Radio Control: Giant Scale
John A. de Vries
Colonel, USAF, Ret. 4610 Moffat Ln. Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Since we're smack-dab in the middle of the Giant Scale building season, some recent correspondence with Louis Hemphill (Columbia, MO) is rather appropriate. It all started with a phone call from Lou. He's in the process of fabricating scale engines. His building material is a bit unusual—PVC water pipe! With his lathe, he's turning out scale cylinders for Wright J5s and J6s; Kinner radials; Continental four-cylinder and Lycoming four-cylinder "flat" engines. His rationale for using PVC:
- PVC is a strong, durable material.
- It's readily available from a variety of sources.
- It's inexpensive.
- It's easy to work.
He's found that the pipe comes in a variety of wall thicknesses, which allow for deep cuts for cooling fins. PVC cement joins pipe sections almost as rapidly as our CyA glues. And, being plastic, a single coat of paint usually covers completed cylinders.
Lou makes up wooden mandrels that fit the inside diameter of the PVC pipe and has at it with gouges, files, and other cutters in his lathe. This sounds like an ideal solution to the scale "engine" problems for Giants of all sizes!
As part of our correspondence, Lou bemoans the lack of "how-to" articles in the model magazines concerned with working aluminum and other metals. Although few of us have the sophisticated tools that metalworking demands, we have to agree with Mr. Hemphill's observations. Certainly, there are metalworking techniques in use by some Giant builders which don't demand precision lathes, milling machines, and drill presses. If you have some ideas on the subject, we'd be happy to pass them along.
Klemm 35 documentation and related finds
Joan Alyea thanks you! The response to her request for Klemm 35 documentation turned up a marvelous mass of data including good three-views, definitive photo-paks (from Bob Banka's Scale Model Research and Doc Pepino's Scale Plans & Photo Service) and, of all things, a German 1/2-scale plastic model kit! Harold Leininger (Auburn, WA) came up with three-views from an obscure Swedish book, and Bob Banka wrote directly to Joan.
The same column that noted the need for Klemm information discussed the availability of scale documentation from state historical societies. This prompted Henry Farrar, editor of the Long Island Drone Society's newsletter, to forward an excerpt from his June issue. In it, he noted the availability of the Encyclopedia of Associations in many public and university libraries. The encyclopedia lists the names and mailing addresses of many of the special interest groups concerned with full-sized aircraft. It also notes the existence of an organization known as Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society Internationale (dedicated to the proposition that "it is unlikely that the Wright brothers ever got off the ground"!). The AMA is included in the book, which is updated each year. Sounds like a good starting place to document your Waco, Stearman, or Hatz.
Ultimatesport RC and the Sukhoi SU-26M kit
F. Duayne Sims and David Stuart (Ultimatesport RC, 255 East Ashland / P.O. Box 727, Soda Springs, ID 83276; telephone 208/547-4717 or 208/547-3742) are two of the most conscientious kit manufacturers you've ever met. Currently, they are putting out a quarter-scale kit for the Sukhoi SU-26M in fiberglass and foam. Their 'glass work is the best these old eyes have ever seen—no pinholes or jagged join lines. The bird spans 75 in., has 1,025 square inches of wing area, and a flying weight of 13–15 lb. on an ST 3000. To back up the "conscientious" comment: as first produced, the Sukhoi featured fiberglass landing gear that didn't work exactly "right." Since they maintain a list of all their customers, when they developed a sturdier aluminum gear for the bird, they shipped one to every kit purchaser. Great guys with a quality product!
Aerrow 70 two-stroke engine
Old friend Klaus Nowak is selling a new two-stroke engine that looks good for Giant applications. Known as the Aerrow 70, the new hummer puts out seven horses on a 42 cu. in. (70 cc) displacement. Weight is 5.75 lb. If your Giant needs this kind of power at a price, the address is P.O. Box 189, Agincourt, Ontario, Canada M1S 3B6 (phone: 416/754-0396).
Computer programs for model designers
For you budding model designers with an IBM-compatible computer and dot-matrix printer, Glenn Whitener (1335 Silverado #2015, Houston, TX 77077) has a bunch of programs that should be of interest. Glenn (and associates) touts:
- A formula program
- A trigonometry calculator
- An rpm data program
- A float design program
- A canard design program
- A biplane design program
- A wing design program
- A wing-rib drawer (the latter includes eight wing configurations and permits the application of 3° of washout)
The program will draw up to a 36 in. chord. Program prices range from $34.95 to $89.95. A SASE will bring info; $3 will provide a computer screen printout of the program of your choice. Only caveat: Glenn's programs are not compatible with Hercules graphics cards.
Eldon Lind's Magic Magnet Builder
I finally got to see Eldon Lind's Magic Magnet Builder "in the flesh." It's a jig system for wings and fuselages (based on a flat 48-in. sheet of girded steel) that certainly will add precision to Giant model construction. Eldon has redesigned the fuselage jig holders and has developed a magnetic-equipped clamp that appears to be most versatile. If you're tired of pin-dented fingers, drop Eldon a line at 3151 Caravelle Dr., Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403 (telephone 602/453-7970).
Bob Banka and photo-paks
Although we noted Bob Banka (Scale Model Research, 2334 Ticonderoga Way, Costa Mesa, CA 92626; 714/979-8058) above, he amazed yours truly with the news that he now stocks 2,200 different photo-paks, plus a host of new three-views. His '88/'89 catalog is due out about the time you read this. Three bucks will get you a copy.
Paul Matt's three-views and Sunshine House acquisition
Although we've noted them before on these pages, some of the best documentation three-views were drawn by the late, great Paul Matt. When he put pen to Mylar, you could be well assured that he'd researched his subject thoroughly and could back up his efforts completely.
Paul had a studio behind his house that held a veritable treasure trove of documentation data. It held his photographic darkroom, his museum-quality model collection, and walls lined with jampacked file cabinets. His two-car garage was filled with the books he published. Strange to say, his drawing board was in his bedroom!
When he passed on, there was some question as to the fate of his original, full-sized drawings (which appeared in reduced-size form in his Historical Aviation Albums and in some model airplane magazines). We were all heartened when we learned that Sunshine House, Inc. had acquired Paul's drawings. Now, all of them are available again! Sunshine's Aviation Heritage Library catalog lists all of them for sale with many books for the aviation enthusiast. The address is 800 Lockport Road, P.O. Box 2065, Terre Haute, IN 47802; phone: (812) 232-3076. They also have an order number: (800) 999-0141.
Keep the Big Birds flying!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
