Andrew Thomson

HI ,       This is probably old news but if you haven't heard - "Model World" have bought all the rights to Brian Taylors' designs and through their on-line plans service offer plans and all accessories. Hope this helps. Andy

It will be a longshot - but if you are not in it you cannot win it ! Andy.

Hi Jim ,               No import duty as such but VAT can sometimes be charged - just depends on how lucky you are when it goes through customs. Notification can come from carrier to pay before delivery , or sometimes afterwards as a separate bill , depends on carrier used.Ordering from Bob Holman is still way cheaper than buying from uk and couldn't be easier. I've recently ordered 5 kits and a set of plans from him , no problem and the lot didn't come to more than £200 ! inc vat ! There's value and quality. see website : www.bhplans.com  Regards , Andy.

nice looking model , have just the home for it please !

Spoilt for choice, but in the interests of something relatively rare in .60 size models that is WW2 / military , should fly well and not need retracts to look or fly correctly : 1).Lysander 2).Chipmunk 3).Fiesler Storch Andy.

Stack the fuselages vertically by the wall and put rope type "slings" up from the roof and lay the wings in them . May not be the best idea but it works for me !

Hi guys ,                 Someone mentioned wanting ifo on how best to do a sliding canopy . I too would love to see some info on how to do this. Anyone out there got the time and knowledge to reveal all to at least two very interested and would be appreciative readers please ? Thanks in anticipation.

Have overcome the dissappointment of the Sopwith demise and found a solution to facing cutting out all those ribs again - I have bought a Dennis Bryant plan and laser cut kit for a large SE5a from Bob Holman in the states ( [email protected] ) lovely chap to deal with and what a bargain - $2 to £1 ! love that exchange rate . Cannot wait to get started , must finish off the BT FW190 to clear the decks. ( Also ordered laser part kits for BT 109E , Hurricane , Spit Mk1 and Typhoon - should keep me busy for a while ! )

Far too much cost and grief !!! The only sensible suggestion on here is to stick an ic 30 something or similar on the front , continue to enjoy what started out as a cheap fun model - and keep it cheap and functional . Don't make the mistake of wandering into making it a very expensive intellectually taxing ( for most of us non electricians ) exercise in producing yet another "just better than marginal " electric toy that needs 4 times as long to recharge than you get to fly ! That is when there is no more than just a hint of a breeze.

My votes this year are : All IC , WW1 50 to 60 inch w/span , WW2 60 inch+ w/span 1).SE5a 2).Westland Lysander 3).Fokker Triplane

order from Bob Holman direct from the states for a top quality laser cut kit at best price ( $2=£1 !!!)

Unfortunately their website does not have an English version and I cannot find anyone who stocks their range of kits . Can you advise please ? Andy.

Hi Ernie ,               Re pre 30's  , a sad salutary tale about best practice with battery packs - I have just spent a fair bit of time and rebuilt / recovered / detailled up/ a secondhand Flair semi scale Sopwith pup . For a semi scale club hack it looked quite good and drew several admiring comments at its' debut.               I had not flown a bipe before the previous week , when I tried my Father in laws version and I was really impressed and looking forward to some serious dogfighting !               Unfortunately , the red Baron struck from nowhere halfway through its' first flight and despite valiant efforts on the sticks to revive the pilot he failed to respond at all and dived in from 40 feet , completely out of control - total obliteration !               To say I was somewhat disappointed , having been looking forward to several seasons of fun , would have been an understatement ! Such is the life of a modeller , these things happen .                Immediate post mortem of the bits to find out why control had failed did not show anything , the battery pack was showing fully charged and everything ok.                 It was not until a couple of weeks later that I grabbed the same pack to test out the radio setup in a new Harvard . Then the strangest thing showed up - I fully charged the pack prior to test , fitted it and began checking positions / throws etc . After about the same length of time as the ill-fated pup flight , everything stopped dead. I checked all components , changed pack - all ok , put the original pack back - dead !                The pack in question was a vapextech 2400mAh 4.8 which was approx 1 to 2 years old - a quality make of no great age . Somehow it had developed a strange intermittent fault that could have lost me several models ! Yet it did not display any outward sign of damage or fault under test or charge . Needless to say it was immediately binned and a new "staycharged" pack ordered.                 It just goes to show that the best practice is definitely new model - new batteries (only around £6.00 !) . Put a date sticker on and automatically bin anything older than 2 years .                 I am however hooked on bipes and when I can once again muster enthusiasm for cutting all those ribs I will be building some ww1 / interwar models . The Se5a and 30's hawker biplanes have always been favourites . In the meantime , I finished a DB models Tiger Moth recently ( great kit - great company - great prices - great range) , but haven't had chance to fly it yet . I will have to get this airborne - with a new battery pack of course ! Andy.

