Gluing two struts onto a wing and getting them to allign properly can be a challenge. I build primarily 1/48 scale aircraft but my technique works in any scale. Patience is required; we all have that, right?

When gluing two struts, the sockets that hold them are sometimes too loose to match perfectly. With landing gear, I glue on one strut and position it where I want it to stay. I let it sit for a day or so to make sure it’s thoroughly dry.

Then I cement the other strut on the opposite side, but make sure it is perfectly aligned in slant, angle, wing dihedral, etc.  with the original strut and let it dry for a couple days.

This works well with plastic cement because it gives you more working time to make adjustments. Super glue dries much faster, so I prefer plastic cement.
Now even if the struts are not exactly where they should be for a real plane, at least they are the same and appear well aligned.

This technique can be used elsewhere too — weapons pylons, horizontal stabilizers, etc.

Tip submitted by:

Mike Allen
Pensacola, Fla.