Welcome
Welcome to the September 2024 issueofRCM&E.
Arecenttrendin my localclubsis the3D printing of birdstylemodels andwith carefulpaintworkoftheirplumagethe results can bequitespectacular. Ofcourse, R/Cmodels of birds have been�lyingfor decades,especiallyasslopesoarers,but3D printersdoseem to bethemostpopularway thesedays to emulateone of ourfeathered friends,o�tenpoweredbyanelectricset-up to hoistthemalo�t.And let’s notforgetthe ARTFbirdsthathavebeenwidelyavailable forseveral years.
A recent trend in local clubs is
We featuredone of those on ourParting Shotpagelastmonth,beingfollowedby an inquisitive RedKite. Flyingstraight and level,withits propellerclosed andthebird followingbehind,themodelisobviously of nodanger to thismagnificent raptor and many of uswillhave hadsimilarencounters withsoaringbirds, especiallythosewho enjoy�lyingglidersfrom theslope or when thermalsoaring. A‘normal’glideris notlikely to draw muchscrutiny, apartfroma distant �ly-by,but abirdstylemodeldoesseem to warrantacloserlook,asdepictedbyMike Freeman’spicture.
Iwas thereforetakenaback to receivea rather unpleasantmessagesayingthatifthe picture wastakeninspringtime,thenthe birdmighthave hadchicksin its nest andsaw thebird-likeplaneas athreat.Thismaybea reasonableexplanation, although Ididtryto explainthat aeromodellershave soaredwith birds fordecades.However,myresponse was rebu�fedinthesamedisparagingmanner.
So,whatdo youthink? Iwould welcome anythoughts on thedos anddon’tsof�lying modelsneartobirds andwecan discuss theissueinfuture All Writeletterspages. Asalways,yourcommunications aremost welcomebutpleasedo keepthemfriendly andnon-threatening.
Okay,let’stakeaquicklookatwhat we have instorefor youthismonth. John Daniels kicksthings o�fwith an overviewofafuture kitbuild,themighty Shock Cubfrom
Seagull Modelswhich hehopeswillallow him to geta regular�lying fix from waterlogged fieldsthiscomingwinter.Next, wewelcomebackDavidAshby who resumes hispopular Just ForFun column beforewe join ShaunGarrity(RetroRamblings) to look athisnearly completed KrickSG38‘School Glider’. LindsayTodd follows on by extolling thevirtues of slow �lyingbeforePhilStone showshowtobuild aT1Hawkjetfrom Correx�lutedpolypropylenesheet.For those whoenjoyabit of modelengineering, Peter Vivianbuilds his first homemadediesel usingtheengineplansdesigned by Ed Holly. Thenit’s over to Martin Hardyashe describestheconception,design andbuild of hisDorniertri-motoramphibian. John Stennard needslittleencouragement to keephis Insidermodelcolumn going throughoutthesummer andthistimehe startswithsomesmallgemsfrom MinimumRCbeforehanding over to Dave Goodenough(One Man&His Shed)who puts aworktop on his fieldtrolleybefore catchingup on othershedlytopics.Ian Perry polishesthing o�fnicelyasheconvertsa 1980sducted fan Sabrekit to electric power. Ihope youenjoy readingitall. HappyFlying!
Editor: Kevin Crozier
MortonsMedia Group,Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle,LincsLN96JR kcrozier@mortons.co.uk
On thecover
Photo: Phil Cooke
TheHawkT1above needslittle introduction.Being atrainer,it is an idealsubject forbuilding and� lyingasaPSS Power ScaleSoarer model. Phil Stone
firststarted building in Correx in late 2018 andhehas since builtcountless models,five of whichhavebeenHawks.
Correx is atwin-walled,� luted, polypropylenesheet and building amodel with it is relatively quick, as Phil revealsin thefirstofa multi-part feature.
Contents
Regulars
8 SWITCHON
Ourlatestround up of model� lying news.
58 PILOTS’PICTORIAL
Send us apicture of anew or favourite modeland it couldappearinour regularreaders’modelsgallery
60 COUNTERPOINT
Aselection of newgadgets,kitsand bits foryou to buy
92 GOINGPLACES
Ourupdated list of modelshows, events andcompetitionsfor youtovisit over thenextfew months
94 MARKETPLACE
Sell o� fyourunwanted airframesand enginesormaybe buya fewnew ones
95 NEXT ISSUE
Take alookatwhat’scominginthe October‘2 issueofRCM
Reviews
10 SHOCKCUB
62 DORNIERDo-24ATT
Join Martin Hardyashedescribes the conception,designand buildofhis latest lightweightmulti-enginescale model
84 FJ-3 FURY
anPerry conver ts a 0s ducted fan kittoelectricpower
Columns
16 JUST FORFUN
ack with hissport �lying column, DavidAshby returnstohis R/Cglider �lying rootsand finds himselfhooked
22 RETROR AMBLINGS
ith his rick SG School Glider, ShaunGarrity closes in on completion of adecades oldbuild project
68 THEINSIDER
John Stennard needslittle encouragementtokeephis indoor modelcolumngoing throughout the summer Thistimehestartswithsome smallgemsfromMinimumRC
74 ONEMAN &HIS SHED
Dave Goodenough puts aworktop on hisfieldtrolley before catching up on anotherselection of shedly topics
Free Pro-Plan
48 SLINGSBY TYPE 23 KITE
John Danielsgetsready forwinter �lying.Since bigwheelsare better in wetconditions, he takesa fanc ytothe chunky bootsfitted to SeagullModels’ 02-inch bush plane
Features
28 EXPLORINGTHE ENVELOPE
Thevir tues of slow �lying areexplored by LindsayTodd
34 BUILDING WITH CORREX
Phil Stoneshows howtomakeaPSS Hawk T using� lutedpolypropylene sheet
44 HOLLYBUDDY
PeterVivianbuildshis first home made diesel from theengineplans designed by d Holly
Chris illiamsreturns with part two ofhislatestPro-Planarticle describing thebuild of aSlingsbyprototype glider
BRIAN’SSONG
Dannyfentonpaystributetothebest Scale WorldChampion we neverhad. It iswith asad heartthatI heard of BrianTaylor’spassing. Sadly, Ididn’t reallyknowBrian andhad only methimthe once on acold andblusteryRAFBarkston Heathduringthe Scale Nationals in2009.
