THOSE WHO have purchased
Golden Age Reproductions kits might
have been impressed by the models shown on
the box or in the company’s plans catalog.
Many kits have been sold to buyers who
hoped that their creations would come
somewhere close to looking like those on the
boxes. Bob Schlosberg built most of the
aircraft shown on those boxes and many
featured in the plans catalog.
The story began in 1975, when Bob
ordered the Golden Age Reproductions
catalog advertised in Flying Models and built
a couple of models from the plans. Later,
when Golden Age Reproductions’ owner, Joe
Fitzgibbon, released his first four kits, Bob
ordered and built all of them.
Bob sent Joe a photo of the WACO F-3
uncovered, and Joe asked to use the picture in
his ads. Thus began a friendship that lasted 15
years, until Joe’s passing.
After the success of the four initial kits,
Joe wanted to expand the line. Bob would
build models for Joe to use for pictures in the
catalog and as displays at trade shows. The
catalog became something of a collector’s
item itself.
One of the most successful trade events was the WRAM
[Westchester Radio AeroModelers] Show in New York. Bob
organized the motorized and mirrored display tables for some of the
models and the overhead display of airplanes hanging over the booth.
To represent the Golden Age, Bob built the P-51, P-47, P-39,
Boulton Paul Defiant, Spartan cabin, Fokker D.VII, Albatros D.V,
Boeing F4B-4, Douglas YO-43, Davis D1-W, Rearwin Speedster,
Heinkel He 112, Cessna C-34, Stinson Reliant, Taylor Cub, Curtiss
Robin, and Seversky fighter. He built the Pacific Ace, 30-inch
Rearwin Speedster, and Fairchild 24 for Sea Glen Models.
I have built several Golden Age Reproductions kits. None are to
Bob’s standards, but they are among my favorite models. The
company’s kits don’t have laser-cutting, but they do have excellent
printwood, tissue, and canopies. The P-47 kit even has canopies for
both the razorback and bubble-top versions.
Golden Age Reproductions’ kits are well engineered. Unlike some
kits and plans, the average builder can construct these. You don’t have
to improvise or try to figure out how something is done. The plans are
clear. To top it off, the kits are reasonably priced.
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
Bob Schlosberg and Golden Age Reproductions
Bob Schlosberg built this beautiful P-47, which is featured on the Golden Age
Reproductions kit box.
Bill Schmidt did a fantastic job on this Early Nostalgia Ollie. Its clean lines are among the
prettiest of the Early Nos-era models.
Emmett Adkins is a Gollywock fan. He is shown winding one at the
great Pensacola, Florida, site.
Also included in this column:
• Emmett Adkins’ Gollywock
• Larry Kruse’s Hustler 625
• Jim Kelly’s Dakota
• New balsa stripper
• Easy Built Models designs
• Lone Star Balsa reopens
May 2009 123
05sig4.QXD 3/24/09 1:08 PM Page 123
124 MODEL AVIATION
Emmett Adkins sent a picture of his Gollywock via George White.
This model is many modelers’ favorite. A number of contests include
“one-design” classes for it. The Pensacola group has a “Gollywocks
Galore” mass launch at two or three of its events each year.
Everyone has his or her “secret rubber and propeller formula” for
the Gollywock, and Emmett was kind enough to share his with us. He
uses a Superior-brand propeller made especially for the design. It has
a 13.5-inch diameter and a 17.5-inch pitch. Power is 12 strands of 3/16
x 30-inch rubber. He braids the motor.
Emmett has built eight or 10 Gollywocks, and they have ranged in
weight from 58 to 65 grams. He uses Japanese tissue covering
finished with two coats of nitrate dope thinned with lacquer thinner.
Before Emmett’s first test flight, he builds in the following
adjustments: a small amount of left rudder, 3° downthrust, 2° right
thrust, 1/8 inch of washout in each wingtip, and 1/8 inch of washin of
the right inboard wing panel. With this setup, the model climbs right
and glides left.
