Modeler's Mall
Bob Hunt's Lost-Foam Wing Building System videos from Robin's View Productions, Box 68, Stockertown PA 18083. Tel.: (610) 746-0106
In 1968 Bob Hunt began experimenting with foam wing cutting, eventually becoming one of the world's most acknowledged and accomplished at the art. He liked the inherent and easy-to-achieve accuracy that a properly cut and covered foam wing virtually assured. He didn't like the weight of the foam wing, however, with all the excess sheeting and glue that was required.
Bob began thinking about a wing-building system that would take advantage of the accuracy of the foam core shapes, which are just as accurate negative airfoil shapes as the foam cores are positive airfoil shapes.
He devised a system in which the foam wing blanks are marked for desired rib positions for a built-up wing prior to being cut into a wing shape. Once the cores were cut, the rib positions could be easily cut out and the ribs properly located and indexed. The lower cradle section could then be marked and holes cut in it to accept the matching ribs. A welded wire-bent rib form could be used as a template for generating equally accurate balsa ribs. A perfect built-up representation of the original foam core shape could then be assembled in the lower cradle half, which was a form-fitting building fixture.
Bob first tried this process in 1993, and the first wing built using the system was accurate in every respect. It was built for Bob's Tucker Special, which went on to win the Vintage Stunt Championships. It was light, strong, and true!
Since then, Bob has been constantly developing and improving his Lost-Foam Wing Building System, incorporating many unique innovations and ever more accuracy-ensuring techniques. Its success is evident by the large number of top aerobatic champions who have chosen Lost-Foam as their wing-building method.
The images and narration in this video set explain every aspect of Bob's Lost-Foam system in step-by-step, close-up, screen-filling detail.
For those who have foam-cutting equipment, he first takes you through the complete process of laying out, cutting, and preparing your Lost-Foam System foam parts. For those who don't have foam-cutting equipment, custom-cut Lost-Foam system components are available from Robin's View Productions.
The Lost-Foam system has many advantages over other types of wing-building systems. The ribs generated from the cut-up foam-core templates are accurate to within a few thousandths of an inch, and they fit perfectly into the lower foam fixture to yield a perfectly shaped wing. No other system keys on and true to the outside shape of the wing as it is being built!
Foam leading-edge molds—which are exact replicas of the front of the wing shape—are used to generate hyper-accurate leading-edge shells that have a perfectly shaped leading-edge radius. Improperly shaped leading edges are a major cause of poor model performance!
Bob also shows how to install rugged but light landing-gear systems in Lost-Foam wings. This section includes detailed explanation of the methods Bob uses to make form-fitting balsa cover plates for the landing-gear wires.
Even though the subject here is for Control Line Stunt design, the techniques can be easily adapted to constant-chord, straight-taper, and multiple-taper wings for use in Radio Control and Free Flight models.
Bob Hunt's Lost-Foam Wing Building System video set is list priced at $39.95 but is available for a limited time at the introductory price of $34.95 plus $5 Priority Mail postage and handling.
Modeler's Mall
Rascal Forty ARF @ $309.99 from Sig Manufacturing Co., Box 520, Montezuma IA 50171; Tel.: (641) 623-5154; Web site: www.sigmfg.com.
In response to customer requests, Sig Manufacturing Company introduces the Rascal Forty ARF. This is the same design as the Rascal R/C and ARF, but it is designed for popular .40-size engines.
In making this transition, the Rascal Forty ARF adds features not found on the smaller airplanes, such as matching, painted fiberglass wheel pants and full-span ailerons for aerobatics. The large, two-piece, 72-inch wing makes transport to the field a breeze.
The Rascal Forty ARF features a complete hardware package with fuel tank, wheels, a Sig APC-compatible spinner, hardened aluminum landing gear, and a completely illustrated instruction manual.
All major components are covered with premium Oracover® covering film in your choice of white with transparent blue (item SIGRC83ARFB) or white with transparent red (item SIGRC83ARFR).
The Rascal Forty ARF is 90% prebuilt, so assembly time can be as little as four to five hours.
The Rascal Forty ARF is available at your local hobby dealer.
Specifications: wingspan, 72.5 inches; wing area, 728 square inches; fuselage length, 51.75 inches; weight, 5–5.5 pounds; engines recommended, .40–.46 two-stroke or .40–.53 four-stroke; radio recommended, four-channel, five servos. Engine and radio are not included.
Pasadena TX 77505; Tel.: (800) 609-7951; Web site: www.gcbmrc.com.
GCBM R/C Inc. offers a line of World War I Sport Scale kits from Great Britain's Flair Products Ltd. This all-wood builder's kit of the famous French fighter features die-cut wood parts, strip wood, sheet wood, fuel tank, engine mount, extensive hardware pack, pre-bent undercarriage, and fully detailed plans and instructions.
The wingspan is 52 inches, and the flying weight is approximately six pounds. The model is designed around a .25–.45 two-stroke or a .52 four-stroke and a four-channel radio. Light wing loading offers excellent flying characteristics in a practical size for easy transportation.
Have a need to fly the "dawn patrol" in search of a dogfight? The Legionaire is for you!
Visa®, MasterCard®, and Discover are accepted.
Perfect Removable/Adjustable Stabilizer video @ $19.95 + postage from Airborne Media, 5655 David Pl., Fairfield OH 45014; Tel.: (888) 829-4060.
The ability to remove and adjust the stabilizer on your airplane offers many advantages. First and foremost is the capability of adjusting the stabilizer's incidence angle to infinitely fine-tune its flight trim. Many potentially fine-flying models have been scrapped because this simple adjustment was not available.
Another advantage of a removable stabilizer is the ease of finishing. Without the stabilizer halves in the way, finishing the fuselage is a breeze!
And from a practical point of view, the ease of transportation with the stabilizer halves removed makes this a feature you will want to include on every aircraft you build from now on.
In the video, modeler Bob Noll covers every aspect of the construction process in screen-filling, close-up detail. If you are a serious builder/flier, you will want this video in your library for reference.
Running time is 1 hour, 13 minutes (VHS only).
To order, or for more information (including Quicktime video clips), visit www.airbornemedia.com.
Flair Products Ltd. Legionaire (Nieuport 17) @ $110 + $15 S&H from GCBM R/C Inc., 5009 Fairdale,
Stretch Mask Friskfilm from Artool Products Company, Box 14397, Portland OR 97293; Tel.: (503) 253-7308; Fax: (503) 253-0721; E-mail: [email protected].
Artool Products Company announces the availability of its long-awaited Stretch Mask Friskfilm! Stretch Mask is a multimedium, stretchable, repositionable masking film which is especially suited to conform to curved and irregular surfaces for painting; e.g., motorcycle tanks, helmets, and automotive shapes.
Stretch Mask is a clear film, so artwork is always in view. It has a medium tack, and cuts very easily with an art knife or single-edged razor, and can be effortlessly manipulated and repositioned without lifting paint. It will not wrinkle, bleed, or flutter under airbrush spray. Artool Stretch Mask is completely solvent proof.
It is excellent for fine artists, auto graphics painters, sign painters, hobbyists, modelers, sculptors, and general airbrushers. Stretch Mask is available in two convenient sizes: #F-100 (18 inches x 10 yards at $29.95 MSRP) and #F-102 (18 inches x 25 yards at $54.95 MSRP).
For a complete listing of the Artool-Iwata-Medea catalog on the Web, go to www.artoolproducts.com.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
