RADIO CONTROL SCALE
Stan Alexander, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211; E-mail: [email protected]
JANUARY ALREADY! The new year is coming up fast. Many modelers have already decided what to build this winter. Others have lost the chance to build a great kit from Duncan Hutson Models with its Tiger Moth.
The English company has gone out of business; Duncan had to close the doors because of lack of orders. Proctor Enterprises imported the kits. That's a shame because Duncan had some great kits that fly very well.
As I've stated before, this column will reach your home sometime before Christmas, even though I'm writing it in August.
So I'll time-warp forward a bit and let you know it's time to discreetly leave those catalogs laying around the house where your wife or husband won't miss them.
Use a highlighter for certain bits and pieces of models, engines, or maybe a book to put under the Christmas tree. You could suggest that she or he do the same and, who knows, your wife or husband may select something you will like too.
Let me know if this works at your home!
When you build a Scale model, you should decide how much you want to detail the aircraft before you complete the airframe.
It may be okay to add small items later, or you might be glad you added extra balsa or plywood under the surface to add those bits and pieces that make a model look like the full-scale airplane during the planning part of the process.
On the Fairchild PT-19 I've been working on, forever it seems, I've added many scale details to make the model look more realistic. I guess if I had to do it again, I'd start with plans and go from there.
I will add some scale details to the model this time around and show you how to plan ahead for those items you want to add before you cover and paint the model.
Look at your documentation and decide how far you want to go with detailing. Do you want to add wing fairings? Yes.
Do you want to add handholds in the wing and the fuselage? Yes.
Add a scale tail wheel and main gear, of course. The list could go on and on.
On my PT-19 I added many scale details with which the full-scale aircraft is covered. Some details that haven't been included will be "simulated" to look like the real thing, such as luggage door and service inspection covers on the flying surfaces.
After placing the horizontal and vertical stabilizers in place, check your model documentation for the location of the handholds on each side of the aft fuselage. On this particular PT-19, they are just forward of the horizontal stabilizer, mounted between the bottom two stringers on the airframe.
Use a small piece of balsa to make the base surface for the handhold on each side. Mark this and mount it almost flush—1/16 inch indented—with the outside surface area. This will give the appearance of the scale stringers while still providing a good mounting surface.
You can use a variety of materials for the handholds on the aft fuselage, from plastic to wire you have laying around the shop. A 1/8-inch-diameter piece of soft wire I found in the scrap box filled the bill for this detail.
After bending the first hold and getting the general shape correct, you can use it as a model for the second. If you were going to make several handholds, I would advise making a form to bend the parts around.
Drill the location holes in the soft balsa, then mark those spots well with a black magic marker. This will aid you in placing the handholds in the correct spot after covering.
After bending to shape, put these parts aside in a Ziploc® bag for small goodies to be added after covering.
On this Fairchild trainer there are L brackets that bolt the horizontal stabilizer to the fuselage. These can be easily fabricated using plastic from your local hobby shop or plastic-modeling shop.
I found the L-shaped, 32-inch stick at the local Hobby House and bought a few sizes. After cutting these to 3/8 inch, sand the ends and round the corners.
Use white glue—I used Titebond® II in this case—to make the “weld” marks on the brackets.
You can make the weld seams by building up approximately three layers of glue on the outside edge of the brackets. There is a photo showing the different stages of construction; it's simple.
I still have to go to a watch shop to find the correct “bolts” to attach the brackets under the stabilizer. The brackets will actually be glued on, but the bolt heads make it look more realistic.
Another item I included on this aircraft that most full-scale light aircraft have is the pitot tube. This hollow cylinder is used on full-scale aircraft to measure airspeed.
On the PT-19 it is located on the right wing panel at the last rib before the wingtip, in the center of the leading edge. I want to make it detachable for flight and for keeping it around the hangar at home.
Use a hardwood block glued behind the balsa leading edge for the base. Take a 4-40 drill bit, and drill and tap it for a 4-40 thread. Use a 4-40 rod for the base of your pitot tube. Sandwich the rod with hard balsa, and sand to the correct shape.
Many of you have learned that trying to make it to the shop on a daily basis helps when we’re not so worn out we collapse in the recliner in the den. If you have a television in the shop, take it out!
At home, this is the greatest time bandit, next to the computer and the Internet, that I’ve found. If you have a television and a computer near or in your hobby area, you are probably doomed to begin with and won’t get anything built.
In the September 2001 column under a photo of the House of Balsa PT-19, the caption read, “The House of Balsa PT-19 is designed for electric flight.” That isn’t entirely true.
The kit, which spans a very manageable 50½ inches, could be flown as an electric-powered model but was originally designed for a .25 engine.
Robart makes gear struts for the model too, to add scale realism to the main gear. You can dress up the tail wheel with a “dummy” gear boot and some balsa to cover the wire there.
Top Gun Invitational News: I received word from Frank Tiano—“Mr. Top Gun”—that the event has found a new home. The 2002 Top Gun Invitational will be held at Lakeland Linder Airport, Lakeland, Florida, April 23-28.
That is the same airport where EAA’s (the Experimental Aircraft Association’s) Sun ’n Fun is held each year.
There will be grandstand seating, a manufacturers’ area with possibly a swap shop, hookups for many motor homes, a model-storage area, a blacktop runway, and unlimited flying with full static and flight competition for Scale helicopters and Scale airplanes.
One of the biggest complaints from modelers in the past has been the runway configuration. Flying has been from north to south while the winds have been from east to west.
Frank Tiano has fixed the runway for 2002; it runs from east to west, and the pilots and judges will face to the north.
This is excellent orientation for everyone, including those of us who take photos for magazines! We can shoot aircraft all day—not just in the afternoons.
There will be two new classes at the 2002 Top Gun. One is Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) F4C World Class Scale. This is the second major championships in the US to include the FAI Scale Program.
Unlike many of the events in Europe, there will be multiple flightlines for this class.
Many of the flight and static judges are already familiar with the FAI rules. This is the Scale class flown around the world by all aeromodeling countries, so having this competition at Top Gun seems natural.
There will also be a full-blown Scale helicopter event, with static (held last year) and flight competition during the six-day event.
For more information, check out Frank’s Web site at franktiano.com.
The US Scale Masters Championships will hold qualifiers across the country this summer. For many of us who want to attend an event close to us, it’s not too early to start planning now.
The Championships was held this past fall in Oregon, so I’m guessing that the event will move back to the East Coast or the Midwest in the fall of 2002.
If you are interested in attending one of these great Scale contests, please check out the Web site at usscalemasters.org or call Paul Baune, the Scale Masters chairman, at (503) 678-6036 or E-mail him at [email protected].
I’m sure there’s a contest within driving time of your home. By the time this column reaches you, I’m sure there will be more current information on the Web site.
From the mailbag: I have included a few photos of Scale models completed by Scale modelers.
One in particular I am glad to see back and active is Bob Hunt. Bob is a Scale modeler and competitor who hasn’t been around for a few years but is building and flying again. Enjoy his DynaFlite PT-19 and the other models.
Send me photos of what you have been building!
Fair skies and tail winds, Mel
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