I hope Emmett’s tips will give you a leg up when you build and
fly your Gollywock. Full kits, short kits, and plans are available from
Campbell’s Custom kits. For a Superior Props catalog, send the
company $1.
Larry Kruse was extremely pleased with his Nostalgia Gas Hustler
412 with an O.S. Max III .15 engine. Then he built a 1/4A version
from Jim O’Reilly Model Plans.
That flew so well that Larry built a
Hustler 625 from Jim O’Reilly plans and the
Bob Holman Plans short kit. Larry is using a
K&B Greenhead .29 on the 625.
Not one to stop when he has a good thing
going, Larry has a 750 under way, which is
also from a Holman short kit. Jim O’Reilly
has plans for the 1/4A version, the 625, and
the 750. The 412 plans are available only
from the NFFS [National Free Flight
Society] Plans Service. Jim could make 1/2Asize
plans if you want.
Larry’s 412 did experience some upperwing-
spar damage from DT landings, so he
replaced the balsa spars with spruce; that
solved the problem. He is using spruce spars
for the main panels and hard-balsa spars for
the tip panels on the 625 and 750 versions.
The short kits aren’t listed on the Bob
Holman Plans Web site. However, contact
information is there, and he can produce the
kits as needed.
Jim Kelly got a great flight from his
Dakota at last year’s AMA Nats in Muncie,
Indiana. The target time was 40 seconds,
Build a Mystery Tailless and devise your own unique markings. This is the little-known
Flying Tigers liaison/attack version.
Larry Kruse sets the needle on his Hustler 625 at last year’s AMA
Nats. Covering is transparent Micafilm. The fuselage is finished with
two brushed coats of Klass Kote.
Jim Kelly launches his cute Dakota for a 41-second flight. That was
good enough to win the Dakota event at last year’s Nats.
and Jim’s flight was 41 seconds. Not too shabby!
The Dakota event is Thursday July 30 at this year’s AMA FF
Nats. It is usually held late in the afternoon, so drop by to watch the
fun if you have time. Better yet, join in with your own Dakota. BMJR
Model Products has the kit.
These models are best suited to low-power 1/2As, such as the OK
Cub. If you use a Cox reed-valve engine, you may need to detune it
with a venturi restrictor.
The real challenge is to time your engine run and know your
model well enough to get near the 40-second target time. Or you
could take my approach and rely on blind luck.
Dan McLeod has stopped producing his beautiful, handcrafted balsa
stripper, but he gave Tim Goldstein of A2Z Products permission to
produce it.
Tim changed some of the materials, to better suit his production
process. The stripper is now made from UHMW, acrylic, and 6061
aluminum that is hard anodized. The adjustment scale is laserengraved
in 1/128-inch increments.
To find this stripper, go to the A2Z Products Web site. On the left
side of the home page under “ModelTools,” click on
“KnivesBladesStripper.”
Easy Built Models continues to expand its line of kits; the latest is a
05sig4.QXD 3/24/09 12:29 PM Page 124
Dime Scale Fokker D.VII based on a
classic Comet design. This kit (PD-08) is a
far cry from the original of the 1930s,
boasting the best laser-cut 4- to 6-pound
contest balsa parts, 6- to 10-pound balsa
strip wood, and red Esaki tissue.
The kit includes full-size, rolled CADdrawn
plans, building and flying
instructions, FAI rubber, Peck-Polymers
nose bearing, Easy Built Models propeller,
wire, laser-cut balsa wheels, and laser-cut
bond paper and LaserCal markings. All of
these features combine to make this model
ready for competitive indoor and outdoor
flying.
The Easy Built Models propeller is a
nice middle-of-the-cut propeller. Its pitch
is not quite as aggressive as the Peck-
Polymers propellers, so the smaller
airplanes handle it well.
Easy Built Models now has two types
of markings: TissueCal and LaserCal. The
former has markings printed directly on
the tissue; you apply glue stick to the back,
position the image, and then gently rub it
down.
