RC Giants
John A. de Vries 4610 Moffat Ln., Colorado Springs, CO 80915
The part of the Giant that is usually neglected, except by the super scale modelers among us, are those round things at the end of the struts—the wheels!
It's a shame, because getting the wheels "right" is a relatively simple process; a host of scale wheels and tires are commercially available.
You won't need wheels if you're modeling a Wright Flyer, because the pioneer airplane didn't have any. It depended on some sturdy skids to handle any landings and took off on a catapult track. However, if you go with a Blériot, a Taube, or a Curtiss pusher, you'll have to scrounge up some wire wheels of the proper diameter.
Good wire wheels are often advertised in modeling magazines. The same sort of gear is appropriate for most World War I warbirds, but you'll have to add canvas wheel covers for most of them—and don't forget to make a neat circular hole to gain access to the scale tire valve on your wire wheels.
Williams Bros., Inc. offers wheels with the necessary thin tires that simulate the covered rollers. They are appropriate for most aircraft through the 1920s.
The later '20s introduced the balloon tires, which served a double purpose. They could be used on prototype aircraft that didn't have shock-absorbing struts—the fat balloons took a lot of the landing shock for several types of aircraft. The balloon tires could also be used on homebuilts, although adapted motorcycle wheels and tires were often used.
Some aircraft—notably Lockheed Vegas—featured thin, streamlined wheels (if they were equipped with wheel pants) and the fat balloons.
Trexler makes some beautiful balloon wheels/tires, although they're limited to the smaller diameters. The largest balloon type available are six inches in diameter, and Clancy (of the Bee models) has them available.
The 1930s saw the production of probably the most beautiful airplane wheels ever: the high-pressure streamlined wheels that featured large-diameter, almost flat "hub caps." These wheels were primarily for military aircraft. There's nothing like a mid-'30s fighter (more properly, "Pursuit") with the smooth streamlined wheels hanging out in the breeze.
Williams Bros. produces the wheels in dead-on scale and in Giant Scale sizes.
The warbirds of World War II substantially changed the wheel business. It seems that each fighter or bomber manufacturer specified its own size and shape of wheels and tires. The wheels were usually aluminum, and had distinctive patterns of lightening holes.
The problem is when you search for model-size wheels for the warbird you're building. There are beautiful machine-turned wheels for the more-common warbirds (read: Mustangs), but there is a bunch of aircraft for which you have to turn your own wheels, or find a skillful machinist to do it for you. Then you have to make your own tires with the proper tread pattern to make everything scale.
You're in luck if your model is of a P-40; the Warhawk used the streamlined wheels of yesteryear.
There is an excellent scale data source for many warbird wheels. The info can be found in aftermarket plastic wheels, designed to...
RC Giants (continued)
AMT turbine engine(s), produced in the Netherlands.
Eighteen military Giants have been built, representing the RNAF's aircraft inventory from 1913 to date. Dutch-designed aircraft (for example, the Fokker D.XXI and the Fokker G.1a, which is a twin) and foreign designs (for example, the Brewster "Buffalo" fighter and the Spitfire Mk IX) are part of the inventory.
Plans for building models extend through the year 2003 and include some fascinating aircraft. With 100% volunteer effort, Phantasy in Blue has produced practically every aircraft ever flown by the KLM airline, beginning with early Fokker transports and Douglas DC-2s, through the four-engined Douglas, right up to the Douglas MD-11 (a tri-jet). Even scale helicopters are flown. Phantasy in Blue's work is impeccable!
The Dutch models are flown at military and civilian air shows. Earlier shows have attracted huge crowds—as many as 50,000 spectators.
Ol' buddy Bob Banka has published a new version of his stupendous scale data catalog; the 2000 Aircraft Documentation & Resource Guide lists 7,700 Foto-Paaks and more than 35,000 three-view aircraft drawings!
The catalog is eight bucks from Scale Model Research, 3114 Yukon Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or with your Visa® or MasterCard™ at (714) 979-8058 (for orders of $20 or more).
I'm a bit behind the power curve on this last recommendation.
Don Keller (of R/C Calendars, 44 Rambling Ln., Laguna Hills, CA 92656) has produced a spectacular 2000 calendar that features some particularly beautiful models on each page. I got the word on the calendar from Larry Klingberg, whose stunning float-equipped 1919 Sopwith Schneider is featured on the cover.
The price of the calendar is $5.95 plus $3.20 S&H.
Back with you next month. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
