A very old plan....

[Anthony Pattison 1]

Back in the 1960s RCM&E covered other models apart from aircraft and quite a bit of electronics. I once built an electric model car from a free plan from one issue ( single channel Macgregor). I can't find anything about it on the Web. Anyone know of any archives for this really old stuff? Cheers Tony.

[kc]

Most RCME, Radio Modeller, RCScale and RCModelWorld plans are now available from Sarik Hobbies.   However some old and less popular items were scrapped and no longer available.  You really need the plan number to find the plan.   Free plans were often not available later so have no plan number.  Plans were in the Plans Handbook but I cannot see any cars in the 1983/4 handbook ( a couple of Tanks though )   I would guess any car plan might have been a Peter Holland design - you might try searching for his name.

Old copies of RCME etc often appear on EBay if you know the issue date.     Magazine Exchange lists RCME and some 1960's are available.   You might find the copy if you look through all the contents!

At some time in the 1960's specialist model car magazines were published.

Outerzone have plans for planes and also have an archive of books free to download- plenty of reading there!

[kc]

I have just noticed that the RCME March 1969 issue has cars on the cover - that may be the one you want?

[John Lee]

I've got an incomplete collection of RCM&E's going back to the 60's, the earlier ones were picked up from various sources over the years.

 

This single channel car appeared in the June 1965 edition, is it the one you were thinking of Anthony? If so I'll run it through the scanner tomorrow & let you have a copy. I also have copies of an RC police car from Feb 1963 & Mick Charles's E-Type Jag from April 1965 but both of he latter 2 are for home brewed 4 channel gear.

 

[John Lee]

I've just had a quick look at the early RCM&E's available at rclibrary.co.uk & they have a copy of another of Peter Holland's cars - a scale Metropolitan using a contemporary plastic kit. Link to the library download page.

 

[kc]

My guess that Peter Holland designed car plans for RCME seems correct!   Peter Holland was one of the greats in RC and any type of modelling magazine article  but he is perhaps not well known enough.    His drawings were and still are just about the best - see his book Model Aeroplane Building Sketch by Sketch which is there to download at RCLibrary.

[Anthony Pattison 1]

Thanks for your efforts chaps. The pictures John sent are the thing! Would love to get some scans of the article/plan. Glad to see the modelling bug persists in us oldies and we can still remember some of this old stuff. A great result! Cheers Tony.

[John Lee]

Tony, the file size of the scan came out small enough to upload here, which I have done so others of a certain age can have a nostalgia kick.

 

Note when printing; the issues around this time were printed on odd sized paper, each page is 184mm x 247mm.

 

Regards john

 

 

59821991_June1965.pdf

[Geoff S]

Thanks for that, John.

 

It certainly takes me back even though I had no interest in aeromodelling at the time (I was obsessed with motorcycles).  For price comparisons I bought a new BSA 650cc Lightning in 1965 which cost about £320 and my salary was about £1000/year.  I started at RR about the same time from GEC so the short article about a pylon racing event organised by the RR club was interesting - presumably it was held at Hucknall on the airfield which was my first club.

 

The magazine was a lot more technical than it is now.  Even though the computers I worked on at GEC were all discrete germanium transistors, silicon planar were available then so I was slightly surprised to see mostly germanium transistors listed for both use and sale.  Things have changed dramatically since I was 25 - as have I, sadly 🙂

[Anthony Pattison 1]

Many thanks for the scans John. I started in RC around 1970 at school and got into electronics to make the radios. Looking to retire from designing electronics for satellites early next year.... Still riding bikes too (1974 and 1985 Moto Guzzi 950s)...

 

[Engine Doctor]

23 hours ago, John Lee said:

Tony, the file size of the scan came out small enough to upload here, which I have done so others of a certain age can have a nostalgia kick.

 

Note when printing; the issues around this time were printed on odd sized paper, each page is 184mm x 247mm.

 

Regards john

 

 

59821991_June1965.pdf 25.93 MB · 11 downloads

The RCM&E download was very interesting and nostalgic. Thanks for uploading it.

[Outrunner]

On a similar note I remember a plan and build article in RCM&E or maybe RM about a motor scooter powered by a diesel, I fancied building one at the but being very young and very poor I never did. It was probably late 60's early 70's.

It was a Lambretta type scooter and I seem to remember the riders hands were made from clothes pegs. Any one else remember it or am I dreaming?

