Radio Control Scale - 2009/09

A DEBATE HAS raged for many years and probably will for many
more. Kits come in all shapes and sizes, as do ARFs. In the Scale
modeling market, we are also blessed with a multitude of construction
methods and power plants from which to choose.
There are the standard modeling subjects, such as the military
group, led by the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, Corsair, Hellcat, P-
40, and P-38, and the Axis air force subjects, such as the Me 109, Fw
190, Stuka, and ever-popular A6M Zero. That only scratches the
surface of fighters, and then there are the bombers and other military
airplanes.
On the civil-aircraft side, you have all the Cessna variants, the
Beechcraft models, and the Piper fleet from which to choose. One of
my favorites is the Stinson line—and not necessarily the SR-9 or SR-
10. Then there are the possibilities
of airliners and the Golden Ageera
aircraft.
Scale jets are available
constructed from balsa,
composite, built up, already built,
etc. You can get them any way
you want. Bob Violett Models has
one of the largest kit lines for jets,
and Century Jet Models, Yellow
Aircraft, and other companies sell
them too.
But which are ARFs and which
are kits? At a recent Scale
competition, a contestant asked a
seemingly innocent question: “If I
take an ARF and strip all the
covering off of it and re-cover
and re-finish it, can I enter it in
Sportsman Sport Scale?”
“It’s still an ARF!” was the
answer.
“What about preformed kits
like those from Yellow Aircraft
or Violett Models?” he asked.
When that question was posed,
Also included in this column:
• Scale favorites at the
Toledo Show
• New engines that are ideal
for Scale
Is it a kit or an ARF?
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Above: Dave Platt’s 100-inchspan
Scottish Aviation Bulldog
trainer competed in the
Toledo Show’s Designer Scale
static competition.
Right: Charles Brooks built his
Piper L-4A to 1/4 scale and
placed first in Designer Scale at
Toledo. A lot of love went into
that greenhouse.
Dave Platt built his Mitsubishi “Sonia” to 1/4 scale, and it weighs 21
pounds. Check out his DVDs to see how he applies weathering to
his models.
Greg Hahn’s newest version of the enlarged Ziroli B-25D design is
his “Tondelayo.” Thirty servos direct the Fuji .34-powered
model’s functions.
Left: Mike Barbee’s T-6A
Texan II is an authentic
turboprop model; smell the
kerosene. Century Jet Models
custom-built the retracts for
this project.
several Scale modelers took on the look of
proverbial deer in the headlights. What’s the
answer? I’m not sure.
In Scale modeling, there are many degrees of
prefabrication. It depends on what type of model you
are building and the company from which you
purchase it. Some ARFs have retracts installed at the
factory; many do not. Some have the base covering
applied, and you can finish yours the way you want.
Others come completely finished.
Many composite kits require a high degree of
engineering to “get it right” with regard to all of the
scale aspects provided. Most of these models need
their wings fiberglassed, details added, painted, the
cockpit interiors completed, the cowling installed,
etc.
Many of the composite kits, both propeller
models and jets, require a great deal of work to
finish. You won’t do it in 30 hours, the way you can
with many ARFs. That is one of many questions
judges have to ask each time they score a model.
That’s why we have the AMA Competition
Regulations and the Scale Contest Board.
For competition, you also have to consider
prefabricated parts. If the shape is already molded in
and there are mistakes, they stay with you. Scale modelers can pick out
the major mistakes simply from knowing where the airplane was
bought.
A number of modelers love to build their own creations. Some of
those people took their models to the Toledo Show and other Scale
events this spring.
Dave Platt built a beautiful Scottish Aviation Bulldog trainer to 1/4
scale, and it has a wingspan of 100 inches. The model is all wood, built
up, and weighs 25 pounds covered with fiberglass cloth and Klass Kote
paint.
As Dave does with almost all of his aircraft, he constructed the
Bulldog from plans he drew. He cut all the parts and put all of them
together. The airplane features a sliding canopy, operational flaps, scale
hinges, panel lines, and more details.
