Radio Control: Giant Scale
John A. deVries
4610 Moffat Lane Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Noise and Hearing Protection
"THEY" SAY that you can tell an old B-25 pilot because he's probably wearing a hearing aid. A beautiful aircraft to fly, the North American Mitchell had one glaring fault: it was noisy. Unlike other radial-engine warbirds, the B-25 didn't have an exhaust collector ring; each cylinder vented directly to the atmosphere. The result was an almost unholy racket in the cockpit. Wearing radio earphones wasn't much help — the crack of the exhaust was pervasive.
The gas burners we use in Giant Scale sound a lot like the Mitchell's thunder. Despite available mufflers, the intensity and frequency of the noises emanating from our Big Birds parallels that of the North American twin-engined medium bomber. It would be a shame if our hobby caused hearing loss, particularly when protection is so inexpensive.
For about $15, you can purchase a pair of "ear defenders" at most sporting goods stores. The usual plastic ear muffs will reduce ambient noise by 20 to 25 decibels while still allowing you to hear shouted speech on the flight line. The same type of headset used by shooters and mechanics aboard aircraft carriers and on full-scale flight lines is ideal for modelers. Give them a try — take them off when your bird is airborne.
Walbro Carburetors Manual
I received a letter from Scott Shaw at Walbro Carburetors. He'd put together a nifty manual about his company's products and was overwhelmed by the response; a couple of requesters' letters got lost. If you're Glen Bartling or the fellow who signed his letter "Dan" (who sent a photo of a Giant P-51 with a modified Husqvarna engine), please contact Scott at:
- Walbro Corporation
6242 Garfield St. Cass City, MI 48726-1397
The manual is still available for $5.00 a copy — well worth it.
Cordless Screwdrivers and Field Tools
Most of us bolt our wings on the usual way, which means assembling the bird at the flying field — twisting nylon, aluminum and steel wing bolts into place. A simple improvement is the new cordless screwdriver that fits easily into the usual field-box driver. Drive wing screws with the flick of a switch; disassembly is just as simple. There's less chance the screwdriver will slip and ding your model's wing.
A few selected tips:
- Cordless tools have many uses at home and at the field: tightening engine bolts, setting servo hardware, etc.
- If someone develops an adapter for electric engine starters to accept screwdriver bits, you'd effectively get two tools in one.
Reid's Quality Model Products
Dave Reid and his wife Juanita, known from D.G.A. Designs, have purchased Jim Messer's Quality Model Products. The D.G.A. pilots' scratch-building drawings and the known product line will be substantially expanded. New contact information:
- Reid's Quality Model Products
135 East Main Street Phelps, NY 14532 Phone: 315/548-3779 Fax: 315/548-4099
They are Giant Scale specialists.
Canopy Heat-Molding (Warm-Plastic Drawing Technique)
Painting structural plastic canopies and windshields is frustrating — it takes a steady hand and the right brush. Masking materials and a careful X-Acto knife can help, but push too hard and you cut through the masking and the underlying plastic.
A better method for the serious scale modeler is to build a canopy or windscreen using the warm-plastic drawing technique. The process, summarized:
- Make a slightly undersized form to account for the plastic thickness and give it a very smooth surface. Mount the form on a square of plywood or masonite.
- Heat the plastic in a frame in the oven on low until it becomes droopy, then push it over the form. Typical clear plastic used for heat-molding is .040 to .060 inch thick (special heat-forming butyrate).
- To add "structure" (the painted metal framing), let the basic canopy cool on the form. Then heat and stretch another thinner sheet (about 0.010–0.020 inch / 10–20 thousandths) over the form and let it cool. The thinner sheet will conform precisely to the exterior shape without melting the original.
- Trim both moldings to mounting dimensions and separate them. Remove all of the thinner molding that isn't structure; what remains is the "metal" part of the canopy/windscreen.
- Paint the structural piece and glue it in place over the basic molding. Result: no smears, no masking — a dead-on scale canopy.
It takes a bit of work, but the results are well worth it.
Rally of Giants (1992)
The flying season is upon us — time to start thinking about attending the 1992 Rally of Giants. Details:
- When: June 18–21, 1992
- Where: Richards-Gebaur Airport, Kansas City
- Requirements: AMA and IMMA memberships; narrow-band transmitters and receivers
- Event Director: Howard Wolf — 913/631-6346
- Contest Director (CD): Dick Taylor — 816/333-9839
- Sponsors: Mid-America 49th Jumbo Squadron (Kansas City) and the Jayhawk Squadron (Johnson County, Kansas)
Should be a great event.
Closing
Back with you next month. 'Till then, keep the Big Ones flying — safely!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
