FREE FLIGHT SPORT and SCALE
Fernando Ramos, 19361 Mesa Dr., Villa Park CA 92861; E-mail: [email protected]
It's hard to believe that I'm actually building my entry for next year's Flying Aces Club (FAC) Nationals (Nats). I usually wait until the end of the year before getting started.
For the first time, I have access to a flying site that has two-foot-high grass in March. You asked about the ideal conditions for test flying, and that is it! So that is my incentive for getting my model(s) completed by March of next year.
The subject I have chosen is not important, but the drawings I am using have given me more places of errors to pass along. As I have mentioned, there are many areas to look at before you start cutting wood.
My subject is a biplane—with many bells and whistles. This model has a lower center section, which has to be built permanently onto the fuselage.
As I was checking the drawings for accuracy, I learned that the wing panels were not on the same plane in reference to each other. When I laid a straightedge across the wings' leading edges, they did not lay on a straight line.
Had I not paid attention, I would have built both wing panels and center section, only to have them totally out of alignment.
I don't blame the designer because I know that distortion can come into play during the copying process, but awareness is certainly prudent.
Even though both wing panels were shown, I chose to use one side, turning the plan over and spraying it with a light oil in order to see the mirror image of the wing. This assures uniformity.
The drawings show all the cross-sections of the fuselage, including the bulkheads. I built the two fuselage sides in the normal manner, using the plan view for the cross-sections.
However, when I started cutting the bulkheads, they were not close to the cross-section as depicted by the plan view. This is no big deal, but it does reinforce that "awareness" is the byword.
When you start a new scratch-built model from plans only, be aware of the areas I pointed out previously and the two I just mentioned.
Research and References
One of the greatest joys of being a Scale modeler is the time you spend researching a certain airplane. Going through old magazines and books really gets the juices flowing. The problem is that when you research, you encounter a few dozen more subjects you want to build.
I'm going to pass along a few sources I use for reference, all of which are currently available. I have been collecting magazines and books for a very long time, many of which are no longer in print.
I will not mention references for World War II aircraft, since they are abundant and are available through many different sources.
I love World War I aircraft, and there is a fair amount of information for this particular era.
A gentleman came by my hangar one Saturday, went to the trunk of his car, and pulled out the rudder of a full-scale Nieuport 11! He wanted to know if I would be interested in covering his project.
I thought he had to be kidding; this is one of my favorite WW I aircraft!
This man built a 1/4-scale model of the Nieuport, and he liked it so much that he had the plans enlarged to full scale!
He is a retired cabinetmaker, so the airplane is made entirely from spruce and plywood. I have covered the tail, and am waiting until the rest of the airplane is completed. He is getting very close.
He acquired a 90-horsepower Warner for the powerplant.
His intention with the completed airplane is to taxi it fast enough to just get it airborne, put it back down, then donate it to a museum. I will have to get pictures to show you how a full-scale model looks.
At one time, profiles, as individual copies or bound volumes, were the real ticket for views and photographs of a particular aircraft.
Since then, datafiles have left most other publications in the dust. They have covered a majority of the most popular aircraft of the Great War and some rather obscure airplanes that are not modeled very often.
There are excellent four- and five-views with much detail, and many detail photographs. Datafiles are, in essence, published for the Scale modeler.
A good source is Squadron/Signal Publications, which covers numerous WW I aircraft. This company has a good three-view, with all the pertinent specifications, many color renditions, and a variety of good photographs that show great detail.
Windsock Datafiles specialize in WW I. They cover particular aircraft thoroughly, with magnificent drawings. They feature obscure aircraft and the more popular ones. I believe they cater mostly to the plastic fraternity, critiquing the various plastic WW I kits that are available.
Plastic kits are one sure way to get loads of detail about a particular model. Unfortunately, not many of the WW I plastic kits I have seen are much larger than 1/72 scale. These are really tiny models for WW I.
WW I Aero is a fine journal that covers the early airplane. This quarterly publication goes way back, with information that cannot be found anywhere else. There is also a wealth of documentation on WW I aircraft.
WW I Aero includes full-scale projects being built around the country and a section that deals with WW I models. The journal often has photos of instrument panels and other hard-to-find details, and articles that provide you with many other sources for WW I aircraft. This publication is a must-have if this era is of interest to you.
Putnam is a well-known publisher in the UK, and has books that cover many different manufacturers, such as Avro, de Havilland, Miles, Handley Page, Fairey, etc. These books have gone up in price since the days I acquired mine, but they have a great deal of documentation that can be used, and there are three-views for most of the aircraft featured.
