FREE FLIGHT SPORT and SCALE
Fernando Ramos, 19361 Mesa Dr., Villa Park CA 92861; E-mail: [email protected]
AS I HAVE stated before, I have been working on my Scale entry for the FAC (Flying Aces Club) Nationals and the British Nationals (which will be held this summer). It is not like me to be this far ahead with an entry, but I want to have it finished in time to test it on the spring grass at the field that I am privileged to use.
During construction I have encountered one obstacle after another, partly because of the complexity of the subject I have chosen. I have mentioned on several occasions the various areas in which to look for errors on plans. The drawings that I am using are a work of art, but they have their share of errors. I have found a serious mistake that would have an impact on the model's outcome.
Since my model is a biplane (is there anything else?), I was ready to install the upper wing center-section on a fixture to permit the correct location and incidence. The fixture also allows me to make the cabanes the actual dimension required.
For some reason I decided to check the three different three-views I have to compare the upper wing's location with that of the plan. They did not agree with the plan. All the three-views agreed.
On the plan, the wing was 3/4-inch ahead of where it should be. The impact is that the angles of the cabanes and the wing struts would have been too severe. This is not good on a Scale model.
Check good three-views and photos to make sure where the proper location of an upper wing is and that it correlates with the working drawings.
I found one other minor error (I can't remember if I have mentioned this one before) while building the stabilizer. The two spars that are set at the same angle as the angle at the rear of the fuselage don't match.
This is no biggie, except that I like to have some surface area to attach the stabilizer onto the fuselage.
I realize that plans designers do not intend to make these errors, but it does happen. That is why I bring it to your attention—so you won't have to redo something because of an oversight.
Those of you who have built Guillow's kits probably know that they contain some of the hardest balsa known to man! In the past I have pitched this wood, not even wanting it in my scrap box.
Recently I have had a change of heart. Why?
You can't beat its 1/16 square balsa for longeron material for the smaller rubber- or CO2-powered models. Check any Guillow's kits you have on hand, and rob the wood for this purpose. I have never seen 1/16 square this hard in a model shop.
My oldest son and I recently attended the Narrow Gauge Model Railroad Convention in Salt Lake City UT. (Model railroading is my second modeling interest; I have an ON3 layout under construction.)
Beside the fact that I have a genuine interest in model railroading, many ideas can be incorporated in model airplanes. Nearly 30 years ago I introduced the idea of adding Floquil® model-railroad paint to nitrate dope to provide a great paint for model airplanes.
The model-railroad hobby also provides us with beautifully cut basswood in a variety of sizes for laminating tail surfaces, wingtips, etc.
If small washers and nuts are needed for that extra detail, they are available in many sizes, and they weigh nothing. A company called Grant's makes them, and the company makes a zillion different parts using the injected molding process. Some of these parts have to be seen to be believed.
Another idea from the railroad side is to use very finely ground, colored chalklike powder to weather structures.
In the past, weathering has been done exclusively by airbrushing or by what is called dry-brushing. Even though those techniques are still being used, the powder has provided an easy-to-use method, and the results are outstanding.
Sometime when a World War II model is finished, a little "war wear" might be in order. Using these different-colored powders makes the task quite easy.
Place some powder on a stiff bristle brush by dipping the brush into the powder's container. Brush where wear would normally be found. If you get more powder than you want, wipe it off with a soft, moist rag.
These powders, sold by the name Weather System, are manufactured by
Bragdon Enterprises, 2960 Garden Tower Ln., Georgetown CA 95634; Web site: www.bragdon.com.
Also at the convention I found a set of diamond files. (At 15 bucks, you know they aren't diamond.) They come in a variety of shapes, such as round, triangular, flat with a point, etc.
Diamond files are smaller than regular jeweler files, and for that reason they come in very handy for fine detail work. They cut through brass with greater ease than the normal jeweler files.
I have used the diamond files a great deal since I purchased them. They are available from Micro-Mark.
The next time you are in a model shop that has model-railroad supplies, take a look at what is available; you might be pleasantly surprised. If you can visit a shop that deals exclusively with model railroading, that is where many detail items are readily obtainable.
A while back I mentioned using ceramic neodymium magnets for holding down cowls, wings, etc. I have done this, and it works really well.
Dave Segal informed me of a Web site where a variety of shapes and sizes are available. It's www.wondermagnet.com.
In my last column I mentioned Bob's Aircraft Documentation as a source of photographs for numerous aircraft. I sent for 25 photos for the subject I am building.
The different scale models that Bob has are pretty good, except that the photos are only three by five inches. This size makes seeing details a bit difficult. If you are interested in ordering photos, check to see if Bob has larger-size pictures.
One of the advantages of being involved in Scale Free Flight (FF) is that a plethora of Scale plans are available for Rubber and Power.
Recently I received several plans from Charles Schultz. He has a single-page listing of rubber-powered Scale models plans from manufacturers such as Comet, Berkeley, Burd, etc.
One listing I was unfamiliar with is Charles Streinbach. His plans are first-rate, with listings for the Spirit of St. Louis with a 34½-inch wingspan, a Travel Air 1000 and 2000 with 26½-inch wingspans, and others.
All the plans listed are very reasonably priced—much better than some lists I have seen. You can send Charles F. Shultz a dollar for his plans listing. His address is 910 Brookfield Dr., Louisville KY 40207.
September 6-8 is the Interscale 2002 Open Indoor Scale FF contest in Prostějov, Czech Republic. Classes are Open Rubber, Open CO2/Electric, Peanut, and Pistonriche.
Interscale 1999 was a great event; it was well organized and in a very interesting country. All Indoor Scale FFers are heartily encouraged to make the trip.
My friend Charlie Newman is acting United Kingdom representative for the event. He can be reached at 37 Crown Rd., Wheatley, Oxon, OX33 1UU, United Kingdom; Tel: 01865 873920.
You can contact the Contest Director at [email protected].
The Czechs put on terrific contests. I hope to attend their outdoor Scale contest in the near future.
Vance Gilbert sent me photos of his Avia BH-25 that were taken by Chris Parent. Vance is a perfect example of what perseverance can do. I remember his models in the early years of the FAC Nationals; they flew great, but the workmanship could have used a bit of help.
You can see that hard work pays off. Now Vance is one of the top modelers and fliers in FF Rubber Scale—something about "to resist not to conquer"!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
