108 MODEL AVIATION
Greg Rose, 1312 NW 196th St., Edmond OK 73003
RADIO CONTROL COMBAT
Just as the full-scale airplane was, the JK Aerotech P-47 is a
sturdy design. It is intended for 2610 Scale Combat.
A Lanier Slasher with its distinctive wingtip plates climbs into an
overcast Texas sky for another round of Combat.
The TEAMseaholm Avenger—a highly competitive design—is
launched into the skies over Muncie, Indiana.
IT HAS BEEN awhile since I reviewed any RC Combat kit
manufacturers. Now is a good time to do that because in addition to all
of the time that has passed since the last review, many changes have
happened in the field.
RC Combat remains a rapidly growing event, and with that comes a
large influx of new ideas from the RC Combat community. Although it
is good that we are growing, that growth brings instability. Several
excellent kit manufacturers have invested in supplying kits to the RC
Combat community, but unfortunately the instability has affected them
as well. Several manufacturers have decided to get out of the kit
industry, either by selling their businesses or by closing their doors. In
no place is this more apparent than in RC Scale Combat.
Different directions in provisional and proposed events such as
Slow Survivable Combat (SSC) and 2548 Scale have diluted the
number of 2610 Scale fliers. I don’t want any of the 2610 Scale
fliers—and I include myself as one—to take these comments wrong.
The 2610 RC Scale Combat event is still popular. Compared to a
number of other AMA events, it is one of the most popular ones flown.
I am a “dyed-in-the-wool” 2610 flier, but even I have to admit that
Open Combat is no less fun than Scale, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to
keep your models in flying condition.
Although the loss of some Scale kit manufacturers may result in us
having fewer choices of available kits, the consequence is likely to be
more scratch-built airplanes rather than fewer Scale fliers.
Another aspect of RC Combat flying that affects the manufacturers
is that the popular Open events such as Open Class B and SSC don’t
require as much support in the form of kits as Scale does. Many—if not
most—Open designs can easily be scratch-built, especially if you have
access to a foam cutter.
Changing interests have made it difficult for manufacturers to
anticipate the swings in RC Combat. Change is good, but no one ever
said change was easy.
JK Aerotech (10800 SE Orient Dr., Boring OR 97009; Tel.: [503]
663-4081; E-mail: [email protected]) has expanded its line of
kits to meet the changing scene in RC Combat. The kits are of cutfoam-
and-tape construction with durable Coroplast tails.
For 2610 Scale, the company offers the P-51 Mustang in either
razorback or bubbletop versions; the F4U Corsair; the Mitsubishi A6M
Zero; the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A; the long-spanned Fw Ta 152H with an
impressive 51-inch span; the P-47 Thunderbolt which can be built as
the early razorback, the better-known bubbletop, or the late-war N
version with squared wingtips and the revised tail outline; and the
diminutive MiG-3.
JK Aerotech also has a new line called the Fat Bird series, designed
for Scale SSC. The first kit in the Fat Bird series is a P-51 Mustang. It
spans 63 inches and has 600 square inches of wing area. As are the
2610 kits, the Mustang is of cut-foam-and-tape construction.
With dimensions similar to the Fat Bird Mustang, two other Scale
SSC kits—the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and the Curtiss SB2C
Helldiver—are also available.
The already “fat” appearance of the Helldiver (which was the result
of the Navy’s insistence that two Helldivers had to be able to fit on the
carrier’s elevator at the same time—a misguided requirement that was
to haunt the Helldiver for its entire service life) fits in well with the Fat
Bird designs, making a recognizable Helldiver in what some would call
“cartoon” Scale.
Another active manufacturer that is making SSC Scale, SSC, and
Open B models is Hat Trick Enterprises (W 8530 CTH S, Beaver Dam
WI 53916; E-mail: vvrccomb@fdldot
net.com [the E-mail address begins with two
“v”s—not a “w”]; Web site: www.hattrick
rc.com). For Scale SSC, Hat Trick offers the
P-51 Mustang, the Messerschmitt Me 109,
the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Hawker
Hurricane, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the
F4U Corsair, and the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
All SSC Scale models have cut-foam
fuselages with fiberglass reinforcing rods,
Coroplast tail feathers, and cut-foam wings
with LE reinforcements. For Open Class B
and SSC, Hat Trick offers the Bat Trick and
the more closely coupled Choker and Mini-
Choker Combat designs.
