Flying for Fun
In my July column I talked about the terms "original designs," "plan-built," "kit-built," and "factory-built" as they relate to model aircraft. Hopefully my militant objection to the badly misused, and therefore incomprehensible, term "scratch-built" hasn't upset anyone. I'll further confuse the issue this month with a look at partial kits (a.k.a. short kits)—essentially, kits that contain all parts of a model design that require cutting with a jigsaw or bandsaw. The builder then provides required sheet and strip wood to complete the project. This approach allows the creation of models that are not so "cookie-cutter" common, without the more-challenging aspects of building from plans.
These limited-production-run short kits provide a way for a builder to create a model that is of insufficient appeal to justify a full kit by a manufacturer. It's an advantage to the builder, since he or she can better control the wood density and quality by hand-selecting dimensional wood at a hobby shop and/or using scrap wood from the shop's leftovers. Sometimes there is also an advantage to selecting hardware from one's own supply or from the brands that one is comfortable with at the hobby shop.
In many instances, the supplier includes the original plans; however, if the original drawings are proprietary (for sale by someone else), the builder purchases the plans from one supplier and the cut parts from another. Fiberglass cowls and prebent landing gear are frequently available for many of the published—and nearly all of the plans-sellers'—designs.
Sources and Suppliers
Any time I list suppliers, I only mention those with whose products I am familiar and have experience using. In no way does this imply that the others who advertise in the various magazines sell inferior merchandise.
Klarich Custom Kits
Klarich's partial kits are primarily for Old-Timer (prior to December 31, 1942) and Nostalgia (January 1, 1943–December 31, 1956) Free Flight (FF) designs that can be easily converted to Radio Control (RC) Assist. Many of the kits are available in enlarged or reduced sizes. Klarich lists Lanzo Bombers in 25 variations, ranging from 48- to 101-inch spans.
I counted 260 Old-Timer short kits, ranging from the Albatross to the Zipper, including some rare aircraft. (What the heck is a VMS Gamma or Cheplaskie?) Klarich can also supply Nostalgia designs ranging from the Ascender to the Zero, plus 1/2A Scale, Duration, rubber-powered models, and gliders. Some models that interested me were a Zaic Floater spanning 100 inches, a Curtiss Robin in 43- and 48-inch spans, and Walt Good's RC Guff.
Klarich partial kits include:
- landing gear
- wing ribs
- wingtips
- firewall
- fuselage formers
- plans
- other curved parts
Each part is carefully bandsawn and sanded; the wood is excellent. The parts fit beautifully, and the stringer notches are accurate.
Contact:
- Klarich Custom Kits, 2301 Sonata Dr., Rancho Cordova CA 95670
- Tel.: (916) 635-4588; Fax: (916) 636-3080
- A list with prices is available for $2.
All American Kit Cutters
All American Kit Cutters markets to a completely different segment of the modeling spectrum—jumbo models. The company cuts all of the parts for Hostetler, Ziroli, Miles Reed, Mel Whitley, Jerry Bates, Bob Holman, and others' designs, but one orders the plans from the designer and purchases the cut parts from All American. It will custom-cut anything for which plans and templates are available.
The company's products feature superb quality of materials and exemplary workmanship.
Contact:
- All American Kit Cutters, 365 Dutch Neck Rd., Hightstown NJ
- Tel.: (609) 443-3175
- A 42-page catalog is available for $4.
Other accessories and suppliers
- Fiberglass cowls for these designs are available from several suppliers, including Fiberglass Specialties (see ad this issue).
- Prebent aluminum gear can be obtained from Abell Hobby: Box 22573, Billings MT 59104; Tel.: (406) 259-4882.
- Beautiful preassembled wire units can be ordered from Swenson Specialties: 2895 Estates Ave., Pinole CA 94564; Tel.: (510) 758-0179.
Custom cutters are proliferating rapidly; the concept has something going for it. Look through the various model magazines and send for some catalogs. Now, like never before, there is no reason for builders of even minimal experience to select only kitted designs.
Examples and Reader Projects
To illustrate the availability of parts and accessories to the plans builder, I had an Ultimate 120 project in the November 1993 Radio Control Modeler. It has proven rather popular, but with the changes at Ace R/C, the company no longer has some of the parts needed to convert the Ultimate 120 biplane kit. That has been the subject of several phone calls and letters, but don't despair: canopies and cowls are in the Precision Fiberglass catalog, and landing gear units are available from Abell.
Anyone with an interest in plans-building would do well to get catalogs from suppliers who advertise. You'll be astonished at what is out there.
Viper
Bob McDaniel (12319 Welling Lane, Bowie MD 20715) sent photos of his original design—a beautiful example of his workmanship and designing skill. This sport model is not scale, although it could be. He incorporated two-stage flaps, an original airfoil, and very light weight (five pounds) to produce a distinctive-looking, excellent flier.
No plans are available for the Viper at this time, but write to Bob; he might consider selling plans by the time you read this.
One of Each
I received two other approaches to developing out-of-the-rut models.
- Dave Stevenson (Harpersfield NY) built the Aeronca Defender from my construction article and drawings in the April 1996 Model Aviation, plan #807. It is powered by a Fox .25 plain-bearing engine, and uses three Futaba 148 servos with a 500 mAh battery pack. Dave's model weighs nearly 12 ounces more than the prototype, yet is a satisfactory three-channel sport model.
- Dave also built a 1/2A Duration Taylor Cub from a kit by Balsa Products, 122 Jensen Ave., Iselin NJ. It spans 49 inches and is powered by a Cox Black Widow. The radio is a Futaba Attack receiver with two servos, running off a 225 mAh pack. This model weighs 18 ounces and should be a good thermal airplane.
Dave is the postmaster of Harpersfield; according to him, the post office is in two rooms of his home. If I'm reading that correctly, he has a post office and a model workshop in the same building! I've never heard of that before.
Way out of the Rut
Eric Marsden of Herndon, Hants, England constructed an original-design electric Free Flight scale Junkers K53. This 36-inch-span aircraft is powered by a Knight-Pridham (KP) motor using three 50 mAh cells and weighs 120 grams (four ounces). Flight photos show excellent stability. Eric reports that 20 of these two-seat fighters were supplied to China and Manchuria in 1926–1929—a nearly ideal full-scale subject for Free Flight!
Help!
While watching a television biography about Jimmy Stewart, I was startled by several still photos of him with Henry Fonda, working on a Denny Jr. and a Zaic Thermic glider. Jimmy's daughter related that Stewart and Fonda often worked together on model airplanes and sometimes hours would pass with no conversation between them. The two had been roommates and good friends when they were starting actors in New York.
A few days after watching the biography, our current issue of Reminisce arrived, and one of the articles contained a story by a woman who had double-dated with Jimmy and some friends on a picnic out in the desert. The article included two more pictures of Stewart getting ready to fly the Denny!
Does anyone know of photos of any other Hollywood stars with model aircraft? If you do, would you like to share?
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
