Radio Control Giants
Sal Calvagna [[email protected]]
A good choice for your first RC Giant
When I refer to RC Giants, Giant Scale, or the generic term used for most large models—1/4 scale—I mean models that fall within the specifications of the International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA). The IMAA classifications include:
- 80-inch-span monoplane
- 60-inch-span biplane
- 140-inch total wingspan and fuselage length for jets and true 1/4-scale
The "true 1/4 scale" designation allows representations of small full-scale aircraft to participate in IMAA-sanctioned events. For example, the well-known racer Bonzo (on display at the Experimental Aircraft Association museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin) has a full-scale wingspan of 17 feet 2 inches. A 1/4-scale model of that aircraft would be about 51.5 inches and still be IMAA legal.
You don’t have to own a 100-inch, 30-pound model to participate in Giant Scale events. For example, Hank’s WACO has a wingspan of 72 inches, is 53.8 inches long, and has 1,431 square inches of wing area. Its flying weight is approximately 12 pounds. Hank powers the WACO with a BCMA Sport26 gas engine and uses a Spektrum DX7 radio for control. He is an avid, excellent builder and has done a wonderful job recovering and finishing the WACO. He won third place in the civilian class at this year’s Westchester Radio AeroModelers (WRAM) show.
The WACO comes prebuilt as an ARF (some assembly required). It was designed to be powered by a .91–1.20 two-stroke glow engine and only requires the use of a four-channel radio with five standard-sized, heavy-duty servos. With 16–19 ounces of wing loading, it should be a real performer in the air. Why not try it? The Web addresses for Cox Models and BCMA Engines are www.coxmodels.com and www.bcmaengines.com.
Adding detail and pilot figures
In the May issue I wrote about “who’s flying the airplane,” encouraging modelers to add appropriate pilot figures to their models. I want to expand on that theme by writing about adding more detail to your current project. It’s nice to see models that have properly scaled pilot figures in the cockpit — not Bart Simpson or a teddy bear head. Save those for your Ugly Stick!
This month I’m featuring Rich Perry’s 1/4-scale Fokker D.VII. Rich is from Fort Collins, Colorado, and I’ve seen a couple of his nicely finished models. Many of the Fokker D.VIIs of World War I fame were painted with a lozenge pattern on the fabric. This is difficult to replicate, especially if you try to paint it yourself — you need the patience of a saint, a steady hand, and often being retired helps too. No wonder my D.VII is all white!
Some manufacturers sell fabric with the lozenge pattern already applied. Rich purchased the five-color fabric from Glenn Torrance Models (www.flygtm.com). He used Randolph’s clear nitrate and butyrate dope to adhere and protect it; the dope also tightens the fabric and keeps it that way.
Rich’s model is powered by a Zenoah G-38, nicely hidden under a beautiful faux Mercedes six-cylinder inline engine purchased separately from Proctor Enterprises (www.proctor-enterprises.com), a company that specializes in scale kits and accessories. The exposed portion of the engine adds much to the appearance of the model and dominates the front end. If you look closely, you can see valve shafts, springs, rocker arms, hex nuts on the covers, and even exhaust flanges and bolts. Rich has added other fine details, but the covering and engine are immediately noticeable.
Rich also enjoys RC Combat and Pylon Racing. He flies at the Love-Air R/C field in Fort Collins and mentioned that in September the club will host the Big Warbirds Over the Rockies event. Great job, Rich!
Electric conversions and new items at Toledo
Many manufacturers are changing gears with the surge of electrics instead of selling only "wet" power (glow or gas). Sorry, but I still enjoy the smell of castor, wet grass, and hot coffee in the morning at the flying field.
Skyshark R/C was at the show with several new items; most notable were its motors, speed controllers, and full electric conversion packages. Those packages help take the guesswork out of converting from glow or gas to electric power and appear to be one of the best-thought-out ways to go electric.
For example, a typical conversion for a 40- to 46-size sport-scale model includes Skyshark’s Lightning 50 motor, Ultra 60 speed controller, and a four-cell 5000 mAh battery, which provides approximately eight to 10 minutes of flight time. Skyshark’s catalog lists different motors with equivalent sizes for glow engines; their largest motor is the Lightning 150. The catalog also includes a table correlating motor choices to glow-engine equivalents, which is a huge help for new electric power modelers. In addition, the company’s technical support offers help to modelers getting started in electric power.
