RADIO CONTROL SCALE
Jeff Troy 19 East Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002
On March 4, the 43rd Annual Weak Signals Radio Control Expo, Toledo, OH, opened its doors to a huge crowd. In an instant, preshow anticipation gave way to an invigorating lightning bolt of activity. The SeaGate Center was bustling, vendors were busy, airplanes were alive and well, and the show was off the deck and climbing.
There were big crowds and scores of great products. The show gave every indication of brighter aeromodeling skies ahead. Aisle after exciting aisle was packed with modelers who had brilliant designs, clever accessories, labor-saving field-support products, and the most carefully and creatively crafted flying models in the world. Exhibitors met the onslaught of modelers with a barrage of products for specific interests, answers to many questions, and plans for future releases.
Something that caught my attention was the number of younger people in attendance. There was no shortage of aeromodeling's elder statesmen, but the majority of the show's visitors may have been under the age of 40. I saw plenty of kids and young to middle-aged adults, and many of them were involved in the hobby; they were not just gawking at the models. However, if one was to really gawk at something, Toledo's models were the things to choose. Those airplanes seem to get better every year. Check out the photos.
Manufacturers' News
The Weak Signals exhibitors' tables were overflowing with Scale goodies and general Scale aviation accessories. Dave and Sally Brown displayed their impressive selection of engine mounts, wheels, building materials, and field-support equipment. For the latest catalog, contact Dave Brown Products, 4560 Layhigh Rd., Hamilton, OH 45013.
House of Balsa's Don Dombrowski has followed his P-51 Mustang reprise with the reissue of two more 1/2A Scale warbirds: the Me 109 and the Fw 190. They may be small, but their outlines are convincing and the quality is outstanding. Write to Don at House of Balsa, 10101 Yucca Rd., Adelanto, CA 92301. A small but exciting House of Balsa "full-house" fighter is the perfect mate for Robart's 1/2A retractable gear, which has also been reissued.
Cox has several suitable 1/2A engines for House of Balsa's fighter series, and you should check out Norvel's new 1/2A engine line. Norvel's tiny, sophisticated powerplants feature throttle-equipped carburetors and full-bodied metal mufflers with rotating exhausts to better suit them to many Scale applications. Get the lowdown from Norvel at 2244 E. Enterprise Ave., Twinsburg, OH 44087. Information on the time-proven line of contest-winning Tee-Dee 1/2A engines is available from Cox at Box 227, Penrose, CO 81240.
Midwest Products showed the latest and greatest of its "Success Series" kits and accessories, including the popular Extra 300S and CAP 232 aerobatics Scale airplane kits. Midwest's new Aero-Stand will be of great use to many in the field. Write to Midwest Products Co., Inc., 400 Indiana Ave., Hobart, IN 46342.
Henry Haffke's Gee Bee designs for Coverite have been popular for years, though all but unavailable until recently. Henry's 40-size racing designs, including the Model Y and Model D Gee Bee Sportsters, have been upgraded, and now they are available through Stuart Pearce's Spirit of Yesteryear. Write to Spirit of Yesteryear, 40 Holgate St., Barrie, Ontario, CANADA L4N 2T7.
While I'm on the subject of Coverite, please be aware that even though it halted production of its kit line several years ago, the company is still alive and well in the capable hands of project manager Lisa Denson-Rives. In addition to familiar covering and finishing goodies and tools, the Coverite group offers 21st Century Paint, 21st Century Fabric, 21st Century Film, and the outstanding chip-regulated 21st Century Iron. Write to Coverite at Great Planes Model Distributors, Box 9021, Champaign, IL 61826-9021.
Direct Connection RC showed its two newest Scale kit projects at the Weak Signals show. Both are intended for .60-size two-stroke or .90-size four-stroke engines. The P-40N Warhawk is available now, and the F.B.II Sea Fury is due in the fall. For information on these and other models, write to Direct Connection RC, 562 W. Schrock Rd., Westerville, OH 43081.
Several new products were on display at the Model Products Corporation exhibit, including a clever linkage device called the Line-Drive. This unit converts a standard servo's rotary output to linear motion and is especially handy for connecting dual aileron linkages to a single center-mounted wing servo. Write to Model Products Corp., Box 100, Allamuchy, NJ 07820.
The Weak Signals Expo is still "Mecca" to many dedicated aircraft modelers — it certainly is to me.
Docu-Search
- Wren Beverly is searching for a just-for-fun MiG-3 in approximately 1/6 scale. He's looking for a design that will span approximately 65 inches, but he has been unable to find anything. If you can help, write to Wren at 7344 127th Ave. S.E., Newcastle, WA 98056.
- John Beligrodski is in need of information about the Blohm & Voss BV 141-B WWII reconnaissance aircraft. He has purchased a set of Ziroll plans for a 54-inch model and a fairly good Testor Corporation 1/72-scale plastic model kit, but he feels that his project would benefit from a good three-view, photos, and color-and-markings information. Please send any information to John at 2695 East Third Ave., North St. Paul, MN 55109.
- In the late 1980s, Aerofax, Inc., of Arlington, TX, produced a kit, or some form of product relating to the Lockheed U-2R/RT-1. This company is no longer operating in Arlington; if anyone has any information on how to contact Aerofax, please send it to John Appling, 2308 Albert Mill Rd., Hampstead, MD 21074. John has been researching this aircraft for some time, and he would appreciate any assistance.
- Vidas Kaupelis operates a Lithuanian modeling company and would like to exchange information concerning "foreign" aircraft (remember that to him, U.S. aircraft are foreign). Vidas claims that good photos, documentation, and descriptions are not readily available, and he would appreciate help from any U.S. company or citizen. Please contact Mr. Kaupelis at Vilniaus 26-22, 5400 Siauliai, Lithuania (Lietuva), Europe.
Modelers' Projects
Lloyd Mowers claims never to have won a prize for his typing, but he should be given credit for his efforts on his latest project, a C-123 Provider. Lloyd figures this aircraft for "low and slow," and at 73 years old, he figures that those parameters are almost perfect for him.
I'd love to include more details of the model, but Lloyd's letter was almost all devoted to the pleasure that he has had flying his Dynaflite Spitfire. For all who are in on that particular Build-Along, Lloyd writes, "you have made a fantastic choice, and you are going to have a lot of fun with this plane."
Oklahoma City's Marty Young sent a photo collection of his P-61 Black Widow, built from Ziroll plans and an Aeroplane Works kit. Marty's model is finished (top to base) in Emperor Flat Clear (#43-8), on top of Testors Model Master paint, on top of Testors primer, and on top of Z-Poxy finishing coat. Panel lines are 1/64-inch drafting tape, which was removed after the application of the color coats. The rivet detail is via glue-dot and 1/64-inch brass tubing methods. Hangar 9 1/2-scale WWII components drive this 114-inch monster with help from the JR PCM 10 system with Jomar Glitch Busters. Very impressive.
Nick Ziroll and I had a couple of chuckles about a letter that was published in Model Aviation a few months ago. Some modelers assume that building a model from someone else's plans is scratch-building. It is not — it is plan-building. If Nick Ziroll builds a model from Nick's plans, that is scratch-building. If I build a model from Nick's plans, it means that I have become adept at tracing patterns on wood, cutting out parts, and trashing many razor blades. While going through the tedium of creating (rather than buying) the parts in a kit is quite a bit of work, it does not necessarily require, or demonstrate the use of extraordinary skills. Cutting parts from templates may represent a labor of love to the modeler, but to be truly scratch-built, a model's design must first be "scratched" on paper. If you have a problem, just ask Nick.
Until next time, build straight and fly safely. We'll do this again.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
