Focal Point
Big Brother
Jim Deutsch (25442 St. Helena Ln., Punta Gorda FL 33983; E-mail: [email protected]) joined the Big Brothers program and was matched with, in his words, "A great kid." According to Jim, 14-year-old Nathan Fisher is "... crazy about model airplanes."
The pair built two Great Planes Dazzlers together, both of which are powered by O.S. .46 engines and feature Futaba radio-control systems.
Jim says that Nathan is a natural RC pilot; he learned to fly in roughly 10 attempts, and he has joined AMA. Jim took Nathan to a fun-fly, and he won!
Slope Sabre
Robert Dawson (952 Armillaria St., Henderson NV 89015; E-mail: [email protected]) built his F-86F Saber Slope Soarer from a JMG lascraft kit.
It features fiberglass-and-foam construction and was finished with Testors paint on the fuselage and chrome MonoKote on the wing and stabilizer. The paint scheme is the same as that on the full-scale F-86F that Robert flew as a lieutenant in the Air Force.
The model is highly detailed, with panel lines, rivets, lettering stencils, simulated weathering, and a Ram strobe light that adds a realistic touch.
Double Vision Biplane
Bob Noll (2317 Acorn Dr., Vestal NY 13850) built his Double Vision from a laser kit by OK Models Co., Ltd. of Japan.
It is 78 inches long, both wings span 72 inches, and it weighs 10 pounds, 12 ounces. Power is provided by an O.S. 1.60 FX engine using a header by Karl Mueller and a Greve tuned pipe with an APC 17 x 12 propeller.
Bob covered the model with MonoKote, and the fiberglass cowl and wheel pants are painted with PPG acrylic urethane. A Futaba 9ZAS WC2 system provides the control, and the bipe uses four aileron servos, two elevator servos, a rudder servo, and a throttle servo.
Winterized Alpha 60
Darryl Hedges (1578 Hunting Hound Ln., Bartlett IL 60103; E-mail: [email protected]) submitted this photo of his Hangar 9 Alpha 60 RTF with a Falcon Trading Company tricycle-gear float kit attached for winter flying on snow. The decals that came with the float kit match the Alpha 60's color scheme perfectly.
Darryl reports that the only modification needed to mount the floats was to slightly round the landing-gear ends to clear the attachment points on the floats.
African Liberator
Randy Ryman (2640 Autumn Ln., Harrisonburg VA 22801; E-mail: [email protected]) built his Consolidated B-24D Liberator bomber from a Jack Stafford Models kit.
It spans 90 inches, mounts four O.S. .25 FX engines for power, and features a Futaba radio system. The B-24 features operating fowler flaps and retracts. It is covered with 3/4-ounce fiberglass cloth and water-based polyurethane, and it was painted with Valspar Acrylic Enamel.
Randy modeled his 13-pound Liberator after its full-scale counterpart that flew out of Africa in 1943 and 1944 with the 512th Bomb Squadron.
LT-90
Paul R. Ramirez (2929 Bent Ridge Dr., Rockwall TX 75032; E-mail: [email protected]) scaled up the Sig LT-40’s outlines by 20% and then built the model using his favorite construction techniques.
He converted the airplane to a tail-dragger configuration, added barn-door-style ailerons, removed all of the dihedral, constructed the wing in two pieces and added struts, and enlarged the control surfaces by roughly 10%.
The enlarged LT-40 spans 84 inches, weighs 13 pounds, and has a wing area of 1,320 square inches. It is powered by a Saito 91 four-stroke engine.
Family Affair
With a little help from their dad Seth Hunter (1 Lenape Ln., West Windsor NJ 08550), Cari (age 10) and Evan (age 12) built their Bantam biplane and monoplane from SR Batteries kits.
The models are covered with UltraCote. They are powered by GWS DXA motors with Jeti controllers and 190 mAh Ni-Cd batteries supplied by SR Batteries. Both airplanes have Hitec RCD 555 microreceivers equipped with Azar Lite micromotors (from E Cubed R/C) and MPM MX-50 H/P servos for flight control.
Seth reports that Cari and Evan, who are AMA members, are coming along as pilots at local parks.
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
Frank E. Chase (1520 Goldfield Ave., Carson City NV 89701) and Bob Pettin built this P-47D Thunderbolt from an Aerotech Models kit.
It was modeled after a full-scale P-47D and is powered by a Brison 4.2 engine fitted with a custom muffler.
Features include Robart air retracts, a dummy scale radial engine, a sliding canopy, and a fully detailed cockpit with pilot. An Airtronics PCM radio system is installed.
