Radio Control Scale - 2004/05

May 2004 129
Stan Alexander, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL SCALE
LAST MONTH I showed you some of the airplanes from the FAI
European Scale Championships. This month I’ll show you some
detail shots of the Macchi MC.200 Saetta by Cesare Cordella of
Italy.
(At the Scale Championships it is possible for each country to
have three members on the F4C [RC] team and three members on
the F4B [CL] team. With the addition of the Large Scale class, the
total goes up to nine members.)
Cesare entered the beautiful 96-inch-span Saetta in Large Scale,
and it tipped the old FAI weight limit of 12 kilograms (kg). At the
beginning of 2005 this limit will be raised to 15kg, which is just
more than 33 pounds.
Cockpit detail of Cesare Cordella’s Macchi MC.200 Saetta at
European Scale Champs. Note hinges for side panels.
Cowl details of the 96-inch-span Macchi MC.200.
Bert Hazeborg’s Koolhoven F.K.49 in Dutch military color
scheme.
John Guenther (L) and Steve Sauger at the 2003 Scale Nationals
with John’s P-47 Thunderbolt finished in French colors.
A photo of the Saetta shows the cockpit detail, including a pilot
with a full body, clothed with the correct uniform and with his life
preserver—in case he ever needs to make a water landing. The
two doors shown are interesting. Hidden latches secure the panels,
the windows are the correct shape, and the bulge for the pilot’s
shoulders are functional! Neat!
A different photo shows the unique cowling which has an oil
cooler under the ring around the forward portion of the cowl; the
grooves help pass cool air over this part of the cowl. You can
also see the air intake under the cowling, which is similar to that
on the early Japanese A6M2 Zero fighters. Just to the rear left of
the cowl, forward of the leading edge of the inboard portion of
the wing, is one of two exhaust pipes. The cowl bumps for the
rockers are extremely detailed.
Another “different” airplane at the Championships was a
military version of the Dutch Koolhoven F.K.49. Transports are
common in competition—especially the twin-engine models with
130 MODEL AVIATION
four-stroke engines, if they will fit under the cowls—either in
military or civil versions, but this is one rare aircraft.
Dutch team member Bert Hazeborg built the F.K.49, which
spans 106 inches and is powered by two Saito 70 engines. A
fully detailed cockpit and many other details are included. With
the fuselage’s large, flat side area, the wind can play havoc while
you try to keep the F.K.49 flying straight. However, the wind
wasn’t a problem the week of the contest because there was none
to very little, and the odd-looking transport flew well.
The Dutch took home F4C first-place team honors, with
Gerard Rutten flying his Beechcraft C-45 and his son Gerard
Rutten Jr. flying an F-15C turbine-powered model.
Richard Crupi’s P-51B Mustang awaits static judging.
Skyshark R/C’s TBM Avenger Scale model spans 72 inches.
In a photo from the 2003 Scale Nationals at
Muncie, Indiana, John Guenther and Steve
Sauger ready John’s P-47 for another flight.
So what’s unique about this particular P-47?
It looks to be from Brian Taylor plans or a
Yellow kit, but what is special about the
model is its design. It carries the cross of
Lorraine on its vertical fin and is finished in
the Free French color scheme, which makes
it different from any P-47 that most of us
have seen.
Why would a modeler do this? It’s
simple. Add a distinctive color scheme to a
common Scale subject; document it well
(which I’m sure John did); take judges,
spectators, and the press by surprise; and it
could help to obtain a higher static score.
Richard Crupi’s P-51B is shown ready
for static judging. You may have seen this
model several times before; it’s photogenic,
as is any P-51. But this photo shows a
competitor who is ready for the static table;
Richard’s documentation is in the booklet
under the port side of the wing, and he has
taken the time to include the flying spinner
with his documentation.
That’s a great touch, and every modeler
should do it whether the rules specify it or
not. The static judges can look at the static
spinner on the model, and then look at the
flight spinner, and compare them. They
should be the same color, which this P-51’s
are, and the same shape and size. This is a
Sport Scale model, and you can see that
there is only a pilot bust in the cockpit; the
inside of the model isn’t judged in this class.
Scale Sources: A relatively new
company—Skyshark R/C—has been on the
scene for approximately a year. Skyshark,
formally Heritage RC, offers a good line of
Scale kits. Several local modelers have been
asking about what some call “YBM”
models, which stands for “You Build ’Em.”
They are interested in models that can be
flown on weekends and don’t cost $2,000 to
build.
Skyshark has a fairly extensive line of
Scale models, many of which would fit and
fly well at local fields. Most of these aircraft
have spans less than 74 inches. Plans show
retracts or fixed gear. The TBM Avenger
shown spans 72 inches and has a wing area
of 906 square inches. Skyshark R/C
brochures indicate that the model should
come in at 9 to 13 pounds, depending on
how many scale details you want to add.
Skyshark R/C also has a Hellcat, an SBD
Dauntless dive-bomber, an Fw 190A-8, an
Fw 190D-9, a Skyraider, a Ju 87 Stuka, a
Hawker Tempest, and several new models
which include a 63-inch-wingspan Aichi
Val dive-bomber. The Val lacks retracts, as
does the Ju 87, so it’s actually cheaper to
build. This is the only RC version of a Val
that I know is available at this time.
There is also a Christen Eagle II with a
61-inch wingspan. Model parts are CAD
drawn and then laser cut. The P-40, which
should be available in May, is an ARF with
fiberglass construction.
Skyshark R/C kits include fiberglass
parts, decals for different paint schemes, and
detailed instruction booklets. Contact the
company about its kit line, prices, and
availability at (866) 854-6100 or check out
the Web site at www.skysharkrc.com.
Bookshelf: American Eagles: P-47
Thunderbolt Units of The Eighth Air Force
(USAAF Colours 3) by Roger Freeman is
published by Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. This
96-page book (ISBN 1903-223180) has
quite a few black-and-white photos I have
never seen, especially of the earlier P-47C
models with the high turtledeck behind the
cockpit.
The book features several color side
plates, but a common shortcoming in
aviation books is also present in this
volume. Color side plates are color views or
artist renderings of full-scale aircraft color
schemes, but many of them don’t match the
black-and-white photos in the book. There
are 29 color side views representing
different P-47 models.
There are several books about different
air forces, by other authors and by Roger
Freeman, in this “Classicolours” series.
With the wealth of black-and-white photos,
this volume is a worthwhile addition to any
P-47 buff’s collection. To purchase this
book, check out Zenith Books or Historic
Aviation; it lists for $24.95 plus shipping.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
May 2004 131