LaserCal is for single-color markings,
such as the Fokker’s iron crosses. Those
are laser-cut from tissue and are also
applied with glue stick, positioned, and
gently rubbed down.
TissueCal and LaserCal can be sealed
with a light coat of Krylon spray. Using
neither product requires sanding or
removing paper backing. The Easy Built
Models Web site has a “Building Tips”
section that goes into more details about
the markings and other helpful topics.
While you are on the site, look at the
Mystery Tailless kit. This model is a
“fiction flyer”: one of several designs
taken from artwork of aviation pulp fiction
magazines of the 1930s and early 1940s.
Despite its unusual planform—that of a
flying-wing biplane—the 22-inch-span
airplane has a reputation as an excellent
flier. Many who have built Mystery
Taillesses have finished their creations
with color schemes that have been as
unique as the model itself.
If you have a bit of spare time and
enjoy tongue-in-cheek humor, check out
the link just above the first Mystery
Tailless photos on the Easy Built Models
Web site. It takes you to 26 pages of
“documentation” with 13 color schemes
for the model. This whimsical work was
created by the imaginative trio of Michael
Heinrich, Rich Weber, and Clive Gamble.
I have got to build one of these
airplanes. I have the kit; now, what color
scheme to pick?
SAM [Society of Antique Modelers] 27 of
Napa, California, flew for top honors in
the Jimmie Allen Postal Contest. The
group will sponsor the 2009 postal event.
For an information packet, contact Jerry
Rocha.
Just before Thanksgiving 2007, Lone
Star Balsa’s facility burned, destroying the
contents. There was a lot of speculation
among the company’s customers, myself
included, about whether the business would
be rebuilt.
As I write this in January, the company
has just opened for business. Check it out! MA
Sources:
Golden Age Reproductions
(978) 687-0024
www.goldenagereproductions.com
Campbell’s Custom Kits
(765) 683-1749
www.campbellscustomkits.com
Superior Props
516 Driftwood Cir.
Slidell LA 70458
(985) 726-9673
Jim O’Reilly Model Plans
(316) 744-0856
www.jimoreillymodelplans.com
Bob Holman Plans
(909) 885-3959
www.bhplans.com
NFFS
www.freeflight.org
BMJR Model Products
(321) 537-1159
www.bmjrmodels.com
A2Z Corp
(720) 833-9300
www.peck-polymers.com/store
Easy Built Models
(334) 358-5184
www.easybuiltmodels.com
Jerry Rocha
3583 Ruston Ln.
Napa CA 94558
Lone Star Balsa
(972) 552-2922
www.lonestar-balsa.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/05
Page Numbers: 123,124,125
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/05
Page Numbers: 123,124,125
THOSE WHO have purchased
Golden Age Reproductions kits might
have been impressed by the models shown on
the box or in the company’s plans catalog.
Many kits have been sold to buyers who
hoped that their creations would come
somewhere close to looking like those on the
boxes. Bob Schlosberg built most of the
aircraft shown on those boxes and many
featured in the plans catalog.
The story began in 1975, when Bob
ordered the Golden Age Reproductions
catalog advertised in Flying Models and built
a couple of models from the plans. Later,
when Golden Age Reproductions’ owner, Joe
Fitzgibbon, released his first four kits, Bob
ordered and built all of them.
Bob sent Joe a photo of the WACO F-3
uncovered, and Joe asked to use the picture in
his ads. Thus began a friendship that lasted 15
years, until Joe’s passing.
After the success of the four initial kits,
Joe wanted to expand the line. Bob would
build models for Joe to use for pictures in the
catalog and as displays at trade shows. The
catalog became something of a collector’s
item itself.
One of the most successful trade events was the WRAM
[Westchester Radio AeroModelers] Show in New York. Bob
organized the motorized and mirrored display tables for some of the
models and the overhead display of airplanes hanging over the booth.
