Radio Control: Scale
Jeff Troy 200 S. Spring Garden Street, Ambler, PA 19002
Modelers' Projects
- Bob McKenna — I met Bob at the WRAM show in New York a year or two ago. He promised to send a photo of the Ultimate he was building, and the pictures finally arrived. Bob's blue-and-white Goldberg airplane is finished in 21st Century Fabric and 21st Century Paint. The markings are from Paul and Dan Major at Major Decals (a division of Northeast Screen Graphics) and are based on documentation received from Bob Bankas's Scale Model Research. A Super Tigre .90 two-stroke provides plenty of power up front. Nice airplane, Bob; it looks great against that friendly Florida sky.
- Frank Healy — Frank, a columnist for High Flight, sent several photos of his Ace R/C Taylorcraft. Power is a Q-35, which, at just 14 pounds, provides more than enough thrust to handle the aerobatic schedule of the show original the model copies. Frank used 21st Century Fabric and Paint on his Taylorcraft.
- Woody Blanchard — Woody should be familiar to almost any long-time modeler. He sent a photo of his latest scale project: a four-motor Sikorsky S-42. This electric-powered behemoth uses four Astro 035 motors to turn six 12x4 props, which pull the 75-inch model with authority from water or land. Woody designed this scratch-built airplane around three-views he received from Bill Warner.
- Lawrence Klingberg Jr. — One of the nicest projects I've seen recently is from Lawrence in Canyon Lake, CA: a rather large rendition of Sopwith's 1919 Schneider Cup racer. The model was in the covering stage when the photos arrived (see John deVries' "Giants" column in the March 1996 issue) and will probably have been completed by the time you read this. He's shooting for display at the 1996 IMS in Pasadena. In RC scale, we last saw Lawrence's work in the form of a highly detailed and documented Fairey 3-C he displayed at the 1994 California IMS.
Docu-Search
- Tom Ramsey has a set of RCM plans for an Anderson Kingfisher — a homebuilt amphibian that uses a Cub wing. If anyone can help Tom with color schemes and a three-view, please contact him at:
6708 Freeland Drive, Hazelwood, MO 63042.
- Vince Carroll is modeling a Russian MiG-3 but would like an alternate color scheme to the common red-stars-on-white. He hasn't had much luck locating something interesting. If you have suggestions, write to Vince at:
12 Antler Drive, Holland, PA 18966.
Manufacturers' News
- Steve Blakeley of Greenville, Ohio built a Grumman F9F Panther from a set of Gus Morphis' newest plans. The "jet" is actually a prop-driven, built-up balsa-and-plywood model in 1/12 scale, designed around .15–.25 two-strokes. These compact, gearless, hand-toss airplanes are becoming quite popular as low-EDF (Emotional Debt Factor) scale practice models. For information, send $1 to Gus Morphis, 4709 Green Meadows Avenue, Torrance, CA 90505-5507.
- Those Incredible Gee Bee Airplanes — Granville Brothers fans will love this 57-minute professional production from Studio 16 Video. The VHS tape documents the rise of the Granville Brothers, with personal interviews, rare photos, and highlights of the 1931 and 1932 National Air Races. Order from Studio 16 Video, 26 Ridgewood Terrace, Springfield, MA 01105.
- John C. Fredriksen's Flying Model Warplanes: An International Guide to Plans and Kits is in the works, but John requests assistance. If anyone is willing to share complete runs of German, English, French, and/or Italian model magazines for reference, please contact him at:
461 Loring Ave., Salem, MA 01970.
- Bob Bankas' 1996 Scale Aircraft Documentation and Resource Guide is available. The catalog features eight informative articles and lists thousands of available three-views and Foto-Paaks. Price: $8 (U.S.), $10 (Canada/Mexico), $15 (overseas), postage included. Contact: Bob Bankas Scale Model Research, 3114 Yukon Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
- Bob Dively Models, Inc. offers a water-cleanup, non-toxic liquid masking film called Dively Liquid Mask. It is available in 4-, 16-, and 32-ounce containers, can be brushed or sprayed, and has a comparatively long shelf life. Send $1 for the complete Bob Dively catalog (which also includes a select collection of quality scale aircraft kits) to:
Bob Dively Models, Inc., 38131 Airport Pkwy #206, Willoughby, OH 44094.
- Vailly Aviation has a new 90½-inch Focke-Wulf fighter, the second in their line of Battle of Britain aircraft. Roy Vailly's 1,305-square-inch Fw 190A is designed to come in at 22–28 pounds with Robart or Vailly retracts and G-45 to Q-50 engines. Plans are available, and a partial wood kit can be ordered. A clear canopy, spinner, fiberglass cowl, and scale retracts can be ordered individually or as a package. Contact: Vailly Aviation, 18 Oakdale Ave., Farmingdale, NY 11738-2828.
It's The Simple Things
Every column for the next few issues I'll pass along a simple method of adding detail to a model with very little effort. If you don't have the energy for a total commitment to accurate detail but still want a decent-looking model at the field, you'll find a quick trick here.
Problem: skinny, bare music-wire gear legs on fun scale and Sport Scale non-retractable-gear airplanes.
Quick solution:
- Use masking tape in widths from 1/8" to over 1" to simulate the various components of the full-size gear leg.
- Copy what you see on the prototype: wrap different-sized pieces of tape around the music-wire legs in the appropriate positions. Overlap or layer the tape as needed to mimic the real strut assemblies.
- When the tape wrapping is complete, work a few drops of thin cyanoacrylate (CyA) over the tape edges to seal them permanently before priming.
- Finish with a shot or two of aluminum, black, and steel spray paint in the right places for a convincing effect.
It's a no-brainer and will be especially effective for those who prefer minimal effort with good results.
Build straight and fly safely. I'll talk with you again.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
