RADIO CONTROL SCALE
Jeff Troy, 19 East Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002
The following news was received by Model Aviation's editorial department and may be of help to you.
The U.S. Air Force has recalled its Pre-1954 Still Photo Collection. It was on loan to the National Air & Space Museum (NASM) until it could be permanently placed at the National Archives. The NASM is no longer processing orders for photos from this collection and is providing only limited reference support. The collection will be closed until the National Archives completes its acquisition process, expected before the end of December 1996.
Please address inquiries concerning this collection to: Still Pictures Branch, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.
The NASM sincerely regrets any inconvenience this unanticipated move may cause.
Build-Along
A decision has been reached in the contest between the Dynaflite Spitfire and Nick Ziroli's Dr.I. At first, the Spitfire was the front-runner, but Ziroli's Dr.I received a steadily increasing flow of votes and pulled well ahead. As of last month a winner still could not be determined, but your letters have made Mark Smith's 81-inch Dynaflite Spitfire the winner.
I considered constructing both aircraft and reporting on their progress in Model Aviation. Fortunately, after reviewing my time-crunched performance on the Fokker D.VII build-along more critically, I decided to behave more responsibly this time. Perhaps when the Spitfire is completed, the Ziroli Dr.I triplane can be next in the build-along series.
Several items have been targeted for alteration on this cleverly designed scale-for-fun Spitfire. One challenge is how to quickly make a pair of those large fillets that fair the sides of the Spitfire's fuselage so gracefully into the wing.
I'll need to collect reference documents and decide on a Spitfire variant that matches the Dynaflite's outline, and I'll modify portions of the Spitfire's outline as needed. A few simple details in the model's empty cockpit will likely be included as well.
Other planned modifications include retractable landing gear and operating flaps. I'm sure that several more points will be discussed as work on the model progresses.
Those of you planning to build the Spitfire should order your kits and these supplies:
- Cyanoacrylate (CyA) glue
- Epoxy
- #11 knife blades
- #139 saw blades
Next month I'll try to get the project started with a materials list and a few reference recommendations.
Docu-Search
- Doug Francis is looking for a set of 1/5-scale Wasserman plans for the Piper Pawnee Brave. In his book Building Big Is Beautiful, Dick Phillips references these plans, but their source remains unknown. If anyone knows where the plans may be obtained, please contact Doug at: 790 SW Echo Loop, Oak Harbor, WA 98277.
- Will Volny is researching Czechoslovakian Air Force aircraft from the inter-war period (1918–1938) to decide on a favorable modeling subject. If you have an interest in Czech aircraft of this era, please contact Will at: 1813 W. Golf Apt. 134, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056.
- Robert Sabasteanski voted for the Dr.I. If I can't please him with my build-along selection, perhaps you can help him with information on the Heinrich Victor Pursuit. This Gnome-powered WWI-era airplane, which resembled the Nieuport 28, was sold to the U.S. Army around 1918. Robert could use 3-views, photographs, drawings, and anything else available. He is at: 10510 Cambridge Court, Great Falls, VA 22066.
- Inquiries are still coming in about Don Briggs' C-124 that appeared in the October 1996 column. Don, I don't have your address and several modelers would enjoy contacting you. Please send me your address and I will forward their letters. Thanks.
Manufacturer's News
Bob Banka's new Scale Aircraft Documentation and Resource Guide is now available. This 203-page issue from Scale Model Research lists more than 3,600 available Foto-Paaks, 35,000 3-view drawings, and 11 scale-related articles.
Modelers can get their Guides by sending $8.00 to: Scale Model Research, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.
Modelers' Projects
Alex Morton is a regular contributor to the scale community, and one of his latest projects is the interesting Handley Page E. Alex writes:
"All I had was a B-size foldout I removed from an ancient, unknown British publication. I blew it up to an 82-inch wingspan on a local repro machine and took it from there. Again, Laser 70-powered, the cable bracing is 90-pound-test stainless leader-line used in the fishing hobby. The crimps are 1/16-inch-diameter aluminum tubing. I even hand-made the 4.25-inch, 40-spoke wheels. I used common hardware items and they (the wheels) turned out fine. It didn't take a machine shop to do the job either."
This letter shows that scale modelers are a very resourceful crew. The name of the game is imagination, and any way you can get the job done is the right way.
If you're working on something special, send a photo and a description of your project. MA's readers are always eager to see what the rest of the readership is doing.
The Chicago Model & Hobby Show was a big hit, but outside forces have persuaded me to be brief this month. In the next issue I'll have photos from Chicago, more modelers' projects, and plenty more on our new Dynaflite Spitfire.
Until then, build straight and fly safely.
We'll do this again.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