To represent the Golden Age, Bob built the P-51, P-47, P-39,
Boulton Paul Defiant, Spartan cabin, Fokker D.VII, Albatros D.V,
Boeing F4B-4, Douglas YO-43, Davis D1-W, Rearwin Speedster,
Heinkel He 112, Cessna C-34, Stinson Reliant, Taylor Cub, Curtiss
Robin, and Seversky fighter. He built the Pacific Ace, 30-inch
Rearwin Speedster, and Fairchild 24 for Sea Glen Models.
I have built several Golden Age Reproductions kits. None are to
Bob’s standards, but they are among my favorite models. The
company’s kits don’t have laser-cutting, but they do have excellent
printwood, tissue, and canopies. The P-47 kit even has canopies for
both the razorback and bubble-top versions.
Golden Age Reproductions’ kits are well engineered. Unlike some
kits and plans, the average builder can construct these. You don’t have
to improvise or try to figure out how something is done. The plans are
clear. To top it off, the kits are reasonably priced.
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
Bob Schlosberg and Golden Age Reproductions
Bob Schlosberg built this beautiful P-47, which is featured on the Golden Age
Reproductions kit box.
Bill Schmidt did a fantastic job on this Early Nostalgia Ollie. Its clean lines are among the
prettiest of the Early Nos-era models.
Emmett Adkins is a Gollywock fan. He is shown winding one at the
great Pensacola, Florida, site.
Also included in this column:
• Emmett Adkins’ Gollywock
• Larry Kruse’s Hustler 625
• Jim Kelly’s Dakota
• New balsa stripper
• Easy Built Models designs
• Lone Star Balsa reopens
May 2009 123
05sig4.QXD 3/24/09 1:08 PM Page 123
124 MODEL AVIATION
Emmett Adkins sent a picture of his Gollywock via George White.
This model is many modelers’ favorite. A number of contests include
“one-design” classes for it. The Pensacola group has a “Gollywocks
Galore” mass launch at two or three of its events each year.
Everyone has his or her “secret rubber and propeller formula” for
the Gollywock, and Emmett was kind enough to share his with us. He
uses a Superior-brand propeller made especially for the design. It has
a 13.5-inch diameter and a 17.5-inch pitch. Power is 12 strands of 3/16
x 30-inch rubber. He braids the motor.
Emmett has built eight or 10 Gollywocks, and they have ranged in
weight from 58 to 65 grams. He uses Japanese tissue covering
finished with two coats of nitrate dope thinned with lacquer thinner.
Before Emmett’s first test flight, he builds in the following
adjustments: a small amount of left rudder, 3° downthrust, 2° right
thrust, 1/8 inch of washout in each wingtip, and 1/8 inch of washin of
the right inboard wing panel. With this setup, the model climbs right
and glides left.
I hope Emmett’s tips will give you a leg up when you build and
fly your Gollywock. Full kits, short kits, and plans are available from
Campbell’s Custom kits. For a Superior Props catalog, send the
company $1.
Larry Kruse was extremely pleased with his Nostalgia Gas Hustler
412 with an O.S. Max III .15 engine. Then he built a 1/4A version
from Jim O’Reilly Model Plans.
That flew so well that Larry built a
Hustler 625 from Jim O’Reilly plans and the
Bob Holman Plans short kit. Larry is using a
K&B Greenhead .29 on the 625.
Not one to stop when he has a good thing
going, Larry has a 750 under way, which is
also from a Holman short kit. Jim O’Reilly
has plans for the 1/4A version, the 625, and
the 750. The 412 plans are available only
from the NFFS [National Free Flight
Society] Plans Service. Jim could make 1/2Asize
plans if you want.
Larry’s 412 did experience some upperwing-
spar damage from DT landings, so he
replaced the balsa spars with spruce; that
solved the problem. He is using spruce spars
for the main panels and hard-balsa spars for
the tip panels on the 625 and 750 versions.
The short kits aren’t listed on the Bob
Holman Plans Web site. However, contact
information is there, and he can produce the
kits as needed.
