Author: B. Boss
Edition: Model Aviation - 1999/11
Page Numbers: 126, 127
,

CONTROL LINE SCALE

Bill Boss, 77-06 269th St., New Hyde Park, NY 11040

Recent mail included a letter from Barry Murill of Chandler, AZ. He had read the June column in Model Aviation regarding Scale documentation and wanted to share some sources he has found useful.

Barry said he is currently interested in Free Flight (FF) Scale and Radio Control (RC) sailplanes, and is working on a 1/5-scale model of the P-40C from Jerry Bates plans. He also builds 1/72-scale (and smaller) plastic models. While he has not yet tried Control Line (CL), Barry reads all the Model Aviation columns for their valuable information. I hope Barry will try CL Scale flying and experience the joy that Control Line fliers find in building and directly controlling the flight of their models.

Recommended publications and sources

  • Scale Aviation Modeller International (published in the United Kingdom) — each issue contains several pages of color artwork and line drawings featuring particular aircraft. Barry’s latest issue (Vol. 5, No. 4) contains artwork on the Macchi MC.202, an article on building a 1/32-scale P-40C in Flying Tigers colors, and interior and five-color schemes for the A-26 Invader.
  • Subscriptions to Scale Aviation Modeller International and many other foreign modeling magazines are available through Wise Owl Worldwide Publications, 4314 W. 238th St., Torrance, CA 90505-4509; Tel.: (310) 375-6258. Subscription prices: $56 by surface, $72 by air.
  • AeroMaster (www.aeromaster.com) — excellent decals; their color instruction sheets are especially useful for Scale modelers.
  • Champlain Fighter Aircraft Museum (Mesa, AZ) — Barry volunteers as a docent and has had the opportunity to photograph many aircraft in detail. He encourages modelers who live near aircraft museums to consider joining; it’s a win-win for museums and modelers.

Barry also mentioned he was building a 1/5-scale P-40A in the Flying Tigers color scheme, which brings to mind a useful reference book for P-40 modelers.

Book: P-40 WARHAWK (Warbird History)

  • Author: Frederick A. Johnson
  • Details: Over 120 pages, many black-and-white photos, and eight pages of color showing several schemes. Includes photos of cockpit instrument panels and some construction photos.
  • Appendix: listings and information on aircraft roles, pursuit groups and countries of service, a table of USAAF serial numbers, and comparison data on aircraft using Allison V-1710 and Merlin engines.
  • ISBN: 0-7603-0253-7
  • Availability: Many local bookstores and Zenith Books, 729 Prospect Ave., Box 1126, Osceola, WI 54020-0001. Price: $19.95 plus shipping and handling. For a free Zenith Books aviation catalog call (800) 826-6600.

This month’s photos

#### Profile Scale Heinkel He 111H (Donald E. Laird)

  • Builder: Donald E. Laird, Ashtabula, OH
  • Built: 1967 (Laird was then working for Boeing in Seattle, WA)
  • Condition: Looks to be in great shape despite age and frequent flying
  • Power: K&B .19 Greenheads
  • Scheme: Spanish Air Force version built under license by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) after WWII, fitted with Rolls-Royce engines replacing the original Daimler-Benz engines. Known in Spain as the CASA 2-111 "Pedro." Laird used colors and markings from a plane he found parked near Madrid around 1960.

The Heinkel He 111 was designed and built in the 1930s and went through many versions up to the He 111H-16. It served as bomber, torpedo bomber, and launch platform for Hs 293 glider bombs and V-1 flying bombs. Pre-WWII, the Luftwaffe used versions for secret high-altitude reconnaissance missions. Spanish CASA-built aircraft remained in service for crew training as late as 1970. The He 111, with its many versions, is a good full-scale subject for modelers.

#### 1911 Cessna (Dave Copeman)

  • Builder: Dave Copeman, Circle Masters Club (Wisconsin)
  • Full-scale subject: First aircraft built by Clyde V. Cessna — a Bleriot-type monoplane powered with a 60 hp Elbridge engine.
  • Model specs: 57-inch span, 6.5 pounds, powered with an ST .45, controlled with a standard three-line system. Covered with Coverite and epoxy.

Video: "The Black Art" of Building and Fiberglassing Techniques (Dave Platt)

Dave Platt, a top Scale builder, produced a series of videotapes (Volume 1) demonstrating building and fiberglassing techniques. Claude McCullough (AMA Scale Board member) reported in Replicas (NASA newsletter) that the two-hour video shows innovative approaches and practical fixes for common building problems. Example: Platt begins building a Macchi MC.200 fighter using unconventional but effective assembly order and demonstrates silver-soldering, quick planking fixes, and other tips.

For information and pricing contact: Dave Platt Models, 1306 Havre N.E., Palm Bay, FL 32907. Tel.: (407) 724-2144.

Workshop hint: Seized engines

If an engine you stored is stuck (as if CA had gotten into the carburetor), try this:

  1. Heat the engine with a covering heat gun (a hair dryer might also work) until it is too hot to handle.
  2. Let the engine cool off; often it will be free enough for a complete teardown and cleaning.
  3. If that doesn’t work or a heat gun is unavailable, try heating the engine in an oven set to about 200°F for a few minutes.

Caution: Handle the hot engine with kitchen gloves or other heat-protective gloves used for removing hot cookware.

This tip was found in the Indy Sportliners CL Club newsletter.

Please send ideas, notices of upcoming CL Scale events, contest reports, and especially photos of CL Scale activity to the address at the top of this column.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.