RADIO CONTROL SCALE
Stan Alexander, 3709 Valley Ridge Dr., Nashville TN 37211; E-mail: [email protected]
TOLEDO EXPO: What else does anyone have to say? This is the granddaddy of the current batch of model shows across the country. Hosted by the Weak Signals Radio Control (RC) club in Toledo, Ohio, this is a modeling magnet in North America. Thanks to all the staff and Wayne Yeager for a great time and many activities there.
One might ask, Why bother to go to a show like Toledo in the first place? It's very simple: to see the latest, new "stuff," and get some good buys, often for less than what is listed in the hobby catalogs we receive every few months. You might find parts or materials that you didn't know were available, or maybe you didn't know whether or not they would work since you hadn't seen them yet. It's also an opportunity to ask industry experts questions about problems you might have with one of their products.
There is so much at Toledo for Scale modelers that what I have to cover will take part of two columns. I'll start with what's new.
Balsa USA is probably one of the largest kit manufacturers in the United States. The company's slant is toward kitting World War I–era aircraft. Last year it came out with the Fokker triplane, and this year there is the Nieuport 17. This 1/4-scale model spans 80 inches, which makes it legal for International Miniature Aircraft Association events. Designed to be powered with a G-23 or a 120 four-stroke engine, its weight should come out to approximately 13 pounds. The scale outline looks good enough for Scale competition.
Although Balsa USA salesmen admitted that these models are designed for flying, with a few alterations their outlines are good enough for most Sport Scale contests. Documentation is available, and the three-view source is listed on the plans. That's an important detail if you want to compete with these models. Having a three-view available from which the kit was designed is common sense.
Balsa USA also has a Fokker D.VIII that has just come out of the shop. This kit hasn't been released yet, but the company stated that it has the most accurate outline of all of the WW I models it produces. The D.VIII has a wingspan of 82 inches and a length of 59½ inches, and it can be powered by a G-23 or a 120 four-stroke—much the same as the rest of the WW I lineup of kits.
Other kits Balsa USA displayed included its 70¾-inch-span Fokker triplane, its 80-inch-span Fokker Eindecker E.III, its ¼-scale Sopwith Pup that spans 77 inches, and its 80-inch-span Nieuport 28.
Sig's booth had a large variety of new kits. One that will appeal to many is the 50th-anniversary-edition J-3 Cub, which is built to 1/5 scale and spans 84½ inches. It's designed for lower operation costs, and a good 45 or 65 four-stroke will easily power it. The model has details such as the J-3's "eyebrows" over the engine cylinders, a working side door, wire landing gear, and a scale type of tail-wheel assembly. An instrument panel is included.
Also new from Sig are the small-scale RC kits, which include the 1909 Demoiselle, the 1909 Antoinette, the 1910 Deperdussin, the Bebe Jodel Almost Ready to Fly (ARF), and the Herr Engineering Corporation kit line.
The Antoinette was designed by Mike Gretz, and it spans 50 inches. I saw this model at the Nationals last year, and it's fun to watch it fly over with the light filtering through the wings and rear fuselage. The 1909 Demoiselle looks almost cartoonish, but it is actually the grandfather of all ultralights. The Deperdussin also spans 50 inches. It's good to see new kits on the market in the sea of ARFs.
All of these models are designed for no wind or indoor flying with GWS motors and miniature electronics. All the parts are laser-cut for ease of assembly. Sig's Pioneer of Flight series (which includes the Antoinette, the Demoiselle, and the Deperdussin) has the usual Sig quality instruction booklets. The models retail for right at $50, so you should be able to pick one up for even less at the hobby shop.
This series could be called Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines; the full-scale aircraft were featured in the 1965 movie.
Great Planes had a new selection of Scale ARFs on hand, which included the 60-inch-span Fokker triplane for .46-.75 two-stroke or .52-.80 four-stroke engines. Selecting the larger engines in this range for the triplane is advisable since it has 1,312 square inches of wing area.
The 64-inch-span Pitts Special and the 82-inch-span Ryan STA-M are other new kits from Great Planes. The company also has smaller scale ARF offerings, such as the 40-inch-span Spirit of St. Louis and a 49-inch-span Ryan STA for electric power.