Jim Kelly got a great flight from his
Dakota at last year’s AMA Nats in Muncie,
Indiana. The target time was 40 seconds,
Build a Mystery Tailless and devise your own unique markings. This is the little-known
Flying Tigers liaison/attack version.
Larry Kruse sets the needle on his Hustler 625 at last year’s AMA
Nats. Covering is transparent Micafilm. The fuselage is finished with
two brushed coats of Klass Kote.
Jim Kelly launches his cute Dakota for a 41-second flight. That was
good enough to win the Dakota event at last year’s Nats.
and Jim’s flight was 41 seconds. Not too shabby!
The Dakota event is Thursday July 30 at this year’s AMA FF
Nats. It is usually held late in the afternoon, so drop by to watch the
fun if you have time. Better yet, join in with your own Dakota. BMJR
Model Products has the kit.
These models are best suited to low-power 1/2As, such as the OK
Cub. If you use a Cox reed-valve engine, you may need to detune it
with a venturi restrictor.
The real challenge is to time your engine run and know your
model well enough to get near the 40-second target time. Or you
could take my approach and rely on blind luck.
Dan McLeod has stopped producing his beautiful, handcrafted balsa
stripper, but he gave Tim Goldstein of A2Z Products permission to
produce it.
Tim changed some of the materials, to better suit his production
process. The stripper is now made from UHMW, acrylic, and 6061
aluminum that is hard anodized. The adjustment scale is laserengraved
in 1/128-inch increments.
To find this stripper, go to the A2Z Products Web site. On the left
side of the home page under “ModelTools,” click on
“KnivesBladesStripper.”
Easy Built Models continues to expand its line of kits; the latest is a
05sig4.QXD 3/24/09 12:29 PM Page 124
Dime Scale Fokker D.VII based on a
classic Comet design. This kit (PD-08) is a
far cry from the original of the 1930s,
boasting the best laser-cut 4- to 6-pound
contest balsa parts, 6- to 10-pound balsa
strip wood, and red Esaki tissue.
The kit includes full-size, rolled CADdrawn
plans, building and flying
instructions, FAI rubber, Peck-Polymers
nose bearing, Easy Built Models propeller,
wire, laser-cut balsa wheels, and laser-cut
bond paper and LaserCal markings. All of
these features combine to make this model
ready for competitive indoor and outdoor
flying.
The Easy Built Models propeller is a
nice middle-of-the-cut propeller. Its pitch
is not quite as aggressive as the Peck-
Polymers propellers, so the smaller
airplanes handle it well.
Easy Built Models now has two types
of markings: TissueCal and LaserCal. The
former has markings printed directly on
the tissue; you apply glue stick to the back,
position the image, and then gently rub it
down.
LaserCal is for single-color markings,
such as the Fokker’s iron crosses. Those
are laser-cut from tissue and are also
applied with glue stick, positioned, and
gently rubbed down.
TissueCal and LaserCal can be sealed
with a light coat of Krylon spray. Using
neither product requires sanding or
removing paper backing. The Easy Built
Models Web site has a “Building Tips”
section that goes into more details about
the markings and other helpful topics.
While you are on the site, look at the
Mystery Tailless kit. This model is a
“fiction flyer”: one of several designs
taken from artwork of aviation pulp fiction
magazines of the 1930s and early 1940s.
Despite its unusual planform—that of a
flying-wing biplane—the 22-inch-span
airplane has a reputation as an excellent
flier. Many who have built Mystery
Taillesses have finished their creations
with color schemes that have been as
unique as the model itself.
If you have a bit of spare time and
enjoy tongue-in-cheek humor, check out
the link just above the first Mystery
Tailless photos on the Easy Built Models
Web site. It takes you to 26 pages of
“documentation” with 13 color schemes
for the model. This whimsical work was
created by the imaginative trio of Michael
Heinrich, Rich Weber, and Clive Gamble.
I have got to build one of these
airplanes. I have the kit; now, what color
scheme to pick?
