Check out this great time-lapse video of famed RC modeler Phil Noel hand-spraying the tail of a 1/5-scale F-16 Fighting Falcon. The work is still in process but looks impressive (and bad-ass)! The post Artist At Work: Hand-Painted F-16 appeared first on Model Airplane News ..read more

In 1946, the “Dragonfly” became the second helicopter to enter Coast Guard service under the Navy designation HO3S-1G. This scale beauty does the original justice, and the attention to detail is stunning. We don’t say this often, but this looks like a museum-quality model! The post Scale 1946 Sikorsky HO3S-1G appeared first on Model Airplane News ..read more

Talk about “wow factor!” Check out this H-400 turbo-prop model designed by Gottfried Hirscher for Tomahawk Aviation. With a wingspan of over 9 feet and a custom airbrush scheme, it’s a stunner!   The post Unique Turbo-Prop appeared first on Model Airplane News ..read more

I joined the local RC model airplane flying club in 1973 and enjoyed almost 20 years of making friends and flying until about 1990. I retired in 2014 and decided to pick up where I left off. The old club was still active and my original AMA number was available to renew. So I paid my dues, put together a new modern electric sport plane and took up my old hobby again. There were some great people who helped me get started back in 1973. Most were retired then and I was still in my 20s. After all those years I lost track of them. A friend that I remember well was Bernie. He lived close by and we ..read more

As the MAN crew prepares to head to Florida Jets it got us thinking about our friend Frank Tiano who unfortunately passed in early 2021. Frank redefined what a major RC event is and was as much a promoter as he was a modeler. Please enjoy this look back on his thoughts on how establish a successful event. Our editors have often been asked what is required to put on a successful RC event, so we went to the man who has hosted more events, fun flys and competitions than anyone else, Frank Tiano, to see what he thinks is important. Here’s his advice. Recently, while speaking with MAN editor Gerry ..read more

Looks great and sounds great! Check out this stunning bent-wing warbird, powered by a Moki 250cc 5-cylinder, radial four-stroke engine. Interesting fact: in the full-size fighter, the intake for the turbo-supercharger, intercooler, and oil cooler were located in slots in the inboard leading edges of the wings. Air running through those slots at high speeds gave the aircraft a very distinctive sound, and the Japanese tagged the fighter with the moniker, “Whistling Death.”   The post 1/4 Scale Corsair — Whistling Death! appeared first on Model Airplane News ..read more

The first U.S. Air Force aircraft capable of supersonic speed at level flight, the North American F-100 made its mark on aviation history. Matt Balazs built his 1/4.75-scale version from the CARF-Models composite kit and has impressed spectators at events like Top Gun, where he recently placed third with the model in the Pro Jet class. I was fortunate to catch up with Matt to learn more about this beautiful—and fast!—model. Matt pushes his CARF-Models F-100D back after a great flight at Top Gun. With an overall length of 11.8 feet and an 8.2-inch wingspan, it’s huge! Model Airplane News: How ..read more

One way to mount your new or replacement engine in a model is to use a ladder! Yes, that’s right, an ordinary step-ladder you likely have around your shop! To mount an engine at the very first point of adding the engine, or adding a new engine to an old model, you have very little way to support your plane while you try to calculate the final position while horizontal on the workbench. You need to determine proper clearance for the prop and/or spinner in front of the cowl. I have found that the best way to do this is to vertically mount your project-in-progress on a step-ladder! Figure 1. Not ..read more

Here at Model Airplane News we like all sorts of model airplanes so today we bring you something a little bit different. Indoor flying models often feature amazing construction techniques in building light and efficient and nothing will teach you more about pure aerodynamics than flying indoor models. It also has the benefit of never raining, snowing, or being too windy!  Enjoy!   The post Amazing indoor flying! appeared first on Model Airplane News ..read more

Many people mistake it for the SR-71 but the A-12 Oxcart was actually the predecessor to the famous Blackbird. Designed by Kelly Johnson and built but the folks at the Skunkworks, the A-12 was smaller and faster than its sibling and has specs that are still classified today but it flew both higher and faster than the SR-71. Enjoy this video of an RC model of the (less) famous A-12.   The post A-12 Oxcart appeared first on Model Airplane News ..read more