mal brewer

Posted by Martin McIntosh on 09/11/2020 18:15:18: I can possibly vacform those bits as an add on but way in the future. I had a 1/4 scale pilot made by a company in Wales for my Stampe. Reasonably expensive but he looks the business. Just wish that I could remember what they call themselves. Hello Martin, was it by any chance AH ( Alan Hawes )Designs? they were in Wales and made model pilots. If so, sadly Alan passed away a little time ago.............Mal. Edited By mal brewer on 09/11/2020 18:58:33

Bit off-topic, but what engine is fitted in G-BCCX, as it does not appear to be the standard engine, (a Gypsy Major I believe ).....................Mal

Posted by Capt Kremen on 28/10/2020 18:01:55: And the 'little format' 'Radio Modeller'. Plenty of meaty content in the articles with less of the advertiser pleasing puff. Also, the competition that kept all on their toes - 'RC Model World', ' QFI', 'Quiet & Electric Flight', 'Scale Models', 'Aviation Modeller' and others. Plus all the American magazines - 'Flying Models', 'RCM', 'Model Aviation'. Used to spend hours in the backroom of 'Aviation Bookshop' in Holloway Road rummaging through the back copies. Them were the (golden) days! Nobody's mentioned 'Model Aircraft' ...............another great magazine................................Mal

W Edited By mal brewer on 26/09/2020 13:12:16

Hi John, don't know if you have been informed, those big Supre Tigers don't require nitro in the fuel, and only 10% oil. I always used to buy 20% oil straight fuel, and dilute it with an equal quantity of neat methanol. Nowadays, of course, you can buy 10% oil fuel.............Mal

Hello Nigel, I've a feeling that all costs,including the Parcelforce 'handling charge', are liable to the VAT surcharge. That would make the £12 charge about correct. I stand to be corrected though..................Mal

Posted by Simon Chaddock on 09/09/2020 00:28:41:   Much later I did pick up an M5 at a car boot sale. Rather older and on 27 MHz it used weird 5 wire servos. It did still work at the time but I have never used it in anything. . Ah, the Futaba Digimax 5, my first proportional radio. I bought mine with three servos,I couldn't afford to buy 4 ! I bought the extra servos a few weeks later. I seem to recall it cost me about £130 with three sevos,a lot of money at the time. Yes it did have five-wire servos, I think they were FD 11's, a linear servo, two with a red label, two with a black label for reversed travel ( no servo reversing then ). It was a very good radio, very reliable,and came with a full set of 6 frequency crystals and flags. The only weak point was the servos were prone to stripping the gearing on the ouput racks on a heavy landing, but it was a 2 minute job to strip and re-assemble the servo,and spares were cheap and readily available. Yes an excellent radio, I've used Futaba ever since.............Mal Edited By mal brewer on 09/09/2020 11:28:32 Edited By mal brewer on 09/09/2020 11:43:37 Edited By mal brewer on 09/09/2020 11:46:03

Nice looking 'Gypsy ', Tim. Is that a 'free-wheeling' propeller, if not, what are the look like rubber bands near the prop hub ?.........................Mal

Hi Alan, that really does surprise me. As I stated, I would have thought the system completely unworkable.Obviously I was wrong ( once again ).I suppose if anybody could get it to work it would be Doug McHard,he built a few off=beat models himself.I still take some convincing though !..........................Mal

I wouldn't have thought that any of H J Towner's rubber powered twin or four-engined models ever flew. The rubber drive motor was angled from the nacelles to a central anchorage point in the fuselage,at an angle of between 30-40 degrees. I would say that the system was quite unworkable. I remember an 'Astral' kit for a 'Beaufighter', designed by H J T employing this system.It was a wartime kit,and all part were printed on what appeared to be obeche,which further lessened the chances of success.So yes, I would say most,if not all, of the mult-engine models were built as static models........................Mal

Posted by PatMc on 20/08/2020 20:59:13: Bob, it's the same scheme & registration as the Veron version, perhaps it's a "bitsa" with the Wik RF4 wings. This is from the late Phil Smith's plans catalogue of Veron & vintage models. Colin Smith continued supplying plans but I don't know if he still does or how to contact him, you may be able to get more info from Derick, who runs this plans site. Colin [email protected]     very helpful chap,he's got loads of plans listed,more than likely he's got the Fournier......................Mal Edited By mal brewer on 21/08/2020 11:23:27

There's a new old-stock kit for sale on e-bay........don't know how to put a link on......it's a recent addition, 16 august............Mal

Hi Martin and Colin, the mention by Martin of a Mitchel brings to my memory a cover photo of RCME of a line-up of the JDM display team.I think this was before the days of the big Lancaster and Spitfire. As I said, I never saw or heard about the Me 109, obviously I missed that somehow. Anyway, the line-up of models consisted of, as far as I can recall, a couple of Spitfires,one or two Mustangs, a P38 Lightning, a Dakota ( or C47 ) and a couple of B 25 Mitchels.Have I got this collection about right ? Also, was Jim Davis Models based in Stockland Green ?.................Mal