SAM [Society of Antique Modelers] 27 of
Napa, California, flew for top honors in
the Jimmie Allen Postal Contest. The
group will sponsor the 2009 postal event.
For an information packet, contact Jerry
Rocha.
Just before Thanksgiving 2007, Lone
Star Balsa’s facility burned, destroying the
contents. There was a lot of speculation
among the company’s customers, myself
included, about whether the business would
be rebuilt.
As I write this in January, the company
has just opened for business. Check it out! MA
Sources:
Golden Age Reproductions
(978) 687-0024
www.goldenagereproductions.com
Campbell’s Custom Kits
(765) 683-1749
www.campbellscustomkits.com
Superior Props
516 Driftwood Cir.
Slidell LA 70458
(985) 726-9673
Jim O’Reilly Model Plans
(316) 744-0856
www.jimoreillymodelplans.com
Bob Holman Plans
(909) 885-3959
www.bhplans.com
NFFS
www.freeflight.org
BMJR Model Products
(321) 537-1159
www.bmjrmodels.com
A2Z Corp
(720) 833-9300
www.peck-polymers.com/store
Easy Built Models
(334) 358-5184
www.easybuiltmodels.com
Jerry Rocha
3583 Ruston Ln.
Napa CA 94558
Lone Star Balsa
(972) 552-2922
www.lonestar-balsa.com
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/05
Page Numbers: 123,124,125
THOSE WHO have purchased
Golden Age Reproductions kits might
have been impressed by the models shown on
the box or in the company’s plans catalog.
Many kits have been sold to buyers who
hoped that their creations would come
somewhere close to looking like those on the
boxes. Bob Schlosberg built most of the
aircraft shown on those boxes and many
featured in the plans catalog.
The story began in 1975, when Bob
ordered the Golden Age Reproductions
catalog advertised in Flying Models and built
a couple of models from the plans. Later,
when Golden Age Reproductions’ owner, Joe
Fitzgibbon, released his first four kits, Bob
ordered and built all of them.
Bob sent Joe a photo of the WACO F-3
uncovered, and Joe asked to use the picture in
his ads. Thus began a friendship that lasted 15
years, until Joe’s passing.
After the success of the four initial kits,
Joe wanted to expand the line. Bob would
build models for Joe to use for pictures in the
catalog and as displays at trade shows. The
catalog became something of a collector’s
item itself.
One of the most successful trade events was the WRAM
[Westchester Radio AeroModelers] Show in New York. Bob
organized the motorized and mirrored display tables for some of the
models and the overhead display of airplanes hanging over the booth.
To represent the Golden Age, Bob built the P-51, P-47, P-39,
Boulton Paul Defiant, Spartan cabin, Fokker D.VII, Albatros D.V,
Boeing F4B-4, Douglas YO-43, Davis D1-W, Rearwin Speedster,
Heinkel He 112, Cessna C-34, Stinson Reliant, Taylor Cub, Curtiss
Robin, and Seversky fighter. He built the Pacific Ace, 30-inch
Rearwin Speedster, and Fairchild 24 for Sea Glen Models.
I have built several Golden Age Reproductions kits. None are to
Bob’s standards, but they are among my favorite models. The
company’s kits don’t have laser-cutting, but they do have excellent
printwood, tissue, and canopies. The P-47 kit even has canopies for
both the razorback and bubble-top versions.
Golden Age Reproductions’ kits are well engineered. Unlike some
kits and plans, the average builder can construct these. You don’t have
to improvise or try to figure out how something is done. The plans are
clear. To top it off, the kits are reasonably priced.
[[email protected]]
Free Flight Sport Gene Smith
Bob Schlosberg and Golden Age Reproductions
Bob Schlosberg built this beautiful P-47, which is featured on the Golden Age
Reproductions kit box.
Bill Schmidt did a fantastic job on this Early Nostalgia Ollie. Its clean lines are among the
prettiest of the Early Nos-era models.
Emmett Adkins is a Gollywock fan. He is shown winding one at the
great Pensacola, Florida, site.
