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What's Up

 

  

     While we were relaxing at the boat pond one morning the idea came up that the local scale boat club, the Albuquerque Model Marine Association (AMMA) needed a web site to let boat modelers know   what the AMMA is all about. Since the club is not actually official, there are no dues, and only has officers in name as contacts, there's no way the club can support the cost of its own site, so I decided to add a page dedicated to the AMMA here at Pat's Custom Models. So, for those boat modelers out there who are interested in what the "boat modelers in the desert" are up to, look in on the new offering here. So, if your a local modeler with an interest in boat modeling, or just visiting Albuquerque, you might enjoy stopping by our local pond.

Pat Tritle

 

What About Those Highly Detailed Plans We Speak Of?

    In many of the Short Kit description we speak of the kit containing Highly Detailed Plans. Since the kits are intended for the more experienced modeler, and do not include Step-By-Step Building Instructions, the plans are detailed to a level where no instructions are needed. All the wire bending patterns for the landing gear are shown, and even the patterns for making up the bowed outlines have been provided. There are plenty of notes on the plans as well as detail assembly drawings for the small sub-assemblies, plus fuselage and wing cross sections to help determine parts locations and other pertinent assembly information.. And on the later offerings a materials list is provided as well as detailed parts I.D. Sheets to make identifying the parts a breeze. And since these are Short Kits, nothing out of the ordinary was incorporated into the build that is not readily available from Hobby Shops or Mail Order suppliers.

    So, for the experienced kit builder there should be no problem getting the model assembled. For the Scratch Builder, these kits are perfect since they eliminate the need for cutting out parts, which due to the CAD drawn plans and laser cutting enable the design to incorporate more intricate parts that would be difficult to hand cut, yet at the same time make the model easier to build. And for those with a little less experience that need a hand with some of the techniques used in these designs, check out the Building Tips page for a little step-by-step help.

Here's an of example of what these plans look like

The GeeBee Model D plans are typical of all the Short Kit plans that include not only the Assembly Views and wire bending patterns, but also several

"Build-On" Drawings to make assembly of the model quick and easy as possible.

 

New Catapult Gliders

    A new series of Catapult Gliders is currently in the works. The Bell X-1 and the V-1 Flying Bomb are finished, and the B-727 is well underway. All three models have been test flown with the preliminary trimming done. The X-1 is by far the best flyer of the 3 followed by the V-1 and the B-727, though all 3 will provide lots of great fun in the park.

    As soon as the "paperwork" is complete and the laser cut parts arrive the series will be launched on the Short Kits page, so keep an eye out there. Also, since now there will be 6 of these little gems to choose from, the "3 pack" will be changed so that you can select any 3 of the 6 models offered at the same reduced price.

   

 

The Fleet Biplane is Finished

    The 1:8 scale Fleet Biplane is finished and has flown, and is now all noodled out and flying very nicely. The Fleet spans 42" with a flying weight of 18 oz. Power is provided by an E-Flight Park 400 Outrunner with a Thunderbird 18 ESC, APC 9-6E prop and an Intellect RC 1600 mah 2S Li-Poly battery for flight times upwards of 20 minutes.

    The Fleet is a slow and docile flyer -- exactly what was expected from the late 20's era Trainer Biplane. The model features true-to-scale outlines right down to the air-foiled horizontal stabilizer. The only modification made made was to use a proven flat bottom airfoil to simplify the build.

    Guidance is  4 ch. R/C by way of 4 sub-micro servos (1 ea. aileron and elevator, and one on each aileron). Construction is the typical "stick and Tissue" style with bowed outlines on the vertical and horizontal stabilizers for a strong light airframe. The wings are of the "egg-crate" style vastly simplifying the build over the more common upper and lower spar arrangement.

    The design has been submitted to AirAGE Publications as a Construction Article, and once it has run, will be available as a Short Kit. You can see more details on the Short Kits page, and when the Add To Cart button appears will be available for sale.