OnthatdayinAugust2009,I approached Brianandshookhis hand,thankinghim forallhis wonderfuldesigns. He musthave thoughtme afool, Ireallydidn’t knowwhat to say. In my defence,
whatdo yousay to thescale modellerthatinspired youtobuild scalemodels?
Ihad admiredhis work and looked forwardtoreadingabout hismodelsinthemodelling mags of the70s and80swhileI wasstillfiguringouthowtojoin twobits of balsa. Iwould while away many an hour‘reading’ hisplansuntil Icompletely understoodwhathe wanted thebuilder to do.The oftheard mantraof‘deviateatyourperil’ wassotrue. Often youwould omit apart, notseeingthepoint untillaterinthebuildwhenthe
reasonwouldbecomeapparent, hopefullynot toolate. Brian’s drawings were second to none. Hisskillsas adraughtsmanwere simplyextraordinary;noCAD here, it wasallpen andink. His�lying wassilkysmooth andhisattentiontodetail breathtaking.Hisbuilding wasn’t shabbyeither. twas o�tensaid that Brianbuiltwithhelium, hismodels were so light.Itwas areal challenge forthe rest of us to tryandget even close to the final weight of oneofhis models.I didbuild aHurricane from hisplans andgot to within
apound, andI wasreally pleased withthat.Veryfew gotclose.But theyall�lew well,evenat afew pounds over Brian’snumbers. Infact,Brianwouldn’t releasea drawing forpublicationuntilhe hadall the kinksironedout and theybehavedinthe air andon theground!
Iasked around andwithhelp from GrahamKennedy,wegot awonderful responsefrom the scalecommunity.Soratherthan mewriteaboutsomebodyIonly admired, Ihaveattachedsome wordsfromthosethatknewhim muchbetterthanI did.
Brian tends to hisHarvard onthehallowedtarmac of RAFBarkstonHeathduring theBMFAScale Nationals2009.
Pete McDermott,Mick ReevesandBrian Taylor at averycold,greyandwindyElvington. Brianʼs pugnacious lookingBristolBeaufighterwith very appropriate unitmarkings.
Pe te McDermott
probablyfirstbecameaware of rianTaylorwhenspectatingatthe British NationalChampionships.These were heldthatyearatRNAS Yeovilton,whereIwasstationedatthetime.Withonlyhazy memories of some unsuccessfulchildhoodattemptsat aeromodelling,largely centred aroundtrying to start aclapped-outEDBee,I venturedontothe Yeovilton airfield to seewhatit wasall about. told aththat wouldbe home for lunchbutthatneverhappenedas Ispenttheentireweekendglued to the R/CScale FlightLine.How thingshad changed! Radiocontrol had becomedigitised,neatlittletransmitterswith multi-function proportionalcontrolstickshadreplacedthelarge singlechannelboxes with remotepressbuttonsthat Irecalledfromadecadeearlier andmany of themodels were museumpieces to bemarvelledat.
Thehighlight of theevent formewasthewinning Percival Provost of RoyYates.Itseemedexactinevery detailapartfromthatparticular smell of fuel,oil,rubber andhydraulic�luidsoreminiscentwith the fullsi efrom�lyingtrainingdays.SecondplacewasMickCharles’Piper Comanchewhich went on winthe WorldChampionshipstwoyears later.
Mostappropriatelyfor the venue, rianwas�lyinga FaireySwordfish andwasthe only oneofthethirty or socompetitors stillusing reed equipment.Instead of proportionalcontrolstickseachfunctionhad to be switched onando�fas required,allsomething of ablack artand rian’s smooth�lyingclearlyshowedthathe wasa master of that.He would have finishedmuchfurtherupthefieldhadnotdisasterstruck whilst bravely attempting atouch andgoandcurtailing his�light. From conversations withpeople aroundme Igleanedthat Brianwassomethingofalocal hero andthecentralfigure of the lminsterclubwho�lewat nearby Merryfield, technicallyasatelliteof eovilton butinthose days very much aderelictex- 2airfield.
Havingnowbeen well andtrulyhooked on scale model�lying bought somemaga ines,raidedthepiggybankand, following aclassified advertisementin RCM ,met achapat PooleHarbour carparkwho openedhisboot to reveal averyprettySterlingWizardbiplanecomplete with aMerco 5engine anda set of RCSDigi-5. He switched on the transmitter,wiggledthestickandeverythingmovedaround. Money changedhands -whatcouldpossibly gowrong!