Because of its longer fuselage, the Bat
Trick is suggested as a first Combat airplane,
but the company’s informative and helpful
Web site offers details about how you can
convert the Hat Trick to a Choker as your
flying skills increase.
All of the Hat Trick designs have proven
to be competitive in Combat, and it is hard to
beat the service that Hat Trick supplies to
RC Combat fliers.
Yet another manufacturer with well-proven
designs and a focus on Open Combat is
TEAMseaholm (704 NE Aaron Dr., Lee’s
Summit MO 64086; Tel.: [816] 686-4808; Email:
[email protected]; Web site:
www.teamseaholm.com).
The company manufactures and flies the
Avenger 964, the Avenger 972, and the
Avenger 972S. The 964 has a 64-inch
wingspan, and the 972 has a 72-inch
wingspan. The 972S also has a 72-inch
wingspan, but it features a revised airfoil and
engine mount for SSC.
All of the Avenger kits share similar
construction, with wings of cut foam with
fiberglass spars and LE reinforcement; CNCcut
G10 composite basswood/high-density
polyethylene (HDPE) fuselages, and
Coroplast tail groups. All are extremely
competitive designs that, when teamed with
the right pilot, have placed well in RC
Combat meets.
A nice feature that TEAMseaholm offers
is a complete, illustrated, step-by-step
construction guide on its Web site, which
greatly simplifies construction for the builder.
LanierRC (Box 458, Oakwood GA 30566;
Tel.: (770) 532-6401; Web site:
www.lanierrc.com) is another company
focusing on Open B and SSC designs. It kits
the 68.5-inch-wingspan Slasher for Open B
and the 60.5-inch-wingspan Ripper for SSC.
Both kits feature cut-foam wings with
fiberglass spars and a reinforced, vacuumformed
plastic LE, an HDPE fuselage with
laser-cut plywood parts, and an Aero-Flute
Plastix tail group.
With contemporary RC Combat design,
the Ripper and Slasher could be hard to
distinguish in the air from other designs if it
were not for their distinctive wingtip plates.
Lanier estimates that it will take only three to
six hours of build time to get either the Ripper
or the Slasher into the air.
War Zone (17 Essla Dr., Rochester NY
14612; Tel.: [585] 227-0592; E-mail:
[email protected]; Web site:
www.rccombat.com/sections/manufacturers/
manufacturers.htm) continues to make Scale
models for the 2610 event. The company
offers the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, the
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the Curtiss P-36
Hawk, the Kawasaki Ki-84 Frank, and the
Grumman F8F Bearcat.
All War Zone kits have cut-foam wings
and fuselages, vacuum-formed canopies,
cowls made from flexible PETG plastic, and
balsa tail feathers. As have a number of others
mentioned, the War Zone kits have been in
production for sometime, and all of them have
proven to be good-flying models capable of
being competitive in a Scale Combat match.
I’m out of space and I didn’t even get to
finish a complete list of kit manufacturers. I
will have to continue the list later.
Until next time, start building for the meet
in Paris, Texas; fly safely; and always check
your six! MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/02
Page Numbers: 108,110,112
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/02
Page Numbers: 108,110,112
108 MODEL AVIATION
Greg Rose, 1312 NW 196th St., Edmond OK 73003
RADIO CONTROL COMBAT
Just as the full-scale airplane was, the JK Aerotech P-47 is a
sturdy design. It is intended for 2610 Scale Combat.
A Lanier Slasher with its distinctive wingtip plates climbs into an
overcast Texas sky for another round of Combat.
The TEAMseaholm Avenger—a highly competitive design—is
launched into the skies over Muncie, Indiana.
IT HAS BEEN awhile since I reviewed any RC Combat kit
manufacturers. Now is a good time to do that because in addition to all
of the time that has passed since the last review, many changes have
happened in the field.
RC Combat remains a rapidly growing event, and with that comes a
large influx of new ideas from the RC Combat community. Although it
is good that we are growing, that growth brings instability. Several
excellent kit manufacturers have invested in supplying kits to the RC
Combat community, but unfortunately the instability has affected them
as well. Several manufacturers have decided to get out of the kit
industry, either by selling their businesses or by closing their doors. In
no place is this more apparent than in RC Scale Combat.
Different directions in provisional and proposed events such as
Slow Survivable Combat (SSC) and 2548 Scale have diluted the
number of 2610 Scale fliers. I don’t want any of the 2610 Scale
fliers—and I include myself as one—to take these comments wrong.
The 2610 RC Scale Combat event is still popular. Compared to a
number of other AMA events, it is one of the most popular ones flown.
