Table of contents for September 2022 in RCM&E

This month I regret that we have to start with some very sad news about a much loved and respected contributor to RCM&E. Alex Whittaker, a stalwart supporter of the magazine for many years, and one of our bedrock contributors, passed away during the afternoon of Friday 15th July. On that day Alex was due to visit the BMFA Reception and Garden Party at Buckminster to report on the opening of the Centenary Exhibition at The National Model Flying Centre. Alex had kindly agreed to cover the event on behalf of RCM&E, as I am still recovering from a major operation, so at the time of writing long distance drives are not yet possible for me. Sad to say Alex was taken critically ill beforehand and shortly afterwards I received…

I don’t know it’s normal for people who build scale models but the trigger for me to start on a new project is frequently the demise of an old one. I wrote off a Jet Ranger and out of that came a Cobra. The same thing happened with my Squirrel, which triggered the arrival of an Airwolf. Funny, then, that it should be a ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’ that triggered the beginning of my latest project, as one fine Sunday afternoon, shortly after rebuilding my Airwolf for the second time in a year, it did a very passable impersonation of a dropped brick! The result was rather depressing; so depressing that I decided that the Airwolf was going to have to remain in a coma for the foreseeable future. Time for…

There has been an impressive procession of EPO models from Chinese manufacturer XFly-Model gracing these pages recently and here we have the latest, a rather snazzy looking version of the Russian made Sukhoi Su–27, dubbed ‘Flanker’ by the West. This handy sized 1/20th scale version has a wingspan of just 29.5” (750mm) and is powered by twin 12-blade 50mm EDF fans. Two colour schemes are available: one in Ukrainian livery with the gorgeous blue digital camouflage seen here and a grey trim version with Russian insignia. Just a 4-channel Tx/Rx combo and a pile of 2200mAh to 3000mAh 4S LiPo packs need to be added. UP CLOSE The Su-27 arrives in the traditional polystyrene box with fancy artwork lid. The finish of the EPO is excellent, with lots of detail…

COME FLY WITH MAIDSTONE MFC Although model flying groups were operating in the Maidstone, Kent area for many years, encouraged by Ron Finnis, the proprietor of the popular local model shop, the present club was founded in 1966. One of the club’s founder members, Ray Huntley, still flies. Over the years members have flown from a number of sites around the town, coincidentally always with a full-size aviation theme, including the old hard runway at the former RAF West Malling (before it was redeveloped), and from a field next to the old RAF Detling Air Station. Since 1967 the club’s main site has been close to Headcorn Aerodrome, 13 miles to the south of the town. The field is alongside a former WW2 Advanced Landing Ground that hosted P-51s and…

Clear blue skies, gentle zephyr breezes blowing laser straight down the runway... Well, that would have been ideal but unfortunately Zeus (or was it Jupiter) had other ideas and didn’t want to play nice as it was overcast, with the wind at 90 degrees blowing straight towards the pilots’ box and the possibility of sporadic light rain in the afternoon. However, there was the promise of some sunshine, so it was going to be an interesting day’s flying. Still, this didn’t put off our diehard retrophiles because I counted 95 vehicles in the car park; not quite the 140 for the 2019 event (which had perfect weather) but still an excellent turnout and a testament to the popularity of this genre of the hobby. Phil and I still can’t believe…

PAINT PATCHES I’m sure I’m not alone in trying my best to keep my models in pristine condition but my foam planes almost attract nicks, scrapes, and dents by simply looking at them. Until now the only option I’ve found to remove dents from foam models was to steam the affected area to help remove the dent. This does work to a degree, but I have never really been 100% happy with the results, which often results in the paint getting damaged in the process and spoiling that ‘new plane’ look. I feel that I’ve found the solution after visiting the paint section at B&Q. If you appear at the paint mixing section with a small, coloured part of the plane you wish to match, ask for a tester pot…

ARTF PANIC £294.99 I www.jperkins.com When Phil Newman first put draughting pen to upturned wallpaper back in 1982 he probably never imagined that his resulting design, the original Avicraft Panic, would still be as relevant some 40 years later as it was back then. This superficially simple - yet ingeniously cunning - biplane sportster could not only fly the book and take the knocks, but it also offered immense versatility from its eclectic choice of engines. Fast forward four decades and the Panic remains as entertaining as ever. Modified to meet the requirements of today’s performance-savvy pilots this new ARTF version from J.Perkins is both lightweight and beautifully built. It caters for both IC and electric power plants and is sure to satisfy anyone with a thirst for 3D flight.…

We are a small Welsh Club on the rim of the BMFA galaxy. However, we do know how to party! So, like many other Clubs this summer, we laid plans for our BMFA 100 Mass Launch. At the same time, we decided to incorporate a Fun Fly into our Celebration Day. As usual, we invited all comers. Frankly, it was a tonic after all the Covid Lockdowns. The only fly in the ointment was the sulky weather, with low cloud and jolly breezes forecast for the afternoon. We decided to fly early. It proved to be a good decision. We were able to fly in the best part of the day. THE MASS LAUNCH We all assembled on The Singing Kettle International Field at the allotted time, armed with anything…

My passion for flying wings and deltas is long standing. This was recently re-affirmed when I came across an old Delta Lady kit on one of the ‘Bring & Buy’ stalls at an Old Warden Modelair flying event last year. Back in 1979, as a 23-year-old, I remember seeing Delta Lady for the first time on our local slope. This 54” wingspan, plan built, Vulcanesque delta slope soarer immediately struck a chord as it cut an impressive silhouette hurtling across the skies above our local hill. Performance wise it was keeping up with the aerobats of the day but seemingly floated like a thermal soarer when slowed down. Just to explain, Mike Trew, a UK modeller, was the designer of Delta Lady and his plan was first published in an…

I was really encouraged by the feedback from you lovely readers with regards to my Auster cockpit, especially the seats. I was very pleased with how well they came out, and relatively easily too. We will continue with the cockpit this month and look at the remainder of the fiddly bits; it’s the fiddly bits that really set your eyes dancing around the model and are the bits I love to add. Firstly, I would like to thank the STC (BMFA Scale Tech Committee) for their organising of the scale comp at Druids, otherwise known as Rollestone MFC, down near Salisbury. The event was a long drive and I had to leave at just after 5am, for the 9am start. And I dread to think of the fuel costs. But…

HOUND DOG Hound Dog is a 50-inch span 3S sports aerobatic model designed by Peter Miller during that long flying desert of the lockdowns. Peter says: ‘It is a bit of a mongrel because my brain had shut down and I was strongly influenced by past designs. So, Hound Dog uses favourite ideas from my favourite models. It is a very nice model to fly and is rock steady in flight until you want to do something, then it does it with no fuss or twitchiness.’ THREE FROM ALEX As a fine tribute to our much-missed friend and colleague, Alex Whittaker, we will be publishing his final three articles in our usual fomat: a Model Magic scale walkaround, a show report and his last Weekenders column. Model Magic is dedicated…