Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2025 i Model Airplane News

Scale Special Issue: When Craftsmanship Takes Flight There’s something magical about watching a scale warbird taxi out onto a grassy runway, engine humming, with a flight line full of spectators. But before that moment, before the first loop or low pass, there are countless hours spent at the bench. All scale warbird builders have been there: staring at a pile of balsa, wondering if this humble stack of wood and glue will ever become a P-47 or Spitfire. Then the sanding begins, the ribs take shape, the fuselage is born. Somewhere along the line, after many, many hours in the workshop and a glue-smudged set of building plans, the airplane becomes more than a project. It becomes your pride and joy. This month, we’re celebrating that quiet, stubborn artistry: the…

On the anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, I was reminded of a quote by Neil Armstrong about his early days in model aviation: “My model building and flying activities significantly contributed to my interest in aeronautics and was a primary force in directing my education toward aeronautical engineering.” That got me thinking: so many of us started out building models as kids, and that passion led us into aviation careers. For me, it began at NAS Willow Grove watching the Blue Angels fly F-4 Phantoms and crawling through the P-3 Orion on display. I started with a two-channel glider, then a helicopter, and eventually turbine jets. My RC experience helped me excel in Navy electronics schools—I could read wiring diagrams, understand signal flow, and solder with ease. Ranking first…

The B-58 was designed and built in the 1950s by Convair Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and Strategic Air Command. It was the first strategic bomber capable of Mach-2 flight and followed the Convair F-109 Delta Dagger in using a delta-wing design. The design was plagued with operational difficulties: it was difficult to fly and had a high workload for the three-man flight crew. Designed for high-altitude and supersonic speeds, it was rendered ineffective by advances in Soviet surface-to-air missiles and was eventually replaced by the F-111 that was more suited to low-level missions. Despite this, it’s a really cool jet and a fascinating modeling subject.…

The Fleet Model 1 traces its roots to the Consolidated Model 14 Husky Junior, a two-seat sport and trainer biplane developed in the late 1920s. Variants of the Husky were produced in both the United States and Canada, all sharing the same basic airframe but differing primarily in engine types. These aircraft were conventional biplanes, featuring single-bay, equal-span wings, tandem seating with dual controls, and fixed tailskids. The fuselage was constructed from welded steel tubing, while the wings used wood spars, duralumin ribs, and fabric covering. Originally intended as Consolidated Aircraft Company’s entry into the civil aviation market, the project was shelved before the first prototype was completed. However, company president and designer Reuben Fleet saw potential and purchased the manufacturing rights, launching the aircraft under a new venture: Fleet…

B-17G FLYING FORTRESS Phil Camp, Queensbury, New York After buying this Legend Hobby ARC (Almost Ready to Cover) model, Phil fiberglassed and painted it and added panel lines and rivets. He then completed it with decals from (who else?) Callie Graphics and weathered it. Phil used Sierra retracts, a Futaba radio system with onboard SmartFly, Hitec servos and pilots from Real Model Pilots. The power system is comprised of Dualsky 4130 electric motors that are covered with Scale RC dummy engines. With a 125-inch wingspan, the B-17 is a standout at any field. Great job, Phil! PILOT PROJECT OF THE MONTH ME 109 Dave Lees, Ravenna, Ohio Dave built this “cartoon” version of the venerable 109 from a Parkflyer Plastics kit, which included foam and vacuum formed plastic parts. It’s…

Undoubtedly the most iconic of propeller-driven fighter craft of World War II (or any time period), the North American P-51 Mustang’s angular lines are instantly recognizable. The high-speed gunfighter could escort Allied bombers all the way from England deep into Germany and back while still holding its own against anything the Germans could throw at it. It arrived a bit late in the game to the war in the Pacific, but served in that conflict equally well. This 71-inch-span balsa and plywood ARF is meant for a 35cc gas engine or an electric equivalent. It also has some advanced features and scale details that enhance the realism of the model and comes ready for custom livery. UNIQUE FEATURES There are a fair number of pieces to the model as it…

I’ve always loved airplanes. My interest has always been with scale models, particularly around warbirds. It wasn't long after I started building and flying RC warbirds that I was drawn to scale competition. While I was competing, I started measuring my work against other scale modelers and friends, and over time, I learned techniques to accomplish that “real" look. There are many ARFs on the market today that make great starting points for producing a competition-worthy plane. The models in this article are my MiG-3 and Mitsubishi J2M Raiden (Thunderbolt), both were ESM ARFs. These particular models are no longer available but there are plenty of other options out there. These techniques can be used for any warbird ARF. Follow along to see some of the ways that I've learned…

