Radio Control: Giants
IT SURE HAS piled up-the mail, that is. Since I had a month off (because the December Model Aviation was devoted to the Nationals) the mailbox has been clogged, so let's get at it. New friend Brian Allen of Sterling VA sent some photos of his latest project. The Giant is a model of the Interstate L-6 Cadet, built from Jerry Bates' plans. Brian duplicated the full-scale version of the WW II liaison aircraft owned by Joe Grotzinger of Brownsville TX. The invasion stripe color scheme is fictitious; Mr. Grotzinger added to his airplane to make it more visible! It sure does make the model stand out.
Radio Control: Giants
IT WAS MY good fortune to meet Dave Reid in the '80s at one of the STAR (Southern Tier Aero Radio Society) fly-ins at Olean, New York. Dave was getting started in the Radio Control (RC) business, and was featuring his great rubberlike 1/4-scale pilot figures. They were (and still are) realistic and included a host of realistic accessories, such as caps and sunglasses. Dave and I have kept in touch through the years, and I purchased a precut kit of Don Neill's Folkerts SK-4 from him. I had a set of plans and the fiberglass components for the Thompson Trophy winner, and Dave provided the balsa parts.
Radio Control: Giants
They're all over the place - and with good reason. Almost every Giant Scale flightline has one, and maybe more; they're readily identifiable, since most of them are monoplanes with fixed landing gear; the paint jobs are stunning, and many of them carry miniaturized versions of sponsor decals. I'm talking about the proliferation of present-day aerobatic airplane Scale models. They may be Zlins, or CAPs, or Ravens, or any of a vast array of available designs. Bubble canopies and flat engines mark the breed, and models duplicate these common features. The better Giant Scale Radio Control (RC) fliers have taken the aerobatic models to heart, and usually (with smoke trails added) put on show of rolls, loops, and other maneuvers that would do a professional acrobatic pilot proud.
Radio Control: Giants
LAST MONTH I spent most of my type space discussing the detailing of Giant Scale models. Exterior and interior detailing must have some basis in fact, which comes from collected documentation. Drawings and photographs are the primary documentation sources, as are specialty books. There are books about almost any prototype you can imagine, and a good source of such volumes is Specialty Press (11481 Kost Dam Rd., North Branch MN 55056). Its 24-hour order line is (800) 895-4585.
Radio Control: Giants
ONLY 10 OF THEM were built by the factory, but counting every replica from Peanut to Giant Scale, thousands have been reproduced. If you figure in the long wing versions, thousands more have been built by modelers around the world. I'm talking about the sleek high-winged Monocoupe in its clipped wing form and the rest of the breed. Of the many Monocoupes manufactured, the Model 90 and 90A were the definitive versions. The aircraft have always fascinated me, and my first published Radio Control (RC) design was the Model 113 Velie-powered prototype. Its appearance in Radio Control Modeler in 1978 generated a friendship that has endured.
