Plastic C/L model airplanes

I'd disassemble it and do the full clean on it if I could get some reproduction stickers for it.

Or maybe you can lift the original stickers intact and re glue them.

I'm sure I've told the story before, my first engine powered model (many rubber powered before) which was actually mine, not a hand-me-down from my brother, was a Testors P-40.  Still have it.  Begged for a PT-19, but my poor farming parents opted for a cheaper model in the Testors.  Christmas morning in the laundry room at home with my cousin, filled the tank, hooked up the battery, one wind of the spring and it was away.  Made so much noise (inside the house) that I quickly shut it down and went and shut the door.  Never got another pop out of the engine again. Ran out the little supplied bottle of fuel.  Didn't know about nitro back then and the standard glow fuel just didn't cut it.  About a year later a guy in the toy section of a large department store said "you need some of this".  Cox Super-Power fuel.  "You need nitro" he said.  Sure enough, I did.  Cox fuel fired it right up.  Wasn't long bofore the starter broke, first flight saw the end of the undercarriage, wouldn't fly on the dinky little 3 blade prop so a yellow Tornado 6X3 was fitted.  Flew great with that until it snapped a crankshaft.  Truth be known, the supplied lines were so short I was probably just whipping it around.

Guess I read this post the wrong way. If you need stickers, any vinyl sign shop should be able to help you out. Mark

I picked up one of those Testors Camels, and an Albatross, a few years ago at an estate sale. Looked like they had never been run. No landing gear. $8.00 each. I ran them and tried to fly them.
Never did get a flight out of the Camel. Broke the prop during a failed hand launch. Paid more for a replacement than I did for the plane.





I managed to crack the cowl on the Camel just by removing it. Notice the red zip tie holding it on.
If you run it, it must be taken apart to clean the castor goo out of it. It all seems to go right inside the fuse.

My first CL plane was an Aurora Tri-Pacer. Got it in about 1964 or 65.



Picture supplied by Mark Boesen.

I believe that's a Comet Tri Pacer with a Fox engine.

ticomareado wrote:I believe that's a Comet Tri Pacer with a Fox engine.

Pretty sure mine was an Aurora. I seem to recall that the engine was a K&B.

Mark Boesen had this to say:

Re: Aurora Tri Pacer

Post  Mark Boesen on Tue Dec 06, 2016 7:51 pm
It's a pretty rare toy, Aurora bought several plastic molds from Comet, the Tripacer, the F-51, P-40, D-7, Se-5a and the B-25, the last five were then sold as 'giant' scale screw together models kit

Re: Aurora Tri Pacer

Post  Mark Boesen on Wed Dec 07, 2016 9:36 am
The K&B Stallion .049 was primarily sold as a 'hobby' engine, with the exception of the Tri-pacer.

TLAnderson wrote:

Picture supplied by Mark Boesen.

Yep, that sure looks like a Stallion .049 head!

Mark Diedrichs wrote:Tried to start something about the same thing your talking about. Was told the topic would fall with a thud. Best of luck Bob. I'm here for ya!!! Mark

Yeah, I tried to help you out with that one Mark.

I keep hoping that the lurkers but seldom posters (check the members list) will chip in with their early C/L experiences. Actually there is little here that hasn't been discussed over the life of the forum.

This Testors Camel like it's close siblings is assembled as tab A goes into slot A. Designed to go in easy and come out hard. 12 chances on the wing alone to really screw it up. I'm leaving it.

I remember yours TL. Really nice airplanes. I appreciate your generosity awhile back too.

Bob

Bob, there was at least of dozen kids in my neighborhood growing up where we would all meet after school in a parking lot connected to a field. All of us had our shares of plastic models. However, I feel the models played more of a role of chasing many away rather than seeing them on. The models for the most part flew terrible. Many resulted in crashing and breaking beyond repair. For some of us that were 10-12 years old, this caused many to give up. For kids of the 70's, the electronic toy era was just beginning and this was a real game changer.

While my father was monumental in seeing myself and several others through, many of their fathers didn't have a clue how to start a engine. From day to day, this engine would start, another wouldn't. For me, that was the exciting part, as long as it started that's all that mattered. Out of all of my buddies I grew up with, only two of us stuck with the hobby.

My flying buddy Dan actually went into the Navy on the USS Forrestal and was a F-4 Phantom mechanic. His squadron was the last of the F-4's in service. Dan remains today as a jet mechanic replacing engines and airframe work at a local airport. He absolutely can't stand full size aircraft but you can't pull him away from modeling.

I hadn't considered that aspect Ken. Some when knocked down just don't get up again.

I had my share of early crashes, but caught on quickly. My first crash with a Babe Bee was a doozy. Straight into the ground which mushroomed the case off to one side as the propeller/drive washer hit at an angle. The Space Bug Jr's cases were much stronger. I remember it because it was my first BB and cost a hefty $3.95 or there about. Took me most of the day to earn that.

My son served on the Nimitz and the Abraham Lincoln and spent most of his six years at sea as an avionics technician working on the A6 Intruder.

