Radio Control: Scale
Jeff Troy 200 S. Spring Garden St. Amber, PA 19002
Toledo — one more time!
TOLEDO... one more time! This fantastic event just keeps getting bigger and better every year—and this year's extravaganza surely had to be the biggest and best of all. Everywhere one looked there were wall-to-wall airplanes, and every one of them was a masterpiece. Now I know you've seen the thousands of pictures and read the countless articles brought to you each year, but that's just not the same as being there. If you truly want a model airplane weekend you're not likely to forget, make it a point to catch the Weak Signals' next Toledo show. It'll blow you away—guaranteed.
The show was held for the first time at Toledo's Seagate facility, one of the best locations imaginable for an affair of this magnitude. The move to Seagate allowed room for many additional manufacturers' exhibits, not to mention those welcome niceties such as wide, carpeted aisles, clean rest rooms, easy entry and exit, and an exhibition floor large enough to handle the entire show in a single room. I spoke with almost all the manufacturers in attendance, and each was more than pleased with the show's relocation. Good move, people.
The airplanes at Toledo
And what of the airplanes at Toledo? Well, if you want to see the best of the best, this is the right place to do it; Toledo's static show tables are second to none. Naturally, this column deals only with Scale subjects, but I was so impressed by almost everything I saw that I would gladly have agreed to write a few more columns on the show this year.
The finest examples of model aviation craftsmanship and technology were on display: magnificently crafted Pattern ships with unbelievable paint and film finishing jobs, sailplanes with grace and function unequaled anywhere on the planet, pylon racers so elegantly finished that your lady could do her makeup in their mirror-gloss paint, electric-powered aircraft that exemplified the latest advances in the field, and Scale ships that could stop clocks, no matter which time zone they occupied. If the craftsmanship talents of the modelers at the Weak Signals show could be bottled and sold, there isn't a soul among us who wouldn't fare well from paying the price to own a sample.
Notable entrants and people
While photographing the Scale displays, I had the pleasure of meeting Scott Shaffer of New Castle, Indiana. New Castle is only eight miles from the location of AMA's new national headquarters layout in Muncie, and Scott is taking full advantage of his fortunate situation. As an AMA member with a site pass, he claims to have already had six great days on the national site's new, silky-smooth, paved runways—what a deal!
Scott entered his first attempt at a serious Scale project in this year's Toledo static competition, and it was a most impressive first effort, to say the least. Starting with a basic Byron Originals P-40E glass-and-foam kit, Scott added a few bells and whistles, a whole lotta patience and TLC, and came up with a great-looking bird, equal to many I've seen from some of the world's best. Scott's 1/5-scale Warhawk is powered by a Sachs 4.2 and Byron's Purr Pow'r drive unit. It weighs in at just 27 pounds. Nice job.
Wayne Siewert, of Maples, Minnesota, is no stranger to Scale competition, static or otherwise. I see Wayne each year, as he pours the hot coals over most of the competitors at the Top Gun Scale Invitational. This year, Wayne's Porsche/Mooney has given way to the gorgeous Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV he entered in Toledo's Precision Scale category. Wayne's model features a fully detailed interior with an opening entry door and sliding canopy, a great pilot figure, retracts, and a five-bladed propeller.
As I write, my trip to the International Modeler Show (IMS) in Orlando, continuing on to the Top Gun Tournament in Palm Beach, Florida, is just three days away. My anticipation is building, and I'm really hoping that I'll get to see Wayne's Spitfire perform at Top Gun this year. I'll always have a soft spot for a good Spitty.
Hawthorne Air Faire and the Spitfire
A few years back, while still working for AMA HQ, I had the good fortune to be the guest of Dave Peltz, the AMA District 10 Vice President at that time, at the Hawthorne Air Faire in southern California. During this combined full-scale and model airplane flying event, Dave introduced me to many members of the California Scale Squadron, including Sam Wright and "Big" John Elliott, who would later become friends with whom I would reunite at numerous hobby industry trade shows across the country.
But these introductions were just the opening end of Dave's hospitality. Dave also extended two courtesies that I may never be able to repay. First, he turned me on to an exquisite Thai restaurant and ordered a few things from the menu for me that I hadn't yet tried (to this day, I cannot pass up a good Thai meal). Dave's second and more relevant gift was to have me run out to the threshold of Hawthorne Air Park's runway just as a full-scale Spitfire was setting up its final approach.
Now, I've seen a lot of airplanes set up for final and land, but you must understand that there is simply nothing on earth quite equal to the sound of a Spitfire's Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The P-51 makes a similarly awesome sound, but it's just not the same thing. Perhaps the exhaust systems of the two airplanes differ slightly — I don't know — but the resonant tone of the Spitty's engine is in a world all its own.
There I stood at Hawthorne, less than a hundred feet under this entirely magnificent creature as it crossed the threshold of the runway with its gear down and flaps extended, its engine making that amazing sound, and gracefully touched its wheels to the hot pavement with no more than a gentle squeak.
From that moment on, the Spitfire could never be just another World War II fighter to me. Now it's a personal thing, and one of the unique experiences of my life. It isn't the romance of the era (for me, that's World War I); it's the technology of the machinery. It's simply the sound of that damned Merlin. Hear it just once and you're a goner — I promise!