Shortlya�terwards took my newacquisition to Merryfield,spoke with rianandaskedifhe would test�lymymodel,whichhekindly agreed to.Take-o�fwasnormalandthemodeldidacouple of circuits before commencingsome amazingunrecognisablemanoeuvreswhich Icould only wonderat. noticed rianli�tthetransmitterskyward, thinking perhapsthiswassomeritualpriorto landing,whichhethensafely accomplished.“I wasn’t doing anyofthosethings,” Briansubsequently announcedinwhatwas later to becomehis familiarWestCountryaccent. “Ishouldget your radiochecked,if Iwereyou.”I thankedhim forhishelp andadvice anddulysenttheR/CgearbacktoRCS forchecking, the first of many occasions!
ImovedonfromYeovilton, an exchangepostingwiththe RAF andthencivilianlifebut keptin touchwiththescale scenethrough magazines andspectatingatscaleeventswhenever Icould. Iespecially followed rian’sactivity,alwaysadmiringhis smooth�lying technique,
the vast range anddiversity of his brilliantly engineereddesigns and his uniqueway of achieving anever overdonebutso realistice�fectin thesimplest of ways.Hebuiltlightnessinto hismodelsandtheir�lying re�lectedthat.
Bythelate70s /early 80s Ihad decided to replacescale spectatingwith participation,firstat oodvale andthenthe Nationals.Somemodest successencouragedme to trya bitharder andIevenreadtherules to findoutwhat onereally shouldbe doing ric Coates,thethenSMA / MFAScaleChairman,persuaded me to enter my newlyfinishedbut asthen un�lown Sopwith Snipeinthe Trials forthe Scale orld Championships to beheld in France.Ifeltsomewhatdaunted mixingit withsuchscaleiconsas rian, TerryMellany,the then reigning orld Champion, andMick Reeves, orldChampionin .Tomyama ement found myselfqualifying forthe team along with rianand Mick. rian was�lyinghis Gloster Gladiator buthopedtohavea ristol eaufighter ready forthe Cs, Mick his trusty Hurricane. ThisG F C team remained thesame forthenext decade, apartfrom Chris Foss replacingMickin and rianin 2.
riansucceededingettinghis eaufighter to Parisbutinthescorching conditionsthat prevailedneitherthatnormySnipeperformed as expected andwehad to settle fora Team Silver Medal.
Thenext orldChampionships were heldinOsloin where Chris Foss replacedMickinthe team. rianwasnow�lyinghisSpitfire Awhichhadbehavedsuperblypriortotheevent.The sitewas very restrictive,alast-minutechange of venue. Thewind,asever, wasacross the very narrow runway andmyheart wentout to rianashisSpitfire’s undercarriage and�lapssu�feredimpactwiththe rough overrunonthe absurdly narrow space available.Chris faredbetterwithhisDalotelbut we hadtosettle foraTeam ron eMedal.
talyin sawachangein fortunebutnot without afew anxious moments.Mick wasbackinthe Team withhisfirst of hissubsequentline ofSopwith Strutters. rianwas�lying what to me washisbestever scalemodel,the DH Mosquito. Towardstheend of his first�lighttheport engine of the Mossiecut,togaspsfrom the largeaudienceasitdropped itsle�twing. rianskilfullymanaged to recoverandhadjustenough height to �lairout andlandintowind some wayfromthelandingsite. Subsequentinspectionshowedthele�ttankemptyand somedamage to the underside of the Mosquito. rianrectifiedthe problems overnight andcompletedfurthersuccessful�lights, enablingus to win the Team Gold Medal.
e went on to winfurther Team Gold Medalsin 0 and 2, as wellas afewindividualgongsalongthe way. Ithink Brian’slast internationalparticipationwasinthe Netherlands in . twas probablyone of themostsuccessfulerasin British Scale modelling and is unlikelytobeequalled. Brianwas areservedsortofguy butalways willing to pass on sound advicewhenasked. Individualinternational awardseludedhim,buthecontributedenormouslytothe successof the ritishF C Team.Tomanyhewasthebest Scale orldChampion that we neverhad.
Thanks forthememories,Brian. Foryourcompany andfor your early inspiration. Youwereone of akind.
Pete McDermott FSMAE F4C World,
Europeanand BritishChampion
Continued on page60.
Mick,Brianand Pete.
SHOCKCUB
John Danielsgazesintohis crystal ball andsees more wetwinter weather to come.Sincebigwheelsare betterinsoggyconditions,hetakes afancy to thechunkyboots fitted
to Seagull Models’ 02-inch bushplane
Words John Daniels
Photos Kevin Crozier,Seagull Models
WeBrits areusuallyseasoned wet weather�liers,especiallythose of uswhotrytocontinue �lyingover thewinter andintospring. ith ourweather,wehavetobe, butthingsthispast winter,andespeciallygoingintospring,did causemenewlevels of frustration as evenwhen thesunwasshiningthe groundconditionsat many localclub�lying fields proved to be fartoo wetunderfoot to �lyfrom. Andwhen it wasn’t wet, it wasverywindy
y wetweather don’t meanthat enjoy going�lyingwhenit’s actually raining. Personally, can’t seetheenjoymentindoing that,especiallywiththe very realrisk of water damagingtransmitter touchscreensand gettinginsideviasticks andswitches.Rather, Imeanthose raretimeswhenthe rainhas stopped forjust afewhours andsomeformof �lyingshouldbepossible, eventhough will invariablyneed to put my wellies onandbe preparedtopaddlearoundinsomemud.