I am a “dyed-in-the-wool” 2610 flier, but even I have to admit that
Open Combat is no less fun than Scale, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to
keep your models in flying condition.
Although the loss of some Scale kit manufacturers may result in us
having fewer choices of available kits, the consequence is likely to be
more scratch-built airplanes rather than fewer Scale fliers.
Another aspect of RC Combat flying that affects the manufacturers
is that the popular Open events such as Open Class B and SSC don’t
require as much support in the form of kits as Scale does. Many—if not
most—Open designs can easily be scratch-built, especially if you have
access to a foam cutter.
Changing interests have made it difficult for manufacturers to
anticipate the swings in RC Combat. Change is good, but no one ever
said change was easy.
JK Aerotech (10800 SE Orient Dr., Boring OR 97009; Tel.: [503]
663-4081; E-mail: [email protected]) has expanded its line of
kits to meet the changing scene in RC Combat. The kits are of cutfoam-
and-tape construction with durable Coroplast tails.
For 2610 Scale, the company offers the P-51 Mustang in either
razorback or bubbletop versions; the F4U Corsair; the Mitsubishi A6M
Zero; the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A; the long-spanned Fw Ta 152H with an
impressive 51-inch span; the P-47 Thunderbolt which can be built as
the early razorback, the better-known bubbletop, or the late-war N
version with squared wingtips and the revised tail outline; and the
diminutive MiG-3.
JK Aerotech also has a new line called the Fat Bird series, designed
for Scale SSC. The first kit in the Fat Bird series is a P-51 Mustang. It
spans 63 inches and has 600 square inches of wing area. As are the
2610 kits, the Mustang is of cut-foam-and-tape construction.
With dimensions similar to the Fat Bird Mustang, two other Scale
SSC kits—the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and the Curtiss SB2C
Helldiver—are also available.
The already “fat” appearance of the Helldiver (which was the result
of the Navy’s insistence that two Helldivers had to be able to fit on the
carrier’s elevator at the same time—a misguided requirement that was
to haunt the Helldiver for its entire service life) fits in well with the Fat
Bird designs, making a recognizable Helldiver in what some would call
“cartoon” Scale.
Another active manufacturer that is making SSC Scale, SSC, and
Open B models is Hat Trick Enterprises (W 8530 CTH S, Beaver Dam
WI 53916; E-mail: vvrccomb@fdldot
net.com [the E-mail address begins with two
“v”s—not a “w”]; Web site: www.hattrick
rc.com). For Scale SSC, Hat Trick offers the
P-51 Mustang, the Messerschmitt Me 109,
the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Hawker
Hurricane, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the
F4U Corsair, and the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
All SSC Scale models have cut-foam
fuselages with fiberglass reinforcing rods,
Coroplast tail feathers, and cut-foam wings
with LE reinforcements. For Open Class B
and SSC, Hat Trick offers the Bat Trick and
the more closely coupled Choker and Mini-
Choker Combat designs.
Because of its longer fuselage, the Bat
Trick is suggested as a first Combat airplane,
but the company’s informative and helpful
Web site offers details about how you can
convert the Hat Trick to a Choker as your
flying skills increase.
All of the Hat Trick designs have proven
to be competitive in Combat, and it is hard to
beat the service that Hat Trick supplies to
RC Combat fliers.
Yet another manufacturer with well-proven
designs and a focus on Open Combat is
TEAMseaholm (704 NE Aaron Dr., Lee’s
Summit MO 64086; Tel.: [816] 686-4808; Email:
[email protected]; Web site:
www.teamseaholm.com).
The company manufactures and flies the
Avenger 964, the Avenger 972, and the
Avenger 972S. The 964 has a 64-inch
wingspan, and the 972 has a 72-inch
wingspan. The 972S also has a 72-inch
wingspan, but it features a revised airfoil and
engine mount for SSC.
All of the Avenger kits share similar
construction, with wings of cut foam with
fiberglass spars and LE reinforcement; CNCcut
G10 composite basswood/high-density
polyethylene (HDPE) fuselages, and
Coroplast tail groups. All are extremely
competitive designs that, when teamed with
the right pilot, have placed well in RC
Combat meets.
A nice feature that TEAMseaholm offers
is a complete, illustrated, step-by-step
construction guide on its Web site, which
greatly simplifies construction for the builder.
LanierRC (Box 458, Oakwood GA 30566;
Tel.: (770) 532-6401; Web site:
www.lanierrc.com) is another company
focusing on Open B and SSC designs. It kits
the 68.5-inch-wingspan Slasher for Open B
and the 60.5-inch-wingspan Ripper for SSC.