Also included in this column:
• Emmett Adkins’ Gollywock
• Larry Kruse’s Hustler 625
• Jim Kelly’s Dakota
• New balsa stripper
• Easy Built Models designs
• Lone Star Balsa reopens
May 2009 123
05sig4.QXD 3/24/09 1:08 PM Page 123
124 MODEL AVIATION
Emmett Adkins sent a picture of his Gollywock via George White.
This model is many modelers’ favorite. A number of contests include
“one-design” classes for it. The Pensacola group has a “Gollywocks
Galore” mass launch at two or three of its events each year.
Everyone has his or her “secret rubber and propeller formula” for
the Gollywock, and Emmett was kind enough to share his with us. He
uses a Superior-brand propeller made especially for the design. It has
a 13.5-inch diameter and a 17.5-inch pitch. Power is 12 strands of 3/16
x 30-inch rubber. He braids the motor.
Emmett has built eight or 10 Gollywocks, and they have ranged in
weight from 58 to 65 grams. He uses Japanese tissue covering
finished with two coats of nitrate dope thinned with lacquer thinner.
Before Emmett’s first test flight, he builds in the following
adjustments: a small amount of left rudder, 3° downthrust, 2° right
thrust, 1/8 inch of washout in each wingtip, and 1/8 inch of washin of
the right inboard wing panel. With this setup, the model climbs right
and glides left.
I hope Emmett’s tips will give you a leg up when you build and
fly your Gollywock. Full kits, short kits, and plans are available from
Campbell’s Custom kits. For a Superior Props catalog, send the
company $1.
Larry Kruse was extremely pleased with his Nostalgia Gas Hustler
412 with an O.S. Max III .15 engine. Then he built a 1/4A version
from Jim O’Reilly Model Plans.
That flew so well that Larry built a
Hustler 625 from Jim O’Reilly plans and the
Bob Holman Plans short kit. Larry is using a
K&B Greenhead .29 on the 625.
Not one to stop when he has a good thing
going, Larry has a 750 under way, which is
also from a Holman short kit. Jim O’Reilly
has plans for the 1/4A version, the 625, and
the 750. The 412 plans are available only
from the NFFS [National Free Flight
Society] Plans Service. Jim could make 1/2Asize
plans if you want.
Larry’s 412 did experience some upperwing-
spar damage from DT landings, so he
replaced the balsa spars with spruce; that
solved the problem. He is using spruce spars
for the main panels and hard-balsa spars for
the tip panels on the 625 and 750 versions.
The short kits aren’t listed on the Bob
Holman Plans Web site. However, contact
information is there, and he can produce the
kits as needed.
Jim Kelly got a great flight from his
Dakota at last year’s AMA Nats in Muncie,
Indiana. The target time was 40 seconds,
Build a Mystery Tailless and devise your own unique markings. This is the little-known
Flying Tigers liaison/attack version.
Larry Kruse sets the needle on his Hustler 625 at last year’s AMA
Nats. Covering is transparent Micafilm. The fuselage is finished with
two brushed coats of Klass Kote.
Jim Kelly launches his cute Dakota for a 41-second flight. That was
good enough to win the Dakota event at last year’s Nats.
and Jim’s flight was 41 seconds. Not too shabby!
The Dakota event is Thursday July 30 at this year’s AMA FF
Nats. It is usually held late in the afternoon, so drop by to watch the
fun if you have time. Better yet, join in with your own Dakota. BMJR
Model Products has the kit.
These models are best suited to low-power 1/2As, such as the OK
Cub. If you use a Cox reed-valve engine, you may need to detune it
with a venturi restrictor.
The real challenge is to time your engine run and know your
model well enough to get near the 40-second target time. Or you
could take my approach and rely on blind luck.
Dan McLeod has stopped producing his beautiful, handcrafted balsa
stripper, but he gave Tim Goldstein of A2Z Products permission to
produce it.
