Radio Control Scale-2011/12

letters in 1989-1990, and obtain photos of
the pilot and airplane as they were in
World War II. Kent made his own scale
drawings and color documentation and it
was authenticated before the construction
of the model.
Kent wrote:
“I have always used the same color
and marking scheme for all of my SBD-3
Douglas Dauntless model aircraft since I
had found a collection of at least three
photos of the particular Dauntless that
was from the Battle of Midway.
“As you know, an excellent photo of it
by Ben Lanterman (at the moment of a
dive-bombing release during the 2005 US
Scale Masters Championships near
Kansas City) has since been used on the
front cover of a book about the Battle of
Midway titled No Right to Win by Ronald
W. Russell.”
Bo Goldsmith and gunner James W.
Patterson Jr. flew from the USS
Enterprise Squadron Bombing six during
the Battle of Midway in June 1942.
Warbirds: the SBD Dauntless
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
FOR MANY, scale models and history
are an irresistible combination. Some have
a family connection with full-scale
aircraft from serving in the armed forces.
Others have childhood memories that still
linger to spur them to building a model of
an airplane they saw when they were kids.
Still others have had a ride in an antique
aircraft or another experience that has
shaped what they are modeling at the
time.
Kent Walters has built several models
of the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive
bomber—not just any SBD, but a specific
one that flew off of the USS Enterprise in
the Battle of Midway.
Why would a modeler pick such an
obscure subject? Because it is obscure
could be one reason, but before the pilot,
George H. “Bo” Goldsmith, passed away,
Kent was able to interview him over the
course of several telephone calls and
Goldsmith successfully dropped his
bomb on the Kagi amid ships on the
carrier deck.
Of the 20 bombers on the mission,
Goldsmith’s aircraft was one of only four
or five that made it through to the carrier.
Their aircraft was attacked by Zeros and
suffered damage, but made it back to the
Enterprise. I think this is where the SBD
received its nickname—Slow But
Deadly.
Kent’s first model was built to a 68-
inch span from a Bob Holman Complete-
A-Pac kit. Kent’s next model was
scratch-built and weighed 25 pounds with
a larger 74-inch wingspan. He likes
flying slightly heavy models because
they tend to handle the crosswinds better
with improved penetration.
Kent’s current SBD features his own
custom-designed retracts and is powered
by a sail winch servo. The model is
powered by an O.S. 1.08 engine, covered
with Dan Parson’s .06-ounce fiberglass
cloth, and painted with Aero Gloss dope
matched to the correct FS paint numbers
from the federal government.
Also included in this column:
• National Naval Aviation
Museum
• The Granville Brothers
and air racing
Right: Kent Walters’
Douglas Dauntless
Scout Dive Bomber
has its flaps down
to make a landing
approach. The model
features a tailhook.
Cockpit details on Kent’s Dauntless give
you an idea of the fit and finish, as well as
the details added to this scale model.
Ensign George “Bo”
Goldsmith was a fullscale
SBD pilot
credited with a hit on
the Japanese carrier
Kagi.
98 MODEL AVIATION
Gee Bee: The Real
Story of the Granville
Brothers and Their
Amazing Airplanes is
by Henry Haffke.
Kent Walters’ SBD Dauntless banks to the left of his target
on a bombing run. The model features a bomb drop as well
as numerous scale operations.
Between this one and his latest SBD
model, Kent has won four US Scale
Masters Championships—in 1980, 1982,
1985, and 2002.
SBDs are known for their action in the
Battle of Midway where they sank several
Japanese carriers and other ships in 1942
and turned the tide of the war in the
Pacific. After Midway, the SBD began
taking a back seat to the Helldiver and the
Grumman Avenger.
Scale plans and kits are offered for the
SBD and there are several ARFs on the
market, but there are a few that stand out.
Nick Ziroli Plans offers a set of SBD
plans at 100 inches, including all of the
fiberglass parts, canopy, and Robart retract
gear. Jerry Bates offers both an 85-inch
span and 100-inch-span model.