Both kits feature cut-foam wings with
fiberglass spars and a reinforced, vacuumformed
plastic LE, an HDPE fuselage with
laser-cut plywood parts, and an Aero-Flute
Plastix tail group.
With contemporary RC Combat design,
the Ripper and Slasher could be hard to
distinguish in the air from other designs if it
were not for their distinctive wingtip plates.
Lanier estimates that it will take only three to
six hours of build time to get either the Ripper
or the Slasher into the air.
War Zone (17 Essla Dr., Rochester NY
14612; Tel.: [585] 227-0592; E-mail:
[email protected]; Web site:
www.rccombat.com/sections/manufacturers/
manufacturers.htm) continues to make Scale
models for the 2610 event. The company
offers the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, the
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the Curtiss P-36
Hawk, the Kawasaki Ki-84 Frank, and the
Grumman F8F Bearcat.
All War Zone kits have cut-foam wings
and fuselages, vacuum-formed canopies,
cowls made from flexible PETG plastic, and
balsa tail feathers. As have a number of others
mentioned, the War Zone kits have been in
production for sometime, and all of them have
proven to be good-flying models capable of
being competitive in a Scale Combat match.
I’m out of space and I didn’t even get to
finish a complete list of kit manufacturers. I
will have to continue the list later.
Until next time, start building for the meet
in Paris, Texas; fly safely; and always check
your six! MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/02
Page Numbers: 108,110,112
108 MODEL AVIATION
Greg Rose, 1312 NW 196th St., Edmond OK 73003
RADIO CONTROL COMBAT
Just as the full-scale airplane was, the JK Aerotech P-47 is a
sturdy design. It is intended for 2610 Scale Combat.
A Lanier Slasher with its distinctive wingtip plates climbs into an
overcast Texas sky for another round of Combat.
The TEAMseaholm Avenger—a highly competitive design—is
launched into the skies over Muncie, Indiana.
IT HAS BEEN awhile since I reviewed any RC Combat kit
manufacturers. Now is a good time to do that because in addition to all
of the time that has passed since the last review, many changes have
happened in the field.
RC Combat remains a rapidly growing event, and with that comes a
large influx of new ideas from the RC Combat community. Although it
is good that we are growing, that growth brings instability. Several
excellent kit manufacturers have invested in supplying kits to the RC
Combat community, but unfortunately the instability has affected them
as well. Several manufacturers have decided to get out of the kit
industry, either by selling their businesses or by closing their doors. In
no place is this more apparent than in RC Scale Combat.
Different directions in provisional and proposed events such as
Slow Survivable Combat (SSC) and 2548 Scale have diluted the
number of 2610 Scale fliers. I don’t want any of the 2610 Scale
fliers—and I include myself as one—to take these comments wrong.
The 2610 RC Scale Combat event is still popular. Compared to a
number of other AMA events, it is one of the most popular ones flown.
I am a “dyed-in-the-wool” 2610 flier, but even I have to admit that
Open Combat is no less fun than Scale, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to
keep your models in flying condition.
Although the loss of some Scale kit manufacturers may result in us
having fewer choices of available kits, the consequence is likely to be
more scratch-built airplanes rather than fewer Scale fliers.
Another aspect of RC Combat flying that affects the manufacturers
is that the popular Open events such as Open Class B and SSC don’t
require as much support in the form of kits as Scale does. Many—if not
most—Open designs can easily be scratch-built, especially if you have
access to a foam cutter.
Changing interests have made it difficult for manufacturers to
anticipate the swings in RC Combat. Change is good, but no one ever
said change was easy.
JK Aerotech (10800 SE Orient Dr., Boring OR 97009; Tel.: [503]
663-4081; E-mail: [email protected]) has expanded its line of
kits to meet the changing scene in RC Combat. The kits are of cutfoam-
and-tape construction with durable Coroplast tails.
For 2610 Scale, the company offers the P-51 Mustang in either
razorback or bubbletop versions; the F4U Corsair; the Mitsubishi A6M
Zero; the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A; the long-spanned Fw Ta 152H with an
impressive 51-inch span; the P-47 Thunderbolt which can be built as
the early razorback, the better-known bubbletop, or the late-war N
version with squared wingtips and the revised tail outline; and the
diminutive MiG-3.