Miss Grandin
With the help of his friend Matt Jacobsen, Kenny Heller (3200 W. Casey Ct., Post Falls ID 83854; E-mail: [email protected]) built this Miss Grandin flying boat from Radio Control Modeler plans. The original design was by Ed Happich, and the article was published in the July 1978 issue.
This model spans 81¾ inches, weighs roughly 9 pounds, and is powered by an O.S. 91 Surpass engine swinging a Master Airscrew 13 x 8 three-blade propeller. Guidance is provided by a Futaba SkySport six-channel radio system.
Most of the aircraft was covered with MonoKote, but the engine nacelle, wing floats, and fuselage bottom were fiberglassed and painted with Top Flite LustreKote paint.
Chance Vought F4U-1 Corsair
This Great Planes Corsair was John Cordera's (3483 Sombra Ln., Yuma AZ 85365; E-mail: [email protected]) first attempt at model building.
The balsa-sheeted aircraft is covered with fiberglass cloth. John added a Top Flite cockpit and included a scaled-down photo of his family on the scratch-built instrument panel.
The model is powered by an O.S. .91 engine and features Robart retracts. John uses a small servo to turn the pilot's head when the rudder is moved.
"Picking other modelers' brains and researching the aircraft made this learning experience a labor of love," he wrote.
First Giant Scale Project
It took 16-year-old Billy Hare (5010 Heavy Equipment School Rd., Charlotte NC 28214; E-mail: [email protected]) a year to build his first Giant Scale RC model: an Ikon N'Wst de Havilland Beaver.
It is powered by a Zenoh G-26 engine, spans 96 inches, and weighs 18 pounds ready to fly. Features include a fully detailed cockpit that hides all of the radio equipment and Cutting Edge graphics. Billy, who has been flying for three years, uses JR and Hitec RC equipment.
Li'l Tri Squire
Ted Davis (23026 Mobile St., West Hills CA 91307; E-mail: [email protected]) built this 1950s 1/2 A RC Li'l Tri Squire from the original Midwest Products plans.
It spans 40 inches and is powered by a Mega 16/1.5/6 brushless motor. A 1320 mAh, 11.1-volt, three-cell Thunder Power Li-Poly battery pack is installed. The wing and elevator are covered with Nelson plastic covering, and the fuselage is covered with MonoKote. All trim is MonoKote, applied per the plans.
According to Ted, the model will climb vertically for 200-300 feet, and the tricycle gear makes for great ground handling.
Top Flite T-34
Bruce Ream (9000 Old Tom Morris Cir., Highlands Ranch CO 80129; E-mail: [email protected]) built his Beechcraft T-34 Mentor from a Top Flite kit.
It spans 80 inches, weighs just less than 17 pounds, and is powered by a Magnum 1.6 twin engine. The model features Robart retracts and operating flaps. Bruce covered his Mentor with MonoKote and uses a Futaba 9CAP RC system for guidance duties.
"I chose to build this model because in 1955 it was the first real airplane I flew as part of an Air Force ROTC cadet orientation program," he wrote.
Replica Extra
Chuck Vincent asked Greg Myers (4502 Patoutville Rd., Jeanerette LA 70544; E-mail: [email protected]) to build a replica of Chuck's full-scale Extra 300L. Greg chose a Lanier 40-size Extra 300L kit as the basis for the reproduction.
He used an O.S. .46 engine to power the model and covered it with MonoKote. Futaba radio-control gear is used for guidance chores.
"I am very fortunate to have had six unforgettable flights in the full-scale Extra so far," wrote Greg.
Seversky P-35
Chuck Backman (6009 Midwood Ave., Madison WI 53716) built his 1/5-scale P-35 from Art Johnson plans. It spans 86 inches, weighs 22 pounds, and is powered by a Zenoah G-45 engine.
The model was finished with silkspan, silk, and Brodak modeling dope. Chuck made the canopy, cowling, and wheel fairings from his own molds. The landing gear retracts as on the original, leaving roughly two-thirds of the wheels exposed.
"It flies quite well but is a little tricky on takeoff and landing just as the real airplane was," wrote Chuck.
Modified Kadet
Mike Brink (6945 Queen Cir., Arvada CO 80004; E-mail: [email protected]) modified his Sig Kadet Senior to suit himself. He changed it to a tail-dragger configuration and added Pro-Line monster-truck wheels, widened Sig Four-Star 120 wheel pants, and a Dean's miniant.
He also moved the servos for the elevator and rudder to the rear of the model, eliminated the stock incidence, and added a Du-Bro Kwik Fill valve. Power is a SuperTiger .91 engine, and Airtronics radio equipment performs guidance chores.
"It flies like a dream and always draws comments," wrote Mike.
"No chance of this airplane being confused with someone else's!"
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
