Flying Scale Models January 2018

FRE
GIF TE
FOR S
UBSC
DETAI RIBER
LS P5 S!
2...
www.flyingscalemodels.com
DUMMY
ENGINE
DETAIL
OUT-IN-THE-BREEZE
CONTINENTAL ‘FLAT-FOUR’
CUSTOM
D.I.Y.
DECALS
THE LOW-TECH
WATERSLIDE WAY
CONSTRUCTION FEATURE
FREE BRISTOL F.2B

FULL SIZE PLANS
MORANE
SAULNIER
1913 RACER
45” (1143MM) WINGSPAN FOR R/C ELECTRICS
‘BRISFIT’ BUILT IT IN 1:4 OR 1:5TH SCALE ● SCALE DETAIL CLOSE-UP
● 1:40 FINE DETAIL THREE-VIEWS ● TYPE HISTORY ● ‘BRISFIT’ IN ACTION
FULL SIZE CENTRE-SPREAD PLANS - MICRO SE5A

01
January 2018
No. 218 £5.99
18” (457MM). BUILD IT IN BALSA FOR INDOOR R/C 9 771368 900066
FSM JAN 18 COVER.indd 1 29/11/2017 14:34

ADS.indd 1 24/11/2017 10:23
FORMATION JAN 18 Tony OK 27/11/17 14:01 Page 3
THE ISSUE AHEAD...
Formation...
FLYING SCALE MODELS - THE WORLD’S ONLY MAGAZINE FOR SCALE MODEL FLYERS
ON THE COVER
The Bristol F.2B is an aircraft that
exudes ‘character’. The late Gary
Sunderland bulit his to quarter scale,
with a wingspan of 117”. The
construction feature, with plans, is our
lead feature in this issue, but if that size
is a bit big for you, the plans are also
available at 1/5th scale.
Prorotype was Moki 180 powered.
JANUARY 2018 NO.218

4 CONTACT
6 6 Bristol F.2B ‘brisfit’

The late Gary Sunderland's classic WW1 two-seat fighter. The
protoype was built to 1/4-scale, but plans are also available in
1/5th scale too.
14 F2B TYPE HISTORY

From the ignominy of its first disasterous fighter patrol, Bristol’s
two seater quickly proved to be an aircraft not to be tangled
with lightly in the skies over the Wester Front.
20 Bristol F.2B SCALE DRAWING

1:40 detailed scale three-views
22 the F.2B IN DETAIL

Close-up photo study
26 F2B IN ACTION
Over the Western Front with Canadian Aces
30 Micro SE5A
Peter Rake's 18" wingspan mini-fighter for Indoor, or calm-air
outdoor action, for control system 'robbed' from those popular
30 indoor R/C 'foamies'.
40 one-off CUSTOM DECALS

a low-tech way for waterside surface decoration
42 DUMMY ‘Flat-four’ ENGINES

How to replicate exposed cylinder head Continental and
Lycoming engines
48 WARBIRD surface COLOURS

The basic surface colours for R.F.C., R.A.F., USAAF, US Navy
and USAF; 1914-1960.
50 TECHNO SCALE
Web sites review
54 FULL SIZE FREE PLAN FEATURE

MORANE SAULNIER 1913 RACER
A simple-to-build, 45" span model of an early racing aircraft,
d esigned by Peter Rake for inexpensive electric power
60 THE QUIET ZONE

54 The basics of scale model design, the Peter Rake way
JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 3

CONTACT Tony OK.QXT 27/11/17 14:05 Page 2
Editor: Tony Dowdeswell

Publisher: Alan Harman
Design: Peter Hutchinson
Website: Webteam
Advertising Manager: Sean Leslie
Admin Manager: Hannah McLaurie
Office Manager: Paula Gray
CONTACT his is very much an ‘early aviation’ issue, in which our free full size
FLYING SCALE MODELS is published
monthly by Doolittle Media, Doolittle
Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Beds,
LU6 1QX. Reproduction in part or
whole of any text, photograph or
T plan for a 1913 Morane Saulnier Racer emphasises the simplicity
of pre-1914 aircraft. Simplicity itself was a good recipe for a
successful ‘flying machine’ back then when aircraft motive power
available had difficulty with the proverbial rice pudding skin!
Simplicity is also to be found in Peter Rake’s 18” wingspan micro SE5a for
Indoor R/C Scale, using the micro R/C rigs to be plundered from dead or
dying indoor ‘foamies’. It’s a nice sheet-and-stick balsa traditional build
illustration without written permission reminiscent of those old Keil Kraft scale rubber power kits - with which we
from the publisher is strictly prohibited. show our age if we remember them!
At the other end of the size scale is the 1/4 scale Bristol F2B ‘Brisfit’ - one
While due care is taken to ensure the of the outstanding British fighter aircraft of the later WW1 period, for which
contents of Flying Scale Models is we present a full construction feature.
accurate, the publishers and printers Every time this particular aircraft absorbs my own attention, it always
cannot accept liability for errors and leads me to a question as to how much, or even whether at all, this highly
successful two-seat fighter aircraft influenced thinking among those
omissions. Advertisements are responsible, two decades later, for drawing up specifications for one of the
accepted for publication in FLYING Royal Air Force’s fighter aircraft that would fight the coming conflict of
SCALE MODELS only upon Doolittle WW2. Was the success of the ‘Brisfit’ extrapolated to the specification for the
‘turret fighter’ that found it’s expression in the unsuccessful Boulton Paul
Media’s standard terms of
Defiant? There is a shared parallel between the F.2B and the Defiant in that
acceptance of advertising, copies of for both, early combat patrols led to severe losses. in the case of the F.2B,
which are available from the only two of the six ‘Brisfits’ setting out for the type’s first combat patrol
advertising sales department of actually returned. But the F.2B, the crews quickly learned how to use the
aircraft successfully.
FLYING SCALE MODELS. In the case of the Defiant, early successes were achieved only against the
likes of the slower, lightly armed Ju87 Stuka where the guns of the turret
EDITORIAL ADVERTISEMENT could be more easily brought to bare.
The difference between the two types was in the armament. The Brisfit
& CIRCULATION: Doolittle Mill,
had both forward and rearward firing guns, in which the ‘driver’ brought his
Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Beds, gun the bearin classic point-the-nose-and-fire fighter aircraft manner, while
LU6 1QX. the Observer in the rear cockpit had a wide field of fire to defend the rear. In
Tel. 01525 222573 Fax. 01525 222574. the Defiant, the pilot was one step removed from the ‘business end’, his task
being to position the aircraft in a manner from which the turret gunner could
Email: enquiries@doolittlemedia.com bring his guns to bear. There were no fixed, forward firing guns at all.
CIRCULATION TRADE ENQUIRIES: THE MEN WHO FLEW THE BRISFIT

Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry One of the supporting pieces in our comprehensive Bristol F.2B feature
describes the actions of successful ‘Brisfit’ Aces including Canadian Majors
Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT William Avery and Andrew McKeever.
020 7429 4000. Another highly significant airman associated with the Bristol F.2B was a
New Zealander, none other than Air Chief Marshall Sir Keith Park who, as
Air Vice Marshall, commanded No.11 Group Fighter Command during the
NEWSTRADE: Select Publisher Services,
Battle of Britain in 1940. No.11 Group bore the brunt in defeating the
3 East Avenue, Bournemouth. Luftwaffe’s attempts to gain air superiority over southern England as a
BH3 7BW. prerequisite to invasion. It was Park, together with Fighter Command’s Air
01202 586848 Chief Marshal Dowding, who resisted the demands of the likes of No.12
Group’s Leigh-Mallory/Douglas Bader for ‘Big Wing’ tactics, which were
Email: tim@selectps.com subsequently discredited as a recipe for defeat.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Doolittle Mill, HAVE A HAPPY, BALSA BASHING NEW YEAR!

Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Beds,
LU6 1QX. BELOW LEFT: Vincent Orange’s biography of Air Chief Marshall Keith Park is a first
class read for anyone interested in aviation history.
Tel. 01525 222573. Fax. 01525 222574. BELOW RIGHT: Major Keith Park as comanding officer of No.48 Squadron, with his
Bristol F.2b at Bertangles, near Amiens, France in 1918.
PRINTING: Henry Stone Ltd.,
Oxfordshire
(c) Copyright Flying Scale Models

2018 Doolittle Media.
The paper used on this title is from

sustainable forestry
4 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

TND JAN 18.indd 1 24/11/2017 10:18
F2B MODEL Tony OK 27/11/17 11:54 Page 2
CONSTRUCTION FEATURE
BRISTOL F2B
'BRISFIT'
The late Gary Sunderland's classic WW1 two-seat fighter. The protoype
was built to 1/4-scale, but plans are also available in 1/5th scale too.
A
rmed with a good collection of 117 inches (2972mm) wing span this was
books and Data-Files on the going to be a large model; with previous
Bristol F2B 'Fighter', plus a close experience with my DH4 at 1/6th scale I
look at three F2Bs in England knew the flying qualities were going to be
where I took lots of docile and reliable. However, if you are
photographs, I started the construction of a tempted to build this model, but really
1/4 scale model with some confidence. At need it a bit smaller, the plans are also

available at 1/5th scale, which results in a had a simple set of only five radiator to say, none of the available drawings
wingspan of a more manageable 93.6 shutters, and many fewer cut-outs and provided this detail and most photographs
inches (2377mm) louvres to the cowl when compared with were of such quality as to make it
the preserved examples of the type that impossible to interpret due to this area
RESEARCHING THE PROJECT existed, then, in U.K., which were all of the being indistinct, under the shadow of the
The 'prototype' full size example selected to much later Mk IV configuration as regards upper wing.
model was B1146, a much-photographed their engine installations. Similarly, most drawings seemed to
‘presentation machine’ (funded by public The forward cockpit area also seemed to indicate that the shape of the cowl top
subscription)of No.1 Squadron, Australian differ from the later variants. The early continues into the tank area, ahead of the
Flying Corps, in Palestine, early 1918. These versions had flat sides and a most peculiar pilot, where there is one filler cap. This is
photographs showed that the early 'Brisfit' transition into the fuel tank area. Needless incorrect for all versions. Actually there are
three fuel tanks. The two main fuel tanks
and the two filler caps are situated either
side of the pilot's machine gun. The gun is
located under the cowl, directly in front of
the pilot and fires through a tunnel and a
hole in the radiator.
A clue is provided by J. M. Bruce in his
book 'The Bristol Fighter', where he reports
that pilots complained about the view
forward on the later model, 275 h.p. version,
as being worse '...due to the larger radiator
required for the Falcon III engine.'
Given that none of the drawings or
Gary’s 1/4 scale

prototype model
spans 117” and
weighs 30lb
without fuel.
Power is a Moki
180 two-stroke
30cc turning a
Bolly 22 x 8
propeller at
6,700 r.p.m.
static.