Forthe worst of ‘normal’winter weather have acoupleof Ssi ehighwingmodelsfitted withtundrastylewheels andthese arefine for �lyingfrom soggygrass on amildday. ut earlier this year thestrips o�tenhad standing wateron them,althoughthelongergrassintheoutfield
wasokayto�ly from,ifonly hada bigger model capable of rolling overthe unkempttu�ts of turf. Hence my attentionturned to afinding alarger bushplanethat couldtakeo�fwithfrom any reasonablydry area of grass,evenifa bit on the longside. also wanted alarger aeroplanewith
It willbe awhilebefore my ShockCubis fnished so here’s animagecourtesy of Seagull Models to showyou whatit lookslike.
The chunkyCubstyle fuselagewith a plasticrulerfor scale It’snot aPiper,it’sa Zlin!
“Althoughthename suggests it shouldbe poweredby a35-55 ccpetrolengineit’s alsoequallyathome with a12Selectricset up”
STOL capabilitiesthat wouldbe lessa�fected by windyweather and,being capable of operating froman unmown area,it wouldalsoallowme to takeo�f andlandintowindratherthanbeing restricted to those rare dayswhenit wasblowing downthestrip.
ELECTRIC SHOCK
Googling away,myresearchdrewmetothe J. Perkins websitewhere foundjustwhat waslooking forintheshape of the Shock Cub 5-55cc by Seagull Models.Thisimpressive 02inchspanscalemodelhas afullysprungmetal undercarriage andlarge air-filledballoontyres, justright forgetting airborne ‘o�f-piste’,aswell asfullspanslats andbarndoor�laps forthose all-important ShortTakeO�fs Landings. Althoughthenamesuggestsitshouldbe poweredbya 5-55ccpetrolengineit’salso equally athomewith a 2Selectricsetup,which isthe routethat Iwillbetaking.Orisit… havejusthadaninterestingconversation with a�lyingfriend andheintriguedmeby sayingthathe wasminded to sellallhislarger electricmotorsand SCsetc.and to goback to petrolpower. His reasoning wastodispense of thehassle of chargingseverallargeLiPo packsbeforea�lyingsession,whereas apetrol planeis prettymuchready to go,just needing muchsmaller(andquicker to charge) radio andignitionpacks to besortedoutbefore �lying.Plus,abit of fuel, of course. can appreciateallthatbutfor methe real angst startswhen getbackfrom a�lyingsession andneed to discharge anyunusedlarge packs,aswellasputtingtheused onesback to astoragecharge. inter�lyingalsoneeds somethought to begiventokeepingyour LiPos warmbefore�lyingwiththemasusing them from coldis asure-fire waytogetlousy performance andpossiblyshorterlife. At least havethat onecrackedthanks to my handy LiPo heaterboxwhichplugsintomycar’s 2V output on the waytothe�lyingfield -plusa bit of earlymorning pre-heatingintheshed during breakfast
’mstill away from needingtodecideas although haveasuitablepetrolengine, still needtodoabit of savingup to buya motor and SCif dodecide to gotheelectricroute. Decision,decisions alsoneed to buya suiteofsevenhigh torque digitalservos, twoeachonaileronsand�laps, two fortheelevatorsand another fortherudder. Plus,afurtherthrottleservo if dogofor petrol
power. Theminimumrecommendedservosfor the�lightcontrols are . kg.cm. V , 0 kg.cm.
GOINGFORWARDS
Thisisn’t areviewperse,moreofan‘un-boxing’ previewas havesomeothermodelsthat need to get built first. ut thoughtthatitwas worth writingaboutin case youtoo arelooking
Tubularundercarriage partsare sprayedgloss black.
foraway to weatherproof yourself forthe winterahead.
Talking of boxes what awhopperthis one comesin Fora bit of fun, got my wifeto photographmeinsideit on the hallcarpet and onlymyheadandshoulders were visible.There wasplenty of room formymiddle-agedspread too Forreference, amjust undersix feettall.
Apetrolenginecan be mountedonthe factoryftted shortenginebox viastand-o�fssupplied. Or go electric usingthe adjustable motorbox included in theelectricconversion, also included. ell, hopethatexplainsthings My interpretationisthattheDNA of many of this kind of aircra�temanatesfrom the famousPiper CubandtheShock Cubdoeshave -well -really bigshockabsorbers
LOOK SLIKEA CUB
Thefirst Savagebushplane wasmadein taly inthelate 0s.The concept wastocreate an aircra�t withgood handling andSTOL characteristicsusingtraditional constructionand sobeeasy to build andrepair. n production movedtothe C echRepublic andsincethenit hasbeencarriedoutby lin Aviations.r.o.
Thenaming of the Shock Cubisexplained on theZlin website:
A name thatshouldnot only be able to representourrealintentionsbutcouldeven ‘shock’theaficionados of thistype of aircra�t. The word ‘Cub’, first of all, aims to expressthetypical DNA of ourproduction Theword‘Shock’, on the otherhand aims to underlinesomeimportant facts relating to theentireproject -topleasantly ‘shock’,withspecificaerodinamic sic features andthroughthe‘shockabsorbers’installed on ourplane forthe firsttime,specificallydesigned to be terriblye�ficientduringlanding.
Asthenameimpliesthe Shock Cubis equippedwith ‘ultra-performing’shock absorbers andthelandinggearpositionhasbeen movedforward to give thefull-si emachine exceptional breaking capabilitywithoutthe risk of overturning. linsay, “Landingon abumpy surfacewillnever beeasier.” Whichallbodes well for my intendedwinter�lyingfrom awet andbumpy outfield,althoughthe Seagullmodeldoesn’t have brakes.
