Worth a Closer Look
This month we're doing something different; this is the first of a two-part "Worth a Closer Look" devoted to some of the new items at this year's Weak Signals show in Toledo, Ohio. With this limited space we can't show everything, but following are a few aircraft that caught our eye. Next month we'll bring you some of the new engines, radios, and hardware from the show.
Giles 202 Competition Plus
It seems that Almost Ready-to-Flys (ARFs) are getting better all the time. One instance of this is the new series of Giles 202 Competition Plus ARFs from Gator R/C. These models are handcrafted using ultralight building techniques to provide a true competitive advantage for advanced pilots in Radio Control Pattern competition.
Each kit is 90% complete and will weigh about 9.5–9.75 pounds when finished. You can choose from several color schemes, all using MonoKote iron-on covering and matching painted fiberglass cowls, landing gear, and wheel pants. The Giles 202 is set up to accept a Hyde engine mount and comes with a nose ring installed. An adjustable plug-in wing and stabilizer system comes standard, and quilted nylon covers are included for the fuselage, wing, and stabilizers. The Giles 202 sells for $1,895, and quantities are limited.
- Gator R/C, 2100 N. Old Mill Rd., Brookline Station, MO 65619
- Tel: (417) 725-7755
- Web: www.gatorrc.com
AT-6 and T-34 ARFs
Horizon Hobby Distributors showed off two of its new warbirds at the show: the AT-6 Texan and the T-34 Mentor. Both are Sport Scale ARFs featuring prepainted cowlings, complete hardware packs, and UltraCote covering.
- AT-6 Texan: The larger of the two, with a 67-inch wingspan and a completed weight of about 7–8 pounds. It features factory-installed retracts with gear doors and a mock radial engine. Recommended power is a .60–.78 two-stroke or 91–100 four-stroke engine. Street price: $254.99.
- T-34 Mentor: A 40-size semiscale kit with a 57¼-inch wingspan and a ready-to-fly weight of about 6–7 pounds. It comes with standard wire gear; retracts are available separately. Recommended power is a .40–.58 two-stroke or 56–72 four-stroke engine. Street price: $169.99.
Both kits should be available by roughly the time you read this.
- Horizon Hobby Distributors, 4105 Fieldstone Rd., Champaign, IL 61822
- Tel: (800) 338-4639
- Web: www.horizonhobby.com
Gee Bee .60 ARF
It was an "extreme machine" 70 years before the term was coined—an airplane designed solely to get the last bit of speed out of the most powerful piston engine available. Now yesteryear's "widow-maker" returns as an easy-to-assemble, pilot-friendly ARF for experienced sport fliers. This is not the Kyosho model; it's a new and larger ARF kit.
This .60-size Gee Bee features a fiberglass cowl, wheel pants, and rudder painted to match the MonoKote trim scheme. Also included is a replica engine cover. An ample amount of space inside the fuselage makes servo installation easy. Each wing has a servo mount for dual aileron servos to shorten servo-to-control-surface distance.
Specifications and requirements:
- Wingspan: 66 inches
- Recommended power: .75–.90 two-stroke or 1.20 four-stroke
- Radio: four-channel with five standard servos
This kit should be available by midsummer. No pricing was set at press time.
- Great Planes Model Distributors, Box 9021, Champaign, IL 61826
- Tel: (800) 682-8948
- Web: www.hobbico.com
Hirobo Bell 430
This one-of-a-kind helicopter from Model Rectifier Corporation comes complete with a 40cc engine, air-actuated retracts with pump, and many scale details. The Bell 430 is a 1/6.82-scale kit, which makes it 7.87 feet long and just over 30 pounds ready to fly. An onboard electric start system is included; the start system is engaged via an open toggle switch on your radio.
This superscale helicopter is a bit out of the average enthusiast's reach (about $7,000), but if you're looking for the ultimate in realism, order early. Each kit is made to order, and delivery time is approximately 60 days.
