FREE FLIGHT SPORT and SCALE
Bill Warner, 1370 Monache Avenue, Porterville CA 93257
Alumilite Casting Plastic
Alumilite is neither aluminum nor especially light. It is a low-viscosity urethane casting plastic that outperforms everything else I've used. It is lighter than typical craft-shop casting resins and produces almost bubble-free castings with a homogeneous texture.
- The two-part material pours easily and changes color as it sets up. The process takes approximately three to five minutes.
- To make molds: create a dummy part, paint it with liquid latex (available at craft shops) and you'll have a female rubber mold for pouring parts.
- Alumilite is excellent for casting engines and other forward components on models, where weight is often added anyway.
- Parts can be lightened by:
- drilling or hollowing them with a rotary file on a Dremel tool,
- adding microballoons to the mix before pouring,
- inserting a piece of light foam to occupy space.
- For increased strength, aluminum powder can be added.
More information on Alumilite is available from the Alumilite Corporation: Alumilite Corporation, 225 Parsons St., Kalamazoo MI 49007. They sell everything from RTV mold material to ground pecan shells to add to the mix!
For Early Air Race Fans
GBs and Gee Bees is Bill Hannan's latest book. "GBs" refers to Gordon Bennett; Hannan leads us through the 1922 and 1932 GB races with drawings of some airplanes that flew (and some that didn't). The "Gee Bee" (Granville Brothers) section focuses mainly on model plans for No-Cal versions—the R-1 and Z racers.
The book also includes:
- a three-view for the General Aviation Aristocrat (showing engine detail and color scheme),
- a Peanut Burgess-Curtiss by J. F. Frugoli,
- an interesting set of scale drawings for the B-C.
It's a nifty must-have for Hannan fans. Price: $13.45 (US). Order from: Hannan's Runway, Box 210, Magalia CA 95954.
Cottage Wings Source Guide
The Cottage Wings source guide contains annotated listings (my opinions) of suppliers, plans, clubs, and other resources useful to FF scale modelers. The resource list now has about 250 entries and is updated daily.
Sample entry:
MORROW, MICHAEL A. 1327 44th Ave. SW Seattle WA 98116-1616
Notes:
- Michael has an interesting selection of plans, including 14 indoor No-Cal plans (Flying Pancake, Pou, P-63, P-39, Schlepp Tug, HE-112B).
- The dull-finish Mylar stick-on computer artwork is great—you paint in the colors.
- He offers four Peanut plans, including an exciting Koolhoven FK-55, many scale drawings, and 40,000 color slides of aircraft from the Jim Morrow collection.
- Risk a dollar for Mike's illustrated catalog! His P-39Q No-Cal (Tex Johnston's) is stunning.
You can get your copy of the non-profit Cottage Wings resource guide for a dollar bill (to cover printing costs) and a legal-size self-addressed stamped envelope with 55 cents postage. Send requests to: Bill Warner, 1370 Monache Ave., Porterville CA 93257.
Until next time, stir up some enthusiasm in your town with a model flying demonstration at your local school, church, or senior citizens' center!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
