Radio Control: Giant Scale
Author
John A. de Vries Colonel, USAF, Ret. 4610 Moffett Ln. Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Scale Data Source List
SAVED! To all the Giant Scale builders in the U.S.A. — rejoice, your moment of deliverance is here! A definitive scale data source list has been compiled by scale master Claude McCullough and his team of documentation experts. Published by NASA (National Association of Scale Aeromodelers), this 18-page reference compilation answers at least 90% of the scale modelers' questions about documentation sources.
When my copy of the list arrived, I was immediately aware that within its covers was priceless information. The names, addresses, telephone numbers, and hours of operation for practically all of the good sources of accurate scale documentation in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain are noted. We're talking:
- museums
- photo sources
- plans sources
- libraries
- research centers
- modeler-friendly aircraft manufacturers
- government agencies
- aviation booksellers
They're all there, along with a comprehensive discussion of the proper way to approach documentation sources to assure that the information you need to produce a scale modeling gem will be forthcoming.
To be perfectly honest, it's worth your six dollars (for a membership in NASA, the AMA's Scale Special Interest Group) to acquire a copy of the Scale Data Source List. Giant RC specialists will be particularly pleased by the extensive coverage. Practically all of the providers of Giant Scale plans are listed, including the drawings they offer.
Contact:
- Bert Dugan (Secretary-Treasurer, NASA)
11090 Phyllis Drive, Clio, MI 48420 Include your name, address, and AMA number along with your check or money order for six dollars.
Reference and Drafting Services
After a four-and-a-half-year gap, I've heard from my good friend Dick Gleason once again. Dick has moved in the interim; he's still hard at work preserving historic scale model plans and three-views. A superb draftsman, Dick traces old drawings in ink on Mylar for better reproduction. He enclosed his latest catalog with his letter, and it's a beauty.
Over the years he's collected many of the Air Trails/Hobby Helper drawings that disappeared when the magazine ceased operation several years ago. (Bill Baker, MA's "FF Old-Timers" Contributing Editor, has a publishing history of Air Trails in his December 1989 column, page 191.—Ed.)
Dick's specialty is reference research. For a reasonable fee, he'll provide a listing of references for a specific aircraft. Of course, Dick is listed among the NASA sources, but if you wish to contact him before your membership takes effect, write to:
- Gleason Enterprises
1106 10th Dr. S.E. Austin, MN 55912 His catalog is $2.50.
Transporting Giant Scale Models
Some Giant Scalers have a big problem — and though many of us take it in stride, it is a problem. Transporting our larger-than-average models to the flying field becomes a major concern, particularly if we're driving compact cars. Fitting a quarter-scale RC model into the family sedan may become a major problem. Detachable wings help, of course, but seven-foot fuselages just won't fit in a Volkswagen Beetle or the average Japanese gas-saver.
When you then add the field box, space just isn't available for driver or passengers. The model transportation problem is solved, although at relatively great expense, with the purchase of a van or motor home. The latter offers a secondary advantage — you can overnight at an out-of-town rally without the expense of a motel room.
Probably the most cost-efficient way of moving the big 'uns is to purchase a model trailer. Although they are readily available on the commercial market, any modeler worth his salt can build his own relatively inexpensive trailer chassis. Suggestions:
- Start with a snowmobile trailer.
- Add a metal-reinforced plywood box securely bolted to the rails.
- Fit a hinged door which can be opened wide.
- Install wing racks and fuselage holddowns.
- Use auto supply store rubber bungee cords to hold your big bird in place.
- Research and comply with state motor vehicle codes: license requirements, safety chains, stop lights, and turn signals.
- Apply a good, weatherproof paint job and properly waterproof the box.
- Carry a spare trailer wheel and practice maneuvering your car and trailer together — this should make the transport problem manageable.
If you can locate a copy of Model Airplane News' book Giant Steps: A Book of Giant Scale RC Aircraft (Air Age, Inc., 1982), Norm Rosenstock describes how he built a model trailer of the type we're talking about. It's worth the search, because Norm was most successful with his carrier. He was able to pull his trailer at freeway speeds with a Datsun 280Z and suffered only a two-mpg reduction in his gas mileage.
If you haven't the time, inclination, or skill to build your own trailer, Wells Cargo may satisfy your Giant model transportation needs:
- Wells Cargo (Service Wagon, Model #SV8-N)
P.O. Box 728-829, Elkhart, IN 46515 Phone: 1-800-348-7553 They offer a free catalog.
News and Community
'Twas a major effort, but Bill Hannan did it. He moved himself and Hannan's Runway from Escondido, CA to Magalia, CA. The publisher, columnist, draftsman, Peanut Scale model expert, and all-'round good guy's new address is:
- P.O. Box 860, Magalia, CA 95954
To finish things up for this month, I'm pleased to report that I've received three phone calls and two letters in response to the suggestion that it'd be neat if we had a greater variety of Giant Scale subjects to choose from. At least one of the responses professed to be a competent draftsman with a model design or two under his belt. The other, also a draftsman, hadn't attempted a home-grown scale RC drawing but indicated a burning desire to do so. His primary concern was acquiring the necessary data and documentation for his choice of subject.
There's nothing concrete about any new drawings forthcoming, but things may be looking up. There are literally hundreds of great aircraft that haven't been modeled in Giant Scale, and RC drawings of them would add spice to our great hobby.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
