RADIO CONTROL COMBAT - 2003/07

120 MODEL AVIATION
WHEN PEOPLE think about Radio Control (RC) Combat today,
most think of Scale and Open Class B. Although Open Class B is
by far the most popular form of RC Combat flown in the United
States today, the Radio Control Combat Association (RCCA) rules
actually define four different classes of Open Combat.
Using well-established displacement letters used in modeling
for decades, the four classes include 1⁄2A for engines up to .061
cubic inch, A for engines up to .15, B for engines up to .30, and C
for engines up to .47.
Despite its later introduction to the sport, the more popular
Open Class B has outpaced 2610 Scale Combat. The other Open
classes are not as popular, but Class C certainly has a core of
active supporters.
During the last year or so a revision to the Class A rules has
breathed new life into smaller-engine Combat, and 2003 looks like
the year that the new provisional set of rules may obtain critical
mass and take off. Called SSC for “Slow, Survivable Combat,” the
provisional rules have a number of differences for other RC
Combat classes that have helped it gain a loyal following.
Only stock .15 engines, “available from normal retail outlets
for non-sale price of $60 or less” are allowed. With the exception
of removing the muffler baffle plate, no modifications to the
engine, carburetor, or muffler are allowed.
Only unmodified Master Airscrew 8 x 3 propellers are
permitted, and all engines are to be tested to ensure that a
maximum allowable rpm of 17,500 cannot be exceeded by the
engine “with carburetor barrel full open” and the technical
inspector allowed to “pinch” the fuel line in an attempt to
determine the maximum rpm obtainable.
So no one feels threatened by any particular engine, the SSC
rules borrow from some racing rules by requiring that the firstplace
engine can be purchased for $100 by any other competitor.
These rules, designed to ensure that the engine and propeller
are stock, are married to a simple but specific set of rules
regarding the design of the model itself. A minimum weight of 21⁄2
pounds and a minimum wing area of 400 square inches are
requirements. The idea is that the resultant lightly wing-loaded
airplane, operating on limited power, slows the pace of RC
Combat and reduces the probability that collisions will result in
the complete destruction of the model.
Greg Rose, 1312 NW 196th St., Edmond OK 73003
RADIO CONTROL COMBAT
Two sharp Nakajima Ki-84 Franks wait at the ready during a
Combat meet. The builder’s name is not known.
The JK Aerotech Ta 152H spans 51 inches. Foam-and-tape
construction speeds assembly and keeps weight down.
The author’s son James Rose shows off his new Pica P-51B
Mustang with its experimental splinter camouflage scheme.
122 MODEL AVIATION
The rules sound more limiting than
other Combat rules, but they actually do
offer everything you need to have a good
time at a slightly slower pace and a
dramatically decreased cost. Although an
“Open” event, it didn’t take long for a
“cartoon scale” version of the rules to
develop. Several plans for Scale SSC
designs that generally resemble Scale
fighters, albeit with oversized wings to
obtain the required 4,000-square-inch
wing area, are available on the Internet.
At least two Combat kit manufacturers
are planning to introduce SSC and Scale
SSC kits.
Because of the slower flying speeds of
the models, I expect that SSC will
develop quite a following in the Combat
community. If you’ve been intimidated
by the breakneck speeds of Open Class B
and C, consider trying the new SSC class.
You may find it to be the perfect way to
get your daily minimum requirement of
RC Combat fun.
JK Aerotech (10800 S.E. Orient Dr.,
Boring OR 97009; Tel.: [503] 663-4081;
Web site: www.jkaerotech.com) has
introduced a new long-spanned fighter to
its line of RC Scale Combat kits. The new
Focke-Wulf Ta 152H spans 51 inches, and
the prototype topped the scales at a mere
36 ounces when equipped with a Norvel
.25 engine and all mini and micro gear.
As do JK Aerotech’s P-51, Corsair,
Zero, Fw 190A, P-47, and MiG-3 kits, the
new Ta 152H features a tape-over-foam
building technique with Coroplast tail
feathers and reinforcements. I was
impressed by the ruggedness of its
construction when a JK Aerotech Zero
made a one-point landing (spinner first) at
the Nationals in Muncie, Indiana.
In addition to being light, the kits can
be built quickly. To speed building even
more, the model uses olive-drab tape.
Markings are cut tape, and just a few
details are painted on.
Hot on the tail of the long-spanned
Focke-Wulf for 2610 Scale Combat is the
introduction of two new SSC designs.
Called Fat Bird SSC by JK Aerotech, the
models are for the new SSC class. The Ki-
64 and the P-51 Mustang are planned for
introduction this spring and should allow
more fliers to get a taste of SSC.
A few issues ago I discussed scale paint
schemes that allow for good contrast
between the bottom and top of your model.
Well, I took my own advice to the
extreme—way to the extreme, as it turns
out—and chose an experimental “splinter”
paint scheme for my Pica P-51B Mustang.
Painting the scale pattern of black
triangles breaking up the white bottom was
time-consuming. Of course, I thought of an
easier way to do it after I had struggled
through what seemed like endless hours of
masking off the fuselage and wings.
Powered by an O.S. .25 FSR and
controlled by a Futaba radio, the finished
aircraft weighs 44 ounces with two
standard servos and one microservo.
Although it does provide a dramatic
difference between the top and bottom, the
paint job was more trouble than it was
worth. The next time I will choose
something much simpler to paint!
By the time this issue arrives in your
mailbox, everyone involved in RC Combat
will be thinking of one thing and one thing
only: the Nationals! The RC Combat
Nationals at the AMA flying site in
Muncie, Indiana, is the premier RC
Combat event in the United States. Be sure
to mark July 10-12 on your calendar and
come to the RC Combat Nationals!
That’s all for now. Until next time, fly
safely, fly Combat, and don’t forget to
check your six! I’ll see you in Muncie! MA