Radio Control: Giant Scale
John A. de Vries Colonel, USAF, Ret. 4610 Moffat Ln. Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Reno and the National Championship Air Races
'Twas our good luck last September to attend the National Championship Air Races in Reno, NV. Things certainly have changed since I first attended the National Air Races back in 1938. That year Tony LeVier won the Greve Trophy flying the Schoenfeldt Firecracker, and Roscoe Turner triumphed in the Thompson in his Pesco Special. Today, there are four classes of pylon polishers compared to the two of 1938. The pylon racers most closely approximate the racing aircraft of yesteryear since they're primarily home-builts and powered by a common engine.
The other Reno classes include the racing biplanes, AT-6s and Unlimiteds. The Unlimiteds attain speeds that regularly exceed the 1938 world speed record. The winner of this year's Gold Race among the Unlimiteds was Rare Bear, a modified Grumman F8F that tore around the nine-mile-plus course at a staggering 469 mph!
A movement is afoot to duplicate the races in Giant Scale, along the lines of the Schneider Cup re-enactment at Lake Havasu, AZ. Although such a race series is still in the proposal stage, several Giant designs should prove competitive. If pylon racing appeals to you, here are some appropriate RC models and resources to consider.
Pylon racing — typical Unlimited entrants
- Modified P-51 Mustangs (Merlin-powered examples)
- Sea Furys (often fitted with R-4360 “corn-cob” engines for racing)
- Cranked-wing F4U Corsairs (clipped and faired tips for racer versions)
- Grumman F8F Bearcats (including Rare Bear)
- Tsunami (single Merlin-powered example)
- Curtiss P-40N (racer variant)
- Russian Yaks (with radial R-2800s)
Most of the Unlimited drawings and semikits available will produce the original stock model aircraft; duplicating the pylon polishers will require additional modification.
Recommended plans, kits and suppliers
- Byron Originals
- P.O. Box 279, Ida Grove, IA 51445
- Produces a kit for the North American P-51 and a big F4U kit.
- Nosen
- Offers Mustang kits or drawings (availability varies).
- Ray Vaillancourt / Vaillancourt Aviation
- 18 Oakdale Ave., Farmingville, NY 11738
- Produces detailed drawings for the British Sea Fury and a semi‑kit. Racing Furys often require a longer cowling (R-4360), so consider a scale Lockheed Constellation cowl for authenticity.
- Nick Ziroli
- 29 Edgar Drive, Smithtown, NY 11787
- Offers Giant Scale F8F drawings and big Corsair plans. Ziroli's Big Texan drawings are a good starting point for T-6/Texan scale racing.
- Bert Thompson
- 219 White City Blvd., Springfield, IL 62703
- Produces excellent Giant Scale drawings. Tsunami needs small detail modifications for dead-on scale accuracy.
- R.S. Hirsch (Bob Hirsch)
- 8439 Dale St., Buena Park, CA 90620
- Helpful for Unlimited model modifications; detailed multiview drawings including Rare Bear, Maniyak, and AT-6/SNJ class racers.
- Bob Banka / Scale Model Research
- 2334 Trenton Grove Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
- Carries color shots of many current racing aircraft for photographic documentation.
- Doc Pepino / Scale Plans & Photo Service
- 3209 Madison Ave., Greensboro, NC 27403
- Also carries color photos and plans of racing aircraft.
- Dick Hansen / Hansen Scale Videos
- 10807 S.E. Stacy Ct., Portland, OR 97266
- Produces event coverage videos. His "P-40" tape and other Scale Masters films from R/C TV were available shortly after the event; tapes show complete model flights and the San Diego Aviation Museum spectacular.
- Earl Aune and Bob Holman
- Have detailed drawings for quarter-scale aircraft such as the Fokker D.VIII and other types. Bob Holman also offers a fold-up retractable tailwheel suitable for some Corsair kits and Semikits, plus plans for a Giant (96-in span) De Havilland Rapide.
Biplanes, T-6/Texan, and other classes
- Biplane racers are practically aerobatic mounts and enjoy relatively good availability of Giant Scale designs. Byron has a definitive Pitts Special kit; several other producers offer Pitts variants.
- Nick Ziroli's Big Texan drawings are a good starting point for scale T-6 (Texan) racing.
- Most FJ entries at Reno were Cassutt Racers; Cassutts have not yet been kitted for models widely, but three‑views are readily available.
- P-40 racers (so-called Owl Racers) have appeared in model magazines as smaller R/C crafts; enlarging them to Giant Scale is feasible.
Photographic documentation and reference material
- For photos and three‑views of contemporary racers, refer to Scale Model Research (Bob Banka) and Scale Plans & Photo Service (Doc Pepino).
- Video coverage: Hansen Scale Videos produces tapes covering events and model flights.
Needlepoint kits and related items
- Joan Aiyea has formed a company producing needlepoint kits of popular scale models for application on T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, rugs, and canvases.
- Available or soon-to-be-available subjects include the T-6/Texan, Pappy Boyington's Corsair, J-3 Cub, and other warbirds and WWII aircraft.
Clarification about the Corsair retractable tailwheel
- My coverage of the 1990 Toledo show included a photo of a sporty F4U Corsair retractable tailwheel that also was in the GM Plastics booth. GM Plastics was displaying the gear built by Earl Aune. Bob Holman corrected me: two sizes of that tailwheel are available — a smaller that fits the GM Plastics F4U and Bob's semikits for biplanes, and a larger that fits Byron's kit. Contact Bob Holman, P.O. Box 741, San Bernardino, CA 92402, for details.
A “think piece” on ducted-fan models and Giant Scale rules
Many beautiful ducted-fan models appear in the magazines, but the bigger examples present special problems: they are often heavy, carry substantial powerplants, and lack scale looks. What might be needed is a different viewpoint:
- Build models with small gas engines to preserve scale appearance and accept lower top speed.
- Modify Giant Scale event rules to permit some of these entries, or adapt rules so modern power sources (e.g., ducted fans) might qualify in scale classes. For example, Peanut Scale allows very small dimensions (3-in spans or 9-in fuselages); a similar dimensional rule could let a ducted-fan model with a 70-in fuselage qualify for Giant Scale.
Final notes
- If you want to duplicate specific racers such as Maniyak, Perestroika, Rare Bear, or the two Yak racers, you will likely need to acquire three‑views or create your own design, as dedicated Giant Scale drawings or semikits are not always available in racer-modified form.
- Except for flashy paint jobs and a few race modifications, many of the racers are essentially stock aircraft and can be built from existing Giant Scale plans with moderate modification.
If Giant Scale racing interests you, there is a multitude of available plans, kits and three‑view drawings to satisfy your needs.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
