134 MODEL AVIATION
SAME OL’ STUFF: Many parts of the
country are deep into winter and it’s
building season. In other areas, such as
Southern California and Arizona, the best
part of the flying season is just around the
corner.
You could build another J-3 Cub; a
Cessna single-engine civil aircraft; a
warbird such as a P-51 Mustang, a Corsair,
an Fw 190, or an Me 109; a World War I
fighter such as a Fokker D.VII or a Sopwith
Pup; a Fokker Dr.I from one of the many kit
manufacturers; or other common choices.
Although these are tried-and-true Scale
models, many of them are what you hear
about at the field as the “same ol’ stuff!”
You might spend all winter building your
new baby, get to the field or a contest with it
in the spring, and have several modelers
show up with the same model with the same
color scheme. It happens!
Why not try something different for your
next Scale project? A host of scale designers
and companies draw plans and have kitcutting
businesses out there for aircraft that
aren’t so commonly seen at Scale meetings.
Or you could really go out on a limb and
build a Scale flying boat. Plans are available
for the PBY Catalina and the Grumman
Goose. But there are also plans available for
many other types and sizes of Scale models.
Remember the ordinary single-engine
Cessna I mentioned? Try a Cessna T-50
Bobcat with, say, a 100-inch span instead. It
flies nicely with a pair of Zenoah G-23
engines, and the innovations in electric
Stan Alexander, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL SCALE
Fairchild 24K displayed at Oshkosh WI—the inline version of the more common
Fairchild 24—would make a great model, especially with the extra nose area.
The Van’s RV-4 taxis out to the active runway for another flight. These small aircraft
make excellent models, with simple, easy-to-replicate color schemes.
power may make this a candidate for a
conversion. Don Smith designs plans for
this model and wood kits are available, as
are the nacelles and other bits and pieces for
it.
Another one of Don’s more obscure
aircraft is the Japanese Nakajima Ki-27
“Nate”: a 1930s-era fighter with fixed gear.
Some of the other models you don’t see
every day are the Douglas A-26 Invader, the
Junkers Ju 88, the Lavochkin La-7, and the
Heinkel He 51 biplane (another 1930s fighter).
Nick Ziroli Plans has been around for as
long as I can remember. He has the standard
group of fighters and Giant Scale models
you see in competitions and fly-ins, but he
also has plans for kits you don’t see too
often, such as the Junkers Ju 87B Stuka.
This is the earlier version of the Stuka.
Another of Nick’s recent designs is the
Erco Ercoupe, which is a nice low-wing
aircraft with tricycle gear and an 80-inch
wingspan. It would make a great first
airplane for Scale competition. He also
designed a beautiful Ryan NYP—a large
model many know as the Spirit of St. Louis.
His company offers semikits, parts, gear,
and lots of other great stuff.
If you like World War I aircraft and
don’t want the usual Pup or Nieuport for
your next project, check out Bob Holman
Plans. He offers semikits, or just cutting
ribs, for his models, and most of the parts
are laser-cut.
Some of his uncommon model offerings
include the Westland Widgeon; the Avro
Tutor; the Henschel Hs 126; the Pfalz
D.XII; the Boulton Paul Defiant; the Fiat
C.R.32; the Bücker Bü.131 Jungmann
(inline engine); the Albatros C.III
observation scout; the twin-boom, twin-tail
Fw 189; and the Bristol Beaufort light
bomber.
I have given you just a small sampling of
what is out there, from just a few of the
plans companies. I’ll have more ideas in the
future about building models of rare
subjects. Watch someone send me a photo of
10 Ryan NYPs lined up at a fly-in!
Included are photos I’ve taken of some
different aircraft. Perhaps you could try a
D.H.71 racer. It’s a one-off airplane that de
Havilland built in the 1930s to win in its class.
The pilot had to have a fairly small frame to
fit inside the cockpit. Or the Howard DGA-6
“Mister Mulligan” Monocoupe racer from the
1930s would be an interesting choice.
Shown is an inline-Ranger-powered
Fairchild 24K from British Columbia,
Canada. I photographed it at Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, a few years ago because I’d never
seen one like this with the inline engine. The
24K is pretty, with clean lines; it begs to be
modeled.
The red-and-cream Culver Cadet among classic aircraft at Oshkosh. It features slats,
retracts, and a fairly good cruising rate on a small Franklin engine.The NASA Scale Resource Guide is a
terrific place to look for various scale
sources and documentation.
Van’s RV series of experimental homebuilt
kits is a popular aircraft line. The RV-4,
with the tandem cockpit for pilot and passenger, is intended to be a cross-country
and an aerobatic airplane with a good cruise
rate. The RV-4 shown is gray and white, with
a black pinstripe and a yellow spinner. This is
a striking color scheme.
The 1940 Culver Cadet is another blast
from the past. Manny Sousa has been
campaigning his for several years; he
represented the USA at the 2004 Scale World
Championships with the 1⁄4-scale model of
NC29264, which has a long and striking
history. It’s sort of an odd aircraft, with
retracts but no flaps. It flies great!
Bookshelf: The National Association of
Scale Aeromodelers has published the
NASA Scale Resource Guide for many years.
The eighth edition, for 2004, was a great
undertaking by NASA member Gary Parenti.
He completed a valuable document for all
Scale modelers by compiling, updating, and
listing a multitude of sources for three-views,
aviation-book dealers, documentation,
government agencies, kit cutters, libraries,
museums, specialized organizations, photos,
scale construction plans, Web sites, etc. The
neat thing about this publication is that it’s
free with a paid NASA membership, which
is $15 (USA).
Another must-see is volume 4 of Dave
Platt’s Advanced Building Techniques, which
is the fourth installment covering the Vought
Kingfisher that Dave (or “Uncle Dave,” as
some of us call him) designed and built. This
series of DVDs and VHS tapes is valuable
for any Scale modeler—or any modeler, for
that matter.
This latest volume includes the model’s
final assembly, cockpit construction, canopy,
simulated fabric covering, and the
weathering differences on different parts of
the aircraft. Dave shows you how to make a
gun ring and the machine gun, and he takes
you on a tour of his documentation packet
and his trip to the Toledo R/C Expo with the
Kingfisher.
Check out this installment, and keep this
and the other volumes to review for your
next Scale project. Dave might save you
from making some of the common building
mistakes on your Scale models.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Sources:
Don Smith Plans
7445 Texas Tr.
Boca Raton FL 33487
(561) 989-9113
www.donsmithplans.com
Bob Holman Plans
Box 741
San Bernardino CA 92404
(909) 885-3959
[email protected]
www.bhplans.com
Nick Ziroli Plans
29 Edgar Dr.
Smithtown NY 11787
(631) 467-4765
www.ziroliplans.com
National Association of Scale Aeromodelers
Bonnie Rediske, secretary/treasurer
128 Darnley Dr.
Moon Township PA 15108
[email protected]
Dave Platt Models
1306 Havre NW
Palm Bay FL 32907
(321) 724-2144
www.daveplattmodels.com