 

[John Lee]

56 minutes ago, Outrunner said:

On a similar note I remember a plan and build article in RCM&E or maybe RM about a motor scooter powered by a diesel, I fancied building one at the but being very young and very poor I never did. It was probably late 60's early 70's.

It was a Lambretta type scooter and I seem to remember the riders hands were made from clothes pegs. Any one else remember it or am I dreaming?

 

You were not dreaming!:

 

The complete magazine is also attached.

 

It may look slightly odd, the original scan was in colour but the file size is too big to upload here so I've made a black & white copy.

1654987714_Jan1973.pdf

[Outrunner]

Thanks John!

 

You've made my day, I'm not dreaming either!

 

I will have a nostalgic read of that!

[Geoff S]

Very interesting, John.  At one time when I bought magazines, the adverts were as interesting as the editorial content.  Half the pages of Wireless World, for example, were adverts and many were well worth reading.  In fact, I used to buy Exchange and Mart from time to time which had a wealth of adverts for hard to find items that are now found more easily on eBay.

 

I notice in this issue of RCME that whilst kits are (in pounds) much cheaper than now, radio gear is much more (eg  servos £12+) and, of course nothing like as good.

[kc]

Sarik list the plan for the Motor Scooter here.     Amazing!   The description in the article of how  the steering works on a bike is interesting,,,,,,,,,

 

[David perry 1]

I dont recall a car but i well remember the army vehicle.  A canvas topped multi wheel job...RM16?  Cant remember that detail.  Always fancied making one, never did.  Old hat now of course a bit like 1977s(?) "Dogfight double" (RCME) the dreams of which tormented my young teenage soul with the usual "want what i cant afford" menaces ha ha and which plans i kept for decades.

[Outrunner]

5 minutes ago, kc said:

Sarik list the plan for the Motor Scooter here.     Amazing!   The description in the article of how  the steering works on a bike is interesting,,,,,,,,,

 

That's interesting, £24 is a bit steep. Very interesting article but I don't think I would try and build one though as it would probably end up as another unfinished project being quite an involved build and at £24 plus postage too expensive to order just to look at out of interest.

 

The January 1973 RCM&E was a very interesting read, thank you John for posting the magazine here. Incredible just how many radio manufacturers there were in those days. Also interesting as ever was the Peter Russel column especially as I'm currently building a PR STOL ll in between other projects. Another one I enjoyed was reading the recently sadly departed Ian Peacocks review of a one off aluminium space framed car. There was also the second part of David Boddingtons Tyro Major, my first trainer build but I never flew as being a teenager I developed other interests!

 

It would be nice if RCM&E would cover more ground as in the past with other subjects like cars and bikes etc. Sorry I'm rambling off topic.

 

[Geoff S]

32 minutes ago, kc said:

Sarik list the plan for the Motor Scooter here.     Amazing!   The description in the article of how  the steering works on a bike is interesting,,,,,,,,,

 

 

I did many, many 1000s of miles on motorcycles but I never normally steered like that but, having read it somewhere, I tried it experimentally and it certainly works (obvious really when you think about it).  However, I continued by just leaning my body, which also works - though not with a sidecar, which I also rode/drove a lot 🙂.

[John Lee]

20 hours ago, David perry 1 said:

I dont recall a car but i well remember the army vehicle.  A canvas topped multi wheel job...RM16?  Cant remember that detail.  Always fancied making one, never did.  Old hat now of course a bit like 1977s(?) "Dogfight double" (RCME) the dreams of which tormented my young teenage soul with the usual "want what i cant afford" menaces ha ha and which plans i kept for decades.

 

Would this be the one David?

 

It is from the Sep 75 edition of Radio Modeller. I'll upload a scan of the magazine in a separate post as it is just on the file size limit.

[John Lee]

2066503142_Sep1976.pdf

[kc]

Again Sarik have this old plan for the Survey Vehicle   RM150.

 

I note that these magazine pages from John Lee can only be obtained when logged in to Modelflying as a member.

[David perry 1]

18 hours ago, John Lee said:

 

Would this be the one David?

 

It is from the Sep 75 edition of Radio Modeller. I'll upload a scan of the magazine in a separate post as it is just on the file size limit.

Ha yeah thats it!  What a great looking model from my childhood.  Thanks!