Each publication covers the first aircraft of each manufacturer through to WW II, between the wars, WW II, and even includes jets.
The hard part is finding documentation for the time between the end of WW I and the beginning of WW II, which includes the Golden Age. Why do I say that's the hard part? Because it's difficult to find good documentation for American aircraft in this time span. When was the last time you saw great documentation on, say, a Fairchild 22 or 24, or any of the beautiful WACO biplanes?
Scale modelers might be familiar with the ATC (Approved Type Certificate) books written by Joseph Jupier. Can you imagine the wealth of subjects to build if there were three-views for the magnificent airplanes featured?
The majority of subjects at the FAC Nats are not the wonderful aircraft featured in the Jupiter books. There are exceptions, but not many. If you know of some good sources for these aircraft, please let me know so I can pass on the information.
Since I love this time period, what do I do? I build British aircraft. Do you want to build a Puss Moth, a Hornet Moth, a Gypsy Moth, a Tiger Moth, etc.? I could go on for pages about those subjects alone. There is an abundance of information about them, from three-views to photographs to color documentation.
The British have many airplanes that are homely, but have character. I have built several versions of the ABC Robin. It's ugly, but it's loaded with charisma.
Can an airplane have charisma? Not only that, it is a great flier!
Probably 80% of my Scale models are of British aircraft.
The best magazine for full-scale aircraft is the British publication Aeroplane Monthly. This great magazine has become even better since it has a new editor. It's mostly in color, and it covers the period from WW I to WW II, and everything in between.
Aeroplane Monthly recently featured the de Havilland Leopard Moth and the Sopwith Dolphin. Along with great drawings, there is history, photos, pilot reports, etc. We don't see that in magazines in this country.
This publication covers many of the great air battles of WW II, and what it was like to fly the various aircraft during the war. It also includes restorations that are being done around the world.
Where to Find Publications
- Windsock Datafiles: Hannan's Runway, Box 210, Magalia CA 95954; Tel.: (916) 873-6421. Bill Hannan also carries many interesting aviation books.
- Windsock Datafiles (alternate/order): Wise Owl Worldwide Publications, 1926 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Suite 204, Redondo Beach CA 90277; Tel.: (310) 944-5033. This company also handles subscriptions to Aeroplane Monthly and many British model magazines.
- Squadron/Signal Publications: 1115 Crowley Dr., Carrollton TX 75011. (I don't have the telephone number.)
- WW I Aero (World War I Aeroplanes, Inc.): quarterly, $30 minimum per year. Send money to Leo Opdycke, World War I Aeroplanes, Inc., 15 Crescent Rd., Poughkeepsie NY 12601; Tel.: (845) 473-3679.
- World War I Aeroplanes, Inc. also publishes the quarterly Skyways, The Journal of the Airplane (1920–1940).
Bookstores that I shop from time to time are not too big on aircraft books or magazines. However, plastic-model shops usually have a plethora of great books and magazines. Fortunately, there is a plastic-model shop not too far from where I live. That's where I get all of my Squadron/Signal and Putnam publications.
If you know of other sources, let me know so I can pass them on.
Decals and Markings
I have been experimenting with decals — the genuine water-slide variety. (Some kit manufacturers call for vinyl-type decals in their ads, which you just stick on—ugh!)
I have painted decal paper, cut out letters and numbers, then attached them to a surface after dipping them in water. I'll share how I do this and why.
I normally prefer to make a stencil and spray on the registration, etc. This looks the best. However, there are times when it doesn't work out.
I recently completed a sport model of a Swiss aircraft, the Comte. It is totally red, with white registration. If you spray white over red, most of the time you will end up with pink. Most reds are called "bleeders"; they blend with the lighter colors.
To avoid that, I spray Testors white over the plain decal paper. After the paint dries, I cut out the letters, dip them in water, and attach them to the model.
There is no bleeding, and the contrast between the red and white is stunning. I follow that with a couple light coats of butyrate dope.
Unfortunately, the butyrate reacts with the Testors enamel, and it crinkles. Most wrinkles disappear after the butyrate dries.
Then I spray butyrate color dope on the plain decal paper. The clear butyrate will not react with the color.
There have been more and more articles about how ink-jet printers can be used to make water-slide decals. Apparently there is special decal paper and a clear solution that is applied over ink-jet-printed objects that allow immersion in water.
I plan to order some and pass on what I learn.
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
