Radio Control: Scale
Jeff Troy, 200 S. Spring Garden Street, Ambler PA 19002
IN THIS SPORT/HOBBY there are few combinations more satisfying than long, sunny days with light winds, plenty of fuel, and a good Scale model. This is the right time of the year for all these things, so I hope every one of you is making the most of them.
I've been a bit long-winded and light on photographs over the last two columns, so this month I'll lay low and share some great-looking airplanes you've been kind enough to photograph and bring to my attention.
Modelers' Projects
I received a terrific set of photographs from Alex Morton of Issaquah, Washington. Those of you who are building a Proctor JN-4 Jenny, or have one of these incredible kits on your stash, will be thrilled that Alex was kind enough to share them with us. If the side view of Mr. Morton's aeroplane doesn't inspire something inside you, you really may not be Scale material after all. There are about a thousand hours in the model to date, and I would bet that every one of them was packed with the pleasure that a true craftsman receives from doing what he loves most.
If you have read or doubted any of my numerous effervescent comments regarding the quality of Proctor Enterprises' kits, these photographs and Alex Morton's skill should back me up without question. For more information, ordering instructions, or a catalog on these way-too-far-beyond-magnificent Proctor aeroplanes, contact Mark or Dick Heininger, Proctor Enterprises, 25450 N.E. Eilers Rd., Aurora OR 97002.
Jack Clark built the Goldberg J-3 Anniversary Cub pictured here, finishing it with 21st Century Fabric and Paint. It is currently powered with an O.S. .70 four-stroke and uses a Futaba system to guide the airplane through the skies of Sayre, Pennsylvania. Jack is president of the Valley R/C Club, AMA Charter #580.
Bob Sandy of Maple Glen, PA built his 40% Laser from Jack Strickland plans. It weighs 31 pounds and flies on a Sachs 5.8, swinging a 26 x 10 prop. 21st Century Film and Paint handled the finish, and Bob claims the model is as docile as a Cub, yet as aerobatic as anyone would desire. This airplane spans 116 inches. Apologies to John de Vries for stepping sideways into his territory, but this model came from a local flier and was too impressive for me to ignore; just try to pretend that you saw it in the Colonel's "Giants" column.
One of the coolest Fokker triplane schemes I've seen came from John G. Tischler of Placerville, California. His Dr.I was constructed from Bill Effinger's W.E. Technical plan sets and many modifications were added to get the aeroplane to the stage in which it is represented here. Super Coverite and Sig Koverall were used to skin the airframe and Rust-Oleum paint provided the final finish. An Airtronics system guides the 13.5-pound model behind the powerful Tartan single-banger up front.
John has enjoyed the model's three initial flights to date and was quite happy to report that the Dr.I is not as hairy on the ground as most modelers claim—unless he gets into a crosswind on the takeoff roll. The solution is simple, John: hunt for upwind targets or get your mom (she sewed the scarf) to sew a crosswind scarf—then fly against the scarf at a 90° angle.
Modeling Shows
I attended two interesting modeling shows since writing last month's column. The first was the new East Coast Hobby Show in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania; the second was the MARC Show in Timonium, Maryland.
The East Coast Hobby Show (ECHS) was a well-organized, full-line hobby event. The promoter used a number of real-world promotional tools to help attract newcomers. It's difficult for model magazine advertising to reach nonmodelers, so Scott Pressman used the media and several high-draw national acts to help get the job done. These popular draws exposed many people to aeromodeling who would otherwise have never seen or heard of what we take for granted every day.
- For the junior set, Thomas the Tank Engine and his musical revue appeared three times daily on the weekends.
- For the not-so-young, Gary Dellabate of the Howard Stern radio program appeared on Saturday afternoon.
- Sunday featured Irv Homer, a strongly opinionated and very entertaining Philadelphia talk-show host, along with a pair of Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders.
In addition to the expected airplane, boat, car, train, gaming, and plastics exhibitors, full-scale paraplane and kit car manufacturers displayed their products in the huge hall. ECHS may not have been a purist radio control event, but it allowed the folks of many hobby disciplines to get more than a glimpse of each other's pastime. Let's hope this show continues to grow.
The MARC Show has become a time-proven success and this year must have been the best affair to date. The aisles were packed and the exhibitors' booths were full of great stuff to gawk at or purchase. I spent my entire Saturday at the show, talking with industry people like Henry Haffke of Coverite and Tom Haldis of Sterling Models, AMA people like Howard Crispin and Sue Schrock, and a large number of northeastern modelers—Joe Radocci, Milt Peacock, and Charlie Swope—all of whom seemed to be having a first-class day.
The MARC show continues to attract more and more traffic each year. If you live within reach or plan a trip to the northeast in late May, I hope you'll plan to include this one in your 1996 schedule.
Manufacturers' News
Jim Keil of Largo, FL built his "Rare Bear" Grumman Bearcat from Gus Morfis' plans. Gus has a line of 1/12-scale WWII RC Combat models that are also quite suitable for those of us who enjoy smaller Scale airplanes or for purposes other than actual aerial combat. For a price and information package on available plans, send a dollar and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Gus Morfis, 4709 Green Meadows Ave., Torrance CA 90505-5507.
I spent some time at the Bob Dively Models booth at the East Coast Hobby Show and saw some of their fine-quality, affordable cockpit kits. No less than 25 different kits are available to fit most of the more popular kits and plans currently available from major sources. The level of detail is beyond the call of duty for the everyday Sport Scale effort and is good enough to run with the pack in top-caliber competition. Check these out by sending a SASE and a buck to Bob Dively Models, Inc., 38131 Airport Parkway #206, Willoughby OH 44094. They also have a few nicely done Scale kits that you'll enjoy knowing about.
Docu-Search
The surest way to tell that flying season is in full swing is by the lack of Docu-Search requests received since last month. Looks like you're too busy boring holes to get any building done. Don't forget that flying season is a great time to catch up on your research and make certain that you're properly prepared for building season when the weather falls off.
Docu-Search is a cost-free service other than the cost of the postcard requesting the kind of information you require for which subject. Send your request to Docu-Search, c/o Jeff Troy, 200 S. Spring Garden St., Ambler PA 19002. Try the commercial services first, but if you can't locate the item or items you need, I'll try to help.
Until next time, build straight and fly safely. I'll talk with you again.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
