Radio Control Scale
Stan Alexander [[email protected]]
Add those special touches—and then cover them with paint
As I write this, Christmas has just passed. I don’t know about you, but I have yet to discover the secret to creating enough time to build models during the holidays. Family and club dinners and all the busy times between Thanksgiving and the New Year really cut into modeling time.
Preparing a model for paint can take longer than painting the model itself—and it should. Much of what you do below the paint will turn up above the painted surfaces, to make either a great-looking paint job or a lousy finish.
Be sure to have all of the edges sanded to the correct contour; don’t leave the TEs (trailing edges) shaped like a channel block with two sharp edges. If there are any bumps or creases where two materials come together, such as light plywood and balsa, carefully sand them out. In some cases, this is where you should sparingly use fast-drying spackle.
After applying Solartex fabric covering from Balsa USA and trimming the excess off the model, reseal the edges with your covering iron. Let it cool for a day or so and seal the edges again. After that, you should have a tight fit, and it will stay as tight as a drum.
After covering, you might think it’s time to start painting. Uh — no, not yet. It’s time to add details.
Some of the easiest details to feature on a fabric-covered model are the rib tapes used on almost any fabric-covered aircraft. Some tapes have “pinked” edges, while others have straight edges. Through the years, I’ve seen a few that have some of both types. I added the rib tapes to the PA-11’s tail surfaces before hinging the rudder and the elevators. Adding these tapes to the wing also helps create realism for the model after painting is complete.
Inspection plates on the underside of the wings and fuselage add surface texture and give the model more scale appeal. You can make these placards from plastic, such as from the bottom of plastic cups or soda bottles.
At this time I fabricated the wing struts and jury struts on the PA-11. You can use the balsa supplied with the kit and form them with a sanding block or purchase the preformed struts from Hobby Lobby. The preformed components look great and are made from maple. Their shape is already determined; you only need to cut them to the proper length. I used an X-Acto hobby knife to carefully split the strut material at the end to be joined to the fuselage, and then I used a hobby saw to carefully cut the center of the strut for the strut mount to be slid into. There is a variety of ways to secure the strut, including glue, screws, and I’ve even seen some secured with heat-shrink tubing. I’ll use a combination of screws and glue, to make the struts detachable for easy setup. This is not scalelike, but it’s close.
Other neat details are hand grabs and the step on the outside of the fuselage door on the starboard side.
I selected Nelson Hobby Paint from Nelson Hobby Specialties for my PA-11. There are several advantages to it; one of the main ones is that you can use it in your home without a noticeable smell that fouls the air and brings all kinds of grief from your housemate.
Another advantage is that this paint cleans up with water, and you can use water to thin it for your sprayer if you choose to use one. This paint is user-friendly and environmentally safe, which are pluses—especially if you have kids around. I'm using Cub Yellow and Insignia Blue over the model's white primer base.
In keeping with the theme of this build, I've chosen not to use a sprayer, but to go with hobby sponges that I purchased at the Hobby Lobby craft store. They are high in quality and should hold up for at least this project.
After talking with Jerry Nelson of Nelson Hobby Specialties, I decided to use a white primer on all surfaces, to make the colors of the finished airplane as true as possible. The paint is fuelproof and I've seen it used for several years.
In Memoriam — Scott Christensen
While writing this column, I've learned that Scott Christensen passed away suddenly on December 30, 2008.
He was a part of Sig Manufacturing for years and had been a supporter of and participant in the Scale National Championships even before that. He teamed with Claude McCullough as Claude's pilot several times and entered his own model. Scott was a prime mover in the indoor RC Scale-competition movement and supported the indoor events at every opportunity.
Jim Rediske, the RC Scale event director at the 2008 Nationals, was with Scott when he was inducted into the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame during the NASA (National Association of Scale Aeromodelers) banquet last summer. Jim said that Scott enjoyed the Nationals last year.
Scott was a prolific designer, businessman, modeler, competitor, and all-around great guy. He will be missed very much by all who knew him. To his family, my sincere condolences.
Top Gun usually takes place at the end of April, but this year it will be held May 6–10. If you want to see some of the most interesting Scale models on the planet, this is the place to be! In addition, there will be many activities on-site, and the Orlando area is roughly a 30-minute drive from the venue: the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida.
Combining trips for the family and your hobby can make a great vacation. It can also make the trip doable where it might not be otherwise. The different types of entertainment available in this area could make it a great time.
Another upcoming event is the Mint Julep Scale Contest, which will take place May 15–17. It is hosted by the Southern Indiana R/C Modelers club.
The competition features many Scale classes, and there is also a division in which you can be competitively flying a Piper J-3 Cub. In some contests, a J-3 will be flying against a P-47 Thunderbolt, which is at the opposite end of the Scale spectrum.
Bookshelf
American Eagles: American Volunteers in the RAF 1937–1943 (ISBN 1-903223-16-4) by Tony Holmes was published by Classic Aviation Publications in 2001. This softcover, 127-page book provides the reader with a good history in print and with photographs of the efforts of pilots from several countries—mainly the U.S., but Canada and Australia as well.
The first American to die in Britain's defense was Billy Fiske, flying a Hurricane out of Tangmere. Although he did bring back his Hawker, he didn't survive the burns he suffered.
Billy Fiske was honored with a bronze tablet in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral. Sir Archibald Sinclair unveiled the plaque on Independence Day in 1941; it bore an inscription in his honor.
Around Scale
New Scale classes both in AMA and FAI competition have been formalized. Go to the AMA website's main page and click on "Competition/Events." There, you can download the 2009–2010 Competition Regulations section for RC Scale and check out RC Open Scale.
This event is open to any modeler who has built or purchased a built RC Scale aircraft; there is no "builder of the model" rule. With notice, the event can be conducted in different classes based on skill or age level; e.g., Open Expert, Open Novice, Open Junior, or Open Senior.
At a meeting in March 2008, the FAI Scale event for the World Championships adopted a similar category. These rules are available from the FAI website. Although Open Scale is not a World Championships division at this time, I believe it will be within the next two years.
Fair skies and tailwinds. MA
Sources
- Balsa USA
(906) 863-6421 www.balsausa.com
- Nelson Hobby Specialties
(817) 431-9898 www.nelsonhobby.com
- Hobby Lobby International
(866) 933-5972 www.hobby-lobby.com
- Top Gun Invitational
- Information about the Orlando, Florida, area
- Mint Julep Scale Contest
- AMA
(800) 435-9262 www.modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