As forthe Shock Cub’swing,the realthingis equippedwith acustomised ‘Hyper STOL profile’, withthewingtipsshaped to increaseli�t.The doubleslotted�laps are 0 largercompared to previousmodelswhiletheaileronshavebeen increased by 0 to allowthepilot to maintain fullcontrolauthorityatextremelylow speed. Four pivotingslats on theleadingedge of the wingalsocontribute to allowingthe Shock Cub to �lyatverylow speeds andalsoathigh angles of attack.
Zlinsay, “Withtheslats,itshuge �lapsandthat specific landinggear,a di�ferenttype of performance can be achieved. Using alow-speedapproachand contactingthe groundwiththe tail wheel first,
Frontend is topped o� fbya nicely mouldedand paintedepoxy glasscowl.
areveryCub-like. Alsoseen here is thelarge decalsheet,withmyglasses givinga senseofscale.
spectacularandultrashort stoppingdistancesare achievable.Withjustarelatively smallheadwind itwillbepossible to have almost virtuallyvertical landings.” Thatall soundsgreat to me andIwillbe very pleasedifthe Seagullmodel o�fers asimilar levelofSTOLperformance.
Thereisonedrawback,however, “Thenew slatsinstalledonthe ShockCubwillmakespin[sic], inpractice,almostimpossible,whilemaking it easier to controlthestall.” Supersafe,then. ’llsavethe spins formyF Astylemodels
KITBITS
pon extractingallthepartsfrom thathugebox, thefirstitemsthatdraw your attentionare the chunkyCubstylefuselageandtwoenormous wingbags.
Lookingatthefuselagefirst,asyou would expectfrom amodernARTFkitthisis largely completeand readyfor installation of theservos inthe cavernous cabin area. Theelevators are connectedviawirepushrodswhilsttherudderis waggled by aclosed loopset-up.Theimpressive undercarriageis oneofthefirstjobsthatneeds tackling and can’t wait to get my hands on those mighty 0 mm balloonwheelscompletewithair valves.Themain undercarriagelegs andfixings arefittednext,being weightyitems fabricated from tube andfoldedsheetmetalparts,allneatly paintedglossblack. Thelongshockscomenext, with oneendattached to theaxletubeandthe othermountedhighupclose to thewindscreen. Attentionthenturns to the fittingtheengine. fgoingthepetrol route, thenthisinvolves mounting your chosengasser to the pre-fitted enginebox withthestand-o�fs provided. Alarge fueltankcompletewithclunk andtwin vent fittingsissupplied. felectricpoweris your thing, then asupplementary motor boxissupplied to extendthemountcloser to thefrontofthe handsomeepoxyglasscowl. ALiPomount and
Tailplaneandrudder
Clearmouldings aresuppliedfor thecockpit windowsand windscreen.
Neat steerabletailwheel partsinclude aleafspring mountand acastwheel yoke.
Fixtures andfttings alllooktobeusableand toa good standard.
When spending anot insignifcant amount of money on akit it’s nice to seeadecentmanualincluded. That’s notalwaysthe case thesedays!
fittings arealso to be foundinthe Pconversion kitsupplied.Finishing o�fthenose areais a2. 5 plasticspinnerwith ametalbackplate.
Moving to thetail,thehori ontalstabiliseris perhapsthemost Cublikeofall the partsofthis aeroplane. chosethe Cub ellow scheme ablack andsilverversionisalso available andthisbitlooks justlikeithas fallen o�faJ- ,asdoesthesimilar�lat platerudder.Thefinis readybuiltaspart of the fuselagestructure. racingwires aresupplied to fit on eitherside of thefin andtailplane.
Thesteerabletailwheelassemblyisworthy of note, being aworking leafspringtypewitha neatlycast andmachinedwheel yoke.
Aswith anyCubstylemodelthe cabinrequires alarge amount of glazing forwhich aselection of clearvac-formedpartsissupplied. Ahinged starboard doorgives access to theservos, receiver andbatteriesmounted on the cabin�loor. Apair of seats aresupplied,butnopilotfigure.The seats aremouldedfrom plasticwithbalsaback andbasepieces andcomemounted on alarge cube of balsawhichneedsgluing to the cabin �loor. They areneatlyfinishedbut aresprayed in gloss brown,so youmay want to do abit of work on them to makethemmore leather like, and maybe addsomeseatbelts.
Thecabin roof andwindscreen arecatered for with alarge one-piececlearplasticmoulding.
FLAPS&SLATS
Timenowtolookatthosemightywings,each of whichcomesin aneatlystitched protective wingbag. At firstglancethebagsseem fartoo big,but guesswheneachpanelhasbeenfitted outwithitsfixturesand fittings,not to mention thoselarge�latplatewingtips, anyexcesswill beswallowedup.
Thefirstjobinthemanualistofitthe leading-edgeslats.Havingpurchased acouple of expensive models recently have been disappointed by thecompletelackofany instructions,eithersuppliedwiththekitor
ShockCub wing panelresting on itsquilted wing bag. There’slotsofspace inside whichI expect will fllup with slatsand struts.
Enddetailofthe full-lengthslats.
