Edition: Model Aviation - 1981/07
Page Numbers: 10, 11, 12, 106
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RC GIANT SCALE AT TOLEDO

NEW KITS, new engines, new accessories, new materials, and, most important, new commitments to further development were obvious throughout the three-day "Rites of Spring" known as the Weak Signals Radio Control Exposition. The trend toward Giant Scale that was so evident at last year's Toledo show carried through strongly this year. Most of the items seen last year were back again, but the real story is in the new items. Since my space is limited, I'll concentrate on new or improved goodies and apologize in advance for not being able to cover everything.

For the readers' convenience, a list of names and addresses is included at the end of the column.

Engines

Engines continue to be the big story in Giant Scale. And big is really the word. For those who want them, converted chainsaw engines up to 5.6 cu. in. displacement are available. Except for very special applications, my personal feeling is that 4 cu. in. is a reasonable limit. If yours is one of those special applications, however, it's nice to know that the power is available.

Both Gibbs Hobby & Research and Roush Mfg. are offering the larger Kioritz chainsaw engines on a custom basis, along with the standard 2.4 cu. in. Kioritz blower engine. J.C. Enterprises has introduced a new model 2.3 cu. in. McCulloch chainsaw engine very similar to the original Husky. EWH has made significant changes in their Super Hustler II. World Engines showed the ignition version of the Tartan. Higgins Contempo is bringing out a 2.6 cu. in. engine based on a Homelite professional chainsaw. Trail Manufacturing is planning a 3 cu. in. companion to their popular Quadra. The Giant Scaler's choice in power plants continues to expand.

Engine accessories

There are a lot of new accessories for engines, too. For their Quadra, Trail Manufacturing is offering an extensive line of useful items, including two different choke assemblies, a die cast motor mount, a recoil pull-starter that fits inside the mount, fuel tanks in 16-oz. and 32-oz. sizes, fuel line, prop hubs, etc. All of these items are available from Quadra, U.S.A. (Dario Brisighella). One item of particular interest is not yet available, but will be soon: an adapter that allows the carburetor to be rotated so that the throttle linkage and needle valves are more accessible.

B&B Specialties, a new supplier of Giant Scale material, had a wide range of engine-related items, including mufflers, mounts and prop hubs for most of the engines currently available. Vortac has an add-on choke for the Quadra and Kioritz. Roush Mfg. has intake velocity stacks and exhaust manifold kits for their 2.4 Kioritz, and prop hubs for several different engines. In fact, almost every engine supplier has six-bolt hubs for almost every engine. C B Associates has a new die cast Quadra mount, and muffler/exhaust systems for the Quadra and for their Kawasaki engines.

Kits and plans

We've got a bumper crop of new kits and plans this year. I counted 18 kits that were not shown last year, and I didn't even try to count plans. The Christen Eagle seems to be taking the place of the Pitts as a favorite subject. In addition to several scratch-built versions that were on display, there were three very different kits for the Eagle.

T&D Fiberglass has a conventional, built-up structure with, of course, fiberglass cowl and pants. Bob Dively goes a step farther with a fiberglass fuselage. Finally, there is the Higgins Contempo (formerly Higgins Aero Comp.) version with fuselage, wings and tail surfaces all made with the fiberglass shell/injected-foam technique used on their CAP-20L. Realistic Models uses still a different method on their Stinson Voyager: pre-cut plywood parts that key together like an egg carton.

Semi-kits

In addition to full kits, there are semi-kits being offered for many of the plans available. The semi-kit usually consists of formers, wing ribs, and other shaped parts, and the builder supplies stick and sheet wood. Where appropriate, fiberglass cowls and wheel pants may be included.

Fittings and accessories

Fittings and accessories were not as obvious as those big, beautiful birds, but there were a lot of things around if you dug deep enough. The most encouraging thing in this area was the willingness on the part of manufacturers to talk about what the Giant Scale modeler needs. They are ready to listen, and to try and give us what we want.

As for what's available now, here are some of the items I saw:

  • DuBro's 4-40 ball link and quarter-scale full-figure pilot
  • Giezendanner U.S.A.'s fiberglass two-bladed props in sizes to 24-10, and three-bladed to 20-10
  • Aerolite Products' control cable, turnbuckles, and miscellaneous fittings
  • Parker R/C Planes' nose wheel assembly
  • Aeromarine's electric retracts
  • B&B Specialties' ball links
  • Quadra's pushrod/clevis/horn assembly and big wheels
  • C B Associates' stainless steel turnbuckles
  • ANNCO's pneumatic retracts and their 6-1/2-in. foam-filled wheels
  • Jim Messer's quarter-scale Lewis machine gun

There were many other items—Jim's catalog is a necessity to sort them all out.

