter planes, such as the ones you mentioned, can easily be held with 20lb test line. Some of the heavier models, particularly the BBI F-16 and F-18, should use a heavier line. Eye-hooks that are approximately 1/2 inch across should be more than sufficient for the aircraft you have listed, as well as some larger planes should you get them. You should be able to find fishing line and many different sizes and shapes of hooks at a Home Depot store.

ok, that helps, but what exactly is the test? is it a block of steel or what? how can i do it if i dont have that?

-sigh-...can anybody from San Antonio come over here and do it?

i generally use 10 pound test line and have had no problems with it. For the heavier items like the Apache and F-18 i used 20 pound. My Apache did crash once when i had used only 10 pound....a few pieces fell off but no damage. Very sturdy item.

Anyway, my ceilings are cement so i can't screw eye hooks into them....i'd have to drill holes, which i don't want to do. So i've used plastic cup holder hooks. I scrape off the self adhesive tape and glue them to the ceiling with Lok-tite, which is a thick gel super glue. Works great and if i want to take them off i just give them a twist with a knife. It will take the paint with it but that's beter than drilling fifty holes in my ceiling.

As for hanging i make a tiny loop at one end of my fishing line. Krazy glue the knot. Then i thread the other end of my line through this tiny loop. What you create is basically a noose and i just slip it over the fuselage of my plane. Make two of these lines, one for the front and one for the back. I tie the other end of each line to a metal loop (like a key chain ring). Krazy glue the knots again. Very important.

Then i just hang the metal loops on the plastic cupholder hooks i have glued to the ceiling. The nice thing about this method is you can vary the height of your plane by simply winding the fishing line around the metal ring (through the hole, not around the outside of it). You can either raise or lower the whole plane or just the front or the back, to simulate diving/climbing. You can also bank the plane by simply shifting it around inside the nooses that are wrapped around the fuselage.

So it's quick, easy and allows alot of flexibility for posing the plane.

Another option is bike racks. Its more for the big BBi jets, but can be used for smaller WWII planes. You can see some photos I took of my planes doing this.

http://community.webshots.com/album/463579792mpIhXS

I try to hang mine by era when I do not have them Shelved. I like the way that tman has the hung. I was just hanging min with two pieces of fishing wire and they kept on swinging every direction.

thanks abunch morian aferguson and Tman. aferguson, i will use that method for the knots, thanks.
yeah, bick racks seem safer, but they really cover up the planes ?

I too have had no issue using 10lb test monofilament fishing line. Although the heaviest plane I've hung so far is the Stuka. I don't recall the name of the knot that I use, but it's worked great for me as well. 20lb test should eliminate the fear factor nicely.

I suppose someone as old as myself who has used monofilament line as much as I have for what it's intended should speak up.

Bigger is not always better.

20lb test monofilament line is WAY MORE than enough to support a 4-5 pound aircraft even on a single loop. Modern fishing line is some of the toughest material known to man. The failure issues are the surfaces it comes in contact with, like sharp edges, very sharp bends (those introduced at the knots), friction and its exposure to direct sunlight.

Learn the "fisherman's knot" which not only reduces slipping but limits the kinking of the line itself.

Don't just throw a line or a loop over a hook - use a cow hitch which tightens itself as load is applied then finish it off with an additional half hitch.

A typical "granny knot" is a disaster waiting to happen. Square knots are an improvement but with something as heavy as a 21C P-38 they can still slip over time.

If you want to see them, try http://www.iwillknot.com (it's not the fastest server in the world, but you can't get much better instruction).

I would not recommend cyanoacrylate (super) glue on monofilament nylon. Some of the UV-resistant coatings on the better line will be compromised so if it's sitting in sunlight who knows? If you're determined to avoid using a hard-to-master knot that won't slip, better to burn the ends of the line into bulbs down to about a 1/4" from the knot you're trying to keep it from sliding through.

i really had no idea what i did. i tried doing all these knots and all, but the line (OOK line) is to hard and not malliable. I just didd a regular knot and wrapped it around a bunch of times. You guys will here the rest when im request a new BF-109 and P-51