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Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Also included in this column:
• News from Hannan’s Runway
Skyshark R/C’s new Lightning 150. The company displayed many
different motor sizes and batteries at the Toledo Expo.
The German experimental
Me 109Z twin by Skyshark
R/C.
Sig’s WACO SRE ARF has a beautiful finish and detail.
The turbine-powered version of Scale Pursuit Models’ T-34C
Mentor. It employs a unique construction method.
UNLIKE SOME AMA members I still have to work for a living,
unfortunately. But that isn’t so bad considering the company I work
for gives me a liberal amount of vacation each
year, at least in its eyes, but it still isn’t enough!
The first week of vacation my wife and I made
the long trek to a place every modeler should go
at least once in his or her life: the Toledo Expo.
When we left the house Wednesday April 11, the garage
door opened and the rain was pouring down. As we drove
through Tennessee and Kentucky we thought it had to stop
sometime. Not so!
We traversed the different interstates onto I-75, and it
continued to rain just north of Dayton, Ohio. I had had enough so
we stopped at a motel for the night. Although the Toledo Expo
was two weeks later than usual this year, April 13-15, it snowed
there. There was not much, just a dusting, but it doesn’t take but a
little to get us excited about the whole thing.
First-time visitors to the show should know that you don’t need
to try to see everything in one day. There are auctions at night and
the swap shop upstairs where you can find the most amazing
things, many of which you may not have seen since you were
growing up.
The first purchase I made this year was a resupply of epoxy
brushes. Shop around and you can find them for roughly a nickel
each. Anything you can find in a hobby shop and more is around
the corner at Toledo. There are old magazines, books, engines,
kits, and even junk.
There were a few new kits for Scale modelers this year. As at
past Toledo Expos, many manufacturers gave discounts if you
purchased whatever item they had for sale at the show. Some
vendors sold items and others did not.
Some of the new kits were ARFs and others, to a much lesser
degree, were those you had to build. If you think ARFs aren’t in
favor along with electrics, going to Toledo or other shows can
change your mind fast.
A modeler’s mecca: Toledo Expo 2007
110 MODEL AVIATION
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112 MODEL AVIATION
The 72.5-inch-wingspan TopFlite Beechcraft Staggerwing ARF
features a great finish and a fiberglass fuselage.
ElectriFly’s beautiful Dr.I was painted in a Red Baron paint
scheme, but wouldn’t it look great sporting other finishes?
Many manufacturers are changing gears with the surge of
electrics instead of selling only “wet” power, as engines are
sometimes called. Sorry, but I still enjoy the smell of castor, wet
grass, and hot coffee in the morning at the flying field.
Skyshark R/C was at the show with several new items; most
notable were its motors, speed controllers, and full electric
conversion packages. Those packages help take the guesswork out of
converting from glow or gas to electric power, and it appears to be
one of the best-thought-out ways to go electric.
Let’s say you start with a 40- to 46-size sport-scale model. The
electric conversion includes Skyshark’s Lightning 50 motor, Ultra 60
speed controller, and four-cell, 5000 mAh battery. This setup will
provide you with approximately eight to 10 minutes of flight time.
Skyshark’s catalog lists different motors with the equivalent size
and type for glow engines. Its largest motor is the Lightning 150.
This table would be a huge help for new electric-power modelers.
Although it doesn’t include every application out there, it includes
many types and power needs. In addition, the company’s technical
support offers help to modelers who are trying to get started in
electric power.
Skyshark displayed a unique new you-build-it kit—not an ARF—
at Toledo. It was an Me 109Z: a twin with the right canopy covered.
The model used two Me 109G fuselages to the point where it even
had four main gear legs and tires. The model spanned 87 inches, and
two .60-.75 engines were recommended for power. The equivalent
electric power was also listed.
Skyshark had its P-40 on display that is available in three color
schemes. One is the Chinese 3rd Army version and another is the
British Kittyhawk scheme. The other version is covered but
unpainted, which is great for those who want to put a custom paint
scheme on the World War II veteran aircraft.
