RC Giants
Sal Calvagna, 1335 Broadway Ave., Holbrook NY 11741; E-mail: ncalvagn@suffolk.lib.ny.us
Since I am fortunate enough to reside near a few of the leaders in Giant Scale aviation, I thought it would be interesting to visit one and share the experience with readers. I telephoned Nick Ziroli of Nick Ziroli Plans and asked if I could pay him a visit and take some notes for a future Radio Control (RC) Giants column in Model Aviation.
Ziroli designs enjoy worldwide popularity, and examples can be found at nearly every local warbird event. There probably isn’t a Giant Scale modeler out there who hasn’t heard the name Nick Ziroli or isn’t familiar with the highly successful line of Giant Scale warbirds.
However, very few have seen his facility or met the people behind the scenes at Nick Ziroli Plans who help provide the services that make this company so successful.
To begin with, we need to be on the same wavelength about who I’m discussing when I refer to “Nick.” Nick Senior, who started the company, is really not Senior, and Nick Junior has a son named Nick. So the Nick we know as Senior is really Junior, and the Nick Junior we all know is really Junior Junior. If you follow this logic, the youngest Nick should be Junior Junior Junior.
Are you confused yet? I am.
The Ziroli’s span four generations. Although the youngest Nick (who is roughly eight years old) is an emerging RC’er and will hopefully become endeared with modeling as his father and grandfather have, in this column I am referring to his dad, who we all know as Nick Junior.
Nick owns and operates two distinct businesses at his facility in Suffolk County, Long Island. One is Specialty Mold, where he designs prototype tooling for the cosmetics industry and tooling for specialized packaging. Those neat vacuum-formed cosmetics displays at department stores that hold an assortment of lipsticks or other items are the finished product that Nick designs.
Starting with an artist’s sketch or a basic foam design, Nick uses a specialized CAD (computer-aided design) system to draw the product. The program he uses makes a three-dimensional line rendering that shows all the radiuses, depths, surface pattern, etc. He enters specific information about what cutting bits are to be used and other pertinent information required by the CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled) machine.
Nick makes a prototype of the mold using a very dense foam material, and he uses this mold to make an ABS plastic rendering on the vacuum-forming machine. He sends the rendering off to the customer to approve or to make any necessary changes, then the final mold is cut from aluminum. The aluminum mold is sent away and used to make the numerous final displays.
In an accompanying photo, Eric Quailly, who has been an avid modeler for 30 years and is shop foreman, prepares to make an AT-6 canopy on a vacuum-forming machine. In addition to the canopies needed for the many Ziroli designs, there are many molds used for ABS parts of the same model aircraft. The firm also makes many different-size ABS dummy radial engines that provide a great finishing touch to any appropriate RC Giant. Nick provides vacuum-forming service for other RC designers as well as for use with his Specialty Mold business.
As foreman, Eric’s primary responsibility is programming and operating the CNC milling machines for Specialty Mold. However, he can be found most of the time working on his latest RC Giant project in the shop.
The other business Nick owns — and the one we can all identify with — is Nick Ziroli Plans (NZP). Nick Senior started NZP approximately 20 years ago, and it has grown into a full-service, one-stop Giant Scale mail-order house that boasts the largest selection of field-proven Giant Scale plans available (24), with more on the way.
Although Nick Senior has moved to the Albany area of upstate New York, he remains a key player in NZP. He provides new designs and fabricates all the drawings for these designs. He is also active in demonstrating the new aircraft at various fly-ins throughout the country.
NZP offers a wide range of the most popular Giant Scale accessories, including propellers, pilots, fiberglass parts, retractable landing gear, engines, spinners, and many more.
Those of you who telephone in or e-mail your orders are in the capable hands of Diane Oliver. She has been a member of the NZP team for 15 years and provides outstanding service for us Giant Scalers. In addition to customer service, her responsibilities include invoicing, shipping, inventory, and almost everything else that needs to be done in the day-to-day operation.
If building from plans is not your cup of tea, why not try one of our favorite Ziroli designs in kit form by one of the many kit-cutters that can be found on the NZP Web site at www.ziroliplans.com? Many of their designs can be purchased with fiberglass fuselages, which are great time savers.
In the last couple of years, Nick has competed at the annual Top Gun competition with his Grumman TBF Avenger. Last year he placed second in Designer Scale. For the upcoming Top Gun event he hopes to have his latest project completed: a Douglas A-20 Havoc.
At 1/2 scale with a 122-inch wingspan, the A-20 will be powered by two 38–48 gas engines. Nick is well on the way to having the fiberglass fuselage. The tail feathers have just been installed and the rear ABS turret is fastened in place.
The Douglas A-20 was a shoulder-wing, twin-engine medium bomber. It was built to an Army Air Corps specification issued in 1938. By the time the US entered World War II, our British and French allies were already flying the bomber. The British called it the Boston.
Light, fast, and powerful, the A-20 was a real winner. With a tricycle landing gear, it had a number of interesting handling characteristics compared with other large twin-engine aircraft of its day. The A-20 had only one pilot and a crew of three. It also had a bomb bay and a radio navigational searchlight compartment. At the time the aircraft was a heavy fighter; some A-20s were fitted with a 37mm cannon and redesignated the P-70 night fighter.
If you are interested in building your own Ziroli design or you need some Giant Scale accessories for your current project, visit Nick’s Web site or call NZP at (631) 467-4765. He is always happy to assist his customers with their RC questions.
The Web page also has a photo gallery that includes many of his customers’ finished models and a section with work in progress.
Remember to send in those photos of your current RC Giant and any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have for the RC Giants column.
Happy landings! MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