R I S TOL
B I S F IT
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F2B B heet pla
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this thre
size co pies of oth 1/4 sca
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Full le in b
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availab FSM/2
(PLAN1/5th scale
and
FSM /23)
(PLANfrom
odels ,
cale M little Mill
Flying S M e d ia, Doo L U 6
olittle hire,
n s Service, Do
hoe , B edfords
Pla ttern
Lane, To l 01525 222573
Doolittle 1Q Te om
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enquir 2 4 .5 0
scale: £
r either
Price fo £2.50;
£4.00;
Europe 6.00.
World £
Rest or
CONSTRUCTION
1 2
3 4
1: Fuselage parts completed and covered, prior to painting. Metal panel areas are covered with lithoplate aluminium sheet, epoxied over
balsa sheet. 2: The undercarriage and lower wing centre-section were first built and mounted separately. Then the centre-section was cut
in half at the rear leg position and spliced together onto the undercarriage. 3: After final painting, the wings are being rigged. Note
incidence meter clamped to upper centre-section, also that the nose cone is removed to access engine mounts. Engine and tail are at
zero degrees, wings at one degree incidence. 4: Engine cowl is designed to remove with minimum disturbance of the engine controls,
exhausts and ‘plumbing’. Unit, which is lithoplate over built-up balsa and ply on the outside, and glassfibre on the inside, is attached with
just two screws.
photographs indicate any change to the radiator shape, I

suspect it is more likely that there was a change to the
upper cowl, to increase the main fuel tank capacity and to
fair-in the shape better. Thus, for my early version which had
the 220 h.p. Falcon II engine, I copied the few photographs
of this area as best I could and 'guessed' the location of the
two filler caps.
A FEW CONSTRUCTIONAL COMMENTS

The rest of the structure is quite straightforward and simple,
apart from the lower wing centre-section, which is mounted
some distance below the fuselage. This was sheeted all
over in balsa, for rigidity, with 3mm ply sides. After building
the undercarriage from steel wire, mounted on an
aluminium base-plate, the centre-section was cut in half
and the two assemblies spiced together onto the fuselage,
taking care to reproduce every strut and bracing wire of
the original. Apart from fidelity to scale, all those wires had
a purpose on the full-size, to carry the flight and landing
loads, and are equally necessary on the model.
All of the fuselage structure was copied exactly, including
the engine mount area where the forward truss carries a
wire brace back to the wings. The wire fittings are secured
by one 4-40 cap-screw to each side and these screws also
serve to hold the removable nose cowl which can be slid
off to expose the engine. The nose cowl was built up from
ply and balsa onto the slides, and is covered with litho
plate on the outside and fibreglass inside. Even when
painted, nothing looks more like metal than metal!
There are quite a few scale access holes in the cowl, so

The Moki 180 30cc two-stroke is mounted on a Du-Bro mount. Exhaust via a J-Tek muffler is into a welded aluminium
box and then into two scale exhaust outlets.
Removable observer
figure lends scale to
the massive static-
judging propeller,
formed from three
laminations of 1/2”
balsa. Stub exhausts
and radiator
shutters are all
functional, the latter
being opened up for
flight to allow for
engine cooling.

the controls and 'plumbing' on the model have been so arranged that
the cowl can be slid off without disturbing anything, other than the
CUT PARTS
SET FOR THE
propeller and the two attaching screws. I am getting more cunning in
my old age!
FINISHING OFF
The fabric covering is all Sig Koverall with two coats of nitrate dope. The rib
tapes of silk were applied with a hot iron onto Cover-Grip - a water-based
adhesive - then sealed with butyrate dope. The final finish is of Flair PC-10
paint with an overspray of clear satin urethane varnish. This final 'black-
BRISTOL F2B
brown' colour is an exact match of the colour of the Shuttleworth Trust's
full-size 'Brisfit' at Old Warden, for which I have many photos and videos.
Rigging the wings was initially carried out with 0.032" piano wire. In fact,
BRISFIT
Get straight down to construction without delay!
This month’s full size free plan feature is supported
by a laser-cut set of ready-to-use balsa and
plywood components. This provides the parts that,
otherwise, you would need to trace out onto the
wood before cutting out and includes wing ribs
and tips, tail centre parts, fuselage
doublers, top deck,formers etc.
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE STRIP

AND SHEET MATERIAL OR
SHAPED WIRE PARTS
Price £125.00
plus carriage: £11.50 (UK); Europe £26.00
Order set CUT/FSM 21 (1/4 scale) or

CUT/FSM 23 (1/5 scale)
Shipping Note: For shipping to destinations outside the UK and

Europe, you will be charged our standard flat-rate price of £49.
This covers most destinations and secures your order with us.
However, we will contact you accordingly with an accurate
total shipping charge prior to dispatch and either issue a
refund or a PayPal money request for the balance.
Visit our secure website:

to order yours
Order direct from:- Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,

Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK. Tel: 01525 222573/
enquiries@doolittlemedia.com.

the first few flights were carried out with this temporary rigging.
This was eventually replaced with Mick Reeves' flat strip and his
stainless steel fittings. Incidentally, full marks to Mick for his airmail
service to the antipodes - not just for the excellent products like
tiny screws and Flair paints, but also the speed and reliability of
the service.
IN THE AIR
Flying the 'Brisfit' was pretty much as expected. It is really just a
powered glider and trundles through the air like a big basic
trainer. Open the throttle and it goes up; Ccose the throttle and
it glides gently down! Take-offs and landing must be into wind,
and that is about it.
The original target weight for the design was 25 lbs and the
actual flying weight turned out at 30lb. This was due to the
complex and heavy lower centre-section mount, plus the
weight of two 'occupants' and all that detail. With the Moki 180
two-stroke engine up front, the performance was adequate
but not startling - very much like the full-size 'Brisfit' at Old
Warden that rumbles around gently at half throttle for most of
the time.
With a 22 x 8 Bolly propeller, the mighty Moki turned at 6,300
r.p.m. static but was a bit noisy in the air due to tip speed. A
change to a 22 x 10 wooden prop gave 5,500 r.p.m. static and
was then more suitably quiet, with about the same
performance.
The power.propeller set-up was very adequate for display
flying, but a more vertical performance was required for
contest work. There is plenty of room in the 'Brisfit's cowl to cope
with a wide range of possible engine options. I
SPECIFICATIONS
Model name: Bristol F2B Fighter
Model type: 1/4 scale
Designed by: Gary Sunderland
Wing span: 117”
Power range: 30 to 40cc
Engine in p’type: Moki 180 30cc two-stroke
Propeller: Bolly 22 x 8
Control functions: Rud./elev./ail./throt.
Construction: Built-up balsa/ply
Covering: Sig ‘Koverall’
Finish: Flair PC-10 paint over two coats of dope with
clear varnish overspray
Markings: Hand-painted Humbrol enamels
All-up weight: 25lb (anticipated), 30lb (actual)
The ‘Brisfit’ has ideal proportions for an R/C model, except that it could do with a bit more fin and rudder area - the main problem in landing in
a cross-wind. Otherwise the model is very easy to fly.
Pilot and observer figures in close-up; the fuselage fabric lacing is linen thread and uses High level of cockpit detail includes the twin Lewis
over 1000 brads. Twin Lewis gun barrels are from old paint brush handles - their MG mount, pilot’s wicker seat and instrument board
aluminium ferrules were reversed to represent the muzzles. with compass mounted in the upper centre-section.
A scale ‘throttle’ operates the Rx on/off switch.

Tail-end close-up showing tailplane bracing and aircrew; pilot of No. 1 Squadron RAFC’s B1146 at the time was Lt. Ross Smith
(later Sir Ross) and observer was Lt. ‘Pard’ Mustard.

F2B TYPE HISTORY Tony OK 27/11/17 12:02 Page 2
TYPE HISTORY
BRISTOL F.2
'BRISFIT'
From the ignominy if its first disasterous fighter patrol, Bristol’s two seater quickly proved to be an
aircraft not to be tangled with lightly in the skies over the Wester Front.

vertical tail surfaces being located beneath
B
y Autumn 1915, elements of the followed on 9 September by the maiden
Royal Flying Corps at the sharp end the fuselage. These features were intended flight of the first prototype, powered by a
of the conflict in France had to optimize the field of fire for the observer, Rolls Royce Falcon I engine.
identified the need for an effective while this positioning of the fuselage also In order to achieve that very creditable
replacement for the pre-WW1 Royal resulted in the upper wing obscuring less of timescale, this airframe was fitted with B.E.2d
Aircraft Factory B.E.2c, and had dispatched the pilot’s field of view. The crew positions wings (Bristol were major sub-contractors for
a specification for a new aerial were placed as close together as possible, the type). Its lower wings were attached to
reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft to optimise communication between the an open wing-anchorage frame and had
back to the United Kingdom. Among other pilot and observer. end-plates at the wing roots. Then, on 25
attributes and performance requirements, Before either the R.2A or R.2B could be October 1916, the second prototype was
emphasis was placed upon the aircraft’s constructed, the new 190 hp (142 kW) Rolls- completed, powered by a Hispano-Suiza
ability to effectively defend itself in aerial Royce Falcon inline engine became engine, and otherwise differing from the first
combat. available, so Barnwell then drafted a third prototype in its tailskid, which was integrated
Various submissions were made to meet revision of his design around the new engine, into the base of the rudder.
the RFC’s specification; the Royal Aircraft with its decidedly superior power/weight It was found that the prototype’s radiator
Factory responded with its R.E.8 design, while ratio. The anticipated improvement in arrangement obscured the pilot’s field of
the Armstrong Whitworth Company performance changed the emphasis in its view, and the nose was redesigned around
produced the design that eventually intended operational use; it was now seen a new circular-shaped frontal radiator
emerged as the F.K.8. as a replacement for the F.E.2d and Sopwith housed within the cowling, while other
In March 1916, Frank Barnwell of the Bristol 11/2 Strutter two-seat fighters rather than a changes made to the first prototype during
Aeroplane Company, commenced work on competitor with the pedestrian flight testing included the elimination of the
a new design also intended to serve as a reconnaissance designs that were to end-plates from the lower wing roots and
possible replacement for the unsatisfactory replace the B.E.2. The resulting Type 12 F.2A the addition of a shallow coaming around
B.E.2. This initially took two forms, the Type 9 was a two-bay equal-span biplane, closely the cockpits.
R.2A, to be powered by the 120 hp based on the R.2A and R.2B designs. Between 16 and 18 October 1916, the type
Beardmore engine, and the very similar Type underwent its official trials at the Central
9A R.2B, powered by the 150 hp Hispano- PROTOTYPES Flying School, Upavon, during which it was
Suiza. Both designs featured the mounting of In July 1916, work commenced on the tried with both a four-bladed 9 ft 2 in
the fuselage between the wings, with a gap construction of a pair of prototypes and propeller and a two-bladed 9 ft 8 in
between the lower longerons and the lower scarcely a month later, an initial contract propeller. By the time of its arrival at the
wing, along with a substantial part of the was awarded for 50 production aircraft, experimental armament station at
Quite a sight! Three fully airworthy Bristol F.2Bs lined up on the grass at the Imperial War Museum airfield, Duxford.

Orfordness, it had also been fitted with a cast doubts as to the F.2A’s effectiveness as increasingly took place in the last year of the
Scarff ring mounting over the rear cockpit a fighter aircraft, but fortunately, some war, many preferring to retain a single gun.
and an Aldis optical sight. aggressively minded crews began using the Attempts were made to add a forward-
Only 52 airframes to that initial specification aircraft with the forward-firing pilot operated firing Lewis gun on a Foster mounting or
designation F.2A were constructed before guns as the main armament, leaving the similar on the upper wing either instead of, or
production was switched to the definitive rearward-firing observer/gunner to protect in addition to, the Vickers gun. Among other
model, the Bristol Type 14 F.2B, which first flew the rear as necessary. This technique proved problems this caused interference with the
on 25 October 1916. The first 150 or so F.2Bs highly effective and from that point on, the pilot’s compass, which was mounted on the
were powered by either the Falcon I or Bristol F.2A/B never looked back! trailing edge of the upper wing: to minimise
Falcon II engine, but those that followed this effect the Lewis gun was offset to
were equipped with the 275 hp Falcon III A MAIN PLAYER starboard.
engine, the additional power of which gave By July 1917 the British War Office decided to
the F.2B a 10 mph (16 km/h) advantage in standardise the Bristol F.2B as the equipment ALTERNATIVE ENGINES
level speed over the F.2A, while climb rate to of all fighter-reconnaissance squadrons, Rolls-Royce aero engines of all types were in
10,000 ft (3,000 m) was also improved, leading to orders for a further 800 of the chronic short supply at this time, and the
reaching 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in three minutes type, a volume with which the Bristol Falcon was no exception. This shortage of
less time. Company could not cope, leading to the engines frustrated plans to increase
production being spread around no less production so that the Bristol Fighter could
INTO SERVICE than nine sub-contractors. become the standard British two-seater,
Deliveries of production aircraft began in replacing the R.E.8 and F.K.8; there simply
late December 1916, the first R.F.C. squadron ARMAMENT were not enough Falcons available.
receiving the F.2A being No.48, after gaining The Bristol F.2 Fighter was armed in what had Accordingly, efforts were made to find an
experience of the type at a Rendcombe, by then become the standard weapons available alternative powerplant that was
Cirencester based training squadron, taking configuration for a British two-seater military both reliable and sufficiently powerful.
the type to France in early March 1917. aircraft: one synchronised fixed, forward- One of these was the 200 hp (150 kW)
With the forthcoming Battle of Arras in firing 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun Sunbeam Arab engine. In expectation of a
prospect, it was decided to restrict use of (in this case mounted under the cowling to reduction in performance with the less
No.48 and its new fighter type until the battle avoid freezing) and a single flexible 0.303 in powerful engine, it was planned to supply
commenced. (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on a Scarff ring over the the Arab-powered Fighters to the “corps”
Thus the Squadron flew its first offensive observer’s rear cockpit. reconnaissance squadrons, reserving Falcon
patrol on April 5th, from which only two of The F.2B variant often carried a second powered examples for fighter-
the six F2As returned. The remainder had all Lewis gun on the rear cockpit mounting, reconnaissance operations.
fallen to the guns of Albatros D.IIIs of although observers found the weight of the The Arab engine was to be fitted to
Manfred von Richtofen’s Jagstaffel 11. Other twin Lewis gun mounting difficult to handle in Fighters produced by the sub-contractors
similar early encounters with the Jagstaffeln the high altitudes at which combat under licence, while Bristol-built Fighters