Dave has a set of DVDs that lets us in on some of the basics and
finer points of Scale modeling, including painting, scratch building, and
finishing. This series of videos is especially informative if you want to
do it yourself.
The Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-51 “Sonia” is another of Dave’s
designs. His model of the purpose-built attack and reconnaissance
aircraft has a wingspan of 98 inches and is all built up with balsa and
plywood. It is covered with fiberglass and painted with Klass Kote.
Dave told me that he obtained some of the documentation for this
project from a plastic model.
Greg Hahn had his huge B-25D, “Tondelayo,” at Toledo. The fullscale
version flew with the 500th Bomb Squadron and the 345th Bomb
Group of the 5th Air Force in the Pacific Theater of WW II.
The model has a wingspan of 120 inches and was built from
enlarged Nick Ziroli Plans. The B-25 is outfitted with Robart retracts,
resin/fiberglass covering, and Fuji BT-43 engines. The model has more
than 30 servos and all of the scale details.
The bomb drop is a must, but Greg included the operational bomb
bay as well as sequencing bombs. He has a great deal of experience
with twin-engine models—probably more than anyone I know.
An often-overlooked model is the Piper L-4A. Chris Brooks of
Nicholasville, Kentucky, built his version from his own plans. It’s 1/4
scale and uses an Evolution 26cc engine. More than 300 screws hold
the greenhouse windows in place.
Chris’s L-4A took first place in the Designer class at the Toledo
Show, and that’s quite a feat with a Cub. For more information on
Chris’s model, check out the Web site; the address is included in the
“Sources” list at the end of the column.
One of the new technologies available to aeromodelers is true
turboprop power systems. No longer do you have to have a fake jet
engine in a model; now you can purchase a genuine turboprop.
Mike Barbee is a longtime Scale modeler who enjoys a variety of
subjects: civil, military, and almost anything in between. The project he
shared with us at Toledo this year was a model of Raytheon Aircraft
The new Evolution 80GX gas engine from Horizon Hobby can swing a 27 x 10
propeller at 6,400 rpm. That’s nearly what we used to get from a 100cc twin.
Company’s T-6A Texan II, which features a turboprop engine.
The model spans 113 inches and was laid up and built from Bob
Patton molds. The all-fiberglass Texan has sheeted-foam wings and
Century Jet Models retracts. Mike obtained his documentation and the
drawings from Raytheon. He used PPG automotive paint to finish the
model.
New Products: O.S. has a new engine over which we can drool. I’ve
always liked the company, because it’s reliable. And if you don’t have
anything else in a Scale model, a reliable power plant is worth its
weight in gold.
The new limited-edition Max IL-300 Dia-Star four-cylinder, fourstroke
engine commemorates O.S. Max’s 70th anniversary. It would go
well in a de Havilland Tiger Moth or a similar type of aircraft with an
in-line engine. The IL-300 would even look good sitting on someone’s
desk; it’s art in the form of an engine. I can only imagine how the
sound would be from the muffler with the IL-300 at idle.
This new O.S. power plant is not cheap, but good engines never
are. As I write this, Tower Hobbies’ Web site has it listed at just less
than $2,000. Check it out!
Another engine that caught my eye at the Toledo Show was the
Evolution 80GX, which is an 80cc gas power plant with an ignition
system that is Li-Poly-battery ready. What impressed me was the
80GX’s ability to swing a 27 x 10 propeller at 6,200 rpm.
This engine weighs only 78.3 ounces. I couldn’t find out how much
the ignition system weighs. I’m sure you can find that information on
the Evolution Engines Web site, which you can find in the “Sources”
list.
In the next column, I’ll get back to my Piper PA-11 build. Fair skies
and tailwinds. MA
Sources:
Dave Platt Models
(321) 724-2144
www.daveplattmodels.com
Charles Brooks’ Piper L-4A:
www.geocities.com/cubmanky/cubmain.html
O.S. Engines
(217) 398-8970
www.osengines.com
Evolution Engines
(800) 338-4639
www.evolutionengines.com