May 2003 109
Stan Alexander, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL SCALE
FINDING THE RIGHT “stuff” for that
Scale model is one of the big sticking
points for many of us as we are building
an airplane. Ruben Nolf was looking for a
Seidel radial engine for his Boeing
Stearman biplane. I mentioned it in one of
the previous columns, and he ended up
obtaining one of the scale jewels. He
wrote:
“I found a Seidel 7 cylinder engine new
in the box and bought it through Jerry
Nelson of Nelson Hobby Specialties in
Hillsboro, Oregon before your February
column came out. Now I have a second
offer due to your efforts. Thanks.
“Seidel is alive. Maybe you have run
across this web site and maybe not. It is
the site of Henrik Rossel and his web
address is www.rcpropel.dk and is either
in German or English. On it he shows the
new 14 cylinder Seidel engine. He
answered my e mail and said Seidel has no
web site or fax he knows of. But he did Jerry Bates designed these plans for a 911⁄4-inch-span Grumman F-4F Wildcat.
Jerry’s Wildcat plans include this booklet containing history,
three-views, and a basic construction section.
Luftwaffe Color Chart by Eagle Editions Ltd. will help you identify
accurate colors for your World War II Scale models.
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give me the address to write to: It is: Fa.
Seidel Triebwerke, Postfach 1104, 76306
Malsch, Germany.”
Thanks for the update, Ruben.
I have had correspondence with other
modelers about Seidel and have been told
that Seidel is still making engines but is
building them on an as-needed basis. You
pay for the engine first, then Seidel builds
it, which could take several months to a
year.
If you’ve always wanted to build that
obscure aircraft or one that not many
modelers will ever have in their hangars,
try building from plans. Some of these
aircraft present their own particular
“opportunities” or problems with landing
gear, wing attachment, or tightly cowled
engines. Jerry Bates has designed a
beautiful set of plans for a World War II
fighter that has one of those particular
opportunities: the main landing gear.
The Grumman Wildcat is known to
have a complicated gear at best. Thus you
don’t see too many of these models flying
around. The exception is Bob Karlsson’s
76-inch-span design, which has been out
for several years and is available from the
Model Airplane News plans service.
Jerry’s Wildcat is larger than Bob’s,
and the plans are detailed down to the
scale hinges on the airframe. The 1⁄5-scale
model spans 911⁄4 inches, and the fuselage
is 113⁄4 inches wide just behind the
cowling. Plans come rolled with five
sheets, and the big model can be powered
by most 3.7-5.2 gas engines. The
prototype was flown on a G-62 with no
problems.
Also included with the plans set is a
41-page booklet with history, three-views,
and a basic construction section for the
model. FS numbers are included for
matching paint chips with your local autopaint
store for the proper shade. This is the
first time I’ve seen this all put together in
one booklet. It makes it much easier for
modelers to get started building their own
Wildcats. Fiberglass parts such as the
cowling are available, as are the canopy
and other shaped parts.
As I mentioned, the main sticking part
on the airplane, as with many Grumman
aircraft, is the main landing gear. Robart is
Some of the detailing on Steve Sauger’s Fairchild for FAI competition is visible here.
This perspective of the wing structure for
the author’s 90-inch-span Corben Baby
Ace shows the left wing panel.
manufacturing the main gear for this
model, and it should be available by the
time this column comes out.
Bob Holman Plans has “short” kits
available for Jerry’s Wildcat. They run
$200 and only include the balsa and
plywood shaped parts, such as fuselage
formers and wing ribs. The pieces are
made using laser-cut precision, as Bob
uses with most of his parts now. You can
reach Bob Holman at Box 741, San
Bernardino CA 92404; Tel.: (909) 885-
3959; E-mail: [email protected].
This year the Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale (FAI) Scale Team
Selection will be held at the Scale
National Championships for F4C and F4B
classes. The team selected this coming
June will represent the United States at
the Scale World Championships in
Poland in 2004.
The Scale World Championships is the
112 MODEL AVIATION
equivalent of the Olympics of Scale
aeromodeling. This contest lasts a week,
and Team USA competitors help each
other and work together to place as high as
possible in the competition, hoping to
achieve one of the first three places,
winning a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Medal.