Anatomy of the
Bristol F.2B airframe
Seen at the Flying Legends Air Show at Duxford back in

2000July, The Fighter Collevtion’s rebults F2B.

would continue to use the 1918, trials of a high-compression

Falcon engine. model of the Puma engine were
Unfortunately, the Arab engine carried out, but it was found to
proved to be problematic; it was have no significant performance
found to suffer from serious benefit, and this avenue was not
weaknesses in cylinder and pursued.
crank-chamber design that led, A further proposed variant
among other faults, to severe envisaged adaption for a radial
vibration, while the cooling or rotary engine; either a 200 hp
The second prorotype Bristol F.2A with Hispana-Suiza 150 h.p. engine system’ also required repeated Salmson radial, a 300 hp ABC
modification. As a result, the Dragonfly radial or a 230 hp
‘Arab Bristol’ was never to Bentley B.R.2 rotary (Type 22B).
become a viable combination,
in spite of prolonged POST - WW1
development. A few Arab- Following the end of the First
engined Bristols were at the front World War, the F.2B Fighter was
late in the war, but the British soon adopted by the RAF as its
reconnaissance squadrons had standard army co-operation
to soldier on with the R.E.8 and machine. The type continued to
F.K.8 until the end of hostilities. operate in army co-operation
A further substitution, the 200 and light bombing roles
hp (150 kW) Hispano-Suiza throughout the British Empire, in
F.2B with early installation of a Subeam Arab engine, seen at Bristol’s engine worked better than the particular the Middle East, India
Filton airfield. Arab, but there was already a and China. In line with this role,
severe shortage of Hispano- which led to its use under high-
Suizas for other types, such as temperature conditions, Bristol
the S.E.5a and the Sopwith introduced models of the Fighter
Dolphin. equipped with ‘tropical’
Other engines tried or radiators that could better
suggested for the F.2B were the handle operations within higher
200 hp (RAF 4d, the 180 hp temperatures, plus other
Wolseley Viper and the 230 hp furnishings for desert equipment.
Siddeley Puma. Trials of the There had also been
Puma engine were carried out in considerations made into
February 1918 and found to deploying the Fighter as a
confer marginally better carrier-based aircraft, which led
performance than the Hispano- to an engineless airframe
Suiza and Arab engines, but participating in immersion trials in
Cockpit of the Bristol F.2B, showing the spade-grip control column proved to be difficult to install November 1918, and a single
and instrument panel. and unreliable. In September aircraft being used in deck

Static rear view of The Figheter Collection’s F2B finished in the colours The Shuttleworth Collection’s F.2B, operated out of their Old Warden,
of No. 139 Squadron, R.A.F, ltaly, Late 1918. airfield has been active in Air Shows for many years.
landing tests, reportedly onboard higher loads, with revised tail units, and Falcon III engines. Thus it became the
HMS Eagle. strengthened undercarriages. second largest operator of this type. It was
It was not until 1932 that the F.2B was finally The F.2B Fighter was adopted by the New also one of most numerous aircraft operated
withdrawn from RAF service, the last ‘Brisfit’ Zealand Permanent Air Force and the Royal by Poland at that time. Forty Fighters were
unit being No. 20 Squadron stationed in Australian Air Force (RAAF), as well as by the used during the Polish-Soviet war from July
India, while the type lasted a further three air forces of Belgium, Canada, Ireland, 1920, among others in the Battle of Warsaw,
years in New Zealand. Aircraft that were Greece, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Spain and performing both reconnaissance and close
deemed surplus to requirements were Sweden. Relatively few Fighters entered air support missions. The rest of the order
allocated to ADC Aircraft, a British company service with the air forces of the various became operational only after the end of
established to act as a reseller for wartime Commonwealth nations, greater quantities hostilities. During that war, two were shot
aircraft, which proceeded to sell on large having been sold to other nations. Belgium down by ground fire, while another was
quantities of Fighters to other nations, mostly purchased several ADC-supplied aircraft, captured by the Soviets and several more
to military operators. Bristol also continued to and later arranged to produce the Fighter were lost in crashes. Survivors of the conflict
manufacture the type for some time. During under licence at Sociétés Anonyme Belge continued in Polish service in the
the 1920s Bristol proceeded to develop and de Constructions Aéronautiques (SABCA). reconnaissance and training roles until
introduce numerous variants and derivatives In 1920, Poland bought 106 Bristol Fighters 1932. I
of the Fighter, typically capable of carrying with a mix of Hispano-Suiza 300 hp and RR
SPECIFICATION
Length: 25 ft 10 in (7.87 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Maximum speed: 123 mph
(107 kn, 198 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Range: 369 mi (320 nmi, 593 km)
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Rate of climb: 889 ft/min (4.5 m/s)
Armament
Guns: 1x .303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing
Post-WW1 Bristol F.2B Mk.IV Vickers machine gun in the upper
aircraft in service with the
Cambridge University Air fuselage
Squadron feature wing slats and 1 or 2x .303 in Lewis Guns in the
revised rudder shap with horn observer’s cockpit
balance. Bombs: 240 lb (110 kg)

F2B SCALE DRAWING Tony OK.qxd 27/11/17 12:04 Page 2
F2B SCALE DRAWING Tony OK.qxd 27/11/17 12:04 Page 3
SCALE 1:40
F2B IN DETAIL Tony OK 27/11/17 12:05 Page 2
IN DETAIL
BRISTOL F2B
'BRISFIT'
1 1 & 2: Shuttleworth Collection’s F.2B Mk.III showing the long exhaust and the lacing on the fabric fuselage covering panels which could
be undone for access to the airframe. 3: Fuselage underside view at the nose. 4: Nose of Shuttleworth’s RR Falcon III V-12 powered F.2B
Mk.III showing radiator shutters. 5: Earlier style shutter arrangement on The Fighter Collection’s F2B.

2 3
4 5
6: Lower wing centre section 6

showing the archor points to
the fuselage.
7: Tail end, showing the

control runs to the rudder
and elevator, and the tail
braciing wires.
8: Tailplane trim linkage wire

connects direct to leading
edge crank turnbuckle.

9: Close-up view of the 9

double control wires to the
rudder control horn and
fabric panel lacing on The
Fighter Collection’s machine.
10: Control wires all out in

the breeze are very much
part of the character of the
Bristol F2B.
11: Elevator horn with

duplicated control wires and
turnbuckle adjusters.
12 & 13: Wing interplane

struts showing the upper and
lower wing anchor points.
10
11
12 13

14 16
14: Wing tip

underside, showing
the protective skid
and the aileron
horn.
15: Upper wing top

surface, showing
aileron control
horn.
16: Close-up of the

Rotherham Pump
mounted on the
starboard front
undercarriage strut
- pressurises the
15 fuel tank.
17: The tail skid.

Note bungee cord
shock absorber.
18 & 19: The main

undercarriage and
its mounting.
20: Further detail

of the main
undercarruage leg
and underside
view of the engine
bay.
17
21: The rear
gunner’s posittion,
showing the Lewis
Gun and Scarff
18 ring mounting.
22: View into the

pilot’s cockpit well.
23: View into the

rear gunner’s
perch.
24: Pilot’s
instrument panel.
19 20 21
17 17 17

F2B IN ACTION Tony OK 27/11/17 12:06 Page 2
COMBAT RECORD
BRISFIT IN
ACTION Canada's Ace of Two-Seaters
Repeated applications for transfer to the
C
anadians have long been
noted for their fighting Royal Flying Corps were rejected but in
qualities and certainly many the end, persistence won the day and he
were among the high scoring was eventually returned to U.K. for pilot
fighter pilots of the First World training in December 1916. McKeever
War. The most well-known was doubtless was the complete antithesis of the
Major William Avery (‘Billy’) Bishop, VC, popular conception of a hard drinking,
who was only second in his number of hard smoking, and scruffily dressed “wine,
victories scored, to that supreme WW1 women and song-ing” fighter pilot. He
fighter pilot, Major Edward (‘Mick’) smoked only on occasion and was strictly
Mannock, VC, who officially ‘downed’ temperate in his drinking habits. He was
some 73 German aircraft, but is thought most particular about his dress too, never
unofficially to have scored over a going on patrol unless properly dressed in
hundred. full uniform with some ‘small kit’ stowed in
Another Canadian pilot, well up the list a pocket. Naturally he came in for much
of scorers was Raymond Collishaw, who chaffing over this, but has been reported
served in the Royal Naval Air Service and as saying; “...well, if you are captured,
scored most of his victories flying Sopwith how the devil can you feel like a man if
Triplanes and Camels. Later, during they get you in a pyjama suit and a six-
World War II, for a time, Collishaw inch beard?”
commanded the R.A.F Desert Air force in
the Middle East. INTODUCTION THE THE F2B
Another high scorer (the word ‘Ace’, an It was May 1917 when McKeever
invention of the journalists, was not returned to France with a posting to No.
acknowledged officially and was only 11 Squadron, from which it may be seen
used with derision by RFC personnel; the that his period of instruction was of the
popular appellation they used for a good customary brevity, amounting to roughly
pilot was ‘hot stuff’), was Major Edward five months. The Squadron was re-
Andrew McKeever, DSO, MC and Bar, equipping with Bristol Fighters, which were
who accounted for no less than 30 EA somewhat in disrepute, due to their
(enemy aircraft), mostly shot down from disastrous debut with No. 48 Squadron.
the front cockpit of a Bristol Fighter. No.48 had used the Biffs defensively, as
From the foregoing may be gauged the two-seaters had always fought in the past
Bristol F2B’s excellence as a fighting and on their first patrol on April 5th, 1917
instrument, once the technique of led by Capt. W Leefe Robinson (who had
‘fighting’ in a ‘Biff’ (as they were earlier been awarded the VC for bringing
affectionately termed by their crews) had down a Zeppelin) was set upon by a flight
been evolved. McKeever was largely of Albatros scouts of Jagdstaffel 11, led by
responsible for the fighting tactics used Manfred von Richthofen. Only two of the
and as a result, the crews never refused six Bristols subsequently returned, Leefe
combat regardless of odds. Robinson, himself, being shot down and
Andrew McKeever hailed from Listowell, captured.
Ontario and first went to France before he Once the redoubtable McKeever had
Over the Lines in Bristol F.2Bs. Brisfits were was 20 years of age, with a Canadian accustomed himself to the Brisfit’s flying
dangerous fighter with which to tangle. infantry formation, during the early qualities and had thoroughly acquired the
Observation Balloons, though docile- months of 1915. He soon became noted feel of the aircraft, he abandoned all
looking targets, were usually heavilly orthodox methods of two-seater warfare
for his marksmanship but, having
defended by carefully positioned anti-
aircraft guns. witnessed occasional aerial activity over and pioneered the technique of using the
the trenches, decided that this form of machine offensively as a single-seat
warfare, rather than ‘foot-slogging’, was fighter, leaving his observer to protect the
his true metier. tail and warn off any Huns who might try