If you are interested in an ARF version
of the SBD, check out Michael Ramsey’s
MA review of the ESM Douglas Dauntless
on page 54 of the March 2011 issue.
Maybe you’ll be the next one to build a
Slow But Deadly Dauntless.
The National Naval Aviation Museum: To
see the SBD Dauntless and nearly all other
aircraft the United States Navy has flown
in the past 100 years, visit the National
Naval Aviation Museum. The museum is
located on the naval base in Pensacola,
Florida. You will have unprecedented
access to many of the historical naval
aviation aircraft. Go with your camera,
memory cards, and extra batteries.
The museum is the cleanest I’ve ever
entered, and this says much for the
volunteer staff that works there. Call ahead
and try to make reservations for the
restoration facility; you won’t regret it.
There are several SBDs at the museum,
including one that was at the attack on
Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It was
later used to train new pilots on the Great
Lakes, which is where it sank. As were
many older Navy trainers, it was dumped
over the side of a lake carrier. It was later
raised and restored. Amazingly, some of
these airplanes still had current in the
batteries after 50-plus years of submersion.
There is also a research facility at the
museum as well as the usual on-site gift
shop. There is even a cafe in the museum
that serves a hot lunch, with soup and other
items, including Navy Bean Soup.
For some it would be a great day; others
could spend the whole week there as I’ve
nearly done. I advise you to avoid the
weekend crowds as well as Thursdays and
Fridays, which are usually field trip days
for local schools.
Bookshelf: A period that has intensely
interested many modelers is aviation’s
Golden Age of Air Racing. The time is
gauged roughly between World War I and
World War II. Air racing and the aircraft,
which were purposely built for racing, as
well as many “sport” models of the time,
were technically ahead of much of the
world’s air forces and this was proven in
racing.
The Granville Brothers are synonymous
with air racing during this time period. The
name Henry Haffke is synonymous with
Gee Bee aircraft and models. Henry has
done extensive research on this racing
family and the airplanes they built.
His book Gee Bee: The Real Story of
the Granville Brothers and Their
Marvelous Airplanes is back in print. The
softcover book has 160 pages and includes
family photos as well as photos of the
different Granville Gee Bee aircraft.
Sportster models X, C, D, E, as well as
the Senior Sportsters and, of course, the
most famous Gee Bee aircraft, the Model
R-1 Super Sportster and R-2, are given
extensive coverage. Although the photos
are in black and white, the paint
descriptions are given, as they are also on
many of Henry’s plans sets, which are
available from the AMA Plans Service.
Scale drawings are included for most of
the Gee Bee aircraft in the book. There are
many designs available on the market, in
everything from ARFs to plans-built
models. The book, offering great period
photos which complete the story and
documentation, is a great read. For more
information, check the “Sources” listings.
There are numerous books on the usedbook
market and on Amazon about air
racing. I recommend purchasing the
paperback versions. A few of the many
available include September Champions:
The Story of America’s Air Racing
Pioneers by Robert Hull; Thompson
Trophy Racers: The Pilots and Planes of
America’s Air Racing Glory Days 1929-49
by Roger Huntington; The Art Chester
Story by John W. Caler with John
Underwood (used only); The Ford Air
Tours 1925-1931 by Lesley Forden and
Gregory Herrick; and The Golden Age of
Air Racing: Pre-1940 by S.H. Schmid and
Truman C. Weaver. This book is also
available through the EAA.
Merry Christmas and fair skies and
tailwinds. MA
Sources:
Bob Holman Plans
(909) 885-3959
www.bhplans.com
Nick Ziroli Plans
(631) 467-4765
www.ziroliplans.com
Jerry Bates Plans
[email protected]
www.jbplans.com
National Naval Aviation Museum
http://navalaviationmuseum.org
Aeronautica—Official EAA Merchandise
www.shopeaa.com
Amazon
www.amazon.com
National Association of Scale Aeromodelers
www.nasascale.org