Several fiberglass-kit manufacturers and plans providers were at Toledo this year. One of the best-known companies is Nick Ziroli Plans. Nick Ziroli Sr. and Nick Jr. have been providing models with beautiful scale plans, parts, and fiberglass fuselages for many years. The father-and-son team has just finished the prototype of a Vultee Vengeance, which served in World War II as a dive bomber. Several of their designs have fiberglass fuselages available, including roughly six of the WWII designs such as the Curtiss P-40 shown.
Adding details to any model helps bring out its character. It's true even when you have an ARF for Fun Scale or just weekend flying. The Sig CAP231EX is one of those types that is fun to fly. I'm on my second CAP 231; the first one still flies, but it's a smaller 60-size version.
Using the Hanger 9 Civilian Pilot and the recommended Hangar 9 aerobatic instrument panel in the cockpit was no problem. Acrylic paints were used on the pilot. I had ready one until they looked okay.
I covered the bottom of the cockpit with thin, gray cardboard from the local craft shop, which helps take away the total yellow look of the model before decals are added from the trim sheets. I used 3M Super 77™ Spray Adhesive, which I applied to the cockpit surface and the bottom card stock.
If you aren't sure how to build the headset, check out the article by Bob Noll in the May 2002 issue, "Cockpit Detail and Canopy Attachment." You can also glean a great deal of information from full-scale aviation catalogs about cockpit details such as instruments, headsets, safety harnesses, control systems, etc. In addition, check out King Schools' Web site at www.kingschools.com.
The benchmark: Those of you interested in WWII aircraft might enjoy the soft-cover edition of VL Aircraft 1938-1945 by Petar Leitch with drawings by Petr A. Tesar. This book was published in 1998 in the Czech Republic by Japo.
During WW I, Albatros aircraft were built in different factories in Germany and under license by the Oeffag company of Austria-Hungary. This book details these aircraft with interesting text in English and Czech/Slovak in 16 color side plates of both models. The book has five different three-view drawings, showing details and cross-sections of the fuselage.
This is one of the better WW I aircraft books I've seen recently. There is some good reading and enough documentation here from which to build at least a Sport Scale model. It's available from most of the book dealers, such as Historic Aviation or Zenith Books, for roughly $22 plus shipping.
Jack Dorman: Scale modeling lost a great friend and a wealth of knowledge when Jack Dorman passed away in January. This is sort of late, but those who attend contests, especially in the eastern half of the country, probably knew of Jack.
His array of knowledge, multitude of skills, and unique techniques, mixed with an uncanny ability to share them with anyone who asked, were just a few of Jack's many qualities. Those of us who knew him, flew, judged, or just talked Scale with him will miss him very much.
The US Scale Masters Championships will be hosted by the Arizona Model Aviators this October 10-13 near Mesa, Arizona. For more information on the Championships, contact Jim Deming at (480) 969-2616 or [email protected], or contact Austin Goodwin at (480) 357-1816 or [email protected].
There are more than 17 qualifiers on the calendar, and I'm sure more will be added this summer. Reviewing the regional list, it looks as though the contest will be held August 2-4 in the Northwest. For more information, contact the contest director, who will be the head at Hubbard OR. Contact him at (503) 257-8841 or [email protected].
Also in August in Texas, old friend Lawrence Arnall will host the Texas Scale Championships. It looks as if Fort Worth will be the location, and you can contact Lawrence at (817) 589-2636 or at [email protected] for more information on these upcoming qualifiers.
If you enjoy model aviation videos at club meetings or in your shop, check out Dick Hansen's Scale Aviation Videos. Contest coverage such as this can give you an idea of the atmosphere of a particular event. Dick finished his H03 video last year at the 2001 Scale Masters Championships held in Hubbard OR. The tape is $19.95 plus $3 shipping.
Contact Dick at 10807 S.E. Stacy Ct., Portland OR 97266; Tel.: (503) 663-2578; Fax: (503) 678-1342; Web site: www.acro-sports.com/dhansen.
Fair skies and tailwinds. WQ
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
