RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
John A. de Vries
4610 Moffat Lane, Colorado Springs, CO 80915
Master Materials List
From the commonplace to the wonderfully obscure, Leo Opdycke's Master Materials List documents a host of books, drawings, and other aircraft/aviation documentation. It includes more than 50 pages of reference material, ranging from complete drawing sets of World War I prototype aircraft to service manuals for everything from an Aeronca C-1 to the Grumman J2F Duck.
In addition to its valuable references (which are readily available), the list contains a comprehensive tabulation of aircraft drawings and their source addresses. Although most of the material concerns full-scale aircraft, the list would be an excellent source for Giant Scale RC model documentation.
The WW I Aeroplanes, Inc. Master Materials List is a bargain at $12. It's available from WW I Aeroplanes, 15 Crescent Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Although it may sound like a cliché, no scale modeler's library should be without a copy.
DGA Designs — New Giant Kits
DGA Designs (16 Main St., Phelps, NY 14532; Tel.: (315) 548-3779) has introduced a couple of new Giant kits that look like winners.
- Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate" (1/5 scale)
- 93-inch span
- Designed for 35–52 cc engines
- One of the few WWII warplanes with fixed landing gear (no retracts required)
- Estimated weight: 18–21 lb
- Kit includes fiberglass cowling, wheel spats, and a molded-plastic canopy
- "Nightmare" low-wing sport flier
- 84-inch span
- International Miniature Aircraft Association–legal
- Features a constant-chord wing and wheel pants for appearance
Photos of both models are available to whet your appetite.
DGA Designs/Reid's Quality Model Products also offers neat WWII-style aluminum wheels and is marketing inexpensive Magna engines manufactured by US Engine Products. These engines are available in 35 cc (2.4 hp) and 41 cc (3 hp) sizes—ideal for Giant Scale applications. Both will turn 18-inch props.
Quarter-Scale Photo Trick
How would you like to be quarter-scale? It would sure make flying your RC models a lot easier; you wouldn't have to fuss with transmitters, receivers, or servos.
Richard Farmer of Mansfield, Texas, was reduced to quarter-scale photographically. Curt Bellows photographed Richard, then enlarged the image so Richard stood 18 inches high. The photo was mounted on 1/4-inch foam board, the foam's edges were colored with marking pens, and a small wooden block was glued to the back of Richard's "feet."
The team then repaired to the Grand Prairie Airport with Richard's 1/4-scale Super Decathlon model (Richard had enlarged the drawings from the 1/4-scale Great Planes kit). The resulting photos are stunning—the trickery is convincingly undetectable.
North American Power R/C Inc.
In addition to the usual printed press release, North American Power R/C Inc. included a 3-1/2-inch floppy disk in their recent mailing. All of the fancy computer stuff announced that North American Power R/C is the new U.S. distributor for Klaus Nowak's Quadra and Aerrow engines. Pretty sporty—and the engines are very good.
Emil Neely / IKON West — Lockheed Vega
Emil Neely, Mister Prolific, has come up with another gem. Emil's IKON West has added a new 1/5-scale kit that many Giant Scalers have been waiting for: a stunning version of the Lockheed Vega.
- Span: 102 inches
- Weight: 19 lb
- Power: flies on a .12-cu-in four-stroke
- Kit includes fiberglass cowl, wheel pants, and decals
- Wiley Post's "Winnie Mae" markings are optional
- Price: $395 plus $14.50 shipping and handling (ordered directly)
Contact: Emil IKON West, 1070 N. Huckleberry, Post Falls, ID 83854; Tel. 800-327-7198.
WW I Kits — Bob Holman and Mick Reeves
If your World War I aircraft budget is healthy, kit dreams are available from Bob Holman. Bob is carrying Mick Reeves' kits—most notably the venerable Sopwith Camel 1/3-scale complete kit. Scale kits include wheels, dummy engines, stainless-steel rigging, and twin Vickers machine guns. Mick Reeves is a world-class model designer, builder, and flier. If you have $550 for the 1/3-scale version, contact Bob Holman, Box 741, San Bernardino, CA 92402; Tel. 909-885-3959.
Request from Doc Fredriksen
I've received a plea from Doc Fredriksen, author of the valuable reference book Flying Model Warplanes: An International Guide to Plans and Kits. Doc would like to borrow complete runs of German, English, French, and Italian model magazines to widen his database. He's compiling a second edition and wants to broaden his already excellent coverage.
If you're willing to help, contact John Fredriksen at 461 Loring Ave., Salem, MA 01970.
Bell Airacuda Documentation — Thanks
Thanks to all who provided documentation information for the Bell Airacuda. The response to my plea in the August issue has been overwhelming; I'm only now beginning to work my way out from under the mountain of paperwork that arrived.
Definitive X/YFM-1 information was provided by:
- Frank Beatty (Granite City, IL)
- R.D. Hawes (Omaha, NE)
- O. Lorents (Shokan, NY)
- Brian Allen (Sterling, VA)
- A.R. Shelly (Brook Park, OH)
- Herman Gates (Moscow, ID)
Thanks, guys!
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy Giant-Scale New Year to all of you!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
