Model Airplane News April 2022

MUSTANG ROUNDUP When it comes to heavy-metal warbirds, the editors think that the most popular fighter to come out of WW II is the P-51 Mustang. An amazing success story, there were several variants of the P-51 and even today, the bubble canopy D-Model remains a superstar. In our Top P-51 Mustang Guide, we highlight some of the most popular RC Mustangs and show off their specifications. If you have been thinking about saddling up with a P-51, check these thoroughbreds. FROM THE WORKBENCH One thing makes warbirds look even more realistic: weathering and detailing. Whether you’re assembling an ARF or scratch-building your warbird, you’ll find the tips and techniques from P. J. Ash work great. And it is a lot easier than you may think. THE FIESELER STORCH What about something a little different? Rob…

EMAIL ENTRIES TO: MAN@AIRAGE.COM F-16 VIPER Mark Feist, Cincinnati, Ohio Deciding on a paint scheme for his 1/6-scale Skymaster F-16 was easy, as Mark’s son Brian is in the 55th Fighter Squadron, the “Shooters,” and Brian has flown the full-size fighter! Mark bought the jet used, made some repairs, added scale details from Spencer Scale and Strictly Scale, and repainted the entire aircraft. It’s equipped with a Swiwin 190 turbine and controlled by a Spektrum DX18. NAVAL FACTORY N3N William Mayes (email] William designed his “Yellow Peril” biplane from 3-views and 3D-printed the its semi-scale dummy rotary engine. The RC aircraft is made out of balsa, ply, foam, and carbon-fiber with fabric covering and latex paint. The 18.3-pound, 81 3/4-inch-span model is powered by a Scorpion motor turning an APC 17x10 prop and is fed by…

PIN PICKUP It is bound to happen: you move something on your workbench and push your pins off the edge, spilling them all over. A broom is less than helpful. Find a magnet on your refrigerator and use it to pick the pins up quickly. Works for small screws and other hardware items just as well. Jose Rodriguez, Hartford, Connecticut KICKER TRICK While assembling (or repairing) foamie park fliers, I have found that CA accelerator can damage some types of foam or the paint finish. I have not had much luck with plastic “foam safe” CA glues, so I came up with this technique. Apply the adhesive and then spray the kicker onto a Q-tip. Hold the cotton swab end close to the glue, and the fumes will set off the glue without damaging…

Our modeling hobby has many subcategories and scope for special interests. New ones arise; old ones may fall out of popularity; but never disappear altogether. Since 1929, Model Airplane News has kept us readers in the know. U-control, radio control, glow engines, electric power, and a host of other innovations continue to add to our opportunities for doing something new, different, and fun … which might mean getting back to an older form of aeromodeling. The current headliners of our hobby are astonishingly sophisticated programmable, computer-based radio control systems. But in 1929, light stickand-tissue, rubber-powered free-flight planes were—as they said then—”Darb!” … even “Berries!” Right here in the Now, I’ve been going back to that class of modeling, hence this review. Sig’s Tiger kit was introduced in the early 1960s, when I…

Navigation and landing lights are a great finishing touch for a scale model. I asked Dave’s R/C Electronics to build a set for the MR Aerodesign Pilatus Porter PC-6 I reviewed in the October 2021 issue of MAN. All of Dave’s electronics are handbuilt, and you can see the pride that goes into his products. The circuit boards that he sent me are very clean, the components are laid out nicely and the instructions were easy to follow. Dave sent me a $70 All-in-One NavLights 8mm (Giant Scale) and a $45 Drop-Down Landing Light & Servo Controller. When you order, you’ll need the wingspan and fuselage lengths for the wire lengths. The PC-6 that this was going in has a wingspan of 120 inches. Installation was simple, especially an aircraft with a fuselage…

When aerobatic RC aircraft designer Wayne Ulery was inspired by the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ historic first flight, he decided to pay tribute by building a 1/10-scale model. Starting in 2001, he spent a year designing and building an accurate 1/10-scale model of the Wright brothers’ 1905 Flyer, the Wright brothers’ most maneuverable design. Wayne’s impressive model looks as good today as it did when it first flew nearly two decades ago, and we caught up with him to find out more about his unique and historically accurate project. Model Airplane News: How did you get started in scale building? Wayne Ulery: My interest mainly is in aerobatic models, both F3A and TOC. competition aircraft. My Wright Flyer interest developed around 2001 with the then upcoming 100th anniversary of…