Skyshark displayed a unique you-build-it kit—not an ARF—at Toledo: a Me 109Z twin with one canopy covered. The model used two Me 109G fuselages and even had four main gear legs and tires. It spanned 87 inches, and two .60–.75 engines were recommended; equivalent electric power was also listed.
Skyshark also had a P-40 on display that is available in three color schemes: the Chinese 3rd Army version, the British Kittyhawk scheme, and an unpainted version for custom paint jobs.
Scale Pursuit Models and quick-build foam construction
Scale Pursuit Models is a new company that had an interesting T-34C Mentor at Toledo. The 89-inch-wingspan aircraft comes as what the company describes as a quick-build kit for the Giant Scale market. The fuselage, wing, and tail surfaces are precut and shaped with a CNC machine and are made from polypropylene foam — tough but light. The model is covered with highly detailed molded polycarbonate skins with rivet and panel-line detail already included.
When checking out new models I always ask manufacturers if they have the scale drawings used to design the aircraft. To my surprise, Scale Pursuit Models provided the three-view and scale drawings used to design the Mentor with their show packet of photos. Having that information with a scale model is great for competition purposes. Nothing turns off a scale modeler faster than being told a designer used three different three-views to draw the airplane and doesn't have a drawing available.
Hobbico and other new kits
Hobbico had a professionally designed area with several new kits, engines, and Futaba radio systems. Many of the kits were scale ARFs — the trend with our ever-increasing busy lifestyles.
A model that stood out was an electric-powered Fokker Dr.I ARF. It was a built-up, all-wood airplane with a 29.5-inch wingspan. It looked nice and would be a good candidate to strip the covering off and refinish in other color schemes. The Dr.I retails for roughly $99.
A Hobbico model that caught my wife’s eye was a beautiful Beechcraft Staggerwing. With a 72.5-inch wingspan, it was designed for 1.60 cu. in. engines or 25cc glow engines and would probably impress most anyone.
What makes an aerobatic model aerobatic?
Most airplanes we fly today are fairly aerobatic because we routinely overpower them. A full-scale Cub cruises at 65 knots on a 65-horsepower engine and, although it can’t perform mild aerobatics without diving to build up enough airspeed, many Cub models can do consecutive loops, snaps, barrel rolls, and sustained inverted flight because of the extra power available in the models.
Power-to-weight ratio is a major factor for performing aerobatics, but it’s not the only one. The basic design of the aircraft, the type of wing airfoil, and the balance of the aircraft also contribute to overall aerobatic performance. However, I believe a major factor (other than power-to-weight ratio) is the size of the movable surfaces.
In the accompanying photos you can see my friend John Camien with his Tournament of Champions (TOC) 33% Yak-54. It has a wingspan of 107 inches, a length of 95 inches, and is powered by a DA-100 twin gas engine. This large, impressive ARF can perform every aerobatic maneuver in the book if you know how to control it properly.
The movable surfaces—ailerons, elevator, and rudder—are enormous. In addition, the surfaces are mixed together through a computer-controlled radio to enhance the flight envelope. These models typically have a light wing loading and are easy to fly and land in a racetrack-type pattern, but it takes much practice to perform maneuvers such as Torque Rolls and other 3-D aerobatics accurately. John is a proficient 3-D flier because he practices regularly.
If you are interested in aerobatic flying there are many types and sizes of aircraft to suit your needs. Troy Built Models has a lot to offer; visit the company’s Web site at www.troybuiltmodels.com.
Tom Pastore’s Boeing F4B-2
Tom Pastore of East Aurora, New York, built a nice Boeing F4B-2 Navy dive bomber from plans roughly 10 years ago. The model spans 90 inches and weighs 30.5 pounds. A Sachs-Dolmar 80cc twin gas engine powers it. The model is covered with Ceconite and has a dope finish. Tom says that landings are always exciting with the narrow landing gear.
The Boeing P-12 series (the Navy designator was F4B) was the best-known fighter between the wars. A major development for the P-12 series was the use of bolted-up aluminum-tube construction rather than welded steel-tube construction, mainly aft of the cockpit. The engine area still used welded steel-tube construction because of engine vibration. The military purchased 586 of these fighters in different versions. Later types replaced fabric covering with aluminum sheeting.
That's all for this month. See you at the field!
—Sal Calvagna
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