Bob

I too saw many put off control line flying and aeromodelling by these. They were all Spitfires and looked amazing to my young eyes.

Ready to fly but even when they got in the air - ‘‘twas a struggle. And not long lived.

I am sure that the glow fuel bought off the shelf in the UK in the 1960’s was also low nitro and not suitable for Cox engines. No spares in the model shops and a dismal performance meant them not worth repairing.

I remember one being stamped on and another occasion where father and son made a first and last visit to the field.

I was always glad I never got one. They were expensive over here.

u\"ticomareado" wrote:I believe that's a Comet Tri Pacer with a Fox engine.

Not a Fox, Aurora/K&B

10-4-- I stand corrected; should have paid closer attention to glow head.

Sometime around 1960, or so, my dad got me a Wen-Mac Airacobra(?)  silver metallic.  Dad didn't know all that much about control line and when he saw the rudder pointed outside he thought that it was not made correctly.  So he drilled it to run the lines out of the other wing.  Fortunately somebody at his job informed him that it was indeed made correctly so as the rudder would aid in keeping the lines tight.  

I had lots of fun starting the loud engine at inopportune times resulting in a scolding.  

Then the big day arrived when we took it to a mostly deserted parking lot.  The lines were run and I had the task of starting the engine and releasing the plane while my Dad held the handle.  

I released the plane which accelerated nicely.  In half of a lap it was airborne.  I stood there watching in full delight as the plane came around, struck me in the elbow and knocked me down to the ground!

rsv1cox wrote:Some when knocked down just don't get up again.
 

Bob

Dad ran over to check on me, I was bleeding a little bit and we both had a good laugh.  

The next week my Dad was busy at work so Mom took me back there to fly it.  I made it once around and smashed it into the asphalt.  Amazing how far one of the wheels bounced and rolled.  Never did find it.  

I guess I'm one of those who got back up.

Great story. I admire those that get back up.

When my son was six or seven I made him my pit man. After a long instruction - I'll start it, you keep your fingers away from the prop, hold it at a slight outward angle, don't release it until I give the signal. All went well until I gave the signal and he released it, then ran right towards me. I had forgotten to tell him to run the other way. Turned out ok as the plane was balsa and missed him by a foot or two.

A few years later, he cut his finger badly on a Sky Copters prop. Didn't stop him either.

Bob

Now thats funny Forgetful John Never been hit by on flying . Alot of close calls on take off though!

My first U/C plane with a Cox motor was a Wizard made by Carl Goldberg. I built that back in 1969.
It was a simple balsa plane to build. The fuselage was 1/4 thick balsa as was the wing and 3/32 stab and rudder.
You were to sand an airfoil shape in the 4 inch wide wing and do the same with the stab and rudder.
The hinging of the elevator was done with carpet thread in a figure "8" from the stab to the elevator.
The firewall that held the Cox motor was built in two pieces. One piece of 3/16" ply bolted to the Cox motor.
The other 1/8" plywood plate was glued onto the front of the fuselage.

This mounting set up, when you rubber banded the plywood motor mounted firewall to the glued to the fuselage firewall
made for a safety feature for having the motor and the planes fuselage to survive a nose in crash.

If you hit the ground hard the motor popped off the front of the nose of the plane.
Go over where the motor popped off, install new rubber bands on the motor and the plane and you were ready to fly again.
Remember you had to install new bands after some flights or the would slip off. You had to do that also if you have not
flown the plane for a while.

2nd plane I had was the "Lil Devil" . It was similar to the Wizard by this kit had the wing, stab and rudder sanded to an airfoil shape. Not many were sold because the "Lil Devil" and the "Lil Satin" came out together and the Lil Satin" was cheaper and
It was a better kit.

Purchased the Cox PT-19 plastic kit (blue fuse with yellow wing) and was not impressed. Motor ran well, but the plane really
did not fly well. Not like a balsa made plane. The lines were short so, we were (I think) whipping the plane around.
It got some of my friends interested but none of them took up model airplanes.

3rd plane was a Balsa P-40 Warhawk I built (1974). It was a tough plane to fly. It was sensitive to elevator. Wing to stab was
short coupled, so it was pitch sensitive (crashed many times ( had a Cox Golden Bee in the nose --- Still have it!).

Moved on to a Goldberg Cosmic Wind ( Fox 35 stunt), then Ring Masters (More Fox 35 Stunt motors), on to Magicians, to
finally two Noblers. Have a few trophies from the AMA Nats for stunt, and balloon bust.

Moved on to R/C in 1978 and used my Cox .049 in Goldberg's Jr. Falcon and Jr Skylark.
Now am using the old Cox motors in Old Timer Planes for R/C and free flight. (Society of Antique Modelers)

Now for getting repo decals for your old Cox planes, or any old decals, I get them made by Callie Graphics.
E-mail Callie or call her and tell here what you want.
Send a photo of the old decal, art work, ect. and she'll try to help you out.
Callie Graphics website is: https://callie-graphics.com/