Tackling this particular aspect of WW I warbirds can be both challenging and rewarding. It’s really not difficult to do, once you understand the system and have relatively good organizational skills and a healthy dose of patience. Let’s start with some history. Before the advent of camouflage, all German aircraft were finished using clear dope over linen, resulting in a buff or off white color. Camouflage was introduced during 1916, and these early schemes had large organic blotches of either green or reddish brown, or mauve and olive (Albatros DIIs are a good example). Undersurfaces were usually a pale sky blue, however, natural doped linen was also used. To save on weight due to multiple coats of dope and paint, pre-printed camouflage fabric was introduced. The patterns were polygons of…

MOTOR THRUST-LINE ADJUSTMENT A non-optimal thrust line can lead to issues while flying, such as poor tracking during looping maneuvers or poor inverted performance. Here is an easy solution to make minor adjustments right at the flying field. Sandwich a neoprene washer (available at plumbing and hardware supply stores) between the motor mount and the bulkhead at all four mounting points. The washers can be individually squished to make minor trim changes to the thrust line. Hard washers can be added if you can’t get enough adjustment with the neoprene washers. Terence Hollis, Sussex, England SHEETING COMPLEX CURVES Here’s a technique to sheet a complex curve. First make big balsa sheets that you can cut at 45 degrees “on the bias.” Wet the outside surface by spraying the balsa sheeting…

I learned my lesson the hard way after my throttle linkage failed: at a busy event, I flew in circles for 45 minutes at little over an idle, waiting for the inevitable dead stick. My next upgrade? A transmitter-activated engine kill switch! This $65 unit is from world reknowned aerobatic pilot Andrew Jesky (AJ-Aircraft.com). The IBEC connects to a switched receiver channel and performs double duty by eliminating a separate ignition battery and acting as an optically isolated, transmitter activated ignition kill that works our electronic ignition gas engines. It has an adjustable output to match your CDI requirements from 5 to 8 volts and will shut down the ignition if your battery voltage drops below 4.1 volts for 10 seconds to preserve your receiver battery to make an emergency…

I caught up with Paul Appelbaum from Ballwin, Missouri at Jets Over Kentucky. An accomplished craftsman and machinist, Paul makes kits to convert several popular foamie EDF jet models to turbine power and is well-known in the model jet community. When I saw his Convair B-58 Hustler and sat down with him to talk about the project, I knew right away that I had to bring it to our readers. Model Airplane News: Give us an overview of your beautiful model and why you chose it. Paul Appelbaum: It’s a completely scratch-built model of the Convair B-58 Hustler. The aircraft is powered by a pair of Xicoy 132 turbine engines that are located in the inboard nacelles while the outboard nacelles are dummy engines that are empty to complete the…

For my giant-scale Corsair, I needed to cut vinyl stripes to fit vertically around the rear fuselage. Because of the complex cross-sectional shape—a sharply tapered, narrow top curve that transitions to a round bottom, a simple straight stripe wouldn’t work. First, I tried a version of the stripes I copied from a plastic model decal set, which I sent to Callie Graphics (Callie-Graphics.com) for cutting. Callie did the original graphics for this model for me, and I wanted the stripes to match the other markings. These stripes were better but not quite right. When I tried to bend them over the sharp upper curve, they wrinkled and wouldn’t stretch well into place. The next option was to cut a set myself. I’d gotten some spare vinyl from Callie when I…

In a groundbreaking demonstration of aerospace innovation, Stratolaunch—a company founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan—has pushed the boundaries of flight by deploying one of the fastest uncrewed planes ever created. The launch took place from the Roc, the world’s largest aircraft by wingspan, signaling a major step forward in hypersonic testing. Stratolaunch was established with a bold mission: to accelerate access to the hypersonic environment and support national defense advancements. At the heart of this mission is the Roc carrier aircraft, an engineering marvel with a wingspan of 385 feet and the ability to carry over 550,000 pounds. The Roc’s twin-fuselage design isn’t just for show. It serves as a high-altitude launch platform for smaller, cutting-edge vehicles designed for high-speed experimentation. One such vehicle…