ThiS haS To be the month of the videotape. Dick Hansen and
ModelSPORT Video Magazine sent their latest efforts—and
they’re great!
Dick’s tape is devoted to the August 2000 Scale World
Championships, held at Interlaken, Switzerland. The venue was
beautiful; it was an old Swiss Army airfield, nestled in the
mountains on the land between two lakes.
Dick started out by showing practically every Scale model from
every country that participated in the contest. The aircraft were shot
in the hangar area, where the static part of the Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) contest was held.
Except for the misidentification of a couple models, the host
was most complete.
Many of the aircraft could have been called Giant Scale, although
they were limited to a 12-kilogram weight limit. There were many
Tiger Moths (the most popular prototype) and only a couple Mustangs.
The contest had a special classification and competition for
FAI F4CX models, which were also on the Giant side.
Compared to Dick’s previous video efforts, the new tape
(#59) is marked by superb coverage of the flying part of the
program. Dick fills the screen with each airborne model—with
very little camera shake. It’s an interesting and well-made
tape.
John Beech’s latest modelSPORT video spends much more
time on big Radio Control (RC) models than his previous efforts
have. There’s extended coverage of a magnificent Giant Scale
Cub on floats, and the engine feature is about a Saito alternatefiring
twin.
The first section of the tape is devoted to Giant Scale
towplanes that “yank” equally large sailplanes into the blue.
Three towplanes are featured: a specifically designed twinboomed
model, a Pilatus Porter Scale monoplane, and a Polish
Wilga that is good enough to score in any Scale contest.
The tape is two hours of very interesting video that includes
advertisements for new RC accessories.
The address for Hansen Scale Aviation Videos is 10807 SE
John A. de Vries, 4610 Moffat Ln., Colorado Springs CO 80915
RADIO CONTROL GIANTS
Harold Harrison’s (Norristown PA) stunning clipped-wing
Monocoupe 90A. He designed and built this slick model.
Harold Harrison and his Cessna 3W. Instead of installing
retracts, he gave the model a fixed, panted landing gear.
Carlos Rangel’s all-metal Pilatus Porter Giant Scale monoplane
spans a healthy 105 inches, is powered by a Saito 150.
Gary Sparks’ photo of Nick Peacock’s 17-pound Giant Scale de
Havilland Beaver. It has SuperTigre 2500 for power.
98 M ODEL AVIATION
March 2001 99
Stacy Ct., Portland OR 97266. The address for modelSPORT
Video Magazine is Box 12557, Jacksonville NC 28546.
harold harrison of Norristown PA is a man after my own
heart. He designs, builds, and flies big models, and he does a
terrific job. I’ve included two of his latest efforts, and they’re
outstanding.
The first is a clipped-wing Monocoupe 90A in 1⁄4 scale. The
yellow-and-black beauty was based on Westburg drawings, and is
powered by a Saito 150 four-stroke engine.
Harold’s second model leaves me in a quandary. It’s of the
Cessna 3W racer, which in prototype form had a retractable
landing gear à la the Grumman Navy biplanes of the 1930s.
Hal figured that designing and building the retracts would be
too difficult to master, so he added a fixed gear with wheel
pants—appropriate for the era.
It’s a stunning model, but for Stand-Way-Off Scale.
There are two great Giant Scale model builders with the unusual
name of Carlos Rangel. I featured two World War I Scale models
by Carlos #1 in the November 2000 column, then I heard from
Carlos #2, who lives in Waxhaw NC.
Carlos #2 builds all-metal models. His 105-inch Pilatus was
photographed at an airport in Colombia in South America.
Gary Sparks furnished me with two photos for the column.
Nick Peacock’s 96-inch de Havilland L-20 Beaver weighs 17
pounds and has a SuperTigre 2500 for power. It features
operational flaps that provide realistic landings. Nick is a
member of the Tucson Radio Control Club.
The second photo is of a 46% CAP 232, built by Peter
Goldsmith of Australia. Pete spent a couple days practicing at the
Tucson club’s field before participating in last year’s Tournament
of Champions.
The 232 weighs 36 pounds, has a wingspan of 134 inches, and
is powered by a Desert Aircraft DA-150.
i’ll finish things off this month with discussion of decals—of the
waterslide variety. Chances are, your Giant Scale kit included
them to decorate the completed model. And the kit’s instructions
probably included info on how to use them.
The manufacturer is right when it comes to the application of
its decals, but ofttimes the directions are obtuse.
The instructions usually direct you to put the decals in
water. After a stated period of time, you remove the
decorations and place them on a blotting surface. They’re
supposed to stay there until they slide, then you are instructed
to position them on the model.
That technique will work okay if the decals are to be
placed on a shiny, smooth surface. Lots of luck if you’ve
coated your model with a matte paint; you have to be exact
when you position your decorations the first time, or things
will be messed up.
Peter Goldsmith’s 46% CAP 232. He stopped in Tucson for a
couple days of practice before the 2000 Tournament of Champions.
I know a way to do decals that works on almost every surface.
As with the previously described technique, the individual
decals should be trimmed close to the design. However, leave a
small tab of untrimmed paper that will allow you to grip the
decoration with a pair of tweezers.
Put warm water in a container that is bigger than the largest
decal on the sheet. Put the decal in the water and keep it there
until it’s ready to slide.
Gripping the decal by its tab, wipe the decal paper (decal and
all) over the desired position on the model. That will leave a
swath of water at the desired decal position.
Slip the decal onto the film of water and position it where you
want it. Using an absorbent paper (I use a wad of toilet paper for
small decals and a wad of paper towels for the big ones), carefully
sop up the excess moisture around the decal.
When things are almost dry, press the decal into its final
position. (Be careful—it might slip!)
This system works, even on the roughest of surfaces, because
the decal “floats” into position.
Approximately five minutes after the decal has settled into
position, use one of the commercially available decal-setting
solutions. A soft brush and a delicate application is suggested.
And for goodness sakes, don’t touch the decal until it’s dry!
Many Giant Scale models are gas-powered, and the decals
won’t be affected by their exhaust. However, it’s necessary to
provide a sprayed overcoat for each decal if you use a glowpowered
engine. Shiny, semimatte, and matte coatings are
available, so the decals can match the rest of the model’s finish.
That does it for the windy month of March.
I sure hope your winter building project is on schedule. Of
course, you’re probably still flying “last season’s” model if you
live in sunny California or Florida—you lucky folks! MA