ceiling, he then flew purely on a compass

course until the mist thinned out and he
found himself within about 15 or 16
kilometres of their destination - no small
achievement for the period. Soon they
were in the area to be reconnoitred and
McKeever gradually lost altitude in order
that they might observe more closely.
Suddenly the Bristol bucked with the
viciousness of an unbroken pony and the
atmosphere reverberated with an
almighty explosion. An ammunition dump
had suddenly and unaccountably
exploded almost underneath them and
from their aerial vantage point, both pilot
and observer were able to see the
scurrying enemy troops trying to quell the
inferno that now raged. Lower still flew
McKeever, when suddenly a hail of bullets
smashed into the Biff - they had been
“jumped” by a patrol of nine Albatros
an attack from the rear quarter. observers poured out a drum or two from scouts. One Hun scraped low over the
His first victory came on June 21st, when their Lewis guns. Round the Brisfits flew, Bristol and Powell dexterously fired a burst
he was attacked by a determined almost scraping the ground with their tip- into it from his Lewis gun - almost instantly
Albatros scout: whipping round on the skids, sniping at any enemy on the ground it exploded into flames and McKeever
E.A., he loosed off a quick burst and was bold enough to poke out his head. was hard put to it to avoid the wreckage.
almost surprised to see the Albatros shed With supreme skill McKeever drove his
its wings and the fuselage hurtle down ‘Biff’ between two hangars pouring a THREE AT ONCE
carrying the luckless pilot with it. The farewell blast into an anti-aircraft post as Having scraped past however, he
following afternoon another Albatros was he made his departure, Powell immediately shot at another E.A., whose
disposed of in similar delight to his subsequently declaring that had he wings folded up as the fuselage
squadron comrades. reached out he could have sneaked the plummeted earthwards, while Powell
Encouraged by McKeever’s success, Hun’s windsock! On the way home the woulded the pilot of another Albatros that
they began to operate their aircraft in like Bristols were beset by a brightly hued came in astern, hoping to surprise the
fashion and were soon also achieving Staffel of scouts, but nothing could daunt Bristol crew. Such was the despatch with
results. The wily Hun now had cause to their exhilaration and the Albatroses were which these three E.A. were dealt, that
revise his original opinion - based on von smartly sent running home with their tails they were all crashing simultaneously.
Richthofen’s report - that the Biff was between their legs, five less in number The remaining Albatri continued to
‘easy meat’, and from thence it was than when they set out. Andy McK’s attack, but with more caution, and
treated with considerable respect, so sights were “on target” as ever and two another was disposed of before the their
much so that a flight of more than two EAs fell to his guns. onslaught began to make itself felt upon
aircraft was left severely alone. August 28th was the occasion of the Bristol. Powell was wounded in arm
another “Mc-Powell” triple victory, when and cheek and his Lewis gun put out of
A TWO MAN JOB Powell destroyed an Albatros and his action; his pilot continued the battle, but
Much of the Canadian pilot’s success lay redoubtable pilot accounted for an when next he squeezed his trigger there
in his complete reliance on, and faith in, Albatros scout and a Pfalz D III. Four days was no response from the Vickers gun - he
his keen eyed observer, Sgt. L. F. Powell, later McKeever shot up a balloon, while had exhausted his ammunition.
who shot down no less than eight E.A. Powell then turned his attention to a Pfalz Bullets continued to perforate the Bristol,
from the rear cockpit of their F2B. Later coming in to the balloon crew’s rescue. one ripping McKeever’s flying boot, but
he was sent home for pilot training and November 30th was the last occasion on miraculously he remained untouched. He
subsequently commissioned. On July 10th, which Powell and McKeever fought realised that their best hope of escape lay
they destroyed between them a two- together. The morning had started with in getting down to ground level so the
seater and three Albatros scouts - Powell heavy mist and drizzling rain. pair lost altitude and steered a wild zig-
accounting for an Albatros - for which Wing H.Q. were shortly on the phone zag series of gyrations - it could scarcely
action McKeever was awarded the however, with a request (as only H.Q. can be termed flying - westwards at a height
Military Cross. “request”) for a reconnaissance over less than his own 36 foot wingspan.
During August, the man from Ontario Cambrai, some 120 kilometres distant. An Eventually they arrived home, with a few
achieved his 22nd birthday; was offensive was in progress in the sector and additional bullet holes contributed by the
promoted to Flight Commander and - for it was vital that the Staff received the German infantry as they flashed over the
an audacious attack on a German necessary intelligence concerning the trenches.
airfield - was awarded a bar to his M.C. A German marshalling of reserves and The intelligence collected on their
flight of five ‘Brisfits’, led by McKeever, supplies in the rear areas. Volunteers were hazardous reconnaissance was quickly
each carrying a capacity load of twenty- called for and McKeever and his able passed on to H.Q. enabling them to assess
pound Cooper bombs, tore across the colleague, Powell, “got” the job. the situation. For this exploit, carried out
enemy aerodrome at nought feet and with such determination in shocking flying
quickly sowed panic and destruction JUMPER BY ALBATROSSES weather and against such odds,
about the hangar and mess areas. In atrocious visibility ‘Mac’ quickly had the McKeever was eventually Gazetted a
Three hangars went up in flames, Brisfit airborne and before they had a member of the Distinguished Service
destroying eleven aircraft; other machines hundred feet of altitude, was already Order; to Powell went the Distinguished
were damaged by machine-gun fire as flying blind. Climbing above the mist Conduct Medal. I

Available in the
‘HOW TO BUILD...’
series
REVISED EDITION
HOW TO BUILD...
The Steel Wheeled Tiger I
by Angus Creighton
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FB.IV
by Brett Green
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FSM JAN 18 P29.indd 1 24/11/2017 10:48

SE5A PLAN FEATURE Tony OK.qxd 27/11/17 12:08 Page 2
FULL-SIZE PULL-OUT CONSTRUCTION FEATURE
MICRO
SE5A
Peter Rake's 18"
wingspan mini-fighter for
Indoor, or calm-air
outdoor action, for
control system 'robbed'
from those popular indoor
R/C 'foamies'. Prototype
test model built by
Jonathan Rider
The prototype model shows just how effective a

printed tissue finish can be, the little SE5a awaits
another ‘Dawn Patrol’. Details of the ‘printed tissue’
technique will follow in next month’s FSM, together
with a wide choice of colour schemes.

CONSTRUCTION
The equipment salvaged from a ‘foamy’ RTF indoor model was used The tail surfaces are very simple to build from strip balsa and a
as the guidance system for this model. Very similar to the popular minimum of cut-to-shape parts.
Parkzone gear.
Getting the centre section struts accurately glued to the fuselage Getting the formers glued in securely is equally important. Here are
formers is important; these set the wing incidence and alignment of shown the motor mount, tailored to suit the motor unit selected.
the top wing.
and it takes up very little space, uses few
T
he Royal Aircraft Factory SE5 was, could also be flown outdoors too. With
arguably, the best British biplane excellent flying characteristics, this aircraft resources and is a joy to assemble.
fighter aircraft of the First World War. is able to turn well within a confined Construction commences with the
Although the first examples space and it is a wonderful departure fuselage side frames. The radio control
reached the Western Front before from the larger, more complex models. components were ‘borrowed’ from a
the ‘more famous’ Sopwith Camel, it had As such, it reminds me of childhood, foamy ready-to-fly plane I bought a while
a much better overall performance and making those stick-and-tissue models that ago that has seen its better days. It’s
was better liked by novice pilots, yet flew on rubber power. With today’s always satisfying to re-cycle components,
problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine, technology, we can take that memory not only to keep the price in check, but
and some lesser flight and design details further and make a true three-function also to conserve on resources.
kept the aircraft in more of a radio controlled backyard fighter. This little All the parts are shown on the plan, so
‘development’ stage. That meant there SE5a is designed to use a small all-in-one you can cut these out yourself, if
was a chronic shortage of SE5s, or its controller or ‘brick’ that contains two you prefer.
definitive development, the SE5a, until linear servos, the receiver and the motor
well into 1918 and fewer squadrons were ESC all in one package. However, any THE TAIL
equipped with the type than with the other very light equipment that delivers The tail feathers are quickly built over the
Sopwith fighter. Together with the Camel, the same control functionality, for the plan from 1/16” balsa strip, the balsa is
the SE5a was instrumental in regaining same equipment weight could be used. light and small, so take your time on the
allied air superiority in mid-1917 and If you are familiar with building kits, this build and make sure you glue the joints
maintaining this for the rest of the war. should go right together for you (Laser-cut well because there is not much surface
wood part kits are available from our gluing area. The SE5a has a very square
THE MODEL publisher - Ed). The challenge is to ‘think tail, and its tail surfaces go together with
This is a small ‘indoor’ scale model, with a light’ and be careful with the wood clean angle-cut joints. There is no need to
span of 18” and is a great opportunity to pieces. The whole model weighs less than wet or bend the wood, which also makes
make a true indoor or backyard flyer. a 1/6th scale warbird rudder or elevator, it a joy to get back into making a small
Given the ‘still-air’ outdoor conditions that so its easy to forget how fragile this is. It’s a plane and reduces the complexity, as well
occasionally occur on summer evenings, it great departure from building a larger kit as the all-important weight in the tail. With

The bare, uncovered fuselage. The use of a paper

template to shape the sheet top decking is never a
bad idea on a structure this light.
such a small model, we have to make Add the centre section struts to the the top one first, then the remainder in
sure that we keep the tail as light as fuselage formers shown on the plans and pairs each side. This will ensure that one
possible without sacrificing strength. leave to dry. Make sure the struts are on side does not warp and that the tail end
Plywood control horns are let into the the ‘back side’ of the formers, as this will stays true. Add your balsa block for the
control surfaces after covering, to allow adjust the upper wing position and fin. (Try to hollow out some of it if you can
hooking up to the push-pull micro carbon incidence; see the plans for full reference. to reduce weight.) On the subject of
fibre pushrods. The control surface hinges Glue the formers and the firewall to your weight saving, don’t be tempted to use
are small cut pieces of a computer two sides right over the plans, and ensure very light wood for the fuselage
‘floppy disk’ and are glued in place with all is square and true. longerons. The weight saving is minimal
CA. These make small, very light and Try to use balsa strips of similar hardness with such small sections of strip wood and
strong hinges for the tail surfaces - and and ‘bendabiliy’ for both the right and left it results in a weak rear structure. If these
again, allow you to recycle old sides so that when you pull the tail stringers are too light and weak, you’ll end
components. together, the ‘bends’ are equal for either up repairing the fuselage frequently and
side, thus avoiding ‘banana fuselage you’ll end up with a tail section that is
FUSELAGE syndrome’. There is little room here for both unsightly and heavier than if you
The fuselage follows a standard ‘build- adjustment, so be sure there is a had used harder wood in the first place.
two-sides’ method with the structure commonality of fuselage shape either Prior to adding the top sheeting, make a
assembled by pinning right over the plans. side of the centre line when bringing the paper template to ensure the fit is
The sides are then mated together with tail ends together. accurate. This small fuselage will not
the small 1/16” square cross pieces. There Add the tail cross pieces and the withstand a lot of manipulation of the
is no difference between the right and left tail formers. balsa sheeting, so a paper template will
sides, so this goes together quickly. Add your 1/16” stringers to the tail with allow you to cut the top sheeting to a
CONSTRUCTION
All the airframe flying surfaces ready for tissue covering. The whole thing The fully assembled, uncovered airframe, has all the air of a hang-
is so reminiscent of those Keil Kraft rubber powered free flight scale back to those 1950s -’60s rubber-powered scale free flight models.
model of the 1950s and ‘60s ... of which, the SE5a was one of that range!

Centre section struts; front and

1/16” rear. 1/16” Bass. Two each required
Balsa.
Interplane struts; front

1/16” and rear. 1/16” Bass.
Balsa. Two each required
1/16”Balsa
1/16”Balsa
Two rqd.
1/16”Balsa
1/16”Balsa 1/16”Balsa
1/16”Balsa
All
1/16”
Balsa
1/16” Balsa
1/16”Balsa
Eight reqd.
CONTROL
SYSTEM
The airborne system
chosen for the
prototype model was a
Vapor item.
Use 7mm geared
motor, installed with 2
deg. right and 2 deg.
downstrust.
1/16”Balsa. two rqd.
1/16”
Balsa
1/16”Balsa 1/16”Balsa
1/16”Balsa
Both1/16”
Balsa
1/16” Balsa. Two reqd.

1/16” Balsa. Two reqd. 1/16” Balsa. Two reqd.
R3
1/16” Balsa. Two reqd.
1/16” Balsa.
1/32” Balsa. 26 reqd.
1/16” Balsa. Two reqd. 1/16” Balsa.

