The first job was to clean away everything that was left of that 1/8″ ply plate. As it turns out, that plate was designed with several tabs that fit into corresponding slots in the formers (or bulkheads) ahead of and behind it. Neither of those formers was damaged. It would have been impossible to get […]
People are always asking me about ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) models. There are some impressive ones around, and these days most of them fly very well. (That was not always so.) I don’t pay a lot of attention to them because my “thing” is building the airplanes I fly. However, recently lots of experienced […]
The next step called out in the instructions involves sanding the entire horizontal tail assembly. It helps to remember that “sanding” in this case involves two different jobs…shaping, and smoothing. Shaping comes first, and it can be scary if the plans don’t show exactly what the finished part is supposed to look like. In the […]
Last time we were talking about building the forward horizontal tail surface (stabilizer) and how a little extra effort helps all those parts to fit right. The first photo shows the entire tail surface built up and ready to be sanded. This time I’d like to discuss several of the steps involved in building the […]
Those old Berkeley kits are not the only nostalgia trip I have been enjoying lately. Many of you not-so-old model builders will remember the TigerKitten, a design I created over twenty years ago to be an electric powered model you would never have to make excuses for. That project was part of the quest on […]
Last time I talked about how big this airplane is. It is made up of a whole lot of very small parts, and I want to explain some of the small things you do with them that can make a big difference. If you are working with plans and patterns, or with old-time printwood kits, […]
This is my ¼ scale, nine-foot wingspan 1941 Taylorcraft BC-12 D, built from my own plans over a period of several years beginning in 1995. This photo shows my wife Teryl and me with the airplane at TOP GUN 1999, where it was the first electric powered model ever to be included in the competition. […]
Speaking of building, let’s talk a bit about just how much of an old time building project this particular model airplane is…or is not. The Top Flite Stinson kit is designed around what experienced model builders usually refer to as a traditional, built-up structure, which means that the engineering, the shape and function of the […]
The Focke-Wulf FW 190 fighter appeared in combat a few years after the beginning of World War II, not long after RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires decided the outcome of the Battle of Britain against the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitts. The Spitfire Mk 5 was developed specifically to deal with the 190’s when they began to appear. I […]
The DeHavilland DH 89A Dragon Rapide is the best known of several two-and-four-engined short range transport airplanes developed in England during the 1930’s. Many of the Dragon Rapides built for civilian use were put into RAF service during World War II and referred to as the DeHavilland Dominie. My model represents one of these. Built […]