Scale Pursuit Models is a new company that had an interesting T-
34C Mentor at Toledo. The 89-inch-wingspan aircraft comes as what
the company describes as a quick-build kit for the Giant Scale
market.
The T-34’s fuselage, wing, and tail surfaces are precut and shaped
with a CNC machine, and they are made from polypropylene foam.
It’s tough stuff—you could use it for a bat if you wanted—but it’s
also light. The model is covered with highly detailed molded
polycarbonate skins with rivet and panel-line detail already included.
When checking out new models I always ask the manufacturers if
they have the scale drawings used to design the aircraft. To my
surprise Scale Pursuit Models has the three-views and scale drawings
that were used to design the Mentor with the show packet of photos.
Having that information with a Scale model is great for
competition purposes. Nothing can turn off a Scale modeler quicker
than asking about a kit and having a designer tell you he or she used
three different three-views to draw the airplane and doesn’t have a
drawing.
Hobbico had a professionally designed area with several new kits,
engines, and Futaba radio systems. Many of the kits were scale
ARFs, which has been the trend with our ever-increasing speedy
lifestyles here in the states.
One model that stood out was the electric-powered Fokker Dr.I
ARF. It was a built-up, all-wood airplane with a 29.5-inch wingspan.
It looked nice, and it would be a good model to strip the covering off
of and refinish in other color schemes. The Dr.I retails for roughly
$99.
A Hobbico model that caught my wife’s eye was its beautiful
Beechcraft Staggerwing. It would probably be impressive to almost
anyone. With a 72.5-inch wingspan, it was designed for 1.60 cu. in.
engines or 25cc glow engines.
08sig4.QXD 6/22/07 12:35 PM Page 112
My wife liked it so much because a few
years ago we flew in a Staggerwing on the
West Coast that was painted the same as the
Hobbico version. The inside of the full-scale
aircraft was finished in gray mohair and was
loud in the air; you couldn’t hear yourself talk.
As do almost all Staggerwings, the model
had retracts and its own unique look. The
outer doors actually folded out away from the
wing center-section. Scale landing gear,
dummy engine, cockpit, Robart retracts, and
many scale details were present.
The model had a fiberglass fuselage with
the rivet and panel lines molded into the
airframe. The fit and finish were excellent.
Other highlights from Hobbico were its new
RV-4 ARF and Cessna 310.
Sig Manufacturing had its new WACO
ARF at Toledo, and it really stood out in a
scale yellow-and-black paint scheme. It
sported the N number on the rudder. There are
some beautiful WACO color schemes out
there on the cabin and open-cockpit versions
of the aircraft.
The YMF had a 69.5-inch wingspan and
weighed roughly 10 pounds. Recommended
engines were the .70-.90 two-stroke or the
.90-1.20 FS. I didn’t see any specifications for
electric motors for this model.
I stopped at the Micro Fasteners booth
several times while I was at the show and
made a list of the different nuts and sockethead
bolts I wanted. They came in plastic
bags with different quantities of fasteners in
them.
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I ended up spending more money at that
stand than at any other, restocking my supply
and in some cases adding different sizes and
types of miniature screws and other items to
my shop. I wish somebody would supply
handheld baskets at Toledo for purchases.
But then you might not be able to get down
the aisles! There might be a good advertising
gimmick there!
I have much more to report about from
the Toledo Expo. There were new radio
systems, many other great models, and Scale
competition. The Weak Signals club had a
heck of a show. I’ll have more about it in
this column in the next few months.
My wife and I made it back home
Monday. We took our time, and I actually
didn’t break the bank while we were there.
However, the Balsa USA booth was very
tempting!
If you plan to go to the Toledo Expo next
year, make your reservations early. There are
plenty of hotels and motels within a 15- to
20-minute drive or you can pay for the
privilege of being closer; there are two hotels
at the show site.
Hannan’s Runway has stopped supplying
the Albatros Productions World War I
documentation booklets. The company has
sold out its supply by now, and the Hannans
are in the process of retiring. That is great
for Bill and his wife but bad news for Scale
modelers!
Nobody has picked up the distributorship
of the books as far as I know. Does anybody
have an update? Let us all know. MA