Two reqd. 1/16” Balsa.
Two each reqd.
1/16”Balsa
1/16”Balsa. Two required
1/16”Balsa. Two required

CUT PARTS
TOP TIP - cockpit cut-out
SET FOR THE
Because the cockpit opening isn’t level along its length, make an
undersize cockpit opening and cut through the centre of the rear
section. Then, when you glue the sheet in position you can add a
wedge of sheet to ensure the section behind the cockpit follows the MICRO
stringer line.
perfect fit from the outset. Cut out your 1/32” sheet balsa and glue in
place using the plans as a guide to ensure the fuselage and tail
SE5A
stay true. This month’s full size free plan feature is supported
While you wait for this work on the fuselage to set, you may as well by a laser-cut set of ready-to-use balsa and
shape the undercarriage from very small diameter wire. These plywood components. This provides the parts that,
components are sewn to the re-enforced crosspiece ply plates in the otherwise, you would need to trace out onto the
fuselage bottom, but only after covering. When dry, the cockpit wood before cutting out and includes wing ribs
aperture can be marked and cut from your top sheeting. and tips, tail centre parts, fuselage
At this point, I like to mount the motor, the radio gear and measure
doublers, top deck,formers etc.
out and mark the locations of the pushrods. After covering, it’s quite
difficult to ‘get inside’ the little fuselage, so now is your chance to
adjust everything and ensure you have the proper alignment and IT DOES NOT INCLUDE STRIP
spacing. The idea is to have as much of the weight as forward as AND SHEET MATERIAL OR
possible. In contrast to most WWI era aircraft, the SE5a had a longer
SHAPED WIRE PARTS
nose and will allow more flexibility in the positioning of the heavier
components. WW1 aircraft such as the Fokker Dr.1 or Sopwith Camel
Price £29.00
plus carriage: £11.50 (UK); Europe £26.00
had very short noses which poses quite a challenge to get all the
weight sufficently forward to achieve the correct fore/aft balance
without having to add extra weight. If you do find yourself needing Order set CUT/MF282
more nose weight, there are a variety of larger than ‘stock’ batteries Shipping Note: For shipping to destinations outside the UK and
available. If you have to add weight, it may as well be weight that will Europe, you will be charged our standard flat-rate price of £49.
This covers most destinations and secures your order with us.
yield the benefit of longer flight times.
However, we will contact you accordingly with an accurate
total shipping charge prior to dispatch and either issue a
WINGS refund or a PayPal money request for the balance.
The wings are built in five pieces, a centre section, two top wing and
two bottom wing outer panels. The single spar will be used for the rib Visit our secure website:
guide, and since it’s a flat bottom airfoil, with no washout, it can be
built right over the plans. I built two top panels first and then two www.flyingscalemodels.com
bottoms, to make sure I had one of each. I cannot tell you how many to order yours
times I have made the mistake of four ‘rights’ or four ‘lefts’. After the
wings are complete, you can then build the upper wing
centre section.
The wings are very simple, as there is no aileron or any other
complexity to them. Keep a keen eye out for the difference in the
upper and lower wings, as the lower wings have the slight extensions
and the pegs that attach them to the fuselage. The pegs also aid in
setting the incidence of the lower wings.
COVERING
I decided to cover all of the pieces before I assembled them. With
such a small model, it’s much easier to cover each piece and then
assemble them together. The covering is printed tissue which can be
obtained in many different colours, and you can match the original
SE5a pretty closely with readily available tissue colours, or use your own
designs. (How to do this will be featured in next month’s issue, togther
with a good range of colour scheme options).
I decided to use white tissue and print the details on the tissue,
making a replica of an SE5a from the American Air Service 25th Aero
Squadron and flown by its commander, Capt. Landis. I attached the
tissue to each piece with ‘stick’ glue and shrunk it to a tight, even,
overall covering with a fine mist of water. When completely dry, I then
sprayed a very light mist of clear ‘Krylon’ to create a protective
coating for the tissue. I did not use dope or any other traditional
methods, but feel free to use what works for you to cover the model. It
is vital however to keep it light!
Do not cover the bottom of the fuselage until the entire pmodel is
assembled, as this will aid you in the attachment of the pushrods and
the adjustment of the control surfaces.
ASSEMBLY
With all the basic structure completed, now is a good time to start the
assembly. Attach the radio ‘brick’ and construct a battery holding
Order direct from:- Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
plate right behind the firewall, again, keeping as much weight as
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK. Tel: 01525 222573/
forward as possible. Construct your motor mount depending on the
enquiries@doolittlemedia.com.

type of motor you have and ensure it is at

the proper angle for right and
down thrust.
Attach the elevator and rudder, and
hook up the lightweight pushrods through
the bottom of the fuselage. Connect up
the battery to test that the controls work in
the proper direction and that the control
throws are correct.
When the controls are done, add the
upper wing to the four centre section
struts, ensuring the alignment is correct
and square. When dry, add the lower
wings, and you will notice that the strut
length will automatically set the lower
wing dihedral to match the plans. I used a
small block of wood under each wing to
ensure all four wings were propped at the
correct angles. This is critical as, with no
ailerons, you won’t be able to trim out any
warp-induced roll. When complete, finish
the fuselage covering by adding the
bottom tissue.
Scale detailing wrapped up the build
A model this size is perfectly flyable in restricted surroundings, so there’s no need to worry
with the addition of a scratch-built Lewis about those bushes in the background.
gun and some light detailing on the
fuselage. Tissue paper cockpit coaming
was added. The undercarriage legs and hand launched the plane in my backyard a very small space.
struts were faired with a strip of 1/16” and we were flying! The model climbed If you want a great departure from the
balsa, stained the same colour as the well with all that wing area, and required larger and more expensive models and
struts. The wheels are ‘store-bought’ 1.5” no trim at all. In flight, the model proved you are looking for a little nostalgic trip
diameter micro wheels with tissue stable and perfectly controllable with the back in time to your childhood building
covering and the centres painted white. rudder and elevator. days, or just need a manageable cost-
The small battery gives about five effective flying alternative that you can fly
FLYING minutes of flight on 33% to 66% power. The on your lunch hour or right at home, this
Balanced as per the plan; the prototype little SE5a can loop from a slight dive and SE5a is for you. I
model’s maiden was conducted outdoors handle shallow or tight turns, but what I
and required a perfectly calm morning. I like best about it is that it can be flown in
Prototype model resplendent in its 25th Aero Squadron U.S. Air Service, WW1 colour scheme.

FSM JAN 18 P39.indd 1 24/11/2017 10:38
CUSTOM DECALS Tony OK 27/11/17 12:10 Page 2
SCALE PROBLEM SOLVER
ONE-OFF CUS
REMEMBER WATERSIDE TRANSFER DECALS? TRY THIS!
T
he surface decoration and detail ‘nose art’ applied at the behest of the process combined with computer based
of full size aircraft often include a regular pilot to whom the aircraft has illustration processes and there are also
very wide variety of images and been assigned. those whose services are available to do it
logos, very often peculiar to an Modern ‘desktop technology’ has all for you ... at a price. However, not
individual example of a type. In made it possible to create decals of these everyone has the personal kit to do it the
the case of warbirds, these are often surface details by digital photographic ‘hi-tec way, nor the skills to master the
PLAN A

CUSTOM DECALS Tony OK 27/11/17 12:10 Page 3
STOM DECALS
PLAN B
computer software involved, the cost of logo onto the gummed surface, now well is that the gum may be liable to
which is not necessarily small. overpainted with the clear carrier coat. come away from the clear base coat and
The method shown here is definitely This is best done with a sharply pointed remain on the paper.
1950s low-tech, in which the image is soft 2B pencil which requires only soft
hand painted, to achieve good-old- pressure. PLAN B
fashioned ‘waterslide’ decals. Then comes the test of your artistic skills, An alternative to the foregoing is not
applying the colours over the pencil much more that a variation of the same.
PLAN A outlines to achieve the detailed image. But instead of marking the decal image in
The base for the creation of the decal is a Good quality, fine art brushes are needed soft pensile on the ‘face side’ of the
gummed parcel label, or gummed brown for this. gummed carrier paper, it is drawn out in a
paper parcel tape (sold in reels). This is Once all the paint has set, the carrier HARD pencil (2H) on the reverse, pressing
pinned or taped down on a smooth work paper is lifted from the workboard and sufficiently to impress outline indentations
board and given a heavy coat of clear the image cut out with scissors. It is now that will show proud on the ‘face side’.
plasticised cellulose, assuming that ready for soaking in warm water in a Such will not only be easily visible, but will
cellulose is the paint material to be used. shallow container, allowing the decal to form definitive lines to guide the brush
The alternative would be the Hambrol float on the surface until sufficiently and also form small ‘dams’ to help
Enamel paints that our plastic kit soaked that the gum on the base paper prevent paint-flow over to an adjacent
modelling friends use, available available has softened. The cut-out image can then colour.
in handy ‘inlets’. The latter is a good to taken to the recipient surface on the In all other respects this variation of the
economical alternative for a task that will model and the painted logo on its clear technique is identical the Plan A.
not recur often, and for which a wide carrier base delicately slid sideways from
range of colours may be required for the base paper into its final position, AND FINALLY
similar excises later. pressing gently with a clean cloth and left If at first you don’t succeed... just keep in
After this clear base ‘carrier’ has dried, to dry. trying! I
the next step is to draw the image of the The reason for leaving the decal to soak

DUMMY ENGINES Tony OK 27/11/17 12:11 Page 2
SCALE PROBLEM SOLVER
DUMMY FLAT-FOUR
ENGINES PETER MILLER DESCRIBES HIS MAKE-IT-UP-AS-YOU-GO-ALONG TECHNIQUE
T
he ‘flat-four’ range of aircraft their own creations as typified by that many the kits that I have ever seen,
piston engines produced in U.S.A. other favourite the Warner Spacewalker particularly the ARTFs, provide crude
by Lycoming and Continental shown below. vacuum formed cylinders which are just
date back as far as the late 1930s. The popularity of the Piper Cub and stuck onto a black painted area of the
These engines continue to be used others of its breed is its relative simplicity as cowl: not really satisfying to look at.
in light aircraft today, in many cases, a scale model subject and its docile flying When on the hunt for a nice Sunday
particularly in the early years after these characteristics. As with any such aircraft, afternoon flier, I was attached to the L-4
powerplants were introduced, with there are dozens of kits available in ‘Military Cub’ but at the same time
exposed cylinder heads, in a style typified every scale. preferred a subject that had not been
by that much loved favourite of scale One of the most obvious features of the done to death. Then I found the Aeronca
modellers - the Piper J.3 Cub and its Cub is the engine; the four exposed L-3 Defender. This aircraft was a
military derivative, the L-4 ‘Grasshopper’. cylinders sitting out in the breeze attract contemporary of the L-4 Cub but did not
In later years, these engines have been the eye at once as a prominent scale see very much active service and the full
adopted, again particularly in U.S.A., by detail feature that represent the very size example that I had access to was
‘homebuilders’, designing and building essence of the aircraft. Unfortunately so finished in a training colour scheme.
Typical ‘modern’ example of an aircraft powered by

a ‘flat-four horizonally opposed engine with
exposed cylinder heads is the Warner Spacehopper,
a modellers’ favourite.

I chose to build mine to 1/7th scale,

which gave a span of 60”, making the size
ideal for the SC 30 FS motor.
The full size used the same Continental
engine as the Cub/L-4 and, since I had
spent some time making the engine look
right, I thought that modellers of aircraft
that were powered by the exposed, flat-
four horizontally opposed cylinder head
might like to know how I replicated the full The author’s 1/7th scale Aeronca L-3 Defender, powered by an SC 30FS four stroke engine.
size dummy engine in miniature. The same
techniques can be applied to Lycomings
and, for that matter, may also be used at
least to some extent, to the cylinders of
radial engines too.
THE COWL
I made my own fibreglass cowl, but the
same alterations can be carried out on a
vacuum moulded cowl or even a
balsa version.
I cut away the openings for the engine
and then glassed in 1/32” ply walls
spaced to clear the engine mount. These
are supported by balsa partial formers,
which also seal off the openings from the
inside of the cowl. The walls may need to
be angled in at the front of cowl beyond Inside the model’s sengine cowl showing External view of the cowl with various cut-
the engine mount to avoid an unsightly plywood plates in place. outs.
gap and to support the front cylinder. It is
a good idea here to check all the cut-
outs and holes for things like needle valves
and chokes etc. before going any further.
THE CYLINDERS
Now I will admit that the cylinders are a
bit tedious to make, however I have
worked out the easiest and quickest way
of doing it and I think that they look pretty
good. At the scale chosen (1/7th) you will
need a quantity of 1/64” and 1/32” ply,
some 1/4” dowel, and some gutter bolts -
oh, and lots of patience. At substantially
larger scales, material thicknesses and
sizes will obviously need to be different
to suit.
At 1/7th scale on a sports-scale model, First stage of make a dummy cylinder head. The parts for the head with three stages of
the size of the dummy engine cylinders is staping it. Note Dremel rotary wire brush.
more important than the exact number of
fins. Using the standard sizes of ply, at
1/7th scale the engine has the correct
number of fins on the cylinder but only five
in the head. With a larger scale such as
1:5 or 1:4, the head would have the full
seven fins. Larger scale engines would
need thicker plywood or an extra fin or
two. This is ‘impressionist modelling’ to a
certain degree.
For the main portion of the cylinder, cut
32 rectangles of 1/64” ply and drill a 1/4”
hole through the middle of these. I find
that drilling the hole through one set of
eight at a time is the best way to do this, if
you try to drill all at once, the drill
wanders.
Bolt all 32 together with a gutter bolt,
mount this in a drill and turn them down to
the maximum diameter of the cylinder. I ‘Continental’ logo embossed onto foil. Tje technique for anything that has an embossd marking.

