Author: Greg Rose

Edition: Model Aviation - 2000/11
Page Numbers: 112, 113
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RC Combat

Greg Rose, 1312 NW 196th St., Edmond OK 73003

I focused on Open class Combat in the last two columns, so there is a great deal of Scale Combat news to catch up on.

In addition to new kits, several kits are now available in ARF (Almost Ready-to-Fly) or ARC (Almost Ready-to-Cover) versions—something that Scale Combat has needed for a long time.

The growth of Combat means that all sorts of Radio Control (RC) modelers want to give it a try. Although our flying interests may be the same, our building time and building skills vary greatly from one modeler to another.

At its inception, Scale RC Combat was the domain of the scratchbuilder. A variety of kits became available after a few years, and now more ARFs and ARCs are becoming available. Some kits can be obtained directly from the manufacturer, and some are through cooperative arrangements with secondary companies that assemble kits professionally.

This couldn't have come at a better time; RC Combat continues to grow, and the introduction of ARFs provides a whole new group of modelers to fly with.

ACE Hobby

  • Address: 116 W. 19th St., Higginsville MO 64037
  • Tel.: (660) 584-7121
  • Web site: www.acercc.com

ACE Hobby has jumped into the 1/2-scale Combat arena with the introduction of its new P-51 Mustang ARF, based on the Air-Kill Mustang kit. Spanning 38.7 inches, the new Mustang version features preprinted factory trim for the famous 361st Fighter Group. A picture and more details have been promised for the next issue.

Gus Morfis Plans

  • Address: 4709 Green Meadows Ave., Torrance CA 90505
  • Tel.: (310) 378-5679

Gus Morfis Plans has produced some new 1/2-scale Combat plans for the old-time scratch-builders out there. Including these recent Scale Combat plans, Gus Morfis offers an incredible 38 different designs! The newest plans are for the Bell P-39 Airacobra, the sleek Curtiss CW-21 export fighter, and the twin-engined German Henschel Hs 129 attack aircraft.

Gus's designs feature conventional balsa-and-plywood construction. Foam wing cores for most Morfis designs are available through McClain Wing Cores.

  • McClain Wing Cores: 4616 E. 7th, Spokane WA 99212; Tel.: (509) 536-9454.

Vacuum-formed Plastic Packs, including canopies, are available for many Morfis designs through Air-Kill Products.

  • Air-Kill Products: 14 Shady Lake Ct., Sacramento CA 95834; Tel.: (916) 322-4661.

Jack Bale Plans

  • Address: 15608 Winchester Way, Riverside CA 92508
  • Tel.: (909) 780-3062

Jack Bale Plans has introduced a 1/2-scale plan for the Fairey Barracuda torpedo/attack bomber. Spanning more than 49 inches, the Barracuda should fit in nicely with some of the larger-span models used in Combat. In addition to the plans, a vacuum-formed cockpit for the design is offered to aid scratch-builders.

JDB Aerotec

  • Address: 2202 Beck Ln., Lafayette IN 47905
  • Tel.: (765) 474-1738

You may remember my joke about JDB Aerotec eventually kitting every airplane flown in World War II. The company is staying on track for that goal, with the introduction of two new kits: the Bell P-63 Kingcobra and the Focke Wulf Ta 152n-H1E.

Designed for high-altitude interception, the 1/2-scale Ta 152 has a 47.75-inch span, and the P-63—not a small airplane—spans a respectable 38.5 inches.

Both kits share construction methods with Aerotec's 14 earlier designs, including cut-foam wings and fuselage, balsa tail feathers, clear vacuum-formed canopies, and other vacuum-formed details—when the design requires them. Covering foam models (such as the JDB designs) wings and fuselages with lightweight glass cloth bonded with the new water-based one-part polyurethane acrylic produces an incredibly light and strong model. I found the finish at the local hardware store, under the rather generic name of “Water-Based Poly-Finish Clear Semi-Gloss,” and I have finished three models, hardly emptying the one-quart can that the gloss came in.

In addition to the new models, JDB now offers an ARF finished version of any of its designs!

JK Aerotech

  • Address: 10800 S.E. Orient Dr., Boring OR 97009
  • Tel.: (503) 663-0464
  • Web site: www.jkaerotech.com

JK Aerotech is offering the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero, in addition to its original P-51 and Corsair Combat designs. The Zero can be built as one of the 40-inch-span longer-wing versions or as one of the 36-inch-span clipped-wing versions.

This model has the same rugged Coroplast™ tail and quick-building tape-over-foam construction for the fuselage and wings as the earlier designs. Designed for a .20- to .25-size engine, the Zero uses the E-205 airfoil for the wing. The JK Aerotech Web page does an excellent job of providing builder support, with each step of the construction process illustrated on the site.

Pica Products

  • Address: 2675 N.E. 188 St., Miami FL 33180
  • Tel.: (305) 932-8008

Pica Products has introduced a new kit for Scale Combat fliers: the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A. Featuring the same Laser Lock construction method as the earlier P-51, Me 109, F-82, and Corsair models, the Fw 190 is as complete as the other Pica Combat kits. The 36-inch-span model is laser-cut, and includes a clear PETG vacuum-formed canopy, hardware, pushrods, decals, laser-cut servo trays, and full-size plans.

Pica has also introduced built-up ARF versions of the P-51, the Corsair, and the new Fw 190 that are ready to be covered (or painted) and flown.

Wallace RC

  • Address: 91 Sylvan St., Avon CT 06001
  • Tel.: (860) 673-2000

As was Wallace's first kit of the Me 109/7 high-altitude fighter, the new kit—the Kawasaki Ki-64 “Rob”—is based off a design that never made it past the prototype stage. A unique and obscure design, the Ki-64 was powered by the huge Ha-201 engine, which obtained its 2,350 horsepower by randomly linking two Ha-40 engines.

The Ha-40 (the same power plant used in the famous Ki-61 “Tony”) was never known for its reliability, and the four rear engine in the prototype Ki-64 caught on fire on its fifth flight, ending the test program and dooming the Ki-64 to obscurity.

Despite its large size, the Ki-64 was an attractive, rather sleek design that featured evaporative cooling. Resurrected in 1/2-scale, the Wallace RC Ki-64 has a huge 48-inch wingspan with 333 square inches of area. The kit features a molded epoxy-and-fiberglass fuselage, with a molded-in vertical fin and foam wing cores, and it comes with scale documentation.

Although the scale fidelity conforms to 2015 and 2016 events, the design's large size makes it a better-flying model when powered by the larger .26-size engine.

Open Combat News

There is some Open Combat news to cover.

Armadillo Hobbies now offers the ARC Ferro-O-Plane.

(Please note that there are two "l"s in Armadillo but only one "l" in the Web site address.)

An all-balsa design with a flat-bottomed wing, solid wing spar, and strong box fuselage, the Ferro-O-Plane comes ready to cover and assemble. You can use the Ferro-O-Plane for Open class A or B Combat, or as Ron Ferrer suggests, it also makes a great Combat trainer, to build stick time without putting your Scale model at risk.

That's all for this time. Until next time, take an evening to build an ARF, fly some Combat, and be sure to check your six! MA

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.