"Laying out the drawing" & "thunder and lightning

Quality Mgt. Intl. Ltd.

Laying Out the Drawing& "Thunder and Lightning"

New books for scale enthusiasts

After nearly 50 years of modeling, Jim Norfolk has developed quite a few tricks and techniques for designing and building models. Fortunately for the rest of us, he is eager to share what he has learned. Creating a plan from scratch is often a major stumbling block for modelers who want to scratch-build an original design. "Laying Out the Drawing" is a wonderful guide to help the budding designer develop a feel for the techniques and mechanics of drafting a suitable plan for his dream project. Norfolk leads us step by step from original source material (another plan, a &view, or photographs) to a finished design. Deciding on a suitable scale, determining a rough layout, working out the structure and refining the plan are all covered clearly and concisely. He also extensively covers drafting by hand and computer, and he discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Norfolk thoughtfully includes a centerfold sample plan for a Curtis P-40Q-2 as a 19-inch, rubber, free-flight model. Most RC modelers with a few projects under their belts could easily enlarge and rework this plan to a suitable size and structure for a light park flyer or a larger, heavier, sport-scale model.

In "Thunder and Lightning," Norfolk presents a series of designs for the P-47 Thunderbolt, Macchi 202 Foglore (Thunderbolt), Mitsubishi J2M (Thunderbolt), P-38 Lightning, Kawanishi N1J Shiden (Violet Lightning) and British Electric Lightning. In addition to the expected workup of building, covering and flying the models, Norfolk presents an historical brief of each prototype. He also discusses designing techniques, scaling the designs to other sizes and selecting wood for scratch-building models of these planes. The included plans are drawn for free-flight models, but it would be simple to enlarge and adapt them to electric or glow power.

Norfolk's experience and capabilities are readily apparent when you read these books. I am glad to have found them and to have benefited from some of his insights into modeling. "Laying Out the Drawing" costs $7.50; "Thunder and Lightning" sells for $22.50 (plus shipping).

-Thayer Syme

Quality Mgt. Intl. Ltd. (506) 633-2060; qmilj.tripod.ca/index-2.html.

Copyright Air Age Publishing Aug 2002
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