used a sanding drum in my Dremel to

CONTINENTAL rough the shape out before switching on
‘FLAT-FOUR the electric drill and shaping with a
Permagrit sanding block.
ENGINE Finally, use the sanding block to put the
flats on the sides. This gives the
characteristic shape that you never see in
1:8 SCALE the moulded cylinders.
Using the same methods, make up the
28 smaller ply washers from 1/32” ply. Note
that the gaps are slightly wider than the
fin thickness, which is scale and that the
paint will reduce the difference. Assemble
the four cylinders onto their dowels.
The upper portion of the cylinder has a
flat at the bottom where the inlet and
exhaust pipes fit and slope inwards on the
top looking at the cylinder from the front
in its horizontal position.
This portion is made in the same way.
The smaller 1/32” pieces have to reduce
in size, but the larger fins can be made
the same size and haped by hand later.
Assemble these parts onto the dowel and
when they are dry sand them to their
final shape.
When the fins are sanded to final shape,
these tend to spread into the gaps a little.
If you take a wire brush in your Dremel
and use that to clean out the gaps, it also
tapers the fins and rounds their edges in a
very scale-like shape.
THE ROCKER BOX

One of the joys of making scale models is
working out how to create the details. By
now I was getting carried away. The
rocker boxes would normally be quite
easy, they are very simple shapes about
the size of a 5p piece but, and it is a big
‘but’, the full size boxes have the name
‘Continental’ embossed on each one and
I decided to duplicate that feature. The
problem was how to do it.
Obviously I would have to mould the
rocker boxes but the challenge was to
devise a simple way of embossing
the name.
EUREKA MOMENT!
I finally worked it out after waking up at
four in the morning worrying about it!
I took some cooking foil, placed it on a
paper back book and then, using a
0.5mm pencil, I wrote ‘Continental’ in
script, backwards on the foil. It only took
about ten attempts to get the pressure,
the script size right.
I then mixed up some 5 minute epoxy
and heated it with a heat gun, which
made it sufficiently to flow into the back
of the indented script. Next, I gently and
very carefully pressed the previously
The pattern ready to make the mould. The pattern with one mould on the left with the other on the right,
together with finished rocker box in the centre.

Finished dummy engine on the Aeronca L-3 Right side view of the full size engine of the Frontal view of the Continental engine on the
model. Compare it with the full size at right. Aeronca L-3 Defender Aeronca L-3.
shaped pattern on the epoxy and left it to

set. Once the glue had hardened I was
able to shape the edges and blend the
cooking foil into the pattern.
The moulds where then made using
Plastic Padding in cut-down 35mm film
containers (long before, squirreled away
as being likely to ‘come in handy some
time!). The trick was to remove the
pattern while the Plastic Padding was
still rubbery.
The moulds were coated with PVA
release agent and then Plastic Padding
was carefully worked into them
eliminating any air bubbles. Before this
was set, a short length of 1/4” dowel was
inserted. This gave me a handle with
which to remove the rocker box as soon
as it became rubbery.
The mouldings were trimmed, the dowel
cut off and sanded flush, after which four CONTINENTAL
1/32” ply plates were made ready to be ‘FLAT-FOUR
applied as the flanges at the bottom of
the rocker box. ENGINE
ASSEMBLY AND OTHER DETAILS
Because of the width of our model’s 1:8 SCALE
proper engine, the cylinders will now be
complete. On the full size engine, the
cylinders extend a little inside the edges of
the engine cowl towards the crankcase
as finely finned cylinders. These can be
represented by wrapping thread around
a suitable size of dowel if needed. Cut the
dowel on which the fins are assembled to
leave about 1/16” standing proud and
drill the ply plates in the cowl to
accept these.
Drill the holes for the pushrod tubes in
the rocker box flanges and glue these to
the top of the cylinder. Also drill the holes
for the inlet and exhaust pipes in the flat
The reflection does not help, but the ‘Continental’

logo can be discerned in this close-up.

Continental flat-
four engine as
installaed on a
Piper L-4
‘Grasshopper’.
on the side of the aluminium crankcase as plugs and plug leads. These will vary
cylinder head. in deep shadow. from installation to installation.
Make up the tubes Inlet pipes are One thing that all exposed engines on
from suitable plastic black, exhaust pipes Cubs and similar aircraft have are the
tube; I used snake area matt tan colour. baffles. These are designed to force
outers with the inner Pushrod tubes are cooling air over the fins, down between
still inside to prevent silver, polished the cylinders and over the rear cylinders.
them from collapsing aluminium tubes look The baffles can be made from thin
at the bends, good. aluminium sheet; an old soft drink can is a
achieved with the aid of a heat gun. Now glue the cylinder into place good free source of material.
Temporarily fit each cylinder and drill the followed by all the various pipes and The basic cylinders with rocker boxes
holes in the ply plate for the various tubes tubes, then finally glue on the rocker and baffles will really lift the nose of your
and pipes. Now you can paint everything. boxes, if you glued them on before this model out of the ordinary. Add the tubes
The Continental engines are gloss black, stage you can get the pushrod tubes in! and pipes, etc, and you will have a model
while the Lycoming has chrome rocker within a model that will really attract
boxes. Also paint the ply plates, I used a LAST DETAILS attention. I
very dark grey to try and represent an The engine has various small details such
An example of a Lycoming flat-four engine installed in a modern-day home-built aircraft - in this case, a Luton Minor.

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WARBIRD SURFACE COLOURS Tony OK.qxd 27/11/17 12:13 Page 2
WARBIRD
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WW1, through the WW2 period 1939-1945
and onward into the early ‘Cold War
period.
WARBIRD SURFACE COLOURS Tony OK.qxd 27/11/17 12:13 Page 3
TECHNO SCALE Tony OK 27/11/17 12:14 Page 2
Techno Modelling by Mike Evatt
Techno Scale lens Models at

Mike Evatt en
amo.blogspot.co.uk This somewhat
G
Glen’s Models new 35% scale Extra.
www.glensmodels.com was Ultimate Power in its class! It combines the complex URL will direct you to the website
established in 1989 and low weight and the affordable price of a of Raphael and Gianluca Oberti. This blog
specialises in scale aerobatic single-cylinder-engine with the power is designed to bring their passion for model
aircraft offering the prospect usually only 100cc engines provide. It is aircraft designed and built by Raffaele
of the thrill of flying exclusive and also a great choice for your large Oberti for over 60 years. Here you will find
painstakingly developed models. Their scale warbirds. more than 100 hand drawn construction
new Pre-built 30% & 35% Scale ‘Extras’ look Mike Woodhouse runs an enterprise plans by Raffaele who is an Italian F4b
particularly interesting. selling a huge range of materials, champion. Fabulous plans of fabulous
These models are very close to scale in products, equipment tools and plans to aircraft.
outline featuring shrouded scale hinging the free flight community. However, don’t Mike Stuart hosts an amazing website at
on all surfaces, plug-in wings and tails and let that put you off; there is an abundance www.ffscale.co.uk The purpose of his site is
removable rudders. Both variants are of materials suitable for the scale builder to show examples of free-flight flying scale
based around Desert Aircraft engines. The also. Mike stocks a few scale kits such as models mainly from the UK, together with
30% version uses the DA50 while the 35% those from the Bluebottle Squadron. useful information, hints and tips for fellow
uses the new DA85, and both use an The great strength of his enterprise is the builders. The screen-shot shows Mike’s
internal canister setup. vast selection of hi-tech materials and Peanut scale Blackburn Ripon, the plan for
For a great deal for information about covering materials from the traditional which may be downloaded from the site.
Desert Aircraft engines for the above tissue, condenser paper and silk, to Mylar The outlines are accurate according to
‘Extras’, log-on to www.desertaircraft.com and Polyester films that can be ironed on the three-view Mike used, except that he
They claims to be the industry leader in and heat shrunk. Check out his website at made the nose more streamlined based
giant scale model airplane engines. They https://freeflightsupplies.co.uk on a photo in the book “Fleet Air Arm
design, build, and service their engines at I am indebted to John Baker for sending Aircraft, Units and Ships 1920 to 1939” by
their Tucson Arizona factory. me this next link; Ray Sturtivant and has increased the
Their DA85 is an ideal partner for the http://gruppoaereomodellisticocolibriberg dihedral a bit to ensure adequate stability.
Glens Models New, Pre-built 30% & 35% Desert Aircraft’s DA85 is an ideal partner for Mike Woodhouse runs an enterprise selling a huge
Scale ‘Extras’ look particularly interesting. the Glen’s Models new 35% scale Extra. range of materials, products and equipment.
Raffaele Oberti, Italian F4b champion. 1/3 scale Slingsby T21 is now available from Mike Stuart’s Peanut scale Blackburn Ripon.
Fabulous plans of fabulous aircraft. Laser Cut Sailplanes.

TECHNO SCALE Tony OK 27/11/17 12:15 Page 3
enters cyberspace for more Scale orientated web-sites

AirAgeStore.com at (unsurprisingly) shot is typical of the genre - wing Span: 24” hobby brands throughout Australia, Mike
www.airagestore.com is a one-stop Scale: 1/14. and the Modelflight staff actively promote
shopping source for radio-control model Since 1907, Shesto has developed a the hobby through events, sponsorship,
books, DVDs, plans and magazines for comprehensive range of specialist tools, and community involvement. The Model
model car, plane and boat enthusiasts. equipment and materials, as well as 12 Viking is is just about the most powerful
Found here are over 60 years of R/C lighting & magnification solutions covering biplane ever flown on the air show circuit.
design innovation from the world’s leading applications across a wide range of fields The Hangar 9 giant-scale version stocked
modellers. The plans section is probably of interest. From jewellery making, hobbies by Modelflight has been expertly designed
where most scale aficionados will home in & crafts, to cake decorating, Shesto offers and built to deliver absolutely awesome 3D
to and who knows what delights you may the quality products you will need for the performance with any of the most popular
find. Maybe the Lockheed C-130 Hercules task in hand. They stock a vast range of 100-125cc engines.
shown in the screen-shot. tools and materials for model-making and CARF-Models Airplanes combine great
I always have had a soft spot for WWI precision engineering. However, what drew designs and quality materials with
fighters such as those produced by Paul K. my attention here was their range of professional prefabrication and the very
Guillow, Inc. with a web presence at masking tape in widths from 18mm down best in flying characteristics. It’s hard to
www.guillow.com The good news is that to 1mm to make that precision paint job deny just how stunning their B-2 Spirit looks.
their 200 series of Scale WWI aircraft now just that little bit easier. Check it out at A gorgeous, slick, all-black stealth bomber.
features laser-cut parts to make building www.shesto.co.uk Its impressive size of 435 cm wing span is
even more accurate and enjoyable of Modelflight at www.modelflight.com.au is intriguing, but its fin-less stealth shape make
Fighters made famous by World War 1 an RC hobby shop for all things RC it appear small when sitting on the runway.
aces like Bishop, Richthofen and Hobbies and Models. Father and Son duo Still easy to transport and store, it is big
Guynemer all of whichcan be powered Leo and Mike O’Reilly established enough to impress the crowd with an
the rubber power motor provided, or may Modelflight in 1975. Over the last 42 years, unprecedented appearance in the sky.
be convert to electric or IC engine. The the business has grown significantly. As well Check it out at https://carf-models.com I
Thomas Morse Scout shown in the screen- as selling some of the world’s leading
AirAgeStore.com is one-stop shopping for RC The Thomas Morse Scout one of Guillow’s Shesto’s range of masking tapes make that
model books, DVDs, plans and magazines. 200 series of Scale WWI Airplanes. precision paint job just that little bit easier.
That's all there is time for

from me this month so tickle
that tablet and if you find
something out there of
interest that might be good
to share, email me at
mikeevatt@hotmail.com
The Hangar 9 Model 12 Viking stocked by It’s hard to deny just how stunning CARF-
Modelflight delivers awesome 3D performance. Models’ B-2 Spirit looks.

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MS RACER FREE PLAN Tony OK.qxd 27/11/17 12:16 Page 2
FULL SIZE FREE PLAN FEATURE
MORANE SAULNIER
RACER
Once trimmed out the model is a stable and reliable performer
as long as you don’t try to rush things.