JK Aerotech also has a new line called the Fat Bird series, designed
for Scale SSC. The first kit in the Fat Bird series is a P-51 Mustang. It
spans 63 inches and has 600 square inches of wing area. As are the
2610 kits, the Mustang is of cut-foam-and-tape construction.
With dimensions similar to the Fat Bird Mustang, two other Scale
SSC kits—the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and the Curtiss SB2C
Helldiver—are also available.
The already “fat” appearance of the Helldiver (which was the result
of the Navy’s insistence that two Helldivers had to be able to fit on the
carrier’s elevator at the same time—a misguided requirement that was
to haunt the Helldiver for its entire service life) fits in well with the Fat
Bird designs, making a recognizable Helldiver in what some would call
“cartoon” Scale.
Another active manufacturer that is making SSC Scale, SSC, and
Open B models is Hat Trick Enterprises (W 8530 CTH S, Beaver Dam
WI 53916; E-mail: vvrccomb@fdldot
net.com [the E-mail address begins with two
“v”s—not a “w”]; Web site: www.hattrick
rc.com). For Scale SSC, Hat Trick offers the
P-51 Mustang, the Messerschmitt Me 109,
the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Hawker
Hurricane, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the
F4U Corsair, and the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
All SSC Scale models have cut-foam
fuselages with fiberglass reinforcing rods,
Coroplast tail feathers, and cut-foam wings
with LE reinforcements. For Open Class B
and SSC, Hat Trick offers the Bat Trick and
the more closely coupled Choker and Mini-
Choker Combat designs.
Because of its longer fuselage, the Bat
Trick is suggested as a first Combat airplane,
but the company’s informative and helpful
Web site offers details about how you can
convert the Hat Trick to a Choker as your
flying skills increase.
All of the Hat Trick designs have proven
to be competitive in Combat, and it is hard to
beat the service that Hat Trick supplies to
RC Combat fliers.
Yet another manufacturer with well-proven
designs and a focus on Open Combat is
TEAMseaholm (704 NE Aaron Dr., Lee’s
Summit MO 64086; Tel.: [816] 686-4808; Email:
[email protected]; Web site:
www.teamseaholm.com).
The company manufactures and flies the
Avenger 964, the Avenger 972, and the
Avenger 972S. The 964 has a 64-inch
wingspan, and the 972 has a 72-inch
wingspan. The 972S also has a 72-inch
wingspan, but it features a revised airfoil and
engine mount for SSC.
All of the Avenger kits share similar
construction, with wings of cut foam with
fiberglass spars and LE reinforcement; CNCcut
G10 composite basswood/high-density
polyethylene (HDPE) fuselages, and
Coroplast tail groups. All are extremely
competitive designs that, when teamed with
the right pilot, have placed well in RC
Combat meets.
A nice feature that TEAMseaholm offers
is a complete, illustrated, step-by-step
construction guide on its Web site, which
greatly simplifies construction for the builder.
LanierRC (Box 458, Oakwood GA 30566;
Tel.: (770) 532-6401; Web site:
www.lanierrc.com) is another company
focusing on Open B and SSC designs. It kits
the 68.5-inch-wingspan Slasher for Open B
and the 60.5-inch-wingspan Ripper for SSC.
Both kits feature cut-foam wings with
fiberglass spars and a reinforced, vacuumformed
plastic LE, an HDPE fuselage with
laser-cut plywood parts, and an Aero-Flute
Plastix tail group.
With contemporary RC Combat design,
the Ripper and Slasher could be hard to
distinguish in the air from other designs if it
were not for their distinctive wingtip plates.
Lanier estimates that it will take only three to
six hours of build time to get either the Ripper
or the Slasher into the air.
War Zone (17 Essla Dr., Rochester NY
14612; Tel.: [585] 227-0592; E-mail:
[email protected]; Web site:
www.rccombat.com/sections/manufacturers/
manufacturers.htm) continues to make Scale
models for the 2610 event. The company
offers the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, the
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the Curtiss P-36
Hawk, the Kawasaki Ki-84 Frank, and the
Grumman F8F Bearcat.
All War Zone kits have cut-foam wings
and fuselages, vacuum-formed canopies,
cowls made from flexible PETG plastic, and
balsa tail feathers. As have a number of others
mentioned, the War Zone kits have been in
production for sometime, and all of them have
proven to be good-flying models capable of
being competitive in a Scale Combat match.
I’m out of space and I didn’t even get to
finish a complete list of kit manufacturers. I
will have to continue the list later.
Until next time, start building for the meet
in Paris, Texas; fly safely; and always check
your six! MA