Planes of the
2013 WRAM Show 2013 WR
Some of the best model builders gather to show off their work at the 49th Annual WRAM Show!
By Frank Fanelli PHOTOGRAPHY: FRANK FANELLI I 40
t was the second year that the WRAM (Westchester Radio Aero Modelers) Show took place in its new venue, the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Se-
caucus, NJ.
To those familiar with the past history of Secaucus, it would have seemed an inauspi- cious place to hold a noteworthy modeling event like this. But the Center lies in the heart of a major commercial development, Harmon Meadow. It’s one of many in this re- vitalized part of the New Jersey Meadow- lands. And it has easy access to major high- ways and is only at most a half hour away from Newark Airport and Manhattan. Maybe that’s why this 49-year-old show has experienced its own rebirth. In recent years the vendor attendance and show at- tendance was declining. Part of the reason was the old site and its lesser access and constrained area.
Last year marked the transition to the
Meadowlands and by all accounts it was a big success. Some of the major vendors who had dropped the show returned and those who had remained enthusiastically signed up for this year and spread the word about the renewed vitality.
All this leads to the fact that the same suc- cess sparked a renewed vigor in the number of static display models on view during the show. All kinds of R/C models—big, small, sport, scale, aerobatic, vintage, and more— kept a lot of cameras flashing and people gawking at some very interesting models. Elsewhere is a box that not only shows the winners but the variety of categories pres- ent. And despite the fact that this is a model airplane magazine I also have to give a nod to some really beautiful scale ship models. Craftsmanship is the name of the game when it comes to these planes and it shows itself as beautiful finishes, or superb scratch- building that is most evident in the scale air-
craft. The former is most noteworthy in the sport models and also the scale aircraft. The latter is shown in the scale aircraft, and also in categories like the vintage aircraft of old. Some of the planes displayed were ARFs. But rather than simply reproducing them as manufactured, the modelers used them as a foundation for some considerable modeling skills by adding a wealth of extra details and refining the finish with a far more realistic look. Two that quickly come to mind are the Raiden that former Associate Editor, Chris Susicke did, and the A6M Zero that FMcon- tributor, Vic Macaluso, displayed. Thanks to their extra effort both planes were far from what the standard ARF would be. All the models displayed a workmanship that is a testament to a continued future of craftsmanship. That may be a hallmark of the hobby that is diminished, but will al- ways be on display at the WRAM Show and others like it.
APRIL 2013
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