Revisiting completed models
by Sal Calvagna [email protected]
Welcome back. In this month’s column I’ll revisit a few previously featured models and another that has just been completed.
New column guidelines are in place and the number of photos dictates the length of the text, so I must be brief. Enjoy!
Walt Moucha’s 1/3-Scale Hanriot HD-1
In the June 2012 “RC Giants” column, a 1/3-scale Hanriot HD-1, designed and built by Walt Moucha of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, was featured in its framed-up condition. Since then he has completed the model and it took first place at the Top of the World event in Ocala, Florida.
The model was covered with Solartex and painted with latex paint purchased at Michaels craft store. The all-up weight is 32 pounds using a Sachs 4.2 gas engine swinging a 22 x 10 propeller. The kit is available from Lasercut USA in Port Saint Lucie and Walt has the cowl, gear, cabanes, and everything else needed to complete the model. You can call or email Walt at the contact information listed in Sources.
An interesting fact is that this French-designed airplane was rejected by the French Air Service, but it was supplied to Belgium and Italy where it proved successful.
Polikarpov I-16 by Wolfram Donalies
Wolfram Donalies’ Polikarpov I-16 was first featured in the December 2011 column. Since then he has added some detail to the I-16, including scale landing gear doors. According to Wolfram, these were quite a project!
The I-16 landing gear has three strut covers and the wheel cover is hinged in half with the lower half closing as the gear is retracted.
In addition to the gear, Wolfram added a gun sight, pitot tube, antenna mast, and some weathering.
One of the photos is a great one of the I-16 on takeoff. Wolfram hails from Elgin, Illinois, and is a member of the Tri Village RC Club.
Jim Gobetz’s 1/4-Scale Fokker D.VIII
Jim Gobetz of Mt. Sinai, New York, is proud of his freshly completed 1/4-scale Fokker D.VIII built from a Balsa USA kit. The model spans 82 inches with a 59-inch fuselage. It has 1,100 square inches of wing area, which gives the model 25 to 29 ounces of wing loading at a weight of 12 to 14 pounds. Jim covered the model with two variations of Solartex—olive drab and a lozenge pattern—available from Balsa USA. The model is powered by a Zenoah G-23 gas engine. Nice job, Jim.
Originally designated as the Fokker E.V, the parasol monoplane, designed by Reinhold Platz (who designed the highly successful Fokker D.VII), was a fighter in late World War I and had several fatal accidents because of wing failures. With only a couple of months remaining until the end of the war, the wing was modified and it was given the new designation of Fokker D.VIII. Too little and too late to make any difference to the outcome of the conflict, it was credited with the last aerial victory of the war.
Dave Wigley’s 1/5-Scale Bristol Beaufighter
In the June 2012 column, three-time Top Gun winner Dave Wigley, of Smithtown, New York, was featured with his latest ongoing project, a 1/5-scale Bristol Beaufighter. The model spans 138 inches, has a length of 96 inches, and is powered by two counter-rotating BME 102 twin-cylinder gas engines. Dave designed and built every part of this model. Some additional markings and weathering are all that is left to complete. If all goes well, Dave will fly the model at Top Gun 2013. The Bristol Beaufighter was an upgrade of the earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber and saw great success during World War II.
That's all for February; see you in April.
Sources
- Lasercut USA
(772) 528-4727 www.lasercutusa.com/index.html
- Walt Moucha
(772) 460-6436 [email protected]
- International Miniature Aircraft Association
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
