New kits and gear-door tricks

Model Airplane News, Jun 2000 by Leu, George

SCALE MAIL

I recently received a letter from my good friend Bob Campbell of North Canton, OH, and he included a photo of his newest IMAC design-a 45-percent Stephens Acro. Bob has been involved in giant scale for a long time, and he continues to build and fly his own designs. His version of the Acro has a 10-foot, 8-inch wingspan and weighs 32 pounds. He used foam for the fuselage and the wing and covered it with 1/8-inch balsa, which he finished in MonoKote. The finished model looks very nice and, in Bob's hands, should be an excellent flyer.

I also heard from Jim Kiehl, whom I met several years ago at the Warbirds over Delaware meet. Jim designed the Me-163 Komet (built by Sal Calvagna) that I showed you several months ago, and he said he was working on some other designs and would send me more information later.

Well, his newest model is an unusual Me-328 powered by twin electric Hi-Line Red Flame Blaster fans. The motors get their power from a 7-cell, 500mAh AR pack, and the fans draw 16 to 18 amps and turn at 26,000rpm. With a wingspan of 42 inches, the model weighs only 30 ounces! The fuselage has bulkhead-and-stringer framing and is sheeted with 146inch balsa finished in red MonoKote.

I always enjoy receiving mail and photos from ingenious "Scale Techniques" readers; I'm intrigued to see the many scale designs they develop. A lot of research, design work and prototype experimentation are required to bring any model to its eventual flying configuration, and I'm happy to share their ideas. Nice going, guys!

BIG LIGHTNING IN GLASS

A few years ago at the Long Island, NY, Scale Masters qualifier, I saw Nick Ziroli Sr. fly his then-new giant-scale P-38 Lightning. His static score was very high, and he won the event. On one flight, one of the Lightning's engines started to run roughly and then stopped. Nick proceeded to fly it on only one engine, and he brought the model around for a perfect landing. Nick is an exceptionally good pilot, and with Zenoah G-45s for power, the P-38 made a very big impression on me.

Nick sells the plans for the Lightning, and there are several places where you can buy wooden kits of his model: Madden Model Products* and Chuck Gill's The Aeroplane Works* quickly come to mind.

Well, the good people at Robart Mfg.* have taken Nick's design to the next level and now offer it as an impressive fiberglass kit. It has a 114-inch wingspan and features a one-piece, molded, center section (including the tail booms)-all gelcoated. The fuselage formers come installed, and Robart retracts can be bolted right into place.

The plug-in wing panels have foam cores, and the kit comes with front and rear aluminum spar blades and sockets. Many accessories are included in the standard kit, but this is where the Robart P-38 gets even better: option packs may be bought separately or with the kit; options: No. 1. Robart ZP-38 three-gear retract set. 2. Retract and gear-door air-control kit (includes a control valve, air tanks, pressure gauge, gear-door valves, etc.). 3. Detail-accessory kit that includes: molded upper and lower scoops, fuel-tank caps, elevator counterbalances, navigation-light housings.

This unique version of Nick's P-38 is available directly from Robart, so if you need a good flying twin design, give them a call.

ZIROLI ERCOUPE

If Nick's big Lightning is too much for you, why not take a look at his newest design, the Ercoupe? This twin-tail model has fixed gear (available from Robart) and a modest, 80-inch wingspan, and it was designed around the popular Zenoah* G-23 gas engine, so it has plenty of power. I bumped into Nick at the last World Miniature Warbird Association meet in Kirkwood, NY, where he was having a ball flying this model (dressed up in military colors, the Ercoupe is a legal warbird!). The plans, fiberglass parts and nifty-looking shock-absorbing Robart landing gear can all be ordered from Nick Ziroli Plans*. The Aeroplane Works offers a wooden kit

that comes with plug-in tubes for the removable wing panels and the best-quality balsa and plywood for the parts. "Userfriendly" definitely describes the kit and the finished model.

DOCUMENTATION CATALOG

I always look forward to the newest "Aircraft Documentation and Resource Guide" from Bob Banka of Scale Model Research*. I love Bob's 3-view drawings because they are from "Koku Fan" prints. This year, the 242-page volume includes several articles on scale modeling, many 3views and a list of more than 7,800 fullcolor "Foto Paaks." Bob's guide is one of the best documentation sources for fighters, experimental and civilian aircraft, gliders, helicopters, gyrocopters, airships, guns, engines and even a few rockets. At $8, you will find it worth the investment.

MORE ON RIVETS

Scale Skins* offers several products that give us new ways to detail our aircraft. First were large, easy-to-apply vinyl skins that had rivet and panel-line details printed on; next came clear detailing tape that had rivet lines, Dzus fastener and screw details; and now here's "Rosie the Riveter"-a perforated-masking-tape kit that's great for making make glue-head "rivets."