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Original Veron Cardinal kit, covered with Litespan, powered by a late (yellow head) DC Dart... all 100% proper FF.

Just been looking on a USB drive for something and found some pics of some of my plastic models. I generally like to build old "classic" kits such as the Matchbox, Airfix, Revell and Heller of my youth 40 years ago. But without the melted fingerprints left on the model this time!

Neat launch trolley Ron. You conduit when you B&Q it.?

Hi Richard, I was having real difficulty deciding so went to George at 4-Max. The biggest issue was the prop clearance due to the shorter retracts so he suggested a 5055-595 motor and 6S battery and this allows it to spin a 3 blade 11x6 prop. It is a big motor for this plane but a combo of motor and prop should work well I hope. I got some more work done on the paint today. I cut the paint masks but used a new type of mask material but it seemed good so went for it You then get to this stage and get nervous......hopefully they work well! Relief! She looks good for an old lass! Few bits of the white need touched up after a year being moved around and moving house but otherwise she is almost done. Clear coat to go on then Motor and servos. It shows what you can do with an old model to give them some life again. Officially home straight now Gary

Like many, I have been building plastic models off and on for most of my life. Here's one of the last projects I built with my dad about 15 years ago.

Rubber? It's a changing art.

Ken, that sounds like one of those situations where you just stand and look, very quietly, at what has just happened, then walk away to go and chew a lump of granite. I feel your pain.

Yea, point taken. But my priorities revolve round other things, chutneys, jam, marmalades, and pickles. And I have no intension to spend a year learning CAD. If the drawer of the failed plan can’t turn it over in the mind, there you go. It drives me mad in the early hours, when the grey cells decide to finalize the plan. Skills learned decades ago. And in fairness, a rubbish plan, parts don’t fit, would be revealed in a forensic examination. The only tools needed is a rule, square, protractor. Assume nothing, as in ASSUME makes an ASS out of YOU and ME. Game of blood, flying model aircraft.

Even though it's only a small model, it's amazing how many little jobs there are to do and how much time it consumes, even when I thought I had finished the basic assembly. The upper and lower sheeting had plenty of time to dry so was trimmed and then sanded to shape, with just a little rounding of the corners. Next up, I cut out the fin, sanded it to shape and cut a slot in the upper sheeting to locate it. That meant I could loosely put the model together for the obligatory, morale-building, photo: And it even looks reasonably straight: Final shaping of the nose to do and it still needs the cabin roof to be added to the fuselage ahead of the leading edge. Then it will be time for covering, honest...

I use a lot of Corona 929mg or 939mg servos also great for ailerons up to 1.50m

Throttle has next to no load on it so a tiddler will do, Hitec 82 or 85. If Wizard is about 0.20 size? I'd probably use Hitec 225 for all main controls. Or Savox equivalents.

Gary that is beautiful. I always wanted one of those or the 100s Chieftain. Very classy looking, but possibly showing their age in terms of wing section now? I had a Selestra which was a similar size, but never really felt "right" somehow.

Thanks, that is a useful read. It looks like it goes together well other than a few slightly odd choices of hardware, though I'm not sure converting a model with a structture like this to IC is the best of ideas - better to start with something designed for the purpose. Certainly mine (if I get one, most probably the Spit) would be electric powered.

This is a current thread about one of the VMC kits. https://www.modelflying.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/49070-vintage-model-company-cub-4-channel-trainer/

A clubmate has a few - Cub, Spit, Hurri. All went together very easily with little/no fettling. All fly well.

Thanks again everyone - Flightline Mustang most likely

It's a decent kit and the end result looks nice, and flies well. I found it's best to make the exhausts detachable, and the machine gun over the top wing, or changing batteries is nigh on impossible.

Having made the decision the tailplane is moved up with a slot for it to be inserted. and this is how the fin and rudder will fit, with the possibility of extending the rudder down. Looking at that makes me think a split elevator and full depth rudder would be best and a steerable tailwheel will be easy. Yes I am making it up as I go along.? Steve

First layer of 160 gram fibreglass cloth on with additional strength from some carbon tows and ribbon

Simon The XPS in Wickes was probably the same as the others. there was a piece lying on top of an open pack it looked as if it had been compressed so that may have been the reason it was so brittle, I did not fancy buying a full pack if it would not do the job. The tail wheel is a plastic moulding off an FMS Hawker Typhoon. I am not building the Aerotech kit, I used the plan and the former patterns for the fuselage, the wings were measured and drawn direct onto the foam board as was the tail plane. The target weight is 5lb max. I built this Seafury with a balsa frame and rolled 1/8" black depron around the foam board formers, it has had many flights now and is not showing any signs of stress, the whole plane is covered with brown paper and painted with acrylic paint. At 57" span it weighs just over 3lb ready to fly.

Back in the 80's one Club mate built a black plastic bag into the fuselage of all his models for when the inevitable happened.