Materials

In the materials area, I saw some things that are not exclusively for Giant Scale, but are certainly useful to us. Top Flite's new FabriKote is one; I like the fact that it goes on at the same temperature as MonoKote. Another great material is foam-core board. I've been using it for some time, but Aerolite Products has come up with an improved version; instead of paper for the outside covering, theirs has a four-mil ABS plastic sheeting. And it comes in 1/16-in., 1/8-in., and 3/16-in. thicknesses.

Aerolite's list of useful materials is a long one, and it's worth a SASE to get one from them.

Data resources

One final item I want to mention isn't an engine or a kit or an accessory, but it will help you find any of them. Bill Wilbur has stuffed his computer's memory full of everything he can find for Giant Scale. Ten dollars to Data Resources gets you a copy of the current list and a $2.00 credit toward the next printout. My copy has already gotten a lot of use.

I'm sure there were other new items that I missed, but not deliberately. My apologies for any omitted items or firms, and if you'll send me any of them I'll mention them in a future column. With more information and/or samples I'll try to get the word out in future columns.

Organizations

  • Aerolite Products, 1325 Millersport Hwy., Buffalo, NY 14221.
  • Aeromarine Enterprise, 709 Longboat Ave., Beachwood, NJ 08722.
  • ANNCO Mfg. Co., P.O. Box 23089, Minneapolis, MN 55423.
  • B & B Specialties, 14234 Cleveland Rd., Granger, IN 46530.
  • Balsa USA, PO Box 164, Marinette, WI 54143.
  • Barron's Scale Classics, 1213 Holly Spring Lane, Grand Blanc, MI 48439.
  • Behrens Plan Service, 31-27 Healy Ave., Far Rockaway, NY 11691.
  • Bob Dively Model Aircraft Inc., 28001 Chagrin Blvd., Suite #206, Woodmere, OH 44122.
  • Bud Nosen Models, Inc., PO Box 105, Two Harbors, MN 55616.
  • C B Associates, Inc., 21658 Cloud Way, Hayward, CA 94545.
  • Data Resources, 6 Laurel Ave., Kittery, ME 03904.
  • Dave Platt Models, 6940 NW 15th St., Plantation, FL 33313.
  • Don's Custom Models, 9892 Vicksburg Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92646.
  • Du-Bro Products Inc., 480 Bonner Road, Wauconda, IL 60084.
  • EWH Specialties, Inc., 3012 Ave. E. East, Arlington, TX 76011.
  • Giezendanner U.S.A., PO Box 818, Pottstown, PA 19464.
  • Higgins Contempo, 11611 Cantara St., No. Hollywood, CA 91605.
  • Hobby Shack, 18480 Bandelier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708.
  • International Miniature Aircraft Association, 254 Washington St., Binghamton, NY 13901.
  • J.C. Enterprises, 2551 SW 28th Terrace, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33312.
  • J-S Enterprises, PO Box 82, Belmont, Ontario, Canada, N0L 1B0.
  • Jim Messer's Quality Model Products, 106 Valley View Drive, Allegany, NY 14706.
  • Midwest Products Co., 400 S. Indiana, Hobart, IN 46342.
  • Parker R/C Planes, PO Box 8195, Van Nuys, CA 91409.
  • Quadra U.S.A., 1032 Manitowac Ave., Oak Creek, WI 53154.
  • R&R Models, 1611 Red Bud Dr., Northwood, OH 43619.
  • R/C Kits, 706 Easton NE, N. Canton, OH 44721.
  • Realistic Models, 4105 Wadsworth Ct., Annandale, VA 22003.
  • Roush Mfg., PO Box 251, Sandyville, OH 44671.
  • Schmidt Custom Kits, 11948 Franklin Blvd., Elk Grove, CA 95624.
  • T&D Fiberglass, 30926 Block, Garden City, MI 48135.
  • Top Flite Models, 1901 N. Narragansett, Chicago, IL 60639.
  • Trail Mfg. Co., PO Box 549, Huron Park, Ontario, Canada, N0M 1Y0.
  • Votrax Mfg. Co., PO Box 469, Oak Lawn, IL 60453.
  • Wendell Hostetler Super Scale Plans, 1041 Heathwood Lane, Orrville, OH 44667.
  • World Engines, 8960 Rossash Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45236.

Closing

I'll be back next month. 'Til then—lots of happy, safe flying.

Bob Beckman 8248 Holly Grove Court, Manassas, VA 22110.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.