Flying for Fun
909 N. Maize Rd., Townhouse 734, Wichita KS 67212
The response to the Jimmie Allen story in the April 2000 column has been very gratifying, with an amazing response to my offer for reprints of the Walt House articles.
The offer is still open, but one stamp doesn't quite get the SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) on its way back, since the copies can be as many as 11 pages. Try three stamps.
I neglected to provide sources of plans and kits for the various Jimmie Allen models. Try John Pond Old Time Plan Service or Jim O'Reilly for plans, and Bob Holman (see ad this issue) for laser-cut kits to go with Jim's drawings.
In that column, I also managed to move one of America's most respected model designers to Canada: Claude McCullough does not, nor has he ever, lived in Ottawa—it's Ottumwa, Iowa.
When I wrote Claude an apology, I learned that spell check on Windows 98 doesn't know there is such a place as Ottumwa. I'd hit "correct" rather than "add" when running spell check the final time.
A fun spelling piece
This brings to mind a fun piece my daughter found somewhere on the Internet:
Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eek eer know sea. Eye strike a key and type a word And weigh for it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rare ale ever wrong. Eye have run this poem threw it I'm shore your pleased two no Its litter perfect all the weigh My chequer tolled me sew.
A hangup: empty cockpits
Are you bothered by empty cockpits on model aircraft—especially when the models are in the air?
The builder creates a representation of a full-scale aircraft, which is most pleasing to the eye when parked on the ground, but it looks really strange in flight without a pilot. Most well-detailed contemporary Scale RC (Radio Control) models do not have empty cockpits. However, many sport and aerobatics models do.
Before the Williams Bros. introduced an injection-molded line of pilots, it was necessary to carve pilots from wood. That really required some artistic skills.
Now there are pilot figures available that only require painting.
Most of us have either refused to even try painting pilots, or have become so disillusioned with the results that we search continually for prepainted figures that will fit our models.
There is an ever-widening range of prepainted pilots. But after spending two hours watching the Robin's View Productions video How to Paint Pilot Figures, you might learn, as I did, that painting them can be a source of enjoyment and pride.
The video is so jam-packed with excellent advice and demonstrations by Don Tydon, you should watch it with a pencil and notepad; Don presents so much material, you won't remember it all.
I am astounded by how much better the procedure goes when using the proper paint, brushes, and accessories. No wonder my pilots have always looked like cadavers in bright clothing! Painting realistic pilots is a matter of knowing the simple techniques and using the right materials.
This tape is the most informative thing I've watched in a very long time. As Don says, "If you can cut intricate pieces with a hobby knife and #11 blade, you already have the skills to run a paint brush."
Like so many things in modeling, learning the correct way to do something from others makes a project so much easier and produces superior results. One of my favorite sayings is, "Learn from the mistakes of others; you'll never live long enough to make all of them by yourself!"
Williams Bros. has styrene pilots in four styles and multiple scales. Sig, Hangar 9, DGA Designs, Great Planes, and ACE also have pilot figures in sizes and styles that might be right for your model. Some are styrene, some are light hollow-core flexible rubber that require stuffing with kapok, etc., and some are made with heavier-wall rubber that will stand on their own.
The Robin's View tape also illustrates pilot-positioning tips. I'm not giving away any secrets, but if your pilot is set to look straight ahead in flight and the model is a taildragger, the figure will be looking skyward when the model is sitting on the ground.
If you still figure you're too much of a klutz to paint a pilot after watching the Tydon tape, give Pilots By Diane a call; she can do it for you.
Prepainted figures were not even available until a few years ago. Now, if you don't want to paint, there is probably a prepainted figure available that will fit your model's cockpit realistically. Photos this month are of such units.
Remember: you're going to pay someone for hand labor, and your pilot will look almost like every other one from the same source.
Prepainted units are available from MGA Pilots, ACE, Officers and Gentlemen, Hobby Lobby (in a very wide range of styles and sizes), and several other sources. Although a bit "pricey," all of these are well done and they add a great deal of realism to scale models as well as sport designs.
Using cartoon characters places a touch of the dreaded "toy airplane" stigma on a model, but they are still more attractive than an empty cockpit—certainly they have the appeal of expressing a certain amount of fun and humor.
Therefore, toy stores are a source for cockpit figures. You may get some strange sideways glances as you measure dolls with your ruler, but you're probably used to it if you've been modeling long.
I'll stop haranguing you now, and let the pictures of prepainted pilots finish this conversation.
If you saw a car coming down the street with no visible driver, wouldn't you think it looked a bit odd? MA
Sources
- MGA Pilots
Box 5631 Fresno CA 93755
- Pilots by Diane
Box 1865 Champlain NY 12919 (450) 246-4543
- Officers and Gentlemen
53 E. Grand St. Hampton NJ 08277
- DGA Pilots
Available from most hobby shops
- John Pond Old Time Plan Service
Box 90310 San Jose CA 95190-3310
- Jim O'Reilly's Plans
4760 N. Battin Wichita KS 67220 (316) 744-0856
- Robin's View Productions
Box 68 Stockertown PA 18083
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
