Radio Control: Giant Scale
John A. de Vries
Colonel, USAF, Ret. 4610 Moffat Ln. Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Scale Nuts
Scale nuts of the first order! It is almost a given that what we build as Giant Scale models are considered true scale. Because our models are large, the scale details are correspondingly large, and we are expected to duplicate everything visible on the exterior of the full‑size airplane. At standoff distances, contest judges can see panel lines, rivet heads, ribs and formers—if that detail is present in your documentation book.
A conscientious Scale judge, however, cannot memorize every bump and depression on every airplane ever built and flown. Being human, they rely on what you present in the documentation book when evaluating the quality of detail included on your model.
Practical Scale
This column deals with what amounts to practical scale—what is reasonable and practical to include in and on your model when detailing it. Obviously you should include the major external features: exposed scale engine cylinders, essential external bracing wires, cooling air louvers and scoops, simulated exhaust pipes, pitot tubes, windshields and canopies with framing, exposed guns, antennas, and the like. If those items are missing, the model will suffer in the eyes of judges.
But there are many details that, while prototypical, may be impractical for the average modeler to duplicate faithfully. Examples include:
- Operating engine and oil cooler doors
- Sliding canopies
- Static discharge wicks and airframe grounding wires
- Interior landing gear door structures
- Functional covering lacing
- Blinking navigation lights
Some modelers push detail to extremes—wanting to smell cordite from tiny machine guns, detect the aroma of JP‑4, or see pitting on propeller leading edges. That level of miniature workmanship is admirable, but there is a practical demarcation between a beautiful Scale model and what might become an impractical "watch‑maker special." Most of us know where that line is for our own models.
Practical Recommendations and Examples
The inspiration for this column came from Carlos R. Grageda of Walla Walla, WA. Carlos is building a Ziroli Grumman Bearcat (F8F‑2) and was concerned about the landing gear retraction mechanism. None of his photos showed the mechanism in sufficient detail, and he wondered whether suitable retraction mechanisms were available or if anyone produced an exact‑scale version.
I explained that the Bearcat's main landing gear retract system is one of the most complex ever designed. The prototype had a large R‑2800 engine and a correspondingly large propeller, which required long extended gear for ground clearance. But the airframe left little room to stow such long struts. Grumman’s solution was a mechanism that shortened as it retracted so the wheel swung up into the wing and fit the available wheel‑well space. Duplicating that sequence in a Giant model would be impractical unless you had access to an expert machinist and detailed drawings, which are rarely available to modelers.
My recommendations to Carlos:
- Use longer extended strut lengths and fake the wheel wells. Since judging is done on the ground, longer struts present the correct impression of the model at rest.
- If the model is intended to be judged as airborne, use deeper-than-scale wheel wells that are not easily visible.
- Use a reliable, commercially available retract system rather than attempting an exact duplicate of the complex prototype mechanism.
Another example involved a Nosen Mustang (P/F‑51D) and the question of installing functioning radiator and oil cooler doors in the big Mustang’s air scoop. There is certainly room in the fuselage for extra servos and pushrods, but I recommended an "armstrong" type installation—meaning build the doors and make them manually operated with a simple two‑position latch.
My reasoning: the P‑51 cooler doors were thermostatically controlled on the real airplane but were practically always open on the ground. The Mustang checklist even recommended running the doors fully open before engine start, then placing the circuit on Automatic for flight. For static judging on the ground, the doors should be fully open; for flight they should be fully closed. Given that, it made more practical sense to fit manually operated doors for the model.
One more example: the Hawker Fury had its shock absorbers located in the wheels. On the ground, with the shocks compressed, the axle center and wheel centers were coincident; airborne, the shocks extended and the axle center was above the wheels’ centerlines. Attempting to duplicate this feature, even in Giant Scale, would be extremely difficult—the internal shocks would have to be miniaturized and duplicated, which is not practical for most builders.
Documentation
If you intend to detail your Giant model faithfully, be prepared to dig for documentation. The information is available, but it rarely comes easily. If exact prototype idiosyncrasies are important to you, invest time in research; otherwise, make practical compromises that convey the correct appearance to judges and viewers.
Events and Contacts
A couple of reminders and useful contacts:
- IMAA Fly‑In, Odessa, TX (June)
- Giant Scale reenactment at the Schneider Cup Races (October 12)
Contacts and resources:
- Bob Martin — Chairman of the big seaplane event and publisher of Schneider Cup News (a three‑page newsletter of documentation information). Address: 1520 "C" Acoma Lane, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403.
- Wendell Hostetler — New plans listing with photographs of his Giant models. Address: Wendell Hostetler Plans, 1041 Heatherwood Lane, Orrville, OH 44667. Phone: (216) 682‑8896.
- Chuck Anderson — Updated model design programs (MS‑DOS disks). Address: P.O. Box 305, Tullahoma, TN 37388. Phone: (615) 455‑5788.
If you’re preparing a Giant Scale model, weigh the practical benefits of working, functional details against the complexity, weight, and reliability issues they introduce. Present the essential visual cues in your documentation book, and use practical solutions to achieve the correct appearance.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
