Focal Point
Don Dewey Acro-Star
Marty Churilla (140 Scenery Rd., Wheeling, WV 26003; E-mail: [email protected]) found a kit for Don Dewey’s popular 1970-vintage Acro-Star at Eagle Hobbies in Suffolk, Virginia, last year. He promptly bought it and built the model.
It spans 50 inches and is powered by an O.S. .61 FX engine. Guidance is via a Futaba T6XA radio with four servos.
The model is finished with LustreKote paint on the fuselage and tail and MonoKote on the wings. A Williams Bros. pilot figure was added for realism.
“It is fully aerobatic and flies like it’s on rails,” wrote Marty. “Vertical rolls are no problem.”
Kit-Built Extra 330L
Marty Meyer (160 Locust Ave., New Rochelle, NY 10805) built his 34%-scale Extra 330L from a kit produced by Procraft Models (formerly known as Ohio R/C).
The model is covered with UltraCote. Marty used DuPont ChromaBase paint on the cowl and wheel pants, with a polyurethane clear coat.
The 32-pound model features two receivers and a TME smoke system. A 3W-100 twin engine provides the thrust via a 28 x 10 Mejzlik propeller.
“I used my own color scheme so it wouldn’t be mistaken for an ARF,” wrote Marty.
Jungmann-Inspired Bipe
Fred Ewing (130 N. Second St. Apt. B3, Souderton, PA 18964) designed and scratch-built his park flyer. He started with the outlines of the popular Bücker Bü 131B Jungmann and made changes to suit himself as he went along in the building process.
The model spans 31 inches and weighs 12.5 ounces. Covering is Coverite CoverLite. A GWS EPS 350-C geared motor provides power.
Fred uses a 7.2-volt, 400 mAh Ni-Cd battery pack but plans to change to a NiMH or Li-Poly pack. A Futaba transmitter with two FMA Direct S80 servos and a GWS receiver make up the guidance system.
“I am very pleased with the way this airplane flies; it’s what I call ‘groovy,’” wrote Fred. “Now if I just had a name for it ...”
Fokker D.VII
Carl Schurenberg (7678 Oceola Dr., West Chester, OH 45069; E-mail: [email protected]) built his Fokker D.VII from a 1/4-scale Balsa USA kit.
It spans 88 inches and weighs 18 pounds. A Zenoah G-26 gas engine provides the power. Carl added such features as a mounting step, kit-built machine guns, and wing and fuselage handholds. An Airtronics radio system is used for guidance.
Carl rendered the model in the colors and markings of the D.VII that Oblt. Hermann Goering flew in World War I as the last commander of the famed “Flying Circus.”
“The D.VII had a reputation of making good pilots out of novices,” wrote Carl. “I hope that holds true for old RC pilots!”
D-9 to Ta 152
Ron Madsen (18310 Carriage Ln., Nassau Bay, TX 77058) submitted this photo of his latest model. It began life as a Top Flite Gold Edition Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 kit, but he modified the wing by adding 20 inches to the span to make it a Ta 152.
Ron used three-view drawings of the D-9 and the Ta 152 from the Rand McNally World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft to get the scale close. This modification satisfied his desire to do something different and make the flying characteristics more consistent with his flying skills.
The power plant is a Saito .91; according to Ron, it “... produces a nice scale sound.”
The model is covered with Dove Grey MonoKote, and the topsides are painted with Rust-Oleum.
Starting Stand for Disabled Pilot
Trish Heath (6530 W. Glenda St., Valley Center, KS 67147) sent in this photo of a special starting stand she and her husband Roger built.
Roger’s arms are disabled, and he needed a way to get his model and all the field equipment required to fly it to his private flying field at his home.
The stand is fully self-contained and includes glow fuel, a starter, and a control panel. It also has a sliding rear strap to accommodate various-size models. Where there is a will ...
Timeless Playboy
Bob Galler (2300 Animas Ct., Rio Rancho, NM 87144; E-mail: [email protected]) calls his model the “Timeless Playboy.”
The body is molded FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) from a no-longer-available ARF: the Timeless Flyer from Hobby People. Bob removed the standard Speed 480 motor and added a Cermark 400 Cobalt motor; an FMA Direct Super 30 ESC; a Thunder Power 2100 mAh, two-cell Li-Poly pack; a 7.5 x 4 folding propeller; and a spinner from Balsa Products.
The original ARF tail and rudder were kept and re-covered with Solite.
Bob scaled the wing of the original Playboy Sr. plans down slightly to span 68 inches. Laser Arts cut the ribs. The wing loading is about 6 ounces per square foot.
Showstopper Fokker Dr.I
George W. Jones (5630 SE Berryton Rd., Berryton, KS 66409; E-mail: [email protected]) submitted this photo of a model of the 152nd Fokker Dr.I built in 1917. Clifford Boughman constructed it from Nick Ziroli plans.
George installed the radio system and the engine. The model’s color scheme is that of a Dr.I flown by Manfred von Richthofen in World War I, and it was selected from a Squadron/Signal Publications book.
The 63-inch-span airplane weighs 15.5 pounds and is covered with Coverite. A Brison 2.4 cu. in. engine provides the power. Also featured is a Stan's Fiber Tech fiberglass cowl and Williams Bros. wheels.
“It was a 1½-year project, and it is a real showstopper,” wrote George.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
