Make Your Own CLUB CRASH TROPHY
Bailey Reece
Nearly every R/Cer has experienced the slump-shouldered, bent-kneed, hand-on-the-head feeling of pure frustration that follows the crash of his favorite model. So there should be some sort of reward for this ill-fated flier.
Club members of S.P.L.A.T. (South Plains Lines and Transmitters) around the Texas Panhandle town of Plainview present a wire-sculpted crash scene to, in the CD's opinion, the flier experiencing the very worst, or most spectacular, crash during a two-day contest.
Materials
- No. 10 copper wire
- No. 12 wire
- Hardwood base
- Scrap pieces of brass (for the crashed plane)
- Solder and soldering iron
- Cyanoacrylate glue
- Plastic finish (spray or brush)
- Hammer
Construction
- Form the figure:
- Hammer the No. 10 copper wire flat to represent the feet and hands.
- Bend the wire to form a person. Use an 8" length of wire for the arms and a 24" length for the body and head.
- Put as much "dejection" in as you want with rounded shoulders and flexed knees.
- Make the transmitter (TX):
- Form a one-inch square from wire or metal to represent the TX.
- Solder a 3/32" antenna onto the center of the square.
- Use No. 12 wire for the TX levers. Note the position of the throttle lever for Mode II — full bore (a bit of irony).
- Make the crashed plane:
- Fabricate a small plane with a 3" wingspan from scrap pieces of brass.
- Assemble and finish:
- Secure all parts to the wooden base using cyanoacrylate glue.
- Apply a final coat of plastic finish to the wire and the base for sheen and durability.
This method of recognition may help the crash victim to view his catastrophe in a light-hearted, sportsmanlike manner.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
