Radio Control Scale
Stan Alexander [email protected]
Dealing with exposed servo linkages and other unsightly components
Have you ever gotten home with your new ARF and upon examination noticed that the aileron servo was sticking out of the bottom of the wing? Not just the servo arm, rod, and clevis, but the whole top of the servo!
It's not the best appearance for a scale model. Even kids at the field will say, "What are those things sticking out under there?" Then you have to explain that they are the motors that move the control surfaces of the wing and sometimes the rudder and elevator, depending on how much time and effort was spent designing the model.
Control surfaces and those dreaded exposed control horns, servos, and linkages are certainly a problem. Having examined the Don Smith plans for my Ki-27 Nate and looking at the numerous photos, I recognized that this is an aerodynamically clean aircraft. There are no exposed hinges to speak of on the fuselage, and the hinges on the ailerons have small covers at the top of each control surface.
The plans show servos in the vertical fin for the rudder and in the back of the fuselage for the elevator. As did many aircraft of the 1930s, the Ki-27 has little area forward of the wing other than the engine and cowling. Therefore, I'll probably locate the servos in the fuselage, as we do with most large sport or scale models.
For the wing linkage I have to work out the mechanics of the ailerons. I don't want servo doors on the underside of the wing surface. They make it look, well, ugly.
In some scale contests such as FAI F4, servo doors and wing bolts are a no-no. If it doesn't belong on the full-scale aircraft, why should it be on the model?
One of this month's photos shows a 1/3-scale Fokker E.I that Art Shelton built. Yes, it's an E.I—not the more familiar E.III. The E.I had a shorter wing than the E.III. The photo shows the lack of ailerons, but many cables actually warp the wing, per the prototype. Also notice the lack of screws attaching the wings to the fuselage. The attachment points on this model are inside the fuselage cockpit area.
An issue that affects companies that produce ARFs is the royalties they are starting to have to pay to the owners of the full-scale aircraft they duplicate as models. Not only are owners asking for royalties, but the companies that produce the full-scale aircraft want a cut too.
A few years ago I purchased a Matt Chapman CAP 231 with the multicolor paint scheme in blue, turquoise, and white. The outside of the box showed the airplane with markings, etc., but there were no markings inside the box. I called the company and a representative said it didn't include markings with its scale ARF kits. It's to the point where many companies are not using a real full-scale aircraft for the color scheme and markings, but the "general" kind of markings found on that type of airplane. I guess full-scale aircraft owners feel that modeling companies are making money off their property and that they should be able to collect a royalty.
In Fun Scale you must provide a "plastic model art box top" or one photo of the full-scale aircraft to receive the five static points. Where you compete will sometimes dictate how strictly this rule is followed. For my Great Planes Super Stearman I researched the N-number on the rudder on the Federal Aviation Administration Web site and found the owner's address. I wrote to him and asked for a photo of the full-scale aircraft, and he sent a disc containing static and in-flight shots of the 450-horsepower biplane.
A good friend recently built a Staggerwing and tried to find documentation on that particular aircraft. There weren't any exact matches because of the dilemma with royalties.
There are many airplanes out there like that. If there's a model you plan to compete with, it's a good idea to find out if a full-scale version exists before you put out your hard-earned money.
I intend to ask a few modeling companies why they don't include markings for different airplanes and let the builder add the markings to the aircraft. Wouldn't this give the modeler more creative freedom without the company having to pay the royalty to the owners or to an aircraft company? What a sad state of affairs this is for modelers.
New Products
In keeping with the servo-linkage theme, J&B Access Panels has added products to its line that help modelers with servo linkage and hiding it below the surface of the model's skin.
The company has a variety of access panels, with servo mounts and screws included with the different pieces for your airplane. The access panels have many different applications, such as for scale, sport, and giant-scale models. J&B offers four sizes of panels. The parts are laser cut, and the fit and finish are accurate.
Some applications would use only four screws per panel, but you can add up to eight with the supplied hardware. A handy pocket-size guide to assembly and use of the different panels comes with each one.
- Prices range from $6 to $8 plus shipping and handling.
- Contact J&B Access Panels:
- Address: 140 Springhill Ave., Bowling Green, KY 42101
- Tel.: (270) 781-6780
- Web: http://j-baccesspanels.com
Bookshelf
I’ve mentioned a couple of documentation CDs by Model Activity Press, and this month’s is the last one I have for review. Grumman FM-2 Wildcat presents the model with British World War II markings including invasion stripes. This CD contains 95 photos.
The Wildcat was the U.S. Navy’s first-line fighter at the beginning of World War II. First ordered in 1939, close to 8,000 were built for the U.S. and all our allies.
In the Pacific Theater, if a carrier later in the war couldn’t handle the Hellcat it would receive the Wildcat. It was smaller and the ship could hold more of them.
Many detail shots on the CD show the hinges for all control surfaces and the internal linkage, which isn’t seen on more modern aircraft. These shots were taken at either a fly-in or an air show, and the color and presentation are great. You can tell that this is an operating aircraft and not a hangar queen because the paint has been chipped off in a few places.
The complicated main gear and all the struts, pumps, and fittings are also presented. Several detail shots show all the Phillips-head and straight-head screws, as well as the many rivets that adorn the aircraft frame. Also, all the hinge detail is presented for modeling purposes.
- Contact Model Activity Press Ltd.:
- Address: 63–65 Woodside Rd., Amersham, Bucks, HP6 6AA, Great Britain
- Web site: www.modelactivitypress.com
- Tel.: 011-1494-433453 (remember the time difference)
Upcoming Events
The U.S. Scale Masters Championships will be held October 11–14 at Hemet, California, which is located between Los Angeles and San Diego. The Hemet Model Masters will host the contest at its Simpson Field, which is paved. Sorry, but I don’t have the field dimensions.
For more information, rules, a hotel listing, and photos, check out www.scalemasters.org.
Fair skies and tailwinds.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