Dear Jonathon ,                          Hi , the 190 has always been a particular favourite among my warbird choices . It has the right amount of menacing prescence along with practicality , style and performance . For me it is the German equivalent to the Spit and the 109 to the Hurri .                In finishing terms their are also so many more schemes when choosing a german warbird too ! Regards , Andy.

hi guys ,              see : http://www.flyingsites.co.uk/features/harrier/harrier1. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=391840 make of it what you will . Andy.

Hi Rob ,              Well said re a model having to live and burn fuel , couldn't agree more . I also have nothing against electric power in it's limited place . I just cannot stand those who "evangelise" about it as if it is something desireable and we should all be doing it for the sake of it , as a more desireable option to a real engine! For me , and many others including Mr Boddington ( judging by recent scribing ) Electric power is a technological marvel , but just a poor substitute for the real thing , to be used only when absolutely necessary.             Don't knock the fat wings (greater lift) or the "shocking" dihedral (greater stability) of your artf Spit . It is these features that make it more controlable than a full scale version . If you fancy a much more scale version that flies well on a .61 then build yourself a 63 inch Spit from Mick Reeves - see his website for details. Would definitely recommend the LMA (large model association) for info and guidance on your favoured project though - good bunch of lads only too pleased to help. Andy.

Hi Danny ,                 Glad you find electric power simple to understand and the models satisfying enough to fly . Very few I know in 3 clubs do I'm afraid. As for a 120 and some fuel for £165 - no problem , also no lengthy delay between flights (re-fuel vs recharge) and long term a much lower running cost  , plus it sounds lots better unless you have a fancy sound system with the original sound - I've heard these are tremendous ! Each to their own ! I must admit though , if I were to build a multi then I would have to consider electric power from a safety viewpoint . Andy.

Skyshark Me 109 CAP 60 inch Vulcan Bob Holman cnc set for Brian Taylors FW190 cap 60 inch Hurricane Warbirds Tempest kit. Must find more time to build !

Fortunately you don't get quite the same reaction with electric motors and the model landed ok on one motor. He had touched the ground with one of the props and somehow this had put it out of sync with the esc !? Having disconnected and reconnected all was ok apparently. The only problem with going electric is that you will have to become some sort of electrical engineer to understand the powerplants and batteries and how to treat them etc.This is not to mention the medium fortune it will cost you to buy all the gear and then new li-pos batteries  etc. Without an expensive but very effective sound system being built in , any electric model just does not "live" , it sounds all wrong - quiet and all wrong . However , having said all of that , if ever there was a use for suitable electric power it would be in multi-engined planes , if you are good enough at elecktrikery and wealthy enough to afford it !

