Radio Control Giants 2010/07

94 MODEL AVIATION
The BH Models Chipmunk ARF
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Giants Sal Calvagna
Also included in this column:
• ESM Lavochkin LA-7 ARF
• Easytiger Giant Scale Cessna 310 Twin
• KMP T-28 and AT-6 ARF
This BH Models Super Chipmunk spans just more than
85 inches and is powered by a Zenoah G-45 engine, for
outstanding performance.
Fighter row! Allies surround the enemy. The ESM LA-7 is in good company
with a Vailly Aviation Fw 190 (not an ARF) and Composite-ARF Spitfire.
A KMP AT-6 Texan at the 2010 WRAM Show. It’s a favorite subject at air
shows big and small.
The ESM Lavochkin LA-7 ARF is slightly larger than
1/5 scale, spanning 80 inches. The one shown is
powered by a Desert Aircraft DA-50.
WELCOME TO THE July RC Giants column. ARFs
have been around for quite sometime. Heck, I bought my
first one, an EZ Super Chipmunk, in of all the unlikely
places, a hobby store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in
1985 while serving with the State Department.
If I remember correctly, it had a wingspan of 63
inches and called for a .40-.60 glow engine. The model
looked great finished in the scheme of Art Scholl, a wellknown
aerobatics pilot.
The Chipmunk was constructed using minimal wood,
balsa, and light plywood, but it was mainly held together
with funky 1/8-inch foam covering that had the color and
graphics embedded. The covering was nearly impossible
to repair if you dinged it up.
ARFs took off (excuse the pun), and for the next two
decades they flourished in the .25-.60 size range.
However, it took a little longer for them to gravitate
toward Giant Scale.
At first, ARFs were mostly scale aerobatics models
such as the Laser and Extra, and there were Golden Age
and civil designs. There were also military types of Giant
Scale models, but not as many as are available today.
Giant ARF military aircraft have exploded onto the
modeling scene in the last couple of years. They come in
different sizes, types, and varying degrees of quality. A
general rule is that the model’s degree of quality or scale
fidelity can be determined by its sticker price. Following
are some options.
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July 2010 95
The KMP T-28 Trojan at the 2010 WRAM Show. It spans 80 inches
and has superb ground handling with tricycle gear.
The Easytiger Models Giant Scale Cessna 310 Twin ARF truly is a
giant with a wingspan of 125 inches.
The BH Models Giant Scale Chipmunk ARF is available from
Hobby People. It spans 85.5 inches, has a fuselage length of 69
inches, and has an all-up weight of nearly 14 pounds. This
airplane was designed for an approximately 45cc power plant.
The main landing gear features sprung oleo struts. The
Chipmunk is constructed from light plywood and balsa, and the
covering is Oracover.
A large, removable upper hatch offers access for battery packs,
if you want to convert the model to electric power. The Chipmunk
requires a six-channel radio and seven high-torque servos.
My friend, Gerry Yarrish, owns one of these fine ARFs, and it
has been featured in an issue of Model Airplane News. It is
powered with a Zenoah G-45 gas engine and is an outstanding
performer at 14 pounds.
For more information about the Chipmunk and other BH
ARFs, please visit the Hobby People Web site.
Ever Soaring Models (ESM) manufactures a great-looking
World War II Russian fighter: the Lavochkin LA-7. This ARF
spans 80 inches with a fuselage length of 65 inches.
The model has an all-up weight of approximately 17 pounds
and was designed for a 38cc-50cc engine. It has an epoxy-resin
fuselage and built-up wings that are covered with Solartex.
The LA-7 comes prepainted at the factory, with decals applied
and a clear-coat finish. It also arrives with a complete hardware
package. All you have to do is add the engine, pilot, retracts,
spinner, and radio system.
Troy Built Models is selling the ESM LA-7. For more
TIRED OF PAYING
$1.29 FOR 6 SCREWS?
Our 4-40x1/2 socket
caps sell for $4.35/100
for alloy steel, or
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For fair prices on sensible quantities of the fasteners
you need for model building, call, write or
fax for our free catalog!
Micro Fasteners 800-892-6917
24 Cokesbury Rd., Suite 2 908-236-8120
Lebanon, NJ 08833 fax 908-236-8721
e-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://microfasteners.com
07sig3x.QXD_00MSTRPG.QXD 5/25/10 3:12 PM Page 95
information about it and other great Giant
Scale ARFs, please visit the Web site.
The Lavochkin La-7 was arguably one of
the greatest fighters of WW II. Although not
as well known as other Allied fighters, it was
highly maneuverable with a fast rate of climb
and excellent high-altitude performance.
