What’s Going on in Your Shop This Winter?

RC Scale

By Stan Alexander | [email protected]

As seen in the January 2024 issue of Model Aviation.

IT’S TIME to start thinking about what’s going on in the shop this winter! Bring in parts for that new model, and find wheels, covering, and other items needed to finish it. You have your saws as well, and maybe Santa brought something for Christmas that you really need.

Clean up your shop and make it a workable place where you enjoy going, instead of it being messy with too many things going on, so you can never find what you are looking for! Yes, I’ve done that!

I’ve mentioned B & B Specialties before. The company stocks Zenoah gas engines from the G-26 to the big twin GT-80. Yes, the GT-80 is still available; you just have to ask for it when you call B & B. A lot of Scale models need the extra weight up front; a slightly larger engine is a good way to make that work.

One of the reasons we see so many Fokker D.VII models is because there are very few rigging wires on the airframe. There are also kits in different sizes and hundreds of plans for the D.VII. Of the RC Scale D.VII kits out there, the most frequently built is the Balsa USA 1/4-scale modeI. It is a great size for competitions or Dawn Patrols.

Jeremy Arvin and Al Kretz compare Dale Arvin’s and Al’s identical Balsa USA Fokker D.VIIs. One uses a G-38 gas engine and the other is powered by an O.S. 1.08 two-stroke engine.

Steve Ort’s Balsa USA D.VII has a sub-wing kit from Planes Mart. He uses a Graupner MZ-32 radio system. It’s covered with China silk (100% polyester). To this, he added two coats of nitrate and butyrate dope with Dupli-Color primer then Klass Kote paint. The werewolf graphic is from Callie Graphics.

These 1/4-scale versions are powered by everything from an O.S. 1.08 engine to an EME 60 gas engine, which is what Steve’s uses. Does the model need that large of an engine? No, but similar to nearly any Scale model, it does need the extra weight up front. The larger the gas engine, the less additional weight you have to add. Check out Steve’s build thread on the RCScaleBuilder.com website, listed in "Sources."

Jeremy’s Fokker D.VII was built from a Balsa USA kit and is powered by a G-38 engine. He flies it with a Futaba radio system.

I picked up a Balsa USA Eindecker 90 kit a few months ago and it has made it to the workbench now. The model is Sport Scale and designed for Dawn Patrol events, which is where you see many Eindeckers. Similar to the D.VII, the model is all balsa and plywood construction and comes with a booklet, full plans, a hardware package, and plastic parts for the cowling.

The one I bought was from an estate. The kit, in the box, is approximately 40 years old (according to the receipt), so the construction is about as basic as it gets for a Scale model with a box fuselage and built-up wing and tail surfaces. Kits are now laser-cut, which is a big improvement!

The model has an 80-inch wingspan with a fuselage length of 57 inches. I’ll use a Valley View RC 20cc gas engine and cover it with Solartex that I have on hand. I also ordered the markings and wheels from Balsa USA. I had hoped to have this one finished for the October 2023 Warbirds and Classics over Tullahoma in Tullahoma, Tennessee, but that didn’t happen.

The wing construction is pretty basic. Be sure to not only look at the plans but also look at the construction booklet during all of the construction. I enlarged the plywood pads for the clevises on all of the flying surfaces. I also added hardwood mounting blocks for the scale rigging wires in the wings. RCScalebuilder.com has several of these in its forum section under "Kits." Scroll through and check out some that have already been done.

Looking at a past build-along by Steve helped me to catch a mistake in the construction manual regarding the ailerons. The beveled aileron leading edge should be up and not down. I’m sure that this has been corrected in recent years, but as I noted, this model is vintage.

Steve Eagle’s Balsa USA Fokker D.VII is a veteran Fun Scale competitor and a great Dawn Patrol model too. It uses a G-38 engine for power and features a Russian color scheme.

The 3D-printed dummy engine and front details of Jeremy’s D.VII, which is finished in a Lithuanian color scheme.

Steve Ort’s D.VII build is detailed on RCScaleBuilder.com. The werewolf logo was made by Callie Graphics.

Steve’s D.VII is powered by an EME 60 gas engine. Scale models need as much weight up front as they can get.

RC and CL Scale Nats

As of this writing in October, dates for the RC and Control Line (CL) Scale Nats have been tentatively set for July 11-14, 2024, at AMA’s International Aeromodeling Center (IAC). All Scale classes will be offered, and many modelers will enjoy the smooth, close-cut grass field of the IAC.

Bob Holman Plans

Bob Holman Plans is still in business, but Bob is retiring. Family members are stepping in and taking it over. It’s amazing that he is 92 years old and just now retiring. His daughter, Debby, and son-in-law will be doing the laser cutting. Happy retirement, Bob!