These World Championships events are
some of the most elaborate contests
anywhere in the world. The hosting Aero-
Club of Poland is one of the most
organized modeling groups in Europe, and
I’m sure everyone who does attend will
have a great time. The World
Championships was held in Switzerland in
2000, and similar crowds are expected in
Deblin, Poland. Deblin is a town of
approximately 20,000 people, situated at
the estuary of the Wieprz River to the
Vistula River, roughly 60 miles southeast
of Warsaw.
Models are shipped to Europe, or
wherever the Championships is held, in
specifically designed boxes for each model
and field equipment needed for world
competition. Pilots usually compete one at
a time, so there is no chance of midair
crashes or you not hearing your model if
the engine dies.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to compete
against the best Scale modelers and see
other places and learn more about people
in other parts of the world. As many as 35
countries are represented at a World
Championships. If you’re an Expert or
Designer competitor, give FAI and the
Team Selection some thought. It’s an
honor to represent your country in world
competition. Winning in this type of
competition and bringing home a medal
would be icing on the cake for a team or
an individual.
Bookshelf: Identifying the correct colors
for Scale models is an art in itself; color
chips vary from source to source
throughout the world. Being able to
obtain the chips from the company that
formulated and produced the paint for the
original aircraft you are modeling helps
narrow down the mistakes you can make
when finishing a model.
Warnecke and Bohm GMBH was the
principal supplier of aviation paint to the
Luftwaffe during World War II, and the
company certified the color-chip chart.
The chips are precisely matched by
spectrophotometric measurement and
reproduction of all known original color
standards and the paint manufacturer’s
archive specimens.
There are 30 color chips included in
the three-page booklet Luftwaffe Color
Chart by Eagle Editions Ltd. It comes in a
plastic Ziploc bag, and the chips are
protected inside. This Luftwaffe colorchip
chart comes from the most accurate
and authentic source for actual color
standards as they were specified by the
German Air Ministry from 1933 to the
war’s end in 1945.
Contact Eagle Editions Ltd. at Box
580, Hamilton MT 59840; Tel. (orders):
(800) 255-1830; Web site: www.eagleeditions.
com.
This year, with the 100th anniversary of
powered flight, the US Scale Masters
Championships will be held at Dayton,
Ohio, September 24-28 on the US Air
Force Museum grounds. Mike Barbee is
the contest director, and Marv Wade is the
Vanguard Leader for the US Scale
Masters.
By the time this column is out, there
should be more information available on
the Championships. Check the Scale
Masters Web site at www.scalemasters.org.
Corben Baby Ace: The holiday season
has just ended as I write this, and activity
has slowed to a standstill in the shop, but I
have been working on the Baby Ace’s
wing structure when time allows. The 90-
inch-span wing builds into three sections.
The two outboard panels are constructed
on the building board with a flat-bottom
airfoil.
A hollow-core door works well as a
building board for this model. I’ve used
these doors for years. Find one at a store
such as Lowe’s or The Home Depot with a
hole in it on one side or some minor
damage. T-pins will go through without
too much trouble; just make sure the side
you use is flat and doesn’t have a dip in it.
You can usually pick up one of these doors
for approximately $5.
The main front spars are 3⁄8 square
hardwood, and the rear spars are 1⁄4 x 3⁄8-
inch hardwood or medium balsa. I used
hardwood on all spars because this is a
lightly built wing. All wing ribs are from
1⁄8 balsa except the center-section ribs,
which are built from 1⁄8 plywood, and the
inboard ribs on the outer wing panels.
You need the plywood ribs to mount
the 5⁄16-inch-diameter brass tubes to take
the 1⁄4-inch steel pins which mount the
outer panels to the center-section of the
wing. Modification to the wingtips and the
ailerons will depend on the prototype or
full-scale aircraft you are modeling.
On this version, as I’ve stated before, I
changed the shape of the tail surfaces. I
also changed the ailerons’ outer tips to
match the documentation photos. This
version has a straight edge on the outer
aileron that isn’t flared into the wingtip.
On some versions the aileron extends out
as part of the wingtip itself.
Proceed carefully, and don’t omit the
shear webbing between the spars. The
wing structure is open-frame, and it needs
this webbing for strength. The wing centersection
will actually be part of the fuselage
construction as it is permanently attached.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
