RADIO CONTROL COMBAT
Greg Rose 1312 NW 196th St., Edmond, OK 73003
Top Gun — Scale RC Combat
For years, the Top Gun event has meant top-notch entertainment for radio control (RC) fliers and spectators. This year, the hosting West Palm Beach Aero Club added an entertaining facet to the contest: Scale RC Combat.
Twenty Combat fliers, some from as far away as Hawaii, came to Florida to put on a spectacular show for the crowds. After five elimination rounds, the top-scoring 12 pilots performed their final round in front of midday crowds on Saturday and Sunday, April 24–25.
When the dust settled, Kevin Crandell, a 15-year-old pilot from Irvine, CA, walked away with the honors. How did Kevin get that good? He regularly flies Combat with his dad, who placed 13th, and his uncle, who placed fifth in the event!
Thanks to Sponsors and Organizers
A big thanks goes out to all event sponsors:
- Ace Hobby Distributors
- AirKill Products
- Airtronics
- Aloha State RC Club
- DBW Models
- Frank Tiano Enterprises
- Futaba Radio
- Hangar Bay
- Hitec RCD
- Hobbico
- JDB Aerotech
- JR Radios
- MVVS
- Norvel Engines
- Pica
- RJL Engines
- Ron Daniels Designs
- Warbirds Limited
- Wildcat Fuel
- Ziggs Originals
Their support of events such as this, and of RCCA (Radio Control Combat Association) regional events — such as the premier Western Scale Combat Meet — makes Combat even more exciting.
A very special thanks also goes out to the West Palm Beach Aero Club, Frank Tiano, Glenn Gelatt, Dan Brookins, and everyone else who helped organize and run the Top Gun Combat demonstration. May it be the first of many!
Manufacturing and New Products
There have been quite a few changes on the manufacturing scene. Growth brings change, and AirKill has grown into a full-time producer of radio control kits for sport and Combat fliers. Renamed AirKill Products LLC, the company's new address is 5049 College Oak Dr., Sacramento, CA 95841, and the new telephone number is (916) 332-4661.
AirKill Products LLC
AirKill Products LLC has revised its product offerings. Five kits are now offered as laser-cut kits and come in two versions: a Sport kit (includes all hardware needed for four-channel operation and landing gear) or a Combat kit (no landing gear or rudder hardware):
- F8F Bearcat (also offered in an optional foam-winged version)
- P-51B Razorback Mustang (also offered in an optional foam-winged version)
- Hawker Hurricane
- Hawker Sea Fury
- Hawker Tempest Mk II
Three machine-cut designs are available for the .21/.26 flier:
- Long-winged Focke-Wulf Ta 152H
- A6M3 Model 22 Zero
- Macchi MC.202
All AirKill kits include hardware and vacuum-formed parts that help them build into fine-looking models. Jeff Weiss, the owner of AirKill Products, took the Critics' Choice award at Top Gun with one of his Tempest kits.
Warbirds Limited
A new kit manufacturer has begun production for .21/.26 Scale Combat fliers: Warbirds Limited (8948 East 95th Pl. South, Tulsa, OK 74133; Tel: (918) 307-1100) has introduced these kits:
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3 (Combat Series)
- Macchi MC205 Veltro (Combat Series)
Kit features:
- Full fiberglass fuselages and fiberglass cowls reinforced with Kevlar fibers; the bottom cowl is reinforced to take the abuse of belly landings.
- Foam-core wings using a modified Clark Y airfoil, thoroughly flight-tested.
- The Combat Series MC205 kit includes a vacuum-formed canopy/turtledeck that mounts atop the fiberglass fuselage.
- The Fw 190 kit has the canopy outline molded in the one-piece fiberglass fuselage; Warbirds Limited offers a clear molded canopy option for fliers who prefer it.
- Optional prebent landing gear kit for sport fliers.
- Both Combat Series kits include hardware, CAD-drawn plans, and a color-and-markings sheet to aid painting.
- Warbirds Limited also offers a launcher kit — a clever streamer tray that holds the streamer during launch; two designs work with the kits.
Check Six Plans
Quality plans and service can mean crisp, accurate lines drawn on paper. Check Six Plans (9164 Graff Ct., Mechanicsville, VA 23116; Tel: (804) 559-9635), already using CAD-drawn plans, has raised the bar when it comes to quality plans.
Check Six–designed plans include:
- A several-page construction guide with complete instructions
- A complete materials list to assist in gathering everything you will need to scratch-build a model
Models already offered by Check Six include:
- AD-2 Skyraider
- P-40 Warhawk
- P-51D Mustang
- P-39 Airacobra
- Dewoitine D.520
- Yak-9
Check Six has recently added:
- Hawker Hurricane
- F4U Corsair
Check Six also imports several plans from ACES in Europe (though the imported plans lack the excellent construction guide). The imported plans give the scratch-builder more options, such as:
- Henschel Hs 129
- Il-2 Sturmovik
- Fiat G.55
- Polikarpov I-16
Jack Bale Plans — Obscure and Unique Designs
Some aircraft scratch-building options are too obscure for kit manufacturers and even for many plans designers. Jack Bale Plans (15608 Winchester Way, Riverside, CA 92508; Tel: (909) 780-3062) stands out as the champion of odd and unusual designs.
Offered designs include obscure US fighter prototypes and unique twins:
- Curtiss canard-pusher XP-55 Ascender
- Vultee XP-54 "Swoose Goose"
- Heinkel He 219 "Uhu"
- Dornier Do 335 Pfeil (Arrow) nightfighter (twin-seat, twin push-pull)
- Focke-Wulf Fw 189 (also named the Uhu)
- Messerschmitt Me 262
Note: Some of these twins could be large even in 1/12 scale (e.g., Northrop P-61B and the two German Uhus).
Smaller twins offered:
- Grumman XF5F-1 Skyrocket
- Westland Whirlwind
Jack Bale also offers canopies, cowlings, and other plastic parts for many designs to aid in your building project. If you want to show up with something no one else has, give Jack Bale Plans a call.
Closing
Well, I've run out of room. Until next time, build straight, fly safely, and be sure to check your six!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
