SCALE RC ENGINES
New Products That Are Worth a Closer Look
By Jay Smith | jays@modelaircraft.org
SCALE RC ENGINES produces many scale details for model aircraft. Beyond engines, the company offers cockpit kits, machine guns, and exhausts.
Its website states that products are “Hand assembled and manufactured in the USA with high quality plastics combined with metal components. Our materials can be painted/hand-sanded for the perfect fit and look. All hobby grade glues and epoxies are safe to use. Our products are also all water-proof and UV resistant so you can confidently fly how you normally would.”
The company’s “mock” engines take up six pages on the website. We received two engines, the World War I Le Rhône 9c Dummy Radial Engine (Full Cylinder), and the Civilian R-1340 Wasp (Full Scale).
The WWI Le Rhône 9C Dummy Radial Engine (Full Cylinder) has full-cylinder details on the back. Also offered is a half-cylinder option if the back of the engine is hidden. The Le Rhone 9C we received is 1/5 scale (7.92 inches) and weighs 6.4 ounces. It is available in sizes ranging from 1/2 scale to 1/7 scale. This engine was used on many World War I aircraft. The Scale RC Engines website lists 37 aircraft on which this engine was used, including the Fokker Dr. I and the Nieuport 17.
The Civilian R-1340 Wasp (Full Scale) also has full-cylinder details and is available as a 1/2-cylinder option as well. The Civilian R-1340 Wasp (Full Cylinder) that we received is 1/6 scale (8.625 inches) and weighs 11.4 ounces.
The R-1340 Wasp is a reciprocating aircraft engine, a type that was widely used in American aircraft from the 1920s onward. Two examples of aircraft that used this engine are the Boeing P-26 Peashooter and the Ford Trimotor. The website lists 59 aircraft that frequently used this engine. It is available in sizes from 1/3 scale to 1/12 scale.
These dummy engines are designed to be hard-mounted on your model’s firewall using 30-minute epoxy. They can also be mounted using standoffs or mounted directly to the cowling. Although Scale RC Engines offers many sizes for all of the engines that it produces, the company can also produce a custom-size engine if requested.
The dummy engines that we received look very nice and will easily add a lot of scalelike appeal to your aircraft. Pricing on the engines depends on the engine type and size. It is definitely worth taking time to visit the website to see all of the scale offerings that the company has available.
Scale RC Engines also offers cartoon-style airplane trophies. At the time of this writing, the company offered nine aircraft trophies from which to choose. If you are looking for something that is a little different for awards, these might be worth considering.
SOURCES:
Scale RC Engines
www.scalercengines.com
New Products From the Modeler’s Mall
Embryo Dipper @ $40.75 + S&H from BMJR Models
Tel.: (321) 537-1157; website: www.bjmrmodels.com
The original 13-inch wingspan Dipper Free Flight Rubber Parasol model was a 1932 Comet kit. The advertisement stated that it would fly 900 feet. The Flying Aces Club’s (FAC) FAC News had plans redrawn by Stew Meyers in February 2024, which was the inspiration for BMJR Models’ Embryo Dipper.
The BMJR kit has been scaled to a 17-inch wingspan with a 49-sq. in. area for FAC Embryo Endurance. The prototype came in at 28 grams, ready to fly, and the first kit build was 27 grams. Both were tissue-covered with nitrate dope. Power is six strands of 1/16 rubber. It’s a fine flyer and a fun build!
Photo Etch Glue AD93 @ Prices may vary with currency conversion + S&H from Deluxe Materials
Email: sales@deluxematerials.co.uk; website: www.deluxematerials.com
Have you been looking for the perfect adhesive to photo etch? Look no further than Deluxe Materials’ Photo Etch Glue AD93. Water-based, it easily spreads, is non-brittle, and bonds all types of photo etch to plastic and metal.
Photo Etch Glue has several advantages over CA glue, including a long shelf life, and it allows adjustments and water cleanup.
A 25-milliliter bottle is distributed to model stores within the Deluxe Materials network of international distributors, including Horizon Hobby (www.horizon-hobby.com) and Tower Hobbies (www.towerhobbies.com). See the Deluxe Materials website for additional distributors and information.
Dart @ $99.95 + S&H from Old School Model Works
Tel.: (513) 755-7494; website: www.oldschoolmodels.com
The Dart is another of Old School Model Works’ Schoolyard series—a kit you can easily frame up in just a weekend and enjoy at a local schoolyard or park.
Because of the interlocking design and the high-quality laser-cut parts, the Dart is a quick build and also builds straight and true. All of the parts were designed to align properly with minimal fuss or the use of alignment tools.
The wing is removable, giving access to inside of the cabin area, as well as access to install most any brand of radio and control linkages. Up front, a large hatch has been designed to cover the spacious battery compartment, which can easily handle up to 1,000 mAh 2S to 3S packs.
Although it only weighs a little more than 1 pound when ready to fly, the Dart’s construction gives it surprising rigidity to handle almost anything you can throw at it: loops, rolls, inverted flight, snaps, spins, Hammerheads, Cuban 8s, and more. After you’re done tearing up the sky, throttle down to easily cruise around the field then set up for a nice, controlled landing. Program in a transmitter flaperon mix, place the aileron servos in separate channels, and enjoy even more slower flights, shorter takeoffs, and slower landings.
A four-channel radio (five with flaperons), a 100-plus-watt electric motor, 20-plus-amp ESC, and a 2S to 3S LiPo battery are required.
