RADIO CONTROL COMBAT
Greg Rose, 3429 Elmy, Orion MI 48359
Short of flying a good Combat round, nothing brightens my day more than a letter stuffed with pictures from modelers having a great time with Radio Control (RC) Combat. I'll put some of the manufacturers' news (and there is more) on the back burner and share a few letters.
Wayne Van Orden (Blackfoot, ID) sent a picture of his local RC club's 704 squadron (the Blackfootians?). From left to right (standing) are:
- Wayne Van Orden Jr. — P-36
- Dale Sebring — long-winged TA-152 built from Morfis plans
- Wynn Hone — F8F Bearcat
- Colby Hone — P-63 Kingcobra built from a PMA kit
Kneeling:
- Jared Sebring — scratch-built Spitfire
Wayne tells of four of them taking a "12-hour trip from Blackfoot to Seattle" to face off against the Seattle Radio Aero Club (SRAC) in one of its many meets. (The SRAC hosts about six 704 RC Combat meets each year.)
"It was a great time for everybody," said fellow Blackfooter Dale Sebring.
I received a letter from the pilots in Seattle about the same event, and Mark Metge of the SRAC agreed with Dale: "The flying was fantastic and we all learned from each other."
The lineup of pilots and airplanes was impressive. Standing (L–R):
- Brett Anderson
- Mark Metge
- Dale Sebring
- Wynn Hone
- Wayne Van Orden
- Jason Milsom
Kneeling (L–R):
- Chris Christensen
- Van Caryl
- Tom Richardson
- John Barton
- Bill Renfro
Word from Washington was that Dale Sebring's 1 pound, 8 ounce Fiat G-50 ruled the sky in the first round, but was reduced to fluttering balsa and MonoKote when he was midaired by one of his own clubmates in the second round!
The 20 models in the meet were a treasure trove of designs, including a Yak-9, a Ki-43 Oscar, an Me-163, and Mark Metge's F-80 prototype. It's great to get modelers from different areas together for an event.
"It was a long drive for them, so we are talking about a joint meet at a middle point this year," wrote the Seattle pilots.
The rematch should be a hot event, because even without the Fiat, the Idaho fliers rode off with first and second place.
Manufacturers' News
Fans of House of Balsa (10101 Yucca Rd., Adelanto CA 92301; Tel.: (619) 246-6462) will be pleased to hear that the company is rereleasing its FW-190 kits. Around the country, only a few of the original House of Balsa FW-190 kits are still flying in Combat, but you can expect to see more of this quick-building, excellent-flying kit showing up in Scale RC Combat meets.
As with all House of Balsa designs, minor reengineering is required to accommodate competitive engines, but the balsa-and-plywood kits feature extensive vacuum-forming, which makes the effort rewarding.
House of Balsa is also reintroducing its Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Although the kit is not the correct size for 704 Scale events, I know of one that is already in the process of being converted to the earlier (and smaller) Republic P-43 Lancer. Regardless of whether fliers are interested in 704 Scale Combat or "schoolyard" sport Scale, many will appreciate the proven flying qualities of the two kits.
New Plans and Short Kits
For the scratch-builders, Gus Morfis Plans has introduced a pair of new plans for the 704 modeler. Although the Mustang is one of the most-modeled aircraft in and out of Scale RC Combat, most modelers and most kit manufacturers make the bubble-canopied "D" version.
Gus Morfis Plans (4709 Green Meadows Ave., Torrance CA 90505; Tel: (310) 378-5679) now offers the razorback P-51B version for the Combat enthusiast. A short kit of the Morfis razorback Mustang design is available; it includes a vacuum-formed canopy, air scoop, exhaust, etc. Machine-cut ribs and formers are also available from Air-Kill Products (14 Shady Lake Ct., Sacramento CA 95834; Tel.: (916) 425-9933).
The other Morfis plans now available are for the Vultee P-66. A rather obscure U.S. design, the Vultee fighter was one of a trio of aircraft available in basic trainer, advanced trainer, and fighter versions, built with the same wing and many other common parts. In theory, the interchangeable designs offered an economy of scale and a way to train a pilot in the same design from basic training all the way to flying a frontline fighter. In practice, however, the Vultee fighter turned out to be an acceptable-but-not-outstanding design, and most of its Combat career was spent fighting with the USAAF in China. Later, many of these exceptionally clean-looking fighters were transferred to the Chinese Air Force or retained in the States for use as fighter-trainers.
Paint and Color Resources
A suggestion for modelers, scratch-builders, or others who are looking for the perfect color for Scale models is to contact Chevron Hobby Products (Box 2480, Sandusky OH 44870) and request the color chip sheet for CHE 115 camouflage colors. Chevron supplies three dozen authentic colors. For modelers who would flinch at the sight of a Japanese Zero in anything but true Navy Green or Japan Navy Gray, Chevron can help you make your model's finish just right.
Scratch-built Model of the Month
This month's scratch-built beauty goes to Wayne Van Orden; the model is graciously held by another of his scratch-built beauties, his daughter Quincy. Wayne built his Curtiss Hawk 75 (export version of the P-36) from Gus Morfis plans, and he used the cowl and canopy available from Air-Kill Products.
Covered with MonoKote and controlled by a JR radio, Wayne's Hawk has Finnish markings. Power for the 37-inch-span model is an O.S. Max .20 FP, and the model weighs 31 ounces. Reportedly a "beautiful flying" model, the P-36 is one of more than a dozen 704 models that Wayne has scratch-built.
Until next time, good hunting, fly safely, and be sure to check your six! +
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