All stickered up and RunCam Thumb fitted ready for tomorrow's flying. With its mates, all ready to go

I managed to get a fair bit of the painting done today. My board is full since I am trying to get the moth minor wing finished at the same time so bits everywhere but the sooner I can get one done, the sooner I can clear up and get on with something else. It still needs roundels and some insignia but basic paint scheme is done and it looks quite good I think Once the insignia is on the side, I will get some clear coat on to protect it then finish the motor install and all the workings. I should get another full day at it tomorrow since I am off work so we are nearly there now Gary

Plans? Its amazing what you can do with a good 3 view from Google and some printer software that expands it to the required size. Print it all out on individual A4 sheets, tape the required bits together and you have a plan of just the bit you are working on like fuselage, wing or tail. It works for me. I now have a whole box full.

My Tablet refuses point-blank to open the Portal. However, it works very smoothly on my phone. It also works okay on my main computer.

Firstly, thank you for all of your comments and ideas - I will follow them up. I'm an intermediate level sports flyer who has come back into 'planes after 30+ with helicopters. In addition our new club field is not for the foreseeable future suitable for ROG The plan is get a hand launch / belly land stable-ish low wing / shoulder wing warbird that behaves like a sports low wing non-scale model. I've no plans to move onto larger scale machinery - I fly nitro larger intermediate machines

Why not buy British, often overlooked how about the Vintage Model Company range of Balsa Basics warbirds? They do Spitfire, Hurricane and Bf109 models. Quick build using traditional balsa and Plywood construction and are about the size asked for. https://www.vintagemodelcompany.com/rc-planes-for-beginners.html

I`ve got the Flightline Mustang from MotionRC.Cracking wee plane.Or Hobbyking do the Galloping Ghost Mustang which is supposed to be a great flyer from what I have seen.

Several years ago an idea was suggested that a pilot had to acquire an A or B for every model they had. The thinking(?) behind this was that every model flew differently so a pilot should be tested for flying each of them. If you owned a few models, you were going to be a busy boy.... assuming you could be bothered..!! It didn't stop there. . . It was also suggested that if any alterations were made - including repairs or even something as basic as changing a prop - the model's characteristics might be changed so the test would need to be done again for that particular aircraft. Additionally, an A or B would have a lifespan of three years and then expire. It was this level of total, idiotic lunacy which prompted me to join the ASRC (Achievement Scheme Review Committee) to fight this proposal and make sure it was killed and cremated...... and then dance on its grave. Gentlemen, please don't lose sight of the fact that we pursue this pastime for FUN , and the A, B and C are personal Achievements and are purely voluntary. Regardless of whatever "weight" some clubs apply to the Achievements, they are not intended to be a passport or a "licence" to higher echelons. .

Find a Parkzone Spitfire IX - you might get one on the BMFA classifieds. Failing that find a Parkzone Spitfire IX as they pop up regularly on eBay and are fantastic flying machines on 3s1p 2200mah lipos - handlaunch and belly land if that suits what you are after. If that doesn't work out, you could try and find a Parkzone Spitfire IX on FB Market place, or maybe Gumtree or a local swapmeet. Whichever way you decide to go, did I mention to try and get a Parkzone Spitfire IX?

Finished my first foamboard build. a Ki45. 60" span, 2 x 3536 1200kv motors contra-rotating 9x4 3-bladers from a little 2200 3S pack. Duration may be a bit short, but I have a few of them, so get more flights! It would have been a quick build, but for time lost rubbing my chin as I got my head around foamboard construction, and 72 hours lost this weekend as Storm Eunice, or whatever we call her killed our power... It is, however, very low cost. 3 sheets of makerboard is about £13. 1 sheet of 1/4" balsa, and around 10 glue sticks. Covering is brown paper and PVA. No dope, paint is emulsion sprayed on. Matchpots from Homebase, and a bit of mixing, sprayed on with a small automotive gun with a 0.8mm nozzle, and edges softened with my airbrush. Panel lines are a sharpie and a white gel pen, weathering is a mix of dark grey, black and rust acrylic paint, well thinned and airbrushed. Some weathering down to aluminium is via a silver sharpie. The canopy frame is lined with aluminium tape and painted over. Natural handling wear will show the aluminium through it. Looks good from 6ft! It's a 'fling and flop' job, hence the finger grips under the wing. Weight ready to fly is a staggering (if you are used to conventional builds) 3lb 6Oz... One day, we may get to fly it... Graham

Final photos of my MOONRAKER

Just finished this. Waiting for delivery of motor and lipo but other than that, good to go. 50" span, AUW 37oz as it is now. OD "La Mouette"

I've used Rapid RC's film on my latest build. It's very similar to (maybe even the same as?) HobbyKIng's. Trevor

I generally accessories 1/72 diecast and plastic, then weather or complete respray. This Jeep is 45mm long. The next job is weathering.

Just my experience from using cad systems at work, Catia, Solidworks, Acad, we have always used a mouse. Same for my real speciality area in aircraft structures, always used a mouse with Patran and Ansys. But each to their own.

TN Sabre edf...... over the moon with the finished build, installing the servos i deided to give the EDF a blast...one of the servo arms that hadn't been fixed got sucked into the fan and instantly destroyed it...and the model as the fan was built in.....☠️ ken anderson...me..1..carnage dept.