Radio Control: Combat
I HOPE everyone enjoyed the kit manufacturers list in the last two columns. Rather than try to put together a complete list again (which can be outdated by the time it's printed, and is getting too long to include), I am offering to mail interested builders a list that covers Scale and non-Scale kit manufacturers. However, I will still write about new kits and other commercial developments in RC Combat. One addition to the list is Trillium Balsa (260 Tillson Ave., Unit 2, Tillsonburg, Ontario, N4G 3B5, Canada; Tel.: [519] 688-3522), which manufactures a Hawker Tempest for the 704 Scale RC Combat event. It spans 41 inches and it can be built as the inline Tempest V, designed for .15 power, or as the radial-powered Tempest II, designed for .21 power. Both versions weigh 2-2.2 pounds and are of conventional balsa-and-plywood construction. The kit includes a vacuum-formed canopy and hardware, and reportedly flies well on the Tempest's generous (for a 704 fighter) 300 square inches of wing area. For sport fliers, the plans show an optional fixed landing gear.
Radio Control: Combat
THIS IS a continuation of the kit manufacturers list I started in the last issue. The following are non-Scale designs used for Open RC Combat. Although there are many suitable designs for the event, these are the ones typically used. Aerocraft (432 Hallett Ave., Riverhead NY 11901; Tel.: [516] 369-9319) kits the Snapper. It's of balsa-and-plywood construction, and the twin-tailboom kit includes most hardware required for assembly. It has a 34-inch wingspan with 288 square inches of wing area, and typically weighs 27 ounces. Aerocraft recommends that the model be powered by a .12-.15 engine.
Radio Control: Combat
There is an old Army Air Force song from WW II that says, "What do you do in the ground crew? You fix, fix, fix." Well, the traditional fix-and-build time is upon us Combat fliers, so I thought it might be a good time to update the kit manufacturers and plan source list. First presented almost two years ago, the list has grown to the point where it has to be covered in two separate issues. This time we will update the kits and plans sources available for the 704 1/12-scale RC Combat crowd; the next column will cover the "open" class RC Combat kits.
Radio Control: Combat
WE HAVE recently had some great examples of how easy it is to have a "controversy." Even a cartoonist can draw more flak than he does cartoons. Like most humorists, cartoonists are always teetering back and forth across the line of controversy. Safety is another issue that teeters on the fine line of controversy. In RC Combat the "fine line" of controversy is called "fighting dry weight." Fighting dry weight is the weight of an RC Combat model without fuel in its tanks. In the past few years RC Combat has developed two major followings: "Scale" or "704" modelers, and "Non-Scale" or "Open Class" modelers.
Radio Control: Combat
I RECEIVED A LETTER from Wichita, Kansas' Ed Ross; it was full of questions about building a 1/12-scale Curtiss P-40 for the 704 Scale RC Combat event. Ed asked some very good questions that may interest many of you who are assembling Scale or non-Scale RC Combat fighters. "My first question is about the engine. I've used O.S. Max engines for a long time and love them. However, I'd rather have ball bearings. Considering that I'm interested in reliability and durability more that maximum performance, what engine would you recommend?" Let me lay a little of my "RC engines in general" philosophy on you before I answer that question. In my club we have fliers who swear by certain engines, and other fliers who swear at those same engines.
