Free Flight: Sport and Scale
ONCE A WEEK I have an opportunity to go flying with a terrific bunch of modelers, and every type of Free Flight is flown. Most of us are in the "golden years" of life, with many years of modeling experience. The one thing that surprises me is that none of these modelers ever cover a model with wet tissue. Their covering jobs are first-rate, but telltale overlapping seams on a wingtip are noticeable. "So what?" you might ask. It's okay on a non-scale model, but it doesn't look good on a Scale model. If the model is going to be painted, it doesn't matter, so what is the big deal? Covering with wet tissue allows the use of one piece of tissue for the top surface of a wing, or for a fuselage with compound curves; you can get a better covering job with much less effort. Here's how:
Free Flight: Sport and Scale
I HAVE A BUNCH of hints to pass on that I hope will prove to be useful in your Scale modeling efforts. I love biplanes. I have built a couple of full-size bipes - I have been flying the first one I built for 18 years now! Each time I fly it, I enjoy it more than the time before. However, biplanes have one drawback, as far as I'm concerned: They have two wings! What? I do not like building wings - any shape or size. Then there are cabane and interplane struts, flying and landing wires. This adds up to a potful of work, wouldn't you say? Therefore I have gone to great lengths to make all this work as easily as possible, including the alignment of the wings during assembly. I always laminate the trailing edge and the wingtip as a unit. I do not like wide, unrealistic trailing edges. The laminated TEs are stronger and more warp-resistant than their wide balsa counterparts. I use basswood exclusively, and you can buy all you want in any size and practical length you need from Joseph Deppe, Box 135, Bolton Landing NY 12814; Tel.: (518) 644-9465. Send him a dollar and a stamped, self-addressed envelope for his catalog.
