Model Airplane News December 2022

SCALE SPECIAL ISSUE If you’re a Model Airplane News reader, odds are you can appreciate a finely crafted scale RC plane. Scale modeling has been around since the beginning of aviation. As soon as full-scale aircraft took flight, scale modeling quickly followed. This time-honored art combines history and craftsmanship to create aircraft that honor the past and inspire future builders and pilots. In this issue, we get an inside look at Matt Balazs’s impressive, all-composite F-100D Super Sabre jet. Matt shares how it’s aluminum finish didn’t require a complete paint job to look stunning. Want more scale? Whether you’re an old pro or just getting started on your scale journey, we have something for you. Check out our article on Easy Add-Ons to make your aircraft look more scale, from tires to…

CESSNA 310 Dan Irwin, Champaign, Ilinois PILOT PROJECT OF THE MONTH This fantastic looking Cessna 310 was Dan’s 14-month winter project. He modified the Bud Nosen kit to include Electron retracts and operational landing gear doors and brakes. A lighting kit from Dave’s Electronics includes navigation as well as anti-collision strobes. Dan installed retractable landing lights in the wings and a taxi light on the nose gear. A pair of electronically synchronized RCGF 30cc Stinger engines provide power. Dan was finished the model with automotive paint and says he has loved the 310 since he was a kid and had wanted to build one for several years. CUSTOM VALIANT Thomas Perry, Commerce City, Colorado ARFs are convenient and usually easy to build, but sometimes you want something that looks just a little different. Thomas stripped down…

STUBBORN SETSCREWS Have you ever tried to unsuccessfully remove a small setscrew from a threaded hole? Generally, this means we are left with a rounded hole in the setscrew, a rounded end to your hex key tool, or both. I’ve found that I can soften the thread-lock by heating the setscrew with a small soldering iron tip (without heating the rest of the assembly). After a minute or two, the setscrew will come undone, without damaging anything. Nigel Watson, Martinez, California NO-SMELL KICKER We all know that CA glue is a standard in model airplane building; however, the use of kicker, or accelerator, can give some people a bad headache! The problem with accelerator is inhaling the fumes. Instead of using the spray bottle, apply the accelerator with a cotton swab. Saturate the cotton…

Having good tools that are appropriate for the job at hand saves both time and aggravation during a project, and it also helps to ensure the finished product is the best that you can produce. I recently received a small box of goodies from Du-Bro that included an E/Z wire forming kit and a set of E/Z threaders. If you’re making Z-bends on your pushrods or landing gear or other small wire parts and your tools consist of a vise-grip and a needle-nose pliers, then the wire forming kit is for you. It lets you knock out perfect Z-bends and duplicate other bends in small rods, and it’s a workbench must-have. The kit contains a base onto which you lock into a vise, a handle, and a pair of dies that handle…

Almost-ready-to-fly planes are a valuable commodity in a marketplace with a shifting demographic; lots of new fliers may never have gotten into the hobby otherwise. So, what, if anything, are the drawbacks? Not many, except for the sameness of ARF planes! If you’re like me, you want to make your scale ARF just a bit more “yours” without investing a lot of time and money. Follow along for tips and tricks to turn your “ordinary” ARF into a showstopper! START WITH DOCUMENTATION There’s no mistaking the Corsair for any other airplane; its unique, inverted gull wing makes it easily identifiable. Many ARF Corsairs, like this older Hangar 9 model, have a color scheme that’s kinda bland: typical gloss blue with some white markings for contrast. So, the focus of this presentation is…

The areas through which the Corsair’s big, round Pratt & Whitney radial engine relieves itself are pretty straightforward and exit at the rear edge of the cowl flaps. On the full-size aircraft, the airstream carried the exhaust back along the fuselage, depositing varying degrees of dark staining. This is simulated most effectively with an airbrush. Pastel chalks can be used but are more difficult to apply in a convincing manner. When using the airbrush, mix your paint for a grayish-brown, color, not solid black. Mix it to a very thin consistency and apply in multiple, very light, almost mist passes, each starting at the exhaust port and ending just a little further aft than the previous pass. Once again, refer to your photos for actual exhaust pattern and intensity. Follow…