Radio Control Giants - 2011/03
Author
Sal Calvagna [[email protected]]
Accessories for the Ziroli Spitfire Mk I–V
WELCOME BACK. Thanks to winter’s frosty grip, it has been a relatively quiet month in the Northeast with regards to giant-scale modeling. However, the slack time provided me with an opportunity to visit Nick Ziroli Plans (NZP) to check out its latest and greatest offerings.
Hey, it’s not as if I had to make a “road trip”; NZP is located a mere 10 minutes from my home and five minutes from where I work! Mike brought me up to speed on the company’s newest products, and it was nice to spend some time with him, Nick, Diane, Felix, and the rest of the crew.
In the April 2010 column I reported on the newest NZP giant-scale offering: a 1/4-scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk I–V that spans 100 inches, has a length of 81 1/2 inches, and has a wing area of 1,575 square inches, with an all-up weight of 30–34 pounds. Suggested power is a 62cc–85cc engine.
While I was at NZP, Mike reported that plans have been selling briskly and he brought out some of the accessories that you can purchase with the plans or short kit. An accompanying photo shows the following accessories:
- ABS radiators for water and oil
- Fiberglass cowl and belly scoop
- Canopy
- Scale exhaust manifolds
- Gear door kit
- Rearview mirror
- Trim tab actuators and fairings
NZP offers everything else to complete this model of the famous WWII fighter, from fiberglass cloth to retracts and pilot figures.
1/3-Scale Dummy Rotary Engines
The company’s newest releases are cast-resin Oberursel and Clerget dummy rotary engines in 1/3 scale. These will be available as basic kits or finished models, complete with oil stains for that authentic look. Prices start at approximately $50 for the basic resin kits and are somewhat higher for the completed painted versions. These dummy engines will add that extra bit of realism to any large model of World War I–era, rotary-powered aircraft.
Many WWI airplanes had rotary engines—not to be confused with the later radial power plants, although they look similar, especially when they are not running. Both designs feature cylinders arranged around the crankcase in a circular manner. However, the major difference is that on a rotary engine the cylinders rotate around the fixed crankshaft; on a radial the cylinders are fixed and the crankshaft turns.
This means that the propeller on a rotary is bolted directly to the engine case, which spins along with all cylinders. On a radial the propeller is bolted to the crankshaft; neither the engine case nor the cylinders move.
At the start of WWI, engine and aircraft designs were still in their infancy; powered flight was only realized a mere 10 years earlier. Aircraft power plants needed to be as light as possible with the highest power-to-weight ratios available. Early water-cooled V8 designs by Curtiss and others were heavy and unreliable. The rotary engine was simpler, easy to produce, and the better choice for power output at that time. In addition, the cooling advantages of the spinning rotary were exactly what the engineers needed at a time when it was difficult to produce metals that would not distort at high temperatures.
There were also downsides to the rotary engine, such as the considerable gyroscopic effect of the large rotating mass. It also suffered from poor fuel consumption because of the limited throttle capability, and a high degree of oil consumption caused by the total-loss system.
This meant that during combustion, oil was pumped out of the cylinders and not returned to a reservoir. Thus the need for the scarves that pilots wore; they were used to wipe the castor oil from their faces and goggles. Another downside to the total-loss system was that the pilots’ constant ingestion of castor oil caused severe stomach issues such as diarrhea.
The Oberursel UR.II was a replica of the Le Rhône 9J; however, the Le Rhône was preferred to the Oberursel because of the superior materials used in the French engine. There are stories of Le Rhones being removed from downed Allied aircraft and fitted to German aircraft. Le Rhône engines were quite reliable, and by the end of WWI they were being manufactured in Great Britain, Italy, and the US, in addition to France.
The Clerget was made in 110- and 130-horsepower versions. It differed from the Le Rhône in that its valves were actuated by conventional rocker arms from two pushrods per cylinder.
After WWI the rotary engine was replaced by radial, in-line, and Vee engines, because producing a rotary with more power increased the weight and gyroscopic forces.
For more information about the 1/3-scale dummy engines, the 1/4-scale Spitfire, and other NZP products, please visit the company's website.
Walt Moucha’s 1/4-Scale Hawker Sea Fury
Walt Moucha of Port St. Lucie, Florida, sent me a photo of his latest project: a 1/4-scale Hawker Sea Fury with a wingspan of 120 inches. The wing is built in three sections: a 48-inch center section that houses the retractable landing gear and two 36-inch outer panels.
The fuselage is 93 inches long, and the cowl diameter is 15 inches. Walt intends to power the Sea Fury with a 3W-120 twin-cylinder two-stroke gas engine. He reported the airplane to weigh 36 pounds. It will feature flaps, all surface detail, wingtip lights, and a functional sliding canopy.
Walt hopes to finish and test-fly the aircraft sometime this spring, but he has no plans to kit it. He kits many other models, such as the Marquardt Charger, Piper Pawnee, Bristol Scout, Piper L-4, and Miss Los Angeles. If you would like more information about Walt's current project or his kit offerings, please contact him using the info in the "Sources" listing.
Historical Note: Origins of the Hawker Sea Fury
The specifications for a new British fighter in 1942 were the direct result of Luftwaffe pilot Oberleutnant Arnim Faber's navigation error. He landed his Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3 at the British RAF Pembrey because he thought it was a Luftwaffe channel-coast airfield. That was a major mistake!
The Fw 190 had been causing havoc with the Royal Air Force, and as a result of that error the British had a fully operational aircraft to study. The result was Specification F.6/42, which called for a new, high-performance fighter. Thus the Hawker Sea Fury's beginning.
The Fury was a successor to the Hawker Typhoon and Tempest fighters. The design called for a lightweight aircraft, and in 1943 the requirement was modified to meet Royal Navy specifications for a carrier-based interceptor.
The prototype flew in September 1944, and by the time different engines were tested and modifications were made to the airframe, the war was over and the contract for the Sea Fury was canceled. It was the last piston-powered fighter developed during WWII and was arguably the fastest ever manufactured, reaching speeds of close to 485 mph.
So ends another column. Send me digital photos and a write-up of your winter project, and I will be happy to share them with readers. MA
Sources
- Nick Ziroli Plans
(631) 467-4765 www.ziroliplans.com
- Walt Moucha Designs
5803 NW Zinnia St. Port St. Lucie FL 34986 (772) 460-6436
- International Miniature Aircraft Association
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
