F/FSport
“Take a look and you will see for yourself— multi-engine airplanes are just majestic.” —
FLIGHTMONKEYS.COM
D
eciding to build a scale model re- quires a greater commitment of time, effort, worry, and elbow grease than any other type of
freeflight subject. Deciding to build a multi- engined model raises that commitment ex- ponentially and elevates the project well be- yond the realm of normal modeling and into rarified air. Making a decision to build such a creature is not an easy thing and some- times requires a considerable amount of “soak time” to let the idea percolate through the mind. Our first set of photos of the bright red P-
38 Lightning “YIPPIE” variant came from reader John Drewski, whose first exposure to the plane took place during WWII when someone gave him a Comet kit. Although the kit was well beyond his capability at his very young age at that time, the idea stuck in his mind for more than six decades, until just recently. After first securing the specialized decals
in the correct scale, John invested in the 30- inch Dumas kit of the P-38 Lightning and began to bring the model in his head to life. John says, “I built it as drawn except for the prop drives and cockpit detail. It finished out at 4.7 ounces using red LiteSpan, Tamiya clear red paint, and 7.75-inch props.” The cockpit detail is a 73% copy of the cockpit in the Guillow kit of the same
plane. The rubber motors are four strands of 1⁄8-inch FAI Super Sport, 22 inches long, which gives a motor run of about 45 seconds on 1000 turns per motor. Inspired by a YouTube video of a Dumas
P-38 Lightning flying successfully, even with its landing gear down, John is hopeful of the same sort of flights when the grass
by larry kruse You can reach Larry Kruseat 18 NW Heatherstone Drive, Lawton, Oklahoma 73505, or via e-mail at
aircats@att.net
PHOTOS: JOHN DREWSKI
It took John Drewski a long time to bring the P-38 in his head to a three dimensional form (above left), but he was able to do so with the help of a Dumas kit, and fond memories from his childhood. The model features LiteSpan covering, Tamiya red paint, and cockpit details from a Guillow kit. The very striking lettering (above right) on John’s P-38 Lightning came from shrunken versions of decals originally intended for a much larger nitro powered model. The completion of Lockheed’s twin was a satisfying experience for him. The model awaits test flights.
gets tall enough to help avoid potential dam- age from less than perfect testing.
The wing is the thing Our second multi-engine beauty this
month comes from none other than master- modeler, Tom Hallman, who also was beset with a seven year “soak time” before traction toward completion set in. Tom notes that in building his large and gorgeous Russian MiG-DIS twin his Dad’s words came into play. Tom said that his father told him that it’s easy to “get your mix all talked up”, and those words came to pass when he began forming the prop hooks for the intended counter rotating propellers. “Yesterday,” he said, “I realized I’d put a reverse-reverse “S” hook on the left
prop...Geez!” To correct the problem he got “two pliers and three hands and went to
work...It looked horribly twisted at one point, but I was finally able to reel it in....If
the model has a stable circle to one side or the other, I’ll tell the story about the re- versed prop hook and how it helped create 2.7% more resistance on one side or the oth- er....If it doesn’t work, I’ll have a string of nasty words that would have led my mother to wash my mouth out with soap.” Another noteworthy building feature that
caused Tom some head-scratching was the installation of the wing/fuselage fillets that measure a nominal 11 inches long. Tom said the installation of those two pieces required quiet concentration without distraction af- ter everyone else had gone to bed! The winding process will be Tom’s next concern as he prepares for test flights. Not- ed FAC’er, Vance Gilbert, suggested that Tom write the words “WRONG WAY” on the left nacelle to note its counter-rotation and reverse winding requirements. Separate motors braided in opposition to each other will be additional requirements.
PHOTOS: TOM HALLMAN
Tom Hallman chose this unusual MiG-DIS (above left) as his entry for this year’s FAC Nats Jumbo Scale not only for its long nacelles and twin motors, but also for its huge wing area and light wing loading. The model features counter rotating props and a very well-concealed dethermalizer system. One of the
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challenges Tom encountered with the large wing of his MiG-DIS entry were the large fillets (above right) necessary between the wing and fuselage joint. Installing them required patience and a steady hand. Though never produced, the real plane would have been the MiG-5.
JULY 2012
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