Hingedetailofone of theshroudedf laps. Flat platewingtips.
available to view online eventhat’s abit ofa cop-outin my opinion so was very pleased to see acomprehensive 50-page printedinstruction book to work throughwhenthetimecomes to assemble my model. Anyway,backtothe slats These aremounted on pivotsasperthe fullsize. Onthe realthingtheslats arefreeto pivotaccording to theair�low andare notspring activated,butthemanualdoesn’t saywhether themodel’sslatsshouldbele�tloosetoreplicate this or lockedina fixedposition. don’thaveany experiencewithslats on my modelssoifanyone
has anyfeedbackonfreelypivotingslats relating to scalemodels notfullsi e, thanks wouldbe pleased to hearfromyou. guessitwillbefun findingout,but ’ll probablylockthem inplace withequalsi egaps forthefirst few�lights just to be on thesafeside.
Thebarndoor�laps andaileronsare factory fittedsojust requirethe fitting of theepoxyglasssheet controlhorns andfittingtheservos, which aremounted on the underside of each servo hatch. Linkages areviastraightmetal pushrodswith kwik-linkstylemetal clevises.
Let’sfnish
“AswithanyCub stylemodelthecabin requires alarge amountofglazing”
Thewingis braced by amultitude of aerofoil shapedstruts andbent�latplatefittings.As withthe undercarriagetheseparts areallneatly painted glossblack.
IT’S AWRAP– FORNOW!
hopethis articlehasgivenyou agood insightintowhat awaits youifyoubuythis impressive kit.As saidbefore, havea few othermodels to finish offbefore can spend thetimeputtingthe Shock Cubtogether. utnodoubt you’llbehearingallaboutthe build andtheshortfieldperformance of this characterfulbushplaneinthenearfuture, hopefullywellbeforethenext onslaught of wetandwindyweatherthatheadsourway overthe Atlantic ■
DATAFILE
Model Shock Cub
Modeltype ARTFbushplane
Scale .5
Manufacturer Seagull Models importer JPerkins https //www.jperkins.com
RRP £ . Length mm .2 ingspan 25 0 mm 02 eight . kg 2 lbs ingloading 5g/dm ing area 0 sq.in. . dm nginesi e 5-55ccpetrol or 2Selectric Servos Flightcontrols ,throttle Functions servos Ailerons, elevators, rudder, throttle,�laps
Allthe long bits laid out, includingthe aliwingtube, aerofoil shaped wing struts andthe uber long shockabsorbers.
with acouplemorepicturesfromSeagull Models.The frst showsa rear view of theShock Club with itsbarndoorf laps deployed.
AnotherSeagull shot showingthe ShockCub in flight.
I ve spentmoretime on thecomp’ flightline over thelastcoupleofyears andverygoodithas been.
COMP’T YRO
ackwithhissport�lyingcolumn,David Ashbyreturns to his R/C�lying roots andfindshimselfhooked
ords Photos DavidAshby
It’sme, backagain. Here’shopingyou’re well andstillatit.Asinthepast Just For Fun will feature theeclecticmix of projects,people andbitsyoumay remember.
To kick o�f thought ’dtell youaboutthe localglidercomp’s ’vebeenattendingsince sawyoulast. Afew yearsago,when worked fulltime on theeditorial team at RCM&E, our contributor,Loris Goring would o�tenphone forachat.Alovelygentleman,Loris hada thing forthermalsoarers, don’t thinkhe�lew anythingelse.Hispassionfor thetypeextended to recommendingthem forbeginners and justabout anyoneelse in fact. fwefeatured somethingthat wastwo-channel,all-balsa and thermallythen Loris wouldalways call to o�fer hiscongratulations.
Needless to say, don’tlet your eyeleave themodel for one moment.No, really
An Interclubregular,the romleyClub’sAlanTwine guides hisF5 machinedowntothe landingspot.
getit, like‘em too. They’re prettyeasy to �ly yetchallenging to �lywell. e’retalking‘li�t’here, extending�lightdurationbyfindingthoseelusive risingpu�fs of air.Todothiswithoutusing amotor/ recovery systemisn’t easyat first,butimmensely satisfyingwhenthings come together.
Perhapstheseed wassownsome40years ago,backwhenthermalsoaring washugely
popular, especiallydownhereinthe South East. ackinthosedaysmost clubs could field ateam or twofor everycompetition. Aroundthattime, my firstR/Cmodel wasathermalsoarer. That Bowman’sSuper100 wasall-balsawith atissue covering andcertainly‘of its time’. t competed on acoupleofoccasionsalthoughcertainly didn’t frighten anyone.
INTERCLUB
Fast forwardtothe presentwhen,acouple of yearsago,myclub receivedaninvitationto re-join ent nterclub C , aclub of clubsthat runs aseries of thermal soaringcompetitions from April to Octobereveryyear. Perhaps populationdensityhashelpedbutnootherUK countyhassuch agroup. C started in and some of the foundermembersstillcompete. Thesedays nterclub’smain disciplines areF5J andMulti-Launch ML . oth arefor electric poweredgliderswiththelattero�fering amore relaxed format formachinesbothpowered andunpowered an electriclaunchwinch is provided . Cstillholdthe ’soldestthermal comp’, the Towner Trophy, thatstarted in Sussex in andmoved to entlater.
F5J
ou’ve probablyheard of F5J and,simply stated, it’s an internationalclass forelectricgliderswith aspanof4-metres or less.Toquote theBARCS website:
…theaim is to use theminimumlaunchheight possi le to achie ethema imum�lighttimewithin the minutewor ingtime Withlaunch height penaltiesinplacethe est�lightsare a udgement onpilots illsand ris susingshortmotorrunsand lowlaunches
So it’s acaseof‘whodareswins’. oulaunch, thenchoose your ownmotor cut-o�fheight within30seconds,try to stayupfor 10minutes
Towwinch fans IanNicholls, reg Hayfeldand Iain Stingemore,all from the loobirdsClub.