Posted by Maurice Dyer on 13/08/2020 14:05:32: I've seen a YouTube clip (cannot find it) of Roy Lever being driven down the runway flying his. If I recall he was sat on the back of a three wheeler. God knows why, the Land was big enough to see. Maybe dodgy range on 27 megs !?. Does anyone recall the name of a television series Roy did in the 90s ? He had a jet amongst others. Was it Model Mania or ?? Maurice Hi Maurice, as I stated earlier the story going round was the reason Roy Lever used to fly from a chase car was because he couldn't mange the reversed controls when flying a model towards himself. Don't know how true that was,but I never saw him fly without the car. Incidentally, he also had a large scale Concorde,what it was powered with I can't remember,but I do remember the variable centre of gravity operated by a football bladder part filled with water ! Does anybody else remember this model ?....................Mal

Posted by Andy Stephenson on 13/08/2020 11:42:11: I'm sure the one I saw fly at Sywell in the 70s was smaller than the Roy Lever one and the two pilots flying it were definitely standing by the runway and not in the back of a car. Could this have been the JDM Lanc. Andy. Hi Andy, I'm pretty sure the JDM Lancaster was smaller than the Roy Lever version,though still a very large model by the standards of the day.If the pilots were standing on the runway, it almost certainly was the Jim Davis model.................Mal Edited By mal brewer on 13/08/2020 11:56:56

Posted by David Ashby - Moderator on 13/08/2020 11:04:48: Dad snapped this at Woodvale in 1978 (very rainy if I recall). Is this the Davis Lanc? I assume not judging by the markings and the flat top fus'? Edited By David Ashby - Moderator on 13/08/2020 11:05:47 Edited By David Ashby - Moderator on 13/08/2020 11:07:02 Hi David, that's not the JDM Lancaster, that is the Roy Lever version. You can see why it was known as the 'Plankaster' due to it's boxy type appearance..................Mal

Yes, Roy Lever's Lancaster, or 'Plankaster' as it was known, due to it's very semi-scale appearance. He did indeed fly it from the back of a converible car, a Jaguar I believe, if I remember correctly. The story I read somewhere was that he used to use a chase car because he couldn't fly a model coming towards him ! Probably a made-up tale, I think he did it that way because he was an out and out showman.................hope he wasn't using a 'merlin' radio ! .....Mal Edited By mal brewer on 12/08/2020 12:08:41

Hi Eric, I remember the Spitfires that Jim Davis used to fly at displays alongside the Lancaster,he used to put on a big show at Woodvale,where he would have a big trade stand. His manager,Dave Wright, used to do a lot,if not all, of his show flying. I remember seeing the two Spitfires, but never saw the Me 109, or ever heard mention of it, that's not to say it didn't exist. Last time I went to his store,it was in a large industrial type building in, I think, Dartmouth street, Birmingham, that would be around the late 80's................Mal

Posted by Cliff 1959 on 11/08/2020 14:37:17: Bob, go to the headmaster and tell him you're there for a canning 😁 canning ?

Posted by Bob Cotsford on 11/08/2020 11:33:50: Reportedly that Lancaster directly led to the loss of the Box Trees Lane flying site in Bentley Heath on a combination of noise complaints and overflying the A34. Four Quadras was it? I seem to recall that the Jim Davis Lancaster had only two functional engines, yes they were chainsaw engines,so would have caused a fair old racket !...........could be wrong, can anybody confirm on number of engines ?.......Mal

Posted by Geoff S on 28/07/2020 17:53:29: Coalville is in Staffs, near Burton-on-Trent. Geoff I think you'll find that Coalville is actually in Leistershire................Mal

I've always used Resin W for all wood to wood joints, including dihedral braces and engine bulkheads and bearers since the old days of balsa cement and I've never had a glue failure.The only place I don't use it is on surface joints,such as joining sheet balsa for wing skinning,or when planking a fuselage, as it doesn't sand very well. the best glue I've found for planking is ..........balsa cement...............Mal

I've always used 2-pack clear varnish as supplied to motor vehicle re-finishers.Sprays beautifuuly,but you do need full breathing gear when using it. I don't know if matt or egg-shell finish is available,might be worth trying a paint supplier.........Mal

Posted by Braddock, VC on 01/07/2020 08:40:16: I remember Bud Morgans, it was an extended trip for me from the western valleys, train to newport, then change to the express to cardiff and a walk to the castle arcade. I went there several times to buy glow fuel for my B class racer and also bought an enya 15d in the late 50s that was very short lived following a line cut in combat. I also remember a model shop in either Paignton or Torquay that displayed (for several years) an uncovered KK Scout biplane (I think I'm pretty sure that's what it was) in the window in the early 50s, started me on a love affair with bipes. Funny how I'm so useless at flying them. Hi Braddock, I mentioned the two model shops in Torquay in an earlier post. They were both in Union Street, one was down towards the town centre,and I seem to recall it was more of a toyshop that also sold model aircraft. The other shop was a little out of the town centre, past the town hall and up a climb for about half a mile or so. It was almost opposite a small church or chapel, and it was a proper model shop.Can't remember the names of these shops,I was very young then,and as you say, this was in the early '50's. Don't remember a KK scout. Do either of these shops ring a bell for you,could they be the one's you remember ?..................Mal

Yes I think the 'Super Merlin' was just a bit of a gimmick to increase sales.It had a red anodised cylinder head and spinner, a fitted fuel tank and a fancy box. I don't think there was any actual difference mechanically to a standard 'Merlin'.They could still be a pig to start...............Mal