Free Flight: Sport/Scale
A SMALL BAND of dedicated modelers gathered about one of their number to inspect his new creation. It was a beautiful Fieseler Storch. Despite the fact that it contained no balsa, a commodity impossible to obtain in Paris during the German occupation, its hardwood frame contained the promise of flight. A few eyes opened wide when the implications of the rather novel marking scheme became apparent, however. The intrepid young airman had done up his Luftwaffe liaison ship with French, rather than German markings, and had emblazoned on the side a great Cross of Lorraine, the symbol of the Free French Resistance!
Free Flight: Sport/Scale
What size is the best for a model, dear Dad? How big should a model plane be? As big as a pumpkin? As big as my dog? Or even as big as me? Why listen, my son, lend an ear to my tale. Come listen, my nephews and nieces. Some take ten men to wind And ten more to launch, And twenty to pick up the pieces. Then others are tiny, like wee little nuts, So small they take tweezers to wind 'em. It's often been said You must color 'em red `Cause when they land, no one can find 'em.
Free Flight: Sport/Scale
THREE CHEERS! Max-Fax, the roughly bi-monthly newsletter of the intrepid D.C. Maxecuters, reflects the outstanding spirit of this highly-talented group of skysters and deserves special recognition for services to modeling! Their last two numbers have been fantastic, with huge, full-size plans, glossy photo pages, hints galore, fun and contest information to warm the heart of even the most jaded rib-slicer. Dave Rees' fine Nicholas-Beazley and Paul Gaertner's Gugnunc rubber ships on the large-format plan sheet, along with three-views, coloring and marking data, etc., can be considered a modeler's dream.
Free Flight: Sport/Scale
JOY! The first reaction to opening one of the new profile models from Peck-Polymers is, "Hey, that's pretty cute!" The second thing you do is to reach for the glue. They are irresistible, mainly due to the fact that you figure you will have it done within the hour. (Good psychology, Bob!) You are buying speed of construction and an attractive model with good press-on decorations, pre-cut and pre-dyed (yellow) balsa. The landing gear wire is pre-bent, a big plus for Junior modelers. Making the landing gear pants is about the hardest thing on the model, and that won't be too bad, because of the good die-cutting and design. A yellow felt pen is used to match them up with the rest of the model. It is a great evening's father/son, (or mother/daughter) project.
Free Flight: Sport/Scale
WEATHERING your models can become an obsession. I have seen modelers go to great lengths to make every brand new model they make look as if it made all the major campaigns in both European and Pacific Theatres in WW II and a few dozen missions in Korea with minimum upkeep by the ground crew. It can be overdone easily. We've all seen photos of subject aircraft with really horrible exhaust smudges along the sides of the fuselage. Mr. Mulligan is a prime example. Still, when these streaks are reproduced faithfully on a model, they look ridiculous.
