Control Line: Scale
WORKING canopy parts can add a great amount of realism to your Scale model and can also help to get you a better point score in the Fidelity to Scale and Workmanship categories during competition. The information to follow came about as the result of a letter from Daniel deG. Strong of Ormand Beach, FL, who asked for specific details concerning the operation of the canopy hatch and windows of George Gaydos' P-38 featured in my June 1987 column (page 72). George gladly provided the details from which the accompanying sketch and description were made. As you can see in the sketch, the principle of operation of the canopy side window (shown in the down position) is basically the same scissor action used in our automobiles for raising and lowering the windows. While the sketch may be somewhat self-explanatory to some, a few words on the operation and type of materials used are still in order.
Control Line: Scale
REPLICA, the newsletter of the National Association of Scale Aeromodelers, is once more being received by NASA members. Stan Alexander, its new editor, has indicated that four more issues would be published by the time you will be reading this column. The May 1987 issue had a couple of items I would like to call to your attention if you are not already a NASA member. The first is to inform you that NASA has, for all new memberships, a Scale Data Source listing that provides names and addresses of many organizations, both government and private, from which drawings and photos of full-scale aircraft may be obtained.
Control Line: Scale
ELECTRIC and electronic control systems for CL Scale models have been covered to some degree in this column over the past few years, and a couple of letters received recently have prompted me to revisit the subject. This time my comments are based on letters from Mike Gretz (Montezuma, IA) and Jerry Blaszczyk (Beasalem, PA). Mike's letter was actually a copy of a response to Dale Campbell (Newton, NC) in which Mike outlined the history of CL electronic systems and the basics of their operation. Mike thought this information might be of interest to some of our newer CL Scale modelers. The letter from Jerry was about an electric relay system he uses for operating the flaps on his P-68 Victor, an Italian-made commuter plane.
Control Line: Scale
PROFILE SCALE activity update: During the past several years, the Profile Scale event has grown considerably in popularity. Most clubs that have been constant promoters of CL Scale are also including Profile Scale in their list of contest events, and, according to newsletters and reports received, the Profile Scale category has also been included in many mall and trade shows around the country. While rules governing the event vary from one section of the country to another, a concerted effort has been made by George Gaydos of the Garden State Circle Burners (GSCB) of New Jersey to bring some sort of stability and commonality to the rules being used by many.
Control Line: Scale
BONDING AND ADHESIVES are subjects for which Chris Shearer, member of the Orbiting Eagles of Omaha, has some words for us. While I suspect from his writing that Chris is not into Scale but Combat, his comments on bonding and adhesives do apply to all of us. Chris starts his comments by indicating that most of us are certainly aware of the importance of adhesives, but are we all aware of the importance of a bond? A bond is made up of an adhesive and the contact between the surfaces being bonded. Most adhesives found today are extremely good at bonding two materials as long as the materials make good contact. A problem occurs when the two materials being bonded do not make good contact.
