Is it a kit or an ARF?
Stan Alexander ([email protected])
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.
Common scale subjects
There are the standard modeling subjects, such as the military group:
- P-51 Mustang
- P-47 Thunderbolt
- F4U Corsair
- F6F Hellcat
- P-40
- P-38
And Axis air-force subjects:
- Me 109
- Fw 190
- Stuka
- A6M Zero
That only scratches the surface of fighters; then there are bombers and other military airplanes. On the civil-aircraft side you have:
- Cessna variants
- Beechcraft models
- The Piper family
- The Stinson line (one of my favorites)
- Airliners and Golden Age–era aircraft
Scale jets are available constructed from balsa, composites, built-up methods, or already built. You can get them any way you want. Bob Violett Models has one of the largest kit lines for jets; Century Jet Models, Yellow Aircraft, and other companies sell them too.
The ARF vs. kit question
But which are ARFs and which are kits? At a recent scale competition a contestant asked, “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.
He then asked, “What about preformed kits like those from Yellow Aircraft or Violett Models?” Several scale modelers looked like proverbial deer in the headlights. What's the answer? It’s not always clear. In scale modeling there are many degrees of prefabrication. It depends on the type of model and the company you purchase it from.
Some ARFs have retracts installed at the factory; many do not. Some have base covering applied and allow you to finish them your way. Others come nearly finished. Many composite kits require a high degree of engineering to get all of the scale aspects right. Most of these models need their wings fiberglassed, details added, painting, cockpit interiors completed, cowling fitted, and more. Many composite kits—both props 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 must ask when 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, those mistakes stay with you. Experienced scale modelers can often identify major errors simply from knowing where the airplane was purchased.
Scratch-built and custom projects at the shows
A number of modelers love to build their own creations and brought them to the Toledo Show and other scale events this spring.
Dave Platt built a beautiful Scottish Aviation Bulldog trainer to 1/4 scale with a 100-inch wingspan. The model is all wood and built from plans Dave drew himself; he cut all the parts and assembled them. The Bulldog features a sliding canopy, operational flaps, scale hinges, panel lines, and other details. Dave also has a set of DVDs covering basics and finer points of scale modeling, including painting, scratch building, and finishing—especially informative if you want to do it yourself.
Dave’s Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-51 “Sonia” is another of his designs. That model has a 98-inch wingspan, is built up with balsa and plywood, covered with fiberglass, and painted with Klass Kote. Dave obtained some documentation for the project from a plastic model.
Greg Hahn exhibited a huge B-25D, “Tondelayo,” at Toledo. The full-scale ship flew with the 500th Bomb Squadron and the 345th Bomb Group of the 5th Air Force in the Pacific Theater of WWII. The model has a 120-inch wingspan and was built from enlarged Nick Ziroli plans. It’s outfitted with Robart retracts, resin/fiberglass covering, and Fuji BT-43 engines. The model uses more than 30 servos and includes many scale details. Greg included an operational bomb bay and sequencing bomb drops.
An often-overlooked model is the Piper L-4A built by Chris Brooks of Nicholasville, Kentucky. Chris built his version from his own plans at 1/4 scale using 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—a notable achievement for a Cub.
One of the new technologies available to aeromodelers is true turboprop power systems. No longer do you need a fake jet engine in a model; you can now purchase a genuine turboprop. Mike Barbee, a longtime scale modeler, presented a Raytheon T-6A Texan II model featuring a turboprop. 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 documentation and drawings from Raytheon and used PPG automotive paint to finish the model.
New products
O.S. has a new engine worth noting. The limited-edition Max II-300 Dia-Star four-cylinder, four-stroke engine commemorates O.S. Max’s 70th anniversary. It would suit a de Havilland Tiger Moth or similar aircraft with an inline engine. The II-300 is a work of art; it’s not cheap—Tower Hobbies listed it at just under $2,000 at the time of writing.
Another engine that caught my eye at the Toledo Show was the Evolution 80GX, an 80cc gas power plant with an ignition system that is Li-Poly-battery ready. The 80GX can swing a 27 x 10 propeller at 6,200 rpm. The engine weighs only 78.3 ounces; check Evolution Engines for details on the ignition system weight.
In the next column I’ll return to my Piper PA-11 build.
Fair skies and tailwinds.
Stan Alexander
Sources:
- Dave Platt Models
(321) 724-2144 www.daveplattmodels.com
- Chris 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
- Century Jet Models
- Raytheon Aircraft
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