More on Wayne and other winners
So, where was I? Oh yes, Wayne Siewert's Mk XIV. See what happens when I see a Spitfire? Two rambling paragraphs sneak by, and I finally get around to making my point. Wayne is in the league of Toledo static competitors who fly their birds. No hangar queens for this guy; his models aren't finished till they've been flown yet. I've seen Wayne's Porsche/Mooney and his Japanese Nakajima Kate perform in the air. Now I'm hoping to see his Mk XIV Spitfire do the same. I didn't get the chance to see what powered Wayne's model, but do you think that a 1/3-scale Merlin might possibly sound like the full-scale, just 80% quieter? Not! But it would be nice, wouldn't it?
One of the most beautiful Scale models at the show belonged to Fred Wolf, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fred brought a scratched AT-6 Texan in 1/5-scale, completely covered in aluminum. I wasn't able to speak with Fred, so I don't know if he used lithoplate or some other source of aluminum for the model's skin, but I do know that the plane was most striking. It wouldn't surprise me if this airplane took all the marbles at the show this year, but I'll have to wait to get the results of the static competition, just like everyone else who was unable to take in the awards presentations.
Accessories and new products
Over the next few issues, you'll be seeing some of the special interest accessory products displayed at the show, but rather than wait a whole month to get started, here are a few right now.
Ever hear of RC switch failure? Ever wonder how many systems have given up the ghost because of vibration or other less visible damage in this highly sensitive, yet often overlooked, vital component? Ultra RC Products, 5455 Linger Longer Road, Cumming, GA 30130, has taken random vibration failures out of the picture with its new Ultra Switch Harness, the perfect coupling of a military-spec switch (the same one used in the F-14 and F-16) and RC connectors constructed with durable, low-resistance wire.
Radio Control: Scale
Fiberglass Specialties — cowls, wheel pants, canopies
Are you working on a special project, but don't really feel too enthusiastic about putting time and energy into constructing and finishing the model's ABS plastic accessory components? Steve and Kim Durecki of Fiberglass Specialties (38624 Mt. Kisco Drive, Sterling Heights, MI 48310) are ready and waiting to help you out of your dilemma with cowls, wheel pants, and even a few tip tanks and canopies, custom crafted to fit almost every one of modeling's more popular kits, plan sets, and magazine plans.
Fiberglass Specialties' components are made from the company's custom-formulated white epoxy and the appropriate grades of fiberglass cloth to create lightweight but sturdy components that are practically ready to finish, except for a light sanding and washing with dish detergent and water to remove skin oils and mold-release agents. Scale, sport, or otherwise, you'll find these components time saving and well worth their cost.
Balsa USA Stearman project
Upon my return from Florida next month, I will begin construction on Balsa USA's 1/3-scale, 1/6-in. Stearman kit, which will be modified to match one of the Red Baron Pizza planes of the Red Baron Pizza Air Show Squadron.
Coincidentally, Fiberglass Specialties is in the process of preparing the necessary parts for the model. Soon to be available are your choice of a standard or extended cowl, a matching boot cowl, glass wheel pants, landing gear fairings and legs, tail wheel boot, and several other items that the kit supplies in ABS plastic. Since production is still under way at this writing, I'll suggest that you write to Steve or Kim for additional information. While you're at it, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Thanks to Chuck Hoover
Speaking of the big Balsa USA Stearman, I'm going to take a moment to publicly thank Chuck Hoover, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for sending me a fine set of Red Baron Squadron Stearman photos. Chuck's mailing was totally unsolicited and just goes to show to what lengths modelers will go to help each other when they expect that help might be needed.
Chuck is a full-scale plane driver who has been slowly breaking into the world of RC with the help of Model Aviation magazine and the AMA, of course. Thank you so much, Chuck. Your pictures are very much appreciated and will certainly be most helpful, both to me and to the client for whom this plane is to be crafted. You've done a very considerate thing here, and I owe you one!
Proctor Enterprises — World War I kits
The amount of interest in World War I aircraft and accessories is surprising but consistent, and nothing could make better testimony to this fact than the presence of Proctor Enterprises, perhaps the world's finest manufacturer of model airplane kits, at the Weak Signals show this year.
With the exception of its graceful Antic series airplane kits (nonscale yet scalelike models in authentic vintage aviation construction techniques), Proctor offers kits of World War I aircraft exclusively—and there are simply no models like these available anywhere, at any price, to anyone. I have built several of these fine airplanes and have never found a single piece of blemished wood or so much as a splinter missing from any part. Each of Proctor's kits includes carefully cut plywood, balsa and formed bamboo parts, hand-selected strip wood and sheeting, plus spun aluminum cowlings, ABS accessories, and every necessary brass fitting needed to finish the model correctly. Fittings such as turnbuckles, strut mounts, cable attach points, rigging wire, flying wire, cable swages, and even an interesting variety of nuts and bolts are all included.
Proctor's present Museum Scale offerings include:
- Nieuport 11 Bebe
- Nieuport 28 C-1
- Curtiss JN4-D2 Jenny
- Albatros D.Va
And that isn't all. Those of you who remember VK Models' World War I fighter kits will be happy to learn that these fine kits have been acquired by Proctor Enterprises and are once again available, but in such quality as never seen before. The VK kits upgraded to carry the Proctor name include:
- Fokker Dr.I
- Sopwith Camel
- Nieuport 17
This allows fanciers of World War I aeroplanes to build the most precise scale replicas at an affordable price. At some later point, this column will devote a reasonable amount of space to exploring Proctor's complete line of quality products. Reader interest is definitely there, and so is this writer's.
Lots of news and goodies are standing by for issues to come, so keep your energy up. There's the Dynaflite Mustang, the Orlando IMS, Top Gun, and lots more useful manufacturer news and products for you to see. So build straight and fly safely, my friends. I'll talk with you again.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