Dear Rob ,                  Forgive me but I think your wonderful enthusiasm is getting you a little ahead of where you safely ought to be. Have you passed your A certificate yet ? This ought to be your first goal . To safely fly a twin upwards I would suggest you should be ready to take your B certificate first.                  From your description , you are having trouble with the smooth running of your TT61 in your Spit. Please , do not even think about flying a twin upwards until you can reliably and perfectly set up an engine for repeated consistent performance. There have been some good articles on setting up engines in the mags . Essentially , get it running , open to full throttle and adjust the main needle for max revs ( go slightly rich if a new engine ) , once this has been set then the second needle or screw should be adjusted 1/4 to 1/8 turn at a time until you get a smooth transition from idle to full power when opening the throttle . Once set , leave it alone ! only minor adjustments on the main needle should be required occasionally according to atmospherics. If you constantly need to mess with it then something is wrong - or you have caught meddle itus !                 One aspect of flying twins upwards that you will not have experienced is what happens if an engine cuts and you turn the wrong way or too sharply - catastrophe !!! and with a big model being out of control in a terminal dive , it could kill someone.               You are perfectly right about the level of detail - only put on enough to satisfy yourself . You will increase this over time as you learn new tricks .             Flying a twin is a very demanding task and handling one with a dead engine requires an expert - and sometimes that is not enough ! The best advice would be to shut all engines down in the event of one failing and land deadstick as best you can - although you need to take rapid account of all circumstances at the time.            Before you build such a model , build and fly a smaller , simpler sport or scale model with say twin .25's for experience . Talk to the more experienced members in the club for their advice . Check out the LMA website and shows etc , talk to the experts in flying multi-engined monsters and get their invaluable advice.           Sorry if this sounds a bit condescending - I don't mean it to be . I just want you to enjoy the process through to your  dream model , for it to be succesful and safe for all around. There is a lot of satisfaction to be had in all the necessary preparation steps , good luck.

Profilm is not quite as susceptible as Solartex to sagging. The trick above should cure any S'tex issue but I have never found it a problem . Always make sure when covering that you coat the airframe with Balsaloc . This ensure a good adherence of the film to the frame with no "creep" later. Andy.

Re swordfish - If you ever get chance get down to the Fleet Air Arm museum at Yeovilton nr Yeovil , Somerset . They have the only two left in flying condition. When you see the real thing flying low it looks just like a model ! Awesome! Andy.

Hi ,      I would suggest that you contact the BMFA directly re queries on taking part in competitions. Use the contact numbers in your monthly bmfa news.      On the topic of scale , there are the serious afficionados , for whom absolute detail and competition will only suffice , all the way down to the "profile" modeller . Most of us start at the "profile" end and slowly progress towards the other end over the years , adding more scale features and finishes to seemingly ever larger models along the way , interspersed between the odd fun-fly or other sport model . There is also the need to perfect one's flying ability in order to succesfully handle the increasingly scale models that emerge from the shed . It almost seems inevitable that when people say scale they mean some form of ww2 warbird . This was what they always wanted to build and fly - usually regardless of their ability to build or fly ! In some cases the semi-scale artfs around can get round the former and simplify the second to an acceptable degree and provided there is some flying skill evident , can lead to succesful repeated flying without mishap. One cannot however escape the fact that as warbirds go , the more true to scale they are the greater the difficulty in flying. This is because they were designed to be inherently unstable to be able to change direction in an instant . This tendency can be overcome by increasing size and reducing wing loadings , but once you go over 60 / 70 inches even that starts to present its' own problems of cost / materials / engine size etc. The journey through to a good 60+ inch warbird for the club field that looks the part without too much detail being needed should not be rushed . To go there too early , with a poorly built or finished model that crashes first or second time out will be so dispiriting , not to mention expensive. Ideally do not even consider a scale warbird until a good year after passing your A certificate and having built at least 2 or 3 models from plans only. The process could be speeded up by building more suitable scale subjects such as high wing cabin cruisers such as the Auster aop9 , Piper Cub , first . The flair semi scale biplane series are very good as an early starter. Scale models can be very satisfying at purely non competition club level. Whatever you go for - enjoy it.

Which fw190 kit / plan are you building ? I am 3/4 of the way through a 60 inch BrianTaylor FW190 with a cnc part kit from Bob Holman. Once this is finished I am going to build a 70 / 80 inch version . I do think it has to be a short nose version to look right though. The long nose in-line versions didn't have quite the same prescence.

What Peter says about getting the grain direction right is spot on . There are usually clues on the plan or it is a standard direction. Re A4 template sets - I have a set for the Blo**dy Mary that I did for my father in law if anyone would like a set e-mailing ? Watch out on the plan - it needs an experienced builder to sort out the errors and unexplained difficulties !