CL Scale
Bill Boss, 77-06 269th St., New Hyde Park NY 11040
WRAM Show 2000
The 32nd annual WRAM Show 2000 was held Friday, February 25 to Sunday, February 27, at the Westchester County Center, White Plains NY.
Sponsored by the Westchester Radio Aero Modelers, the show was blessed with fairly good weather, which helped to bring out a considerable number of modelers for a firsthand look at what more than 200 vendors had to offer.
There were models on display for the static competition (not quite as many as in the past), the usual AMA District II meeting, and a number of seminars that covered topics such as:
- Getting Started with Electric Aircraft
- High-Power Electric Airplanes
- Working with MonoKote®
Anyone who attended last year's show saw a great 30-foot working scale model of the U.S.S. Forrestal (CVA/CV-59/AVT 59). This year, the show's management outdid itself by having a full-scale Fokker Triplane from the Rhinebeck Air Museum, Rhinebeck NY; it was said to have been flown by Cole Palen in the 1980s during weekend shows.
One of the main reasons for visiting the show is to see, and say hello to, some of those modeling friends that you only see once in a while. I also try to find an item or two that might be of interest to Control Line (CL) Scale readers.
Harry B. Higley & Sons
Harry and Cora Higley were on hand with their large display of unique tools and great modeling books that help you build your models more easily.
Harry has informed me that this year's WRAM Show will be the last for them. Harry and Cora have decided that the work, effort, and long travel have gotten to be too much. However, for the time being they will continue to do the Toledo show and some of the shows close to home.
Although you won't be able to pick up those specialty items at the WRAM Show anymore, you will be able to order from the Higleys' catalog and through their Web site.
For a catalog of Harry's unique modeling tools, send three dollar bills to: Harry B. Higley & Sons, Inc., Box 532, Glenwood IL 60425. You can also find a listing of his tools at: http://members.aol.com/harryhig
Major Decals
Major Decals has a few items in its great assortment of pressure-sensitive and water-transfer decals that might be of interest.
- Sheets of water-transfer kill markings and bombing missions are provided on 6½ x 4½-inch sheets, covering kills for German, American, Japanese aircraft, tanks, ships, and bombing missions. The decals are intended for 1/4-, 1/5-, 1/6-, and 1/8-scale aircraft.
- The marking sheets are provided half in black and half in white.
- A great assortment of propeller decals is also available for the scales mentioned above.
The propeller decal list includes:
- Pratt & Whitney
- Falcon (originally Fahlin)
- McCauley™
- Hamilton Standard
- Hartzell
- Sensenich
- Axial
- Dowel Rotol
- Mt-Propellor (Aerobatic)
Major Decals has more than 1,100 decals in its catalog. For details on the full line, write to: Major Decals in care of Northeast Screen Graphics, Box 304, East Longmeadow MA 01028; Tel.: (413) 425-4110.
Model Kits
If you're interested in something with the semiscale look, and for beginners in your club, consider the conversion of Hobby Lobby International, Inc.'s "Plug and Fly" Electric models, intended for Radio Control (RC).
Available kits:
- Spad S1.3 biplane — 31-inch wingspan
- Pfalz D.III biplane — 36-inch wingspan
- Fokker Dr.I triplane — 28-inch wingspan
Most of the model parts are preformed, made of wood and hard foam. The body and tail of each kit is prepainted. With some ingenuity in installing a two-line bellcrank and a single-channel servo-driver system to control the electric motor (almost silent flying), these models would be great for flying at the local schoolyard or flying site.
Electric-drive systems are also available from Hobby Lobby: 5614 Franklin Pike Cir., Brentwood TN 37027; Web site: www.hobby-lobby.com.
For more advanced scale models, Top Flite® has its Gold Editions of WWII fighter kits that convert very nicely to excellent-flying CL models. Models include:
- P-47D Thunderbolt
- P-51B Mustang
- P-51D Mustang
- P-39 Airacobra
- F4U Corsair
- P-40E Warhawk
- Spitfire Mk IX
- Douglas DC-3
Each model has a wingspan of approximately 63 inches and, when powered with a .60 engine, weighs in the eight- to ten-pound range. The models are well-suited for the standard three-line bellcrank system, multichannel electronic system, or a combination. Options include cockpit interior kits, fuel drop-tanks, static display props, and replica radial engines.
Gold Edition models can be obtained from most hobby shops and mail-order catalogs. For full details, visit the Top Flite Web site: www.top-flite.com.
Ni-Cd Batteries
If you need Ni-Cd batteries for your model's electronic system, engine starter, camcorder, computer, photographic equipment, or telephone, Batteries America has one of the largest selections available.
For full details, visit: www.batteriesamerica.com, or write to: Batteries America, 2211-D Parkview Rd., Middleton WI 53562.
Contest Activity
- The Philly Flyers CL club will be hosting a Scale and Stunt contest at the Willow Grove (PA) Naval Air Station on Sunday, July 30.
The Philly Flyers have held Stunt contests in the past, but this will be the first at which they will be offering Scale events. Scale categories will be Fun, Sport, and Profile; Sport and Profile will be combined. Should the Scale events draw sufficient contestants, future contests will offer the events in separate classes.
Al and Mary Knight of the Garden State Circle Burners club (NJ) are experienced in Scale events and will be helping the Philly Flyers by running the Scale events and acting as contest judges.
For those living in or around Philadelphia and the southern areas of New Jersey, here is an opportunity to show support for CL Scale by participating in this contest. Awards will be given for first, second, and third places.
For full contest details, contact Contest Director (CD) Bob Zambelli at: 285 Parkview Dr., Souderton PA 18964; Tel.: (215) 721-6593.
I'll try to report on this meet in a future column.
- The Skyliners club will offer the Indiana/Kentucky Stunt and Scale Championships at the Clark County Airport, Sellersburg IN, August 5-6. In addition to Precision, Classic, and Old-Time Stunt, Sport, Profile, and Fun Scale events will be offered.
For full contest details, contact CD Byron Barker: 407 Mt. Tabor Rd., New Albany IN 47150; Tel.: (812) 944-8511.
Byron also sent information on engine reworks and various building tools and kits he has to offer. For a product list, send a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to: Byron Barker, 2101 Logan Ave., New Albany IN 47150.
Workshop Hint
A workshop hint taken from the Indy Sportliners club newsletter (originally found in the Signal Squeaker newsletter) tells how to make a flexible sanding block.
Jerry Wingo suggests that with a supply of sandpaper and inexpensive self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles, you can make custom-sized and custom-shaped sanding blocks.
Steps:
- Cut a piece of tile to the size needed for the particular job.
- Peel off the paper protecting the adhesive, and apply sandpaper with a grit of your choice.
- Trim the sandpaper as necessary.
The vinyl is fairly flexible and will conform nicely to simple curves, such as wing camber. An advantage of using this type of homemade sander is that flat spots are not as likely to be produced as they are with a regular sanding block. Another advantage is that a 10- or 12-inch square tile can be used to make several sanders.
Please send ideas, notice of upcoming CL Scale events, contest reports, and especially photos of CL Scale activity to me at the address at the top of this column.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
