SETTING THE STAGE
By Jeff Troy | jefftroy@aol.com
BEFORE GETTING INTO the subject matter, I want all of my Model Aviation friends to know that it’s a true pleasure to appear in these pages once again. It’s been a while—more than 20 years—since I’ve written for AMA’s outstanding lead magazine, and keeping my Park Pilot articles alive within it is an honor for which I am much appreciative. Now I’ll get to it.
Creating a personal modeling environment is an important step toward ensuring your best possible model-building adventures. I’ve been building anything and everything I could get my hands on since I was strong enough to hold a hammer. In fact (true story), one of the first projects I undertook at maybe three or four years old was using my Handy Andy Tool Kit to saw the legs off of the family’s dining room table so that it would be a better fit for me. Instead of punishing me, my parents thought that this was hilarious and encouraged my continued use of tools, kit projects, and accessories, which soon took me to my obsession with model airplanes.
My early airplane kits were nonflying plastic models and solid wood models from companies such as Revell, Pyro, Renwal, Strombecker, and others. Stick-and-tissue, rubber-powered airplane kits, such as the Speedi-Bilt line from Monogram and many more from Sterling, Guillow’s, Comet, and others, came next, and they were eventually followed by the extensive, semisolid body selection of .049 glow-powered Control Line kits from Scientific Models.
Today, I build small, electric-powered models from companies such as Stevens AeroModel, BMJR Models, Retro RC, and others, to 1/4-scale and
5- and 15-minute epoxy, from Bob Smith Industries (bSi).
Gathering tools is something I could go on about forever, but I hope this brief overview has shown you a few key items to consider for your own building area. Now repeat after me: “I want it all, and I want it now!”
Until next time, my friends, build straight and fly safely. We’ll do this again.
TV screen. You wouldn’t want me to miss Ozark or Squid Game, would you?
I have an understanding wife who not only built and flew RC sailplanes with me in friendly, local competitions, but she also does not object to me occasionally replacing the laptop on my bedside table with a small, balsa building board. Although my balsa board is only 48 inches long, I am currently building the four individual wing panels for a 113-inch wingspan vintage Berkeley Models 1955 Custom Privateer on it. Yes, I’m building a 9-1/2-foot RC model in my bedroom!
Building supplies and tools run rampant in my basement workshop because of the many projects I work on, and I’ll get to quite a few of those in future columns. At the less demanding end, my bedroom “tool chest” is no more than a simple cardboard box holding a #1 hobby knife, #11 blades, a fine-tooth razor saw blade from Excel Blades, T-pins, hinge tape, the newly released Kwik Sand Hand Sanders from Du-Bro, small and medium Phillips and slot generic screwdrivers, a razor plane, masking tape, a metal straightedge ruler, and thin and medium CA glue, as well as
SOURCES:
Stevens AeroModel
(719) 387-4187
www.stevensaero.com
BMJR Models
(321) 537-1159
www.bmj rmodels.com
Retro RC
(248) 212-9666
www.retrorc.us.com
SLEC Manufacturing
sales@slecuk.com
www.slecuk.com
Excel Blades
(973) 278-4000
www.excelblades.com
Du-Bro
(800) 848-9411
www.dubro.com
bSi
(805) 466-1717
www.bSi-inc.com
