112 MODEL AVIATION
A look at the completed Balsa USA 1/4-scale Spad 13
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Lou Cetrangelo’s gorgeous 1/4-scale Spad 13. The Balsa
USA kit comes with top-notch die-cut parts and wood
selection and a comprehensive instruction manual.
The scale details included in the Spad 13 kit add to its overall
realism.
Also included in this column:
• Meister Scale P-47 propeller
• Making fiberglass parts using
blue foam
Increase your Scale static scores by adding Meister Scale’s nice
four-blade propeller-and-hub combination to your P-47.
The author made a blue-foam cylinder, tail-cone shape, and
fiberglass tail cone to fabricate the I-16’s tail cone.
THE BALSA USA 1/4-scale Spad 13 is
complete—except for the pilot figure—and is
ready for flight. I included a couple photos of
Lou Cetrangelo’s (Saint James, New York)
beautifully finished airplane. It is modeled after
Second Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr.’s S.15202 27th
Aero Squadron Spad XIII from September 1918.
The model is powered by a Moki 50cc four-stroke ignition gasoline
engine swinging a Scimitar 22 x 10 propeller. The kit and accessories
can be purchased from Balsa USA. The Spad 13 kit is the company’s
latest in its popular line of 1/4- and 1/3-scale World War I model kits.
Although the Spad is slightly more labor-intensive than some of
Balsa USA’s other 1/4-scale offerings, the die-cut parts, wood selection,
and comprehensive instruction manual are top-notch.
As you can see in the close-up photograph, the scale detail parts
included in the kit add to the model’s overall realism. The bombs
(dropped by a switch on the transmitter) that Lou added were not part
of the kit. For more information, please see the source listing.
At roughly 135 mph the full-scale Spad XIII was faster than the
Sopwith Camel and the Fokker D.VII, which were the leading
fighter/pursuit aircraft at the time. The Spad was well known for its
durability and diving ability. It could dive at approximately 250 mph;
however, its maneuverability and gliding characteristics were inferior. It
has been reported that with power off or engine out, the Spad XIII had
the “gliding angle of a brick.”
The engines were notoriously unreliable. In addition, the aircraft
would stall sharply at low speeds, which made it difficult for novice
pilots to land safely.
On the other hand, the Spad was an excellent, stable gun platform
and could withstand its share of punishment. The airplane became the
favorite of American Ace Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, who scored
many of his 26 victories in the Spad XIII.
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:11 AM Page 112
April 2008 113
A dowel was glued into the blue-foam cylinder, attached to a
cordless drill, and then sanded to the desired tail-cone shape.
West System epoxy is great for making fiberglass parts, and the
optional pump makes mixing the resin and hardener easy.
The aircraft was produced by the thousands—roughly
8,500—by the end of 1918. Contracts were issued for 6,000
more to be produced under license in the US; however, at the
end of hostilities the contract was canceled.
The Spad XIII gained air superiority for the Allies until the
arrival of the Fokker D.VII, which some claim to be the finest
fighter of the Great War.
If you like to compete with your Scale model, it might help you
to know that one of the often overlooked details of such aircraft
is the propeller. To increase your static score, a scale-size
propeller and hub/spinner is certainly a good way to start. After
all, it’s what comes first on any model.
If you have a Meister Scale P-47 Thunderbolt, you’re in luck.
Meister now offers a scale four-blade propeller-and-hub combination
that will dress up your P-47 nicely. For more information about this
product and the rest of Meister Scale’s fine offerings, see the
information in the source listing.
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:32 AM Page 113
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 112,113
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 112,113
112 MODEL AVIATION
A look at the completed Balsa USA 1/4-scale Spad 13
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Lou Cetrangelo’s gorgeous 1/4-scale Spad 13. The Balsa
USA kit comes with top-notch die-cut parts and wood
selection and a comprehensive instruction manual.
The scale details included in the Spad 13 kit add to its overall
realism.
Also included in this column:
• Meister Scale P-47 propeller
• Making fiberglass parts using
blue foam
Increase your Scale static scores by adding Meister Scale’s nice
four-blade propeller-and-hub combination to your P-47.
The author made a blue-foam cylinder, tail-cone shape, and
fiberglass tail cone to fabricate the I-16’s tail cone.
THE BALSA USA 1/4-scale Spad 13 is
complete—except for the pilot figure—and is
ready for flight. I included a couple photos of
Lou Cetrangelo’s (Saint James, New York)
beautifully finished airplane. It is modeled after
Second Lieutenant Frank Luke Jr.’s S.15202 27th
Aero Squadron Spad XIII from September 1918.
The model is powered by a Moki 50cc four-stroke ignition gasoline
engine swinging a Scimitar 22 x 10 propeller. The kit and accessories
can be purchased from Balsa USA. The Spad 13 kit is the company’s
latest in its popular line of 1/4- and 1/3-scale World War I model kits.
Although the Spad is slightly more labor-intensive than some of
Balsa USA’s other 1/4-scale offerings, the die-cut parts, wood selection,
and comprehensive instruction manual are top-notch.
As you can see in the close-up photograph, the scale detail parts
included in the kit add to the model’s overall realism. The bombs
(dropped by a switch on the transmitter) that Lou added were not part
of the kit. For more information, please see the source listing.
At roughly 135 mph the full-scale Spad XIII was faster than the
Sopwith Camel and the Fokker D.VII, which were the leading
fighter/pursuit aircraft at the time. The Spad was well known for its
durability and diving ability. It could dive at approximately 250 mph;
however, its maneuverability and gliding characteristics were inferior. It
has been reported that with power off or engine out, the Spad XIII had
the “gliding angle of a brick.”
The engines were notoriously unreliable. In addition, the aircraft
would stall sharply at low speeds, which made it difficult for novice
pilots to land safely.
On the other hand, the Spad was an excellent, stable gun platform
and could withstand its share of punishment. The airplane became the
favorite of American Ace Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, who scored
many of his 26 victories in the Spad XIII.
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:11 AM Page 112
April 2008 113
A dowel was glued into the blue-foam cylinder, attached to a
cordless drill, and then sanded to the desired tail-cone shape.
West System epoxy is great for making fiberglass parts, and the
optional pump makes mixing the resin and hardener easy.
The aircraft was produced by the thousands—roughly
8,500—by the end of 1918. Contracts were issued for 6,000
more to be produced under license in the US; however, at the
end of hostilities the contract was canceled.
The Spad XIII gained air superiority for the Allies until the
arrival of the Fokker D.VII, which some claim to be the finest
fighter of the Great War.
If you like to compete with your Scale model, it might help you
to know that one of the often overlooked details of such aircraft
is the propeller. To increase your static score, a scale-size
propeller and hub/spinner is certainly a good way to start. After
all, it’s what comes first on any model.
If you have a Meister Scale P-47 Thunderbolt, you’re in luck.
Meister now offers a scale four-blade propeller-and-hub combination
that will dress up your P-47 nicely. For more information about this
product and the rest of Meister Scale’s fine offerings, see the
information in the source listing.
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:32 AM Page 113