CONSTRUCTION
A simple-to-build, 45" span model
of an early racing aircraft,
d esigned by Peter Rake for
inexpensive electric power
T
he Morane Saulnier repicated in this model is a
racer from the pre-WW1 era at a time when
everything aeronautical was of great interest to
the general public. Great strides forward were
being made in terms of design, speed and
endurance of these, by modern standards, flimsy flying
machines. Within just a few years of that brief era, variants
of this particular machine were fighting for supremacy in
the skies over France.
Morane Saulnier monoplanes of varying marks were
among the first armed Scouts of the war; confusingly in The basic fuselage box. Note the darker, harder wood used for the
rear framework.
The ply formers. laminated front and pre curved body all ready to
assemble the cowl.
fact, on both sides, because be tempted to use too much

the German Pfalz Company power. It won’t make the model
held licence rights to produce that much faster, but will make
Morane Saulnier types under it a lot more difficult to control.
their own name. The Pfalz E.1 So, 2S power packs only please.
was almost identical to the MS Whilst it adds a lot of strength
type H and the Pfalz E.III was to the overall assembly, the
indistinguishable from the MS rigging isn’t absolutely essential
Type L parasol. other than for scale
Very confusing indeed, when appearance. The prototype
both sides’ types were serving model used functional rigging
on the same front. However, from nylon coated beading
here we deal with a model from wire but, if you absolutely have
much more peaceful times, to, elastic thread will look
when the only supremacy almost as good, but won’t add
desired was to be the fastest, fly to the overall rigidity that the
the highest or fly the furthest. beading wire imparts to the
model. Another rigging option
THE MODEL would be 12 lb strain
Since the original aircraft used monofilament fishing line;
wing warping for lateral control, probably a little easier to work
the model incorporates some with than the beading wire, but
non-scale dihedral for stability still imparting considerable
and relies on just rudder, rigidity to the overall model.
elevator and throttle controls to The reason the rigging isn’t
guide it around the sky. essential is because of the way
Although mildly aerobatic, this the wings are fitted, with the
really isn’t the sort of model with bass spars gluing (epoxy please)
which you would want to to the F2/F2A assembly. F2
punch holes in the sky, so don’t ensures they are securely fixed,

CONSTRUCTION
How the cowl and its’ cheeks will eventually fit onto the fuselage. The dreaded wire bending doesn’t really involve anything that
complicated.
Despite how these rigging blocks are fitted I would advise having A good shot of how the control cables exit the fuselage and
the grain run fore and aft to prevent the cables cutting in. attach to the horns. Note the tube crimps.
while F2A automatically sets equal nose this is the easiest way of saving these align correctly and allow to dry.
dihedral on both wing panels. That said weight at the tail and gaining more scale Now join the fuselage side frames using
however, if your idea of a three-point appearance at the same time. You can, F1, the F2/F2A assembly, F3 and UC. Align
landing is one wheel, the nose and a wing of course only use the lower exit plate over the plan, check all is square and
tip, you may well regret not having (EPB) and pushrods or lightweight allow to dry. Join the tail using laminated
working rigging to strengthen the outer ‘snakes’, but that is likely to mean adding parts TP, EPT and EPB and install the cross
wing panel. more nose weight to balance them out. braces. Work over the plan while doing
The locating dowels shown on the wing Remember, 1/2 ounce at the tail might this and ensure everything remains straight
panels are not load bearing. Their only require as much as 3 ounces of church and square. Once dry, remove from
purpose is to ensure that both wing panels roof in the nose to counter it. board and fit part TS.
go on at the same incidence angle. As Laminate parts MA and taper as shown
such, it doesn’t matter if they are glued to FUSELAGE to give 2 degrees right and down thrust
the wings, or into the fuselage sides Since the fuselage is the most and glue them securely to the front of F1.
because they’ll serve their intended complicated part of the build, we may as Aligning the two holes in both items will
purpose in either case. well get that out of the way first. After ensure they are in the correct position, so
As you study the plan and compare it that, everything else will come as note this before you put the taper in the
with the photographs, you’ll notice some something of a rest cure. wrong direction. Now, glue M in place,
minor differences. The reason is quite Begin the fuselage by building two again aligning the holes. One indicated
simple really; the model was originally identical fuselage sides over the plan. where the motor centres, whilst the other
drawn up and built some time ago and Allow to dry thoroughly before laminating is for the motor leads to pass through.
I’ve updated the plan to the way I would the parts P1/P1A and P2/P2A (the sockets Fit the top decking piece of block balsa
do things these days. It’s nothing that into which the pylon wires will be glued) and shape it to blend the rectangular
affects the overall design, just the way and glue them to the insides of parts FS. fuselage into the rounded top of F1. Fit
certain things are done, usually to make Just make sure they are accurately the upper and lower pieces of balsa fill
building the model that little bit easier positioned and that you end up with one between the sides.
or stronger. left side and one right side. Two of the Personally, I would fit the lower nose fill
You’ll notice that the plan and parts same side will not only complicate piece before binding the undercarriage
(you did buy the laser cut parts?) indicate matters, but will result in an ‘interesting’ assembly to F1. Fit it, sand the fuselage
closed loop controls to rudder and looking model. and get the lower fuselage covered in this
elevator. On a model with such a short Glue together parts F2 and F2A ensuring area. It complicates the binding a little,

but results in a much neater finish than trying to cover over the
bindings. It’s entirely up to you, of course, but I prefer to get any area
that will receive thread binding covered first. Obviously, this also CUT PARTS
includes the tail post, to which the elevator hinge tube will be bound.
However, I would suggest that you have the servos and closed loop
cables installed before finally completing the fuselage covering. It’s just
so much easier to access the rear fuselage while at least one side has
SET FOR THE
still to be covered.
Make up the cowl and spot glue it to the covered fuselage and then
glue the laminated cowl cheeks to the cowl - ONLY to the cowl!!!
Remove the assembly, trim and sand to shape and then thoroughly
seal and prime the wood, sanding lightly between coats, until no
MORANE SAULNIER
wood grain remains visible. A spray coat of ‘Silver Wheels’ completes
the cowl and it can be glued in place once the motor is fitted.
Glue in place the rigging pylons, make up and cover the access
hatch and the fuselage is as complete as we can get it at this stage.
RACER
TAIL SURFACES This month’s full size free plan feature is supported
Apart from the laminated rudder outline, there’s nothing complicated by a laser-cut set of ready-to-use balsa and
about building the tail surfaces. The only thing you absolutely must plywood components. This provides the parts that,
remember is to fit the hinge tube to the elevator joiner before gluing it
otherwise, you would need to trace out onto the
into the elevator halves. You’ll find the tube impossible to fit if there is
an elevator glued to both ends of the joiner. wood before cutting out and includes wing ribs
Once the rudder is dry, carefully drill up through the bottom edge for and tips, tail centre parts, fuselage
the 18 swg hinge wire to fit. Do not fit the hinge wire until the doublers, top deck,formers etc.
assembly stage.
Sand all surfaces overall and round off the edges. IT DOES NOT INCLUDE STRIP
AND SHEET MATERIAL OR
WINGS SHAPED WIRE PARTS
Pin down over the plan the leading edge strip., part TE and part WT,
gluing as required. Notch the spar to fit over WT and taper it down to Price £35.00
where WT will be from the position of the outermost wing rib. Pin the plus carriage: £11.50 (UK); Europe £26.00
spar over the plan, gluing it to WT. Now glue in all ribs, with the
exception of R1. Add the rigging blocks and rib stiffeners at the rigging Order set CUT/FSM533
points and allow to dry. Shipping Note: For shipping to destinations outside the UK and
Once dry, pack up the wing as indicated for dihedral and glue R in Europe, you will be charged our standard flat-rate price of £49.
place; vertical to the building board, but at the dihedral angle once This covers most destinations and secures your order with us.
the wing is lowered again. Sheet the upper surface of the root bay However, we will contact you accordingly with an accurate
and glue in the locating dowels. total shipping charge prior to dispatch and either issue a
refund or a PayPal money request for the balance.
Trim and sand overall, drill the rigging blocks and that’s the
wings finished.
Visit our secure website:
COVERING AND FINISHING www.flyingscalemodels.com
The only thing you need to remember about the covering is that it
shouldn’t be too heavy - so no Solartex please. Litespan (Coverlite) is
to order yours
ideal, but Solarfilm would also work just as well so long as you take
care not to warp the tail surfaces. Anything much heavier than that
will simply cause balancing problems. The one thing you cannot afford
with this model is any hint of being tail heavy.
As indicated earlier, I like my cowls painted. Although it takes longer
to get them smooth, I just find it gives far better results than trying to
cover around compound curves, especially so since it would most
likely be a silver colour covering. Automotive wheel paint has, over the
years, proved to do an excellent job and be the most durable.
Although the plan shows spoked wheels and an indication of a
partial dummy engine, these are areas where some personal choice is
just fine. Add as much, or as little detail as you like. After all, it is your
model. Although not quite as ‘pretty’, WW1 style fabric covered
wheels can substitute for spoked wheels (which are a pain in the neck
to make). Balloon tyres are not permitted however. That would look just
plain silly.
ASSEMBLY
With all the separate components finished and covered, it’s time to
assemble our model. In what order you do it is entirely up to you, but
the following is how I would go about it.
Begin by gluing the wing panels securely in place. As mentioned right
at the start, the F2/F2A assembly will set the dihedral and the locating
dowels ensure that both wings are at the same incidence angle..
Assuming you will be rigging the model, fit the rigging by running
each cable from the top rigging point, through the rigging block in the
wing and secure it at the bottom rigging point. Don’t secure the cable
into the rigging block at this point. Continue until all the rigging is in
place, the cables adjusted for tension (not to tight, just so there is no
slack) and the crimps crimped and secured with a spot of CA.
Now, check that you haven’t induced any warps or unequal dihedral
and, if you have, carefully tease the cables through the rigging blocks
until the warps are gone and dihedral is even on both sides. If you Order direct from:- Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
want some washout in the wings, work that in and finally drop a spot of Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK. Tel: 01525 222573/
CA into each hole where the rigging passes through the rigging blocks. enquiries@doolittlemedia.com.

Next, bind the elevator hinge tube into

position but do not glue the bindings just
yet. Tweak the elevators until they align
correctly with the wings and then glue the
binding, taking great care that you don’t
allow glue to get into the hinge tube.
Connect up the elevator control cables,
making sure the elevators are actually at
neutral before finally crimping them off.
Once again, not too tight.
Now comes the tricky bit; hinging the
rudder. Lightly glue the rudder hinge tube
into its’ groove and position the rudder
around it. Carefully slip the hinge wire into
place to lock the rudder around the hinge
tube. Slip the ready drilled tailskid into TS, Note how the hinge tube is already in place on the joined elevators. Don’t forget this point.
fit the hinge wire into the hole in the skid
and tease both the skid and the hinge make sure it balances slightly nose low feet in the air but attempting to bury its
tube (that’s why it was only lightly glued) when supported at the point shown on the nose in the ground - or trying to turn that
until the rudder aligns correctly before plan. If it doesn’t it may well be something into 16 feet in the air almost vertically.
finally gluing the hinge wire into the skid, other than records that you break. Until you have the model trimmed to your
the skid into TS and more firmly securing Whilst not particularly difficult to fly, this is satisfaction I would suggest keeping
the hinge tube in its’ groove. I do not by no means a trainer type model. Set it everything fairly gentle. Guide the model
recommend CA for any of this as there is up with lots of rudder throw (but don’t where you want it to go, rather than trying to
far too much risk of inadvertently getting it expect to need it all most of the time), but force it to go where it doesn’t want to. That
into the hinge tube or into the rudder with very small amounts of elevator throw. said, once the model is properly trimmed it is
itself. A rudder that doesn’t ‘rud’ is of All-moving tails are very effective on this quite stable and fairly sedate. I
precious little use to anyone! type of model, so be careful how much
Connect up the rudder cables and your elevator you use. Due to this fact alone I
model is all set to break records. suggest that your first flights are ROG
rather than hand launch. At least you’ll
FLYING get an idea of whether your elevator is set
Before even attempting to fly the model, up right before the model finds itself six
The step, pilot figure and spoked wheels all add realism to what might
otherwise be a very plain model.

