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A few years back
your editor decided to develop a series of WWII fighters which
could be constructed easily, have good flying capabilities and
be small enough to carry to the hill tops without stopping for
a second wind.
At around this time
Micromold produced in 1/10th. scale several WWII fighters for
power flying. The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien, nicknamed
“Tony” and the P-51B “Mustang” appealed to me in
overall size and outline. I opted to build my first two
models to the same size but altered the construction and
aerofoil sections to meet PSS needs more adequately. In
the case of the Tony I used an Eppler 205 flat bottomed
section and for the Mustang I used the trusty Clark “Y”
section.
Fuselage
Construction was of the composite balsa and foam combination
with
a rectangular balsa box core in the nose to accommodate lead,
batteries and receiver. Fin and tailplane were of soft
1/4” sheet balsa and wings were of white foam, skinned with
soft 1/16” balsa. Strip ailerons and elevator controls
were operated by two standard size servos. That for the
ailerons was set in the wing centre section, the elevator
servo being below the cockpit in the fuselage.
Using white PVA
glue, a standard cotton bandage, 2” wide, was pasted onto
the wing centre section above and below the wing to add
strength at the dihedral break. Washout of 1/4” was
cut into each wing at the tips and the wing was set at 1 1/2
degrees positive incidence and the tailplane at zero degrees
on the fuselage.
Both models were covered in silver Solarfilm and camouflage as required
was sprayed over this where
necessary. Wings were attached by dowels and rubber bands.
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Alan
Hulme's own design N.A. P-51B Mustang nicknamed
"Gladys" |
Both models flew well over a 2-3 year
period on numerous slopes and I eventually gave them away.
The third model built to a similar layout
and using an Eppler 205 wing section was the Focke-Wulf 152H,
a high altitude German fighter. The high aspect-ratio
wing of the 152 lends itself to light, as well as moderate,
wind speeds as does the Tony.
Micromold later ceased production of their
WWII fighter range of models with the exception of their
Spitfire Mk.22. I bought several of their obsolete
moulds from which I am able to produce cowls, cockpit covers
and spinners. Plans for these, now proven designs, are
available from the PSSA Plans Service. <PSSA
Plans Service>
For all three models I obtained cockpit
covers, cowls and spinners from Micromold.
For those wishing to try their hand at
designing their WWII models I suggest that points to keep in
mind are:
I. Build
to a reasonable portable scale — I / I 0th. Scale fine.
2. Pick an aircraft which, in full size,
has good proportions i.e. - ample wing area, a moment
arm of around 1 1/2 – 2 times average root chord.
3. Keep the construction simple. Use
3/16’ or 1/4”medium balsa sheet
sides and utilise
white foam where necessary for wings and fuselage top areas to
produce rounded shapes.
4. Select soft, light 1/16” balsa sheet
for skinning wings and foamed areas of the fuselage.
5. Use a lifting wing section (flat
bottomed) for wings, such as Clark ‘‘Y” or Eppler
205. Remember if you cannot get enough lift to gain
sufficient height, particularly important in light Iift
conditions, you cannot engage in aerobatics.
6. Aim
for a wing loading of between 16-20ozs per square foot,
complete with gear and and nose weight.
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Alan's
Grandson holds aloft the Focke-Wulf FW-152H for the
camera. |
Currently I am finishing off another set
of them and should have them all out in 1998. Here are a
few details on the models:
Kawasaki
Ki-61 “Tony”
Wing
span: 47”
Wing section: Eppler 205
Wing area: 308sq”
Wing loading: 20oz/sq.ft
All up weight: 2 3/4lbs
North
American P-5l B “Mustang”
Wing span: 44”
Wing section: Clark “Y”
Wing area: 315sq”
Wing loading: 20oz/sq.ft
All up weight: 2 3/4lbs
Focke-Wulf
Ta152H
Wing span: 57”
Wing section: Eppler 205
Wing area: 342sq”
Wing loading: 20oz/sq.ft
All up weight: 3 1/4lbs
I hope these comments help you to develop
your own dreamships and can assure you that the sight of an
own design model soaring off into the blue yonder is something
not to be missed.
Good luck! And keep sending me your own
ideas for future newsletters.
Alan.
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