Ianletsgo. There’splentyoftechnique required to usingthe line e� fectively.
If thefarmerhas acherrypicker, then so much thebetter.
Nick acksonwatches EddieSmall arrive. othfrom theCanterburyClub.
My mentor andserialwinner, eithFisher, launches ichardHarris’ Prestige.
Notall models have to be expensiveall-carbonjobs. Seen launchinghere, obHopefromthe TonbridgeClub always puts in respectablescoresf lyinghis own-design all-balsamodels.
“We’retalking‘lift’ here,extendingflight durationbyfinding thoseelusiverising puffsofair”
withoutusingpower,obviously beforea spot landing.Extrapoints areawarded according to howclose youlandtothespotbutthe realskill comesinjudgingthecut-o�fheightthenfinding li�t.Theloweryouchopthepowerso themore points youretain.Allotherthingsbeingequal, thedi�ferencebetweenshuttingthethrottleat, say, 00mcomparedto 50m can o�tendecide whether youwinthe roundorcomelast. t probablygoeswithoutsayingbut telemetryunits that relateheightback to thepilot aren’t allowed. n practice,ataninternationallycompetitive level,motor cut-o�fheightscan be insanely low, 20m,perhaps atad more.A widgetinthe modelrecordsthemotor cut-o�faltitudewhich, alongwith your �lighttime andlandingscore, arefedintothecomputerthat crunchesthe numbers andplaceseach round’scontestants. Ccompsusuallyseefivetosixpilots�lyinga similarnumber of rounds in aday. t soundssimple,but of coursethere’sfar more to itthanthat.Launching techniques vary some ascend to theircut-o�fheightwhileothersstalk about watching forli�t andcheckingwhatothers aredoingbeforea quickburst of poweratthe last moment.There’salso aslingshot techniquethat worksbybuildingspeedin atight lowcircuitthen cuttingpower andusingthemodel’senergyto findheight. t’sfascinating to watch. singpower asecondtime -evenaccidentally -willscrubthat round’sscore althoughtheoccasionalburst to avoid amis-judgedtree orpreventlandingout isn’t uncommon.
MULTI-LAUNCH
�lewintwoMLandtwoF5Jmeetsin2022. Pilotnumbers vary butmyfirstcomp’saw �lyersfrom 0clubspresent.Flyinglastsallday, startingat 0ama�ter abriefing. Results are announcedlatea�ternoon.
LikeF5J,MLwingspans arelimited to m,but thataside,any machine canbeusedwhethera foamie,balsa or carbon/glass creation. Radian L and asy Glidershave appeared. Acouple of �lyers were campaigningclassic balsasoarers or ‘bitsa’creations. utthemajority were �lyingthemore bespokeF5J-classall-moulded soarers.
nitially, withouta competitive machine, took a2.5mspanRCM Pelikan Pike. t’san e�fective thermalseekerbutover20yearsold andtoosmall to match themodern4mspan modelsthat actuallyweighless.Although placedmid-table forlandingpoints,overall
Acolleague hasthe timerand is an extrapairofeyesto spot forsigns of li t andwhateveryoneelseisupto.
It canget busy at thelanding spotsasthe timer approaches the -minute mark.
finishedin atable-proppingposition,butdid meet anicemancalled Keith whosoldmea . 5mspanClusterthat’sall-mouldedand still competitive ish on therightdayintheright hands. t’ssome20 yearsoldso practically vintage. ’m the th owner anda glanceatthe airframerevealedsome,ahem ‘adventures’ overthe years. All-upit weighed around 2200g,nowherenearthe 200- 500gmodern contemporaries topoutat,butit wasabig improvement on the Pelikan Pike.
Thenextcomp’wasatthe Sittingbourne Club amonthlater. twas very windy, toowindy somesaid,but, somehow, managedtofinish second. t wasa�lukeofcoursebuthowonearth hadthathappened ell,like said,itmostly fartoowindytofind or stayinpassingli�t so my strategywassimplytofindheight andsort of slopesoarwithoutthe slope.Someofthe lightermodelsgotblownabout abit.Comp’
TerryLetchford from theSittingbourne Club with hismodifed adian L that hasperformed well.
buddiestakereassurancethatnothinglikethat hashappenedtomesince.
Butthathasn’t mattered. Theattraction comesinseeinghowother�lyersgoaboutthe wholething,howtheylaunch,�ly, findli�t and finish. Areminderif anywereneededthat, wheremodel�lyingisconcerned,there’salways somethingnew to learn andabsorb. atching some of theexperiencedpilots demonstrate their techniqueandskillhasbeenaneye opener.Sure, somepeopletakethingsabit more seriouslythanothers,thatwillalways bethe case,butit’s afriendlyenvironment, everyonehelpseachother and, dare say,my thermal�lyinghasimproveda bit.
ONESTEPFORWARD…
TheClusteris areallynice model to �lybutthat weightcouldn’t beignored. neededsomething lighter.A machinethat would improve my chances of rising afewplaces in thetable if managed to �lyitreasonably. Last year didn’t work outso well. gotalong to onecompetition, but familyand carerduties intervenedatother times.And managed to stu�f in anewmodel, an nfinity vo.
’mstillnotcertainwhathappenedalthough, when relatedthecircumstances,some knowingnods were evident.Minewon’t bethe
lastmodellost to acollapsedbattery, although thatdidn’t makemefeel anyhappier.