Tim changed some of the materials, to better suit his production
process. The stripper is now made from UHMW, acrylic, and 6061
aluminum that is hard anodized. The adjustment scale is laserengraved
in 1/128-inch increments.
To find this stripper, go to the A2Z Products Web site. On the left
side of the home page under “ModelTools,” click on
“KnivesBladesStripper.”
Easy Built Models continues to expand its line of kits; the latest is a
05sig4.QXD 3/24/09 12:29 PM Page 124
Dime Scale Fokker D.VII based on a
classic Comet design. This kit (PD-08) is a
far cry from the original of the 1930s,
boasting the best laser-cut 4- to 6-pound
contest balsa parts, 6- to 10-pound balsa
strip wood, and red Esaki tissue.
The kit includes full-size, rolled CADdrawn
plans, building and flying
instructions, FAI rubber, Peck-Polymers
nose bearing, Easy Built Models propeller,
wire, laser-cut balsa wheels, and laser-cut
bond paper and LaserCal markings. All of
these features combine to make this model
ready for competitive indoor and outdoor
flying.
The Easy Built Models propeller is a
nice middle-of-the-cut propeller. Its pitch
is not quite as aggressive as the Peck-
Polymers propellers, so the smaller
airplanes handle it well.
Easy Built Models now has two types
of markings: TissueCal and LaserCal. The
former has markings printed directly on
the tissue; you apply glue stick to the back,
position the image, and then gently rub it
down.
LaserCal is for single-color markings,
such as the Fokker’s iron crosses. Those
are laser-cut from tissue and are also
applied with glue stick, positioned, and
gently rubbed down.
TissueCal and LaserCal can be sealed
with a light coat of Krylon spray. Using
neither product requires sanding or
removing paper backing. The Easy Built
Models Web site has a “Building Tips”
section that goes into more details about
the markings and other helpful topics.
While you are on the site, look at the
Mystery Tailless kit. This model is a
“fiction flyer”: one of several designs
taken from artwork of aviation pulp fiction
magazines of the 1930s and early 1940s.
Despite its unusual planform—that of a
flying-wing biplane—the 22-inch-span
airplane has a reputation as an excellent
flier. Many who have built Mystery
Taillesses have finished their creations
with color schemes that have been as
unique as the model itself.
If you have a bit of spare time and
enjoy tongue-in-cheek humor, check out
the link just above the first Mystery
Tailless photos on the Easy Built Models
Web site. It takes you to 26 pages of
“documentation” with 13 color schemes
for the model. This whimsical work was
created by the imaginative trio of Michael
Heinrich, Rich Weber, and Clive Gamble.
I have got to build one of these
airplanes. I have the kit; now, what color
scheme to pick?
SAM [Society of Antique Modelers] 27 of
Napa, California, flew for top honors in
the Jimmie Allen Postal Contest. The
group will sponsor the 2009 postal event.
For an information packet, contact Jerry
Rocha.
Just before Thanksgiving 2007, Lone
Star Balsa’s facility burned, destroying the
contents. There was a lot of speculation
among the company’s customers, myself
included, about whether the business would
be rebuilt.
As I write this in January, the company
has just opened for business. Check it out! MA
Sources:
Golden Age Reproductions
(978) 687-0024
www.goldenagereproductions.com
Campbell’s Custom Kits
(765) 683-1749
www.campbellscustomkits.com
Superior Props
516 Driftwood Cir.
Slidell LA 70458
(985) 726-9673
Jim O’Reilly Model Plans
(316) 744-0856
www.jimoreillymodelplans.com
Bob Holman Plans
(909) 885-3959
www.bhplans.com
NFFS
www.freeflight.org
BMJR Model Products
(321) 537-1159
www.bmjrmodels.com
A2Z Corp
(720) 833-9300
www.peck-polymers.com/store
Easy Built Models
(334) 358-5184
www.easybuiltmodels.com
Jerry Rocha
3583 Ruston Ln.
Napa CA 94558
Lone Star Balsa
(972) 552-2922
www.lonestar-balsa.com