- Model Rectifier Corporation, Box 6312, Edison, NJ 08818
- Tel: (732) 225-2100
- Web: www.modelrectifier.com
FuntanaS .40 3-D ARF
The new FuntanaS .40 3-D ARF was designed exclusively for Hangar 9 by one of Europe's most famous 3-D pilots: Sebastiano Silvestri.
The FuntanaS can do it all—Harriers, Torque Rolls, Blenders, Rolling Circles, and almost anything else you can dream up—thanks to an extremely lightweight, all-wood airframe and large control surfaces that give the model an impressive thrust-to-weight ratio and crisp control authority at any airspeed.
Features include an attractive UltraCote trim scheme and factory-painted parts such as the cowl and wheel pants. The kit includes a highly detailed one-piece fiberglass cowl and many prefinished parts. All fuselage formers come preinstalled. The one-piece bolt-on wing and stabilizer are made from presheeted foam cores with the leading edges installed; the elevators and rudder are built up.
Specifications and requirements:
- Wingspan: 56 inches
- Length: 56 inches
- Weight: about 4–5.5 pounds
- Radio: four-channel with five servos
- Recommended power: .32–.46 two-stroke or .40–.72 four-stroke
Street price: $169.99.
Gee Bee R-1 Super Sportster
No, we haven't duplicated the Gee Bee from earlier. This Gee Bee is from Fan-Tastic Models and is designed as a park flyer for moderate winds, but it is equally at home in a standard-size basketball gym.
The model has a wingspan of 31 inches, a wing area of 165 square inches, and weighs about 12 ounces. Power is from an inexpensive GWS IPS Twin Motor System "A" RXC 7.2-volt unit (not provided).
The kit features a uniquely molded extruded polystyrene foam fuselage, wing panels, and stabilizers, as well as many high-impact polystyrene vacuum-formed parts. Also included are wheels, a complete set of three-color pressure-sensitive decals for historical accuracy, step-by-step instructions, and a fully photo-illustrated manual.
Retail price: $109.95.
- Fan-Tastic Models, 3204 Johnson Rd., Southlake, TX 76092
- Web: www.fan-tasticmodels.com
P-40E Kittyhawk
Yellow Aircraft is shipping a beautifully detailed model of the Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk.
This deluxe kit features a highly detailed one-piece fiberglass cowl, canopy frame, main and tail gear doors, machine guns with access cover, landing-gear pods, exhaust stacks, and the cockpit tub with seat and headrest. Available separately is retractable scale landing gear with precision-machined aluminum mechanism and functioning oleo struts; the retracts come completely assembled.
Specifications and requirements:
- Scale: 1/5
- Wingspan: 86 inches
- Weight: 25–27 pounds
- Engine: gasoline, 38–62 cc range
Deluxe kit retail: $625. Optional retracts: $495.
- Yellow Aircraft International, 203 Mass Ave., Lexington, MA 02420
- Tel: (781) 674-9898
- Web: www.yellowaircraft.com
Nobler and Flite Streak CL ARFs
One of the more surprising events at this year's show was the unveiling of two new Control Line (CL) ARF kits from TopFlite.
Unlike many ARF or RTF CL kits of the past, these feature built-up wood construction and MonoKote covering—just the way you'd build from a kit. Each kit includes preinstalled bellcrank and leadout wires in the wing and a complete hardware package, including the fuel tank. Each model requires a two-stroke .25–.40 CL engine, CL handle and wires, propeller, fuel, and a glow starter.
- Flite Streak: A versatile kit suitable as a basic trainer, a stunt flier, or even a combat aircraft. Wingspan: 41.5 inches.
- Nobler: A more advanced trainer—a step up from the Flite Streak. Features include a prepainted fiberglass cowl, three-line fuel tank, clear canopy, formed landing gear, and coupled elevator and flaps for increased maneuverability. Wingspan: 49 inches.
These kits should be available by midsummer. No pricing was set at press time.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