STORKING
Dedicatedcompetitionpilotsbuythe latest models,thenselltheirolderairframes to help fundthepurchase.Thosewho can’tyetjustify havingthe very latest andmostexpensive machines aretheir customers.Peoplelikeme. t’saboutputtingthe word out,thenmoving quicklywhensomethingbecomes available. Earlierthis year word camebackthat anew Stork wasgoing foranattractive price it was sooninmyworkshop.
TheStork series wasmadebyPatrik Heinrich in Slovakia until his passingin2022. The‘ ’ wasthelast of theline.Sparesare nolonger available,but washappytotakemychances.
Buyinga usedmodel hassomedrawbacks,
especiallyone pre-fittedwith apower system andservos. Despite whata sellermaysay,you justdon’tknowhow welltheelectricalbits have beeninstalled or treated a�terwards.They mayhavehad an easylife, or agoodthrashing. Airframeconditionmay provide someclues, butnotalways.And oneperson’s‘easylife’ is another’s ‘goodthrashing’. My Storkwas anew untouched andun�lownairframethathadbeen tucked away fora while. trequiredfittingout butthat’sjust how wantedit.
The2024 competitionschedulehas been devastated by poorweather andun�lyable fieldsdowninthispart of thecountry, so my Storkhas yettocompete, but perhaps theloss of the nfinityhasbeen ablessingindisguise. t mayhavebeenme,but didn’ttaketothe modelinthesame way have withtheStork. That nfinityjustdidn’t feelascomposedinthe air. ’lllet youknowhow dogoing forwardbut, fornow, justneed to accrue some Storkstick time.
TRIKESPIT
f you’ve ataildragger warbirdthat’salways nosing overnomatter howmuchyoulean on elevator then my �lyingbuddy ill has the answer.Yousometimesseeideas that,onthe face of it,don’t seemsogoodbut, in practice, turnouttobeprettyneat.Atfirstglance his noselegjustlookswrong,but in practiceit worksbrilliantly. t’sperfect forbumpy surfaces or grassfieldsthat aremowninfrequentlyand it’s prettyinconspicuousintheair.The wire legsthemselvescan hardly be detected when hisSpit�lies andwhilethenosewheelisn’t invisible,itcould be replacedbya transparent diskifthesight of asmallblackdot�lying in tight formationbothers you.
LIDL TIME
The£ . foamychuck gliderfrom thelarge discount retailer remains very popular, particularly withslope�lyers.A Mk.2 versionappeareda little whilebackwith aslightlywiderfuselage anda taperedwingtrailingedgecontrastingwiththe
My Stork .It’swellmadeand,importantly,handles well rahamAshby photo .
Nosing over will be adistant memory if youdowhatmyfriend illhas done to hisSpitfre.It’snot particularly noticeable in theair either.
Lidl stillselltheir . foamglider. Sliceo�f thetailand you’ve an agilelittlesloper.
Scoopout theinteriorand there’splentyofroomfor areceiverand battery.
“Th er esultofthat mod esteffor tisa toughandagile li ttlesportwingthat alsomakes ag reat co mbatglider”
Mk. ’sblunt o�fering. Aficionadossayit�lies atad betterbuteithertype o�ferthe very best fun/cost ratio you’llfindinthehobby.
TheR/Cconversionoptions aremanyand varied. Aquick Googlewill reveal aterrific amount of creativity,althoughsome�lybetterthanothers. A�lyingwingconversionseems to o�ferthebest slope�lyingoption. Afriend,Charlie Johnson,has hadsuccess withhisso copiedhim. nstructionsseemsuper�luousbut
1. Carefullyremove the canopy andscoopout an interiorspace.
2. Cutawayasmallslither of foam from each topsidewherethewing cranks.Filleach withepoxy andweighthewingdown�lat whilethatdries.
3. Fit acarbonwingsparonthe underside. Minerunsfrom nearlyfulllength,stopping about10 cm short of eachwingtip.
4. Cutouttworecesses to suit your servos. usedsmall thin metalgear g jobs.
5. Cutsmallslots fortheservo leadsand ahole inthefus’sothey canpassintothe canopy hatch.
6. xtend,thencutouttheailerons. evelthe aileron L.E.
7. Cuto�f thetail. My wing T. . to rear fus’ measures130 mm.
8. Refitthefin or,likeme, use astabiliserhalf.
9. Tidyupandhidethewiring/joinswith tape.
10. Devise your owncanopyretentionmethod. useda tabandmagnet.
11. Fit areceiverandbattery.
12. My CofGisabout20 mm behindtheL.E. root.
13. Re�lex bothaileronsup is mm.
14. De�lectionsare 5mm /- on everything, with 5 expo to so�tenthe feel.
supports thewing.
ary Parker launches his . mPulsaratour longest day’ slopesession. arydeservesa medal, beingthe person behind theendlessly useful Slopehunterwebsite.
It mayhavebeenthe st of une,but it waschillyon that hill.Clubmate im eagleyhoversintothe sunset.
Asmall 2or SLiPobatteryprovidespowerviaa little Cinmycase andmymodel required 5g inthenose to balance.The result of thatmodest e�fortisa tough andagilelittlesportwingthat alsomakes agreat combatgliderwhenpitted againstsimilartypes, find myselfputtingitin the carwhenever heado�f to theslope.
LONG DAYS
vening�ly-ins to mark the summer solstice -thelongestdayandshortestnight -are popularatmypowerclubs andwiththe local slopeposse too. Luckily, themeetings this year weren’tall on the20th of Juneso gotalong to several.
Acarbonrod