A VISIT FROM ST. NICK

Happy holidays! To celebrate the season, we have a special gift for our readers: a full-size, pullout AT-6 plan by Nick Ziroli Sr. (who certainly qualifies as a patron saint of RC!). Powered by a Speed 400 motor or a brushless unit, Nick's 20-inch-span Texan likes to fly fast, although it's right at home rounding the bases at a softball field. After you've built your T-6, be sure to send us a photo and brief description of its scheme; in return, we'll send you another gift-a Model Airplane News T-shirt! If you need more incentive, we'll also feature our favorite Texans in an upcoming issue and online. So go ahead and build one; we know you want to!

SEE IT HERE FIRST!

Two brand-new review items in this issue deserve special mention. The first-and most obvious!-is our cover plane: the much-anticipated Thunder Tiger Rare Bear. West Coast associate editor John Reid pulled out all the stops to assemble and fly this Reno racer so you wouldn't have to wait a day longer to read about it. Did this plane live up to our very high expectations? Turn to page 48 and see!

We also have an in-depth review of the just-released Hitec Optic 6-an affordable, 6-channel radio with eight-model memory. The Optic 6 is also compatible with Hitec's Spectra module for the ultimate in frequency freedom. see senior tech editor Gerry Vanish's review on page 124.

IN THE WORKSHOP

It's a sure bet that any airplane will fly better if you first take the time to set it up properly on the ground, and that's why you must not miss associate editor Rick Bell's "Preflight Setup" how-to this month. see page 84 for the simple steps you can take to ensure that your model is perfectly aligned and ready for flight.

This month, we also welcome electrics expert Greg Covev to the hangar of Model Airplane News authors. Greg was impressed by the clean, sleek lines of the Great Planes Little Toni, so he decided to convert this ARF to quiet electric power. His successful power swap was easier than you might think; see his how-to on page 134.

Safe landings!

Debra Cleghorn

Executive Editor

Copyright Air Age Publishing Dec 2004
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