Don Coe

Bravedan. The balsa stick & tissue kits are OK and, as you say, fly quite well, but I find them far more tricky to build because they demand a high degree of accuracy if they are to look anything like the full size aeroplane. The covering and paint finishing is also an absolute pain to do,what with adding weight or introducing warps. One advantage these models have is that they are laser cut kits! Having said all that I confess to having three Aerographic models waiting to be covered and finishing - a Puss Moth, an Avro 504K and a Blackburn Monoplane "D" ! All of these have their par

They are fiddly - very fiddly, Ben, but are worth the trouble and if you go slowly and with patience, the results are most satisfying. Tweezers, a needle threader and knowledge of which adhesive to use where is an absolute must. That's why I suggested you study the instructions and imagine the build before you jump in at the deep end!

Ben, Most of the plaudits for this model must go to the designer, Jon Porter, the Guv'nor at Micro Aces. All I had to do was to cut the parts out accurately and stick them together very carefully. It takes patience, I grant you, but it wouldn't have been successful had the kit not been accurately produced! Working on a model such as this - and there are a lot in the range - promotes valuable skills for our hobby. The instructions are available for free download from Jon's web site. Have a look at one for the SE5A at ... https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1162/1498/files/SE5a_Assembly_Guid

A belated "Thank you" to Ben. I mentioned that the next in line would be the Airco DH2. Well, here it is completed and ready for flight! Plus a close up of the revolving Gnome Mono engine, a little jewel of a model!

Thanks, Ben. Don't know about the 29th. It may not fly!. As for the time to build - a couple of hours each day for a week, I reckon. Most of the time taken up on sanding, covering and assembling the parts. The kit is nicely produced with excellent materials and slots together accurately. For the first session ... the tail plane, elevator, fin, rudder & ailerons were 'blocked out' - that is glued up & pinned down onto a flat, waxed surface - then left to dry over night. The parts for the fuselage were cut out and prepared for assembly the next session. Time? Say 2+ hours

Have decided to join the ranks of the Fun Fly Brigade to brush up on the long-lost aeros capabilities! It's finished in Funereal Purple & Black Profilm so as to be ready for a fast track burial in the event of a finger seize-up during a rolling circle Thanks, Gavin!

Since building the Bristol Fighter and the Fokker DVIII, I've completed the Micro Aces SE5A. This little gem of a kit really is a delight to put together. The next in line is the DH2 pusher and the 'DIXIE@ the Sopwith triplane.

FOR SALE. Surplus to requirements, my ¼ scale Hanger 9 DCH-2 Beaver. This model has been ‘scalyfied’ with Satin finish, panel lines and nearly all of the originals’ 400,000 dome-head rivets! It comes complete with servos, batteries, Graupner MZ12 radio gear & charger. 9-channel lighting set installed. Ken, the pilot. 110” span / weight 18lbs. / 33cc Evolution petrol engine / sequential flaps. First sensible offer over £500 secures. Delivered to Croydon club field or you collect. see full model specification HERE

This is the sort of Modelling Magic you can expect to see at this coming Sunday's event at the K2 Centre. It's Divs Master's 10" span open scale SE5A. A close up and a shot of it taking off - to give some idea of scale in this vast hall!

Just under 20", Trevor. The Fokker DVIII is smaller at 14" and has ailerons!... I hope to maiden both at the meeting this coming Sunday at the K2 centre. Oh! I forgot to mention that the dummy rotary engine spins with the propeller!

Here's the completed Micro Aces F2B Bristol Fighter. I hope to fly it at the meeting in between judging the Open Scale category with Peter & James.

Thanks, Ben, for the kind words. It was this video which prompted me to build the Beaver when I saw that the model was available from Horizon Hobbies. I thought that I deserved a quick-build after years of building from scratch. Little did I know that it would be the most frustrating build of all - with little satisfaction to boot!

Finished at last! Don't believe ARTF - by the time the dreadful high gloss covering has had a coat of looking at and some of the scale details added, you'll not get much change from three months work - and I'm a quick builder! Powered by the Evolution 33cc petrol engine with a 17 x 6 wooden propeller for running in. The radio is the Graupner HOTT MZ12 with telemetry and lighting. Here it is finished, balanced, good to go with Ken, friend of Barbie in the left hand seat!

Last Sunday, the 5th Feb, saw Peter, James & me at the K2 Sports Centre, Crawley judging the Open and Peanut Scale sections of the competition which is held annually by the Crawley MFC. In addition to scale models there are many other classes including EZB, Legal Eagle, Hand & Catapult launched gliders, Butterfly and Hangar Rats. All of these models are flown in half-hour Fun Fly slots throughout the day. The Open and Peanut classes are flown together in the enormous hall each with their own timekeepers and judges. Peter looked after the Peanut Scale and James &

Here's a video of the Bleriot XI in the hands of James at last Sunday's meeting at Old Warden Thank you, James.