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p 63 Typhoon Book 139.indd 8 13/09/2017 11:35

QUIET ZONE Tony OK.qxd 27/11/17 12:19 Page 2
it. Nothing particularly technical (I don’t

do technical); just a general look at the
process I use when designing a model.
Just maybe it will be of some small help
should you wish to have a go yourself.
MAKING A START
Quite obviously, it helps no end if you
actually like the aircraft of which you are
attempting to design a model, so that’s
not a bad place to start. My own
preferences are for early aircraft, WW1
types and a few later types that strike me
as interesting.
Many are far too obscure to appeal to
the kit manufacturer or purveyor of ARTF
models - thank goodness. However, nine
times out of ten, that is one of the reasons
a type appeals. Where the problem arises
is in turning that desire into an actual,
functioning model; one that manages to
survive beyond the first few seconds of its
maiden flight is also no bad thing. So, how
do I set about achieving that goal?
BASIC STUFF
I have two little sayings that pretty much
sum up my attitude to model design. The
first goes along the lines of having only
R/C SCALE ELECTRICS with ever designed three models, monoplane,
biplane and triplane; everything else has
Peter Rake been a cosmetic variation on a theme.
What I actually mean by that is that I
have a basic set of rules about how a
model should go together and, wherever
possible, apply them to all models of a
s usual I’m a bit late getting write about. Then the idea hit me; since certain type. These rules are nothing
A started on this month’s column.

So, between bouts of plan
drawing I’ve been frantically
searching for something to
I’m spending a lot of time designing
models and drawing plans, I might as well
make that the topic for this month. No,
not me drawing plans, but how I go about
special and apply to things like incidence
angles ,thrust lines, wing sections, etc.
So, any monoplane I design is highly
likely to be pretty much the same as every
How much detail you add is a matter of choice, but the engine, rigging and skidded u/c
draw the eye from the basically simple nature of this Kogutek, bringing it to life.

Essential for the way I design, good reference material and a A screen-shot of a plan under ‘construction’. The coloured lines refer
selection of CAD programmes. The latter were bought cheaply from to the basic tracing and equipment to be added. Final structure is
the Internet. gradually filled out in black.
Just as an aside, CAD is also useful for producing graphics, be it An example of the forethought required for a successful design. The
decals or a complete indoor model like this. Ansaldo fuselage doesn’t have a straight line anywhere, so keeping it
straight could prove problematic.
other monoplane I’ve designed, it will just As regards how this works, let’s look more the little outrunner and LiPo pack in the
look different because the outlines are closely at what I’m running on about. Try second model.
different - afterall, it’s no good having a to design your model with just enough The first model spun in, a result of a
Morane Saulnier Type L that looks like a wood to do the job and with a structure rather nasty glitch, where the motor shut
Piper Cub. Although, if you were to study that is simple, but sturdy - that’s designed down and the control surfaces slammed
the angles and wing sections, you could to be sturdy, not made so by adding hard over, from about 30 feet up into long
be excused for thinking they were the wood. I’m fully aware that it takes years to grass. It’s sheer mass managed to crush
same aircraft. perfect that lightly built strength, but the cowl, while the heavy battery
Now, before anyone points it out, I know studying the work of others (even my punched its way through the nose
I never have actually designed a Piper designs, if you’re really desperate) will sheeting. Even so, the model was flyable
Cub. But the rules would still apply if I did give numerous clues as to how it’s done. again after an hour on the building
though; no Piper Cub perhaps, but several The idea behind all this is that a light bench. So, the weight caused the
other cabin monoplanes that did follow model can be flown more slowly that a damage, but the impact resistant design
these basic rules. heavy one, and a slow model, being of the structure prevented it being a
The second little saying I like to bring out easier to control, is less likely to crash. If lot worse.
from time to time goes something like the worst does happen, and your creation The second example was one that
weight being the key to success with makes sudden impact with an immovable proved to be a pig to trim for some
these models, the lower the weight, the object (usually the ground), because of reason. It may also have been a radio
more likely you are to succeed. This one is the lower mass involved, it doesn’t hit so problem because, just as I was about to
perhaps a bit more self-explanatory; hard and causes less damage ... or give up, it suddenly became a very nice
design your model to fly, not to survive a maybe no damage at all if you’re lucky. flying model; one minute a pain in the
crash. Contrary to how that sounds, it Perhaps a good example of this theory neck, the next an absolute joy to fly,
does actually mean that you’ll probably would be to describe two crashes (yes, I albeit a joy that did occasionally twitch
end up with a model that does both! do crash them occasionally). The models quite unnervingly.
Okay, it may not survive a crash intact, were both very similar in size, around 36” Anyway, this lighter model suffered
but it will be repairable in most cases. If span, but the first was about 25% heavier multiple spins onto the strip during its
the crash was severe enough to do major than the second. Not bad design, I hasten ‘setting up’, but didn’t require any repairs
damage, then it’s unlikely that a stronger to add, just that it used a brushed motor to keep it useable. A little tarting up once
model would fare any better. and an eight-cell Ni-MH pack, rather than I got home was all that was required.

Tailplane incidence: 0 deg.

Thrust lines: 2-3 degrees down & 2-3
degrees right
I know many designers use more

incidence, and more down thrust on their
models but I find that they fly perfectly
well set up like this and the slight
incidence angle prevents the need for
more down thrust. Sometimes, that can
lead to some very strange looking
prop angles.
MONOPLANES (low wing)

Wing incidence: 1 degree
Tailplane incidence: 0 deg.
Thrust lines: 0/0 deg.
Because there is very little inclination for

a low wing model to ‘balloon’ under
power, there is no real need for down or
side thrust. Even if flight trimming
demonstrates that a little could be used
to improve performance, the 0/0 deg.
starting point is still a safe place to begin.
BIPLANES & TRIPLANES

Wing incidence: 1-1.5 degrees on both
Round fuselages benefit from a crutch style construction. It speeds assembly of a rigid,
straight fuselage, but seems to take forever to draw. (all) wings
Tailplane incidence: 1 degree
Both of these models were actually very glance’ details of how I like my models. At Thrust lines: 2 degrees down thrust & 2
similar in appearance and in the way the the end of each table, I’ll explain why I degrees right thrust
controls were set up, so it is a really good do what I do. Throughout this, I assume a
example of the difference a few ounces flat-bottomed wing, with incidence As with most high and mid wing
can make to how a model fares in measured along the flat bottom. I like that monoplanes, because the centre of drag
a mishap. wing section because it works well for the is above the centre of thrust, the down
models I design, and makes thrust prevents the drag pulling up the
NOW, ABOUT THOSE RULES building easier. nose as power is increased - otherwise
Just so it’s all clear to you, I’ll do known as a power stall.
something I hardly ever do; include a MONOPLANES (high wing, The positive incidence on the tailplane
table of figures. I promise not to make it a mid wing & parasol) helps to keep the tail up in flight and
regular feature, but it does give ‘at-a- Wing incidence: 1-1.5 degrees prevents that horrible tail-low attitude. I
Scale outline and rib spacing, combined with a sturdy front end and as
little as possible anywhere else is my idea of a perfect model.

You simply can’t build a BE type without including the external control runs,
cooling scoop, dummy engine and yards of rigging. It would look so toy-like
without these details.
“ Probably the hardest thing to get used to, when drawing up a plan, is
having to think in three dimensions, while drawing in two
find this works far more effectively than just

using down elevator trim.
So, there you have it, all my design
secrets given away. The next thing I know,
two. You have to learn to think about how
you want the model to go together, how
you can produce the shape you need
and for all this to be visible on the plan.
just what will affect how the model
structure is created.
”
won’t need everything on the three view,
With the basics in place, I can then,

you’ll all be at this designing lark and I’ll Let’s face it, we can design them a lot thanks to the wonders of CAD, enlarge
have to find some other way of keeping faster than we can build them, so it’s what I have drawn to the size the actual
myself amused. Please bear in mind that always useful if, several months down the model will end up. CAD is good in this
this is just how I do things, for the style of line, you can still see how it was all respect since, unlike enlarging a drawing,
model I like to design. More specialised supposed to go together. If not, you’re the line thickness doesn’t get distorted.
types, like jets and aerobatic models, have back to designing it all over again. Also, because you chose the most
specific requirements to suit their So, we’ll assume you’ve chosen your accurate drawing available to trace, you
intended purpose. prototype and have amassed as much know that the shapes are precisely
Similarly, I wouldn’t apply these rules to a information about it as you can. correct; never the easiest task when
WW2 fighter, but then I don’t design Considering the variations between drawing by hand,
models of WW2 fighters. It goes back to certain three view drawings, and Right, where were we? Oh yes, we were
the first point I raised; they simply don’t comparison with photographs, the more looking at a precisely scale outline and
appeal to me. information you have available, the easier about to turn it into a model
it will be to produce an accurate aeroplane plan...
GETTING TECHNICAL representation of the aircraft. As for my Not too surprising for regular readers of
So, now that we have taken a look at designs, I walk the tightrope between this column (I’m sure there must be one
what I’m trying to achieve when I sit down scale accuracy and simple (relatively) out there somewhere), I’ve managed my
to design a model, and how I expect it to construction. usual trick of running out of space before I
be set up, I suppose the next thing we’d Although as accurate as I can make the was finished. So, rather that give you short
better consider is just exactly how to get models in outline, I do make sacrifices in measure on the most important bit of the
there. I don’t intend to give a blow by the name of ease of construction where whole exercise, I’ll finish this off next time.
blow account of designing a model; that applicable. Before ever laying pencil to In the meantime, if you’d like to
would fill an entire book, never mind the paper, or line on computer screen in my contact me, as long as it isn’t for abuse,
single page of space I have left. No, case, I always like to study what makes this you’ll find me at PETERRAKE@aol.com.
instead, I’ll just run through basically how I particular aircraft different to any other. Please title your e-mail because I delete
go about it, and why I do it that way. Then, once I’ve decided how I want to anything untitled. I
Probably the hardest thing to get used emphasise that difference, I start by
to, when drawing up a plan, is having to tracing all the outlines, control surfaces,
think in three dimensions, while drawing in wing/tail ribs and stringers/panel lines. I

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NEW FROM DOOLITTLE MEDIA
The Modeller’s Guide

Superdetailing, Painting and Weathering
Aircraft of WWII, with airfield accessories, ordnance and diorama
Aleksandar Pocuc
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SCALE MODELLING:
A LOVE STORY READY Modeller’s guide to
TO ASSEMBLE superdetailing, painting and
weathering aircraft of WWII’
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
book is intended for both
TECHNIQUES beginners and advanced
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BUILDING THE AIRCRAFT of modelling tasks ranging from
■ SPITFIRE MK. IXC basic detailing, scratch-building,
■ P-47D THUNDERBOLT painting, weathering, machining
■ JU-87D ‘STUKA’ custom parts using resin as well as
scratch-building part from brass and
MAKING A DIORAMA
aluminium and of course, diorama
making. Basics about tools, paints
and modelling materials have
been covered as well. The book
revolves around three subjects,
P-47D Razorback, Spitfire Mk.IXc
and Junkers Ju-87D Stuka, all in
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FRE

FREE BRISTOL F.2B

FULL SIZE CENTRE-SPREAD PLANS - MICRO SE5A

18” (457MM). BUILD IT IN BALSA FOR INDOOR R/C 9 771368 900066

FSM JAN 18 COVER.indd 1 29/11/2017 14:34

THE ISSUE AHEAD...

JANUARY 2018 NO.218

6 6 Bristol F.2B ‘brisfit’

14 F2B TYPE HISTORY

20 Bristol F.2B SCALE DRAWING

22 the F.2B IN DETAIL

40 one-off CUSTOM DECALS

42 DUMMY ‘Flat-four’ ENGINES

48 WARBIRD surface COLOURS

54 FULL SIZE FREE PLAN FEATURE

60 THE QUIET ZONE

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 3

Editor: Tony Dowdeswell

CIRCULATION TRADE ENQUIRIES: THE MEN WHO FLEW THE BRISFIT

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Doolittle Mill, HAVE A HAPPY, BALSA BASHING NEW YEAR!

(c) Copyright Flying Scale Models

The paper used on this title is from

4 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

6 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

Gary’s 1/4 scale

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 7

photographs indicate any change to the radiator shape, I

A FEW CONSTRUCTIONAL COMMENTS

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 9

10 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

IT DOES NOT INCLUDE STRIP

Order set CUT/FSM 21 (1/4 scale) or

Shipping Note: For shipping to destinations outside the UK and

Visit our secure website:

Order direct from:- Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 11

12 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 13

14 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

vertical tail surfaces being located beneath

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 15

16 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

Seen at the Flying Legends Air Show at Duxford back in

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 17

would continue to use the 1918, trials of a high-compression

18 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 19

22 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

6: Lower wing centre section 6

7: Tail end, showing the

8: Tailplane trim linkage wire

JANUARY 2018 FLYING SCALE MODELS 23

9: Close-up view of the 9

10: Control wires all out in

11: Elevator horn with

12 & 13: Wing interplane

24 FLYING SCALE MODELS JANUARY 2018

14: Wing tip

15: Upper wing top

16: Close-up of the

17: The tail skid.

18 & 19: The main

20: Further detail

22: View into the