An improvement over the all-wood La-5,
the La-7 incorporated metal-alloy wing spars
but retained the laminated wood exterior.
This made it lighter and, along with other
streamlining changes, increased its
performance.
The aircraft had a top speed exceeding
420 mph with the 1,850-horsepower M-82
Shvetsov radial engine. Two of the highestscoring
Russian aces flew the La-7, and it
was reported to have exhibited
unquestionable advantages over German
aircraft. Some versions of the fighter were
armed with three 20mm Berezin B-20
cannons.
The La-7 entered service in July 1944. It
looked no different from its predecessor, the
La-5, but it was faster than the Focke-Wulf
Fw 190. More than 5,700 La-7s were
manufactured, and the design was flown
until the mid-1950s.
Easytiger Models is selling a Giant Scale
Cessna 310 Twin ARF. It spans 125 inches
with built-up wood wings and an epoxyfiberglass
fuselage.
This model is designed to be powered by
two 26cc gas engines or 1.40 glow engines.
It can also be converted to electric power,
and it comes with retractable landing gear.
The engine nacelles and tip tanks are
made from epoxy resin fiberglass. For more
information, watch the Cessna 310 video
online. See the source list for the company’s
Web site address.
The sleek full-scale Cessna 310 first flew
on January 3, 1953. It was the first twinengine
Cessna design to enter production
after WW II. In 1957 the US Air Force
selected the 310 for service as a light utility
aircraft for transport and administrative
support. The Air Force purchased 160 with
the designator “L-27A.”
The Cessna 310 possessed distinct
advantages over its contemporaries, such as
the Piper Aztec, to include higher speeds
and lower operating costs. Aftermarket
modifications such as the Robertson STOL
(Short Takeoff & Landing) kit made the 310
popular for its bush-flying characteristics.
Kondor Model Products is offering a great
pair of Giant Scale military primary trainers
as ARFs: the T-28 Trojan and AT-6 Texan.
The latter spans 87 inches and is designed to
be powered by a 26cc-30cc engine.
The AT-6’s fuselage is made from epoxy
resin fiberglass with built-up wings, and the
tail structure is covered with Solartex
material. Retract bays are constructed to
accept Robart retracts, and the model comes
with a full heavy-duty hardware package
and gasoline-ready fuel tank.
The T-28 spans 81 inches and was
designed for a 45cc engine. It has an epoxy
resin fiberglass fuselage with a built-up
wing and tail structure.
In both models, switches and connectors
are concealed behind a magnetically
attached access panel, to maintain scale
fidelity. The Trojan also features an
articulating arrestor hook and cockpit
instrument panels.
You can obtain more information about
these two trainers and other Kondor Model
Products ARFs on the company’s Web site.
North American Aviation built the fullscale
AT-6 advanced trainer to use to
instruct pilots in the US Army Air Corps
and many pilots in other Allied air forces
during WW II. The naval version was
designated “SNJ.” North American also
produced a fighter version for export, the P-
64, which was sold to Thailand, but the US
seized it when Japan invaded Thailand.
The AT-6 served with many air forces
around the world and last retired from
service with the South African Air Force in
1995. These airplanes are still popular for
use in air shows and racing. Approximately
15,500 variants were produced.
After WW II, the US Air Force was
interested in replacing the T-6 Texan with a
primary trainer that would prepare pilots for
the new jet-powered aircraft; they needed a
design that sported tricycle landing gear.
North American was hired to complete the
task.
The first flight of the prototype was in
September 1949. The Air Force was
impressed with its performance and ordered
266 of the newly designated T-28 Trojans in
1950. The order grew to exceed 1,150.
The primary trainer was so successful
that the US Navy and Marine Corps placed
orders, and nearly 300 were fitted with
arrestor gear for carrier-deck landing
training.
The first North Vietnamese combat
airplane was a T-28 Trojan trainer; its
Laotian pilot had defected. It was utilized as
a night fighter in early 1964 and became the
first aircraft to shoot down a US aircraft, a
C-123 transport, on February 15, 1964.
If you find yourself short on time for
modeling or lack the enthusiasm to construct
your own Giant Scale model, there are
plenty of ARFs in numerous styles and price
ranges that will please the discerning
modeler. MA
Sources:
Hobby People
(800) 854-8471
www.hobbypeople.net
Troy Built Models
(941) 342-8685
www.troybuiltmodels.com
Easytiger Models
(917) 971-3322
www.easytigermodels.com
Kondor Model Products
(888) 968-7251
www.kmp.ca
International Miniature Aircraft
Association
www.fly-imaa.org
96 MODEL AVIATION
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