CL Scale
Bill Boss, 77-06 269th St., New Hyde Park NY 11040
2001 Scale Nationals
The 2001 Scale Nationals will take place July 6–8 at the AMA flying site in Muncie, IN. The Scale competitions—Radio Control (RC) and Control Line (CL)—will be hosted by the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA).
The F4B and F4C FAI events will also be held this year and will be integrated into the RC and CL Scale competitions. These events will be used as U.S. team qualifiers for the 2002 Scale World Championships in Canada.
Running the FAI event with the Scale Nationals instead of holding a separate event may have a positive influence on the overall Scale competition. Modelers entering Scale events will not be forced to choose between attending FAI trials or the AMA Scale Nationals from a cost standpoint, since all Scale events will be held during the same time period.
Modelers entering Scale events other than FAI will also be able to see firsthand what it takes to enter and participate in the FAI events. Running the events together should encourage those who might not have considered FAI competition to give it a try. The overall objective is to encourage more FAI participation and, in the long run, produce stronger World Championships Scale teams for the United States.
For persons interested in the F4B and F4C events, the new FAI rule book can be obtained from AMA Headquarters or from the AMA website link to the CIAM (International Aeromodelling Committee) web page.
CL Scale Events
The CL Scale events offered are:
- 509 Sport Scale
- 508 Precision Scale
- 510 F4B (FAI)
- 521 Profile
A NASA flyer notes that Profile Scale will have Junior, Senior, and Open classes.
CL Team Scale will be offered as an unofficial event and is sponsored by the Queen City U-Control club of Ohio. For details about this new event and its rules, refer to the author’s May 2001 column.
Schedule
- Static judging: Friday, July 6, 8 a.m., Horizon Convention Center (continues until finished).
- Flight competition: Saturday, July 7, 8 a.m. (finishes at 4 p.m.).
- Flight competition continues: Sunday, July 8, 8 a.m. (flies until finished).
- Awards: Following completion of the flight competition.
- NASA banquet: Saturday evening at the Horizon Convention Center.
Contacts
For full details on the Scale Nationals, contact:
- Steve Kaluf, AMA Technical Director, AMA Headquarters.
- Stan Alexander, NASA president — 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville, TN 37211; Tel.: (615) 834-1879.
- Ed Culver, CL Scale events — 120 Tammy Dr., Garner, NC; Tel.: (919) 553-0577.
- Dale Arvin, RC Scale events — 3428 Jeff-Chalestown, Jeffersonville, IN 47130; Tel.: (812) 284-3504.
NASA reminds you that the Signature Inn is the Scale Nationals headquarters. When you sign in at any of the hotels that AMA has listed, tell the desk clerk that you are with the AMA and the delegates to the Nationals to receive special room rates.
Have a most successful time at this year's Scale Nationals.
Product Spotlight: Sears 3D Sander
Have you wanted a tool that works well for most sanding chores related to model building? The new 3D Sander from Sears® might fit the bill.
- The tool has three rotating sanding discs approximately 1½ inches in diameter and conform to convex or concave surfaces with roughly a four-inch radius.
- Weight: 1.1 pounds — can be held and speed-controlled with one hand.
- The swiveling discs (backing pads) attach with a snap-on arrangement and have a Velcro™ surface for fine, medium, or coarse sanding discs.
- Rated at 0.5 amperes at 120 volts, six-foot cord, no-load speed range 800–2,600 rpm.
- Cost: under $50. Additional discs and backup pad packs are available.
- Combination sanding-disc packs: 21 pieces — nine medium, six fine, six coarse; replacement backup pads: three per pack. Each pack costs approximately $6.
If you’re not concerned about the cost of additional backup pads, consider having three sets prepped for fine, medium, and coarse sanding discs to make grit changes easier. Working with the sander is easy; with practice you can sand small or narrow items with one or two discs.
Safety: Take proper workshop precautions — wear eye protection and a face mask to keep sanding dust out of your eyes and nose. Have a vacuum handy to pick up dust quickly.
Model Showcase: Kawasaki Ki-45 Kai Toryu (Art Weber)
I’ll run Jim’s photos with another great-looking scratch-built Profile model by Art Weber (Brookfield) WD.
- Subject: Kawasaki Ki-45 Kai Toryu (Japanese two-seat fighter).
- Power: Two OS Max .25s, controlled with a standard three-line system.
- Model span: 58 inches; weight: five pounds.
- Construction note: Art took advantage of the one-inch fuselage rule to conceal the elevator-control system, producing a cleaner-looking model. One photo shows how he hid and constructed the fuselage, which may help others considering one-inch-fuselage construction.
History excerpt:
- The first of Japan's Kawasaki Ki-45 Kai twin-engine fighters was introduced in 1939. Several versions were produced over the next three years, with quantity production beginning in early 1942.
- A prototype of the "Hien" was evaluated by the Japanese. The Ki-45 Kai had a wingspan of 49 feet 3½ inches; a length of 34 feet 9½ inches; a maximum takeoff weight of 11,632 pounds; a speed of 340 mph; and a range of 952 miles. Total production of the A, B, and C models (including prototypes) was 1,701 units.
- The B model had some success against Allied shipping, and the C model was credited with destroying a number of American Liberators in the Southwest Pacific and Superfortresses over the Japanese home islands.
- Japanese name: Ki-45 Kai "Toryu"; Allies code-named it "Nick."
Workmanship and Finish
There are times when scale warbirds do not require a shiny finish. Getting a dull or matte finish is easy when painting, but what about achieving it with shiny ribbed coverings?
The following idea was taken from the Indy Sportliners newsletter, which obtained it from the Gullwing Club at the Sequim RC Aeromodelers, Sequim, WA.
- Scuff the ribbed covering surface with a Scotch-Brite® pad, steel wool, or very fine wet-and-dry sandpaper.
- It is best to scuff the covering before the backing is removed and the covering is applied to the aircraft.
- Use a very smooth surface for scuffing — a sheet of extremely clean glass works well.
- If you scuff the covering in two directions about 50° to each other, the result is an interesting surface.
- Match the covering pattern to metal panels or hatches of the full-scale aircraft to produce a more realistic appearance.
- Try the process on a sample covering before committing to the aircraft.
Closing
Please send ideas, notice of upcoming CL Scale events, contest reports, and 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.
