In a recent discussion of suitable paints for airbrushing scale models, I posted a method for approximating historical aircraft colours using inexpensive commercial household latex paints. I took my own advice and plugged the RGB values for each RAF and Luftwaffe WWII colour from "Digital RAF WW2 Colours" and "Digital Luftwaffe WW2 Colours" compiled by W.S. Marshall SA Colours and Markings into the EasyRGB Color Converter and compiled the trade names of latex paints approximating the RAF and Luftwaffe colours for several popular paint brands.

Some of the suggested approximations are better than others, and I've gone through the suggestions for each historical colour to find the "best" match, at least according to my eyes and my computer screen, and highlighting them in green. The matches seem to be closest for pastel-like shades such as some of the lighter Luftwaffe colours, and more difficult for primary and secondary colours like red, blue, yellow and green. Really dark colours like some of Luftwaffe browns and dark greens don't have good matches at all, with most available shades being far too light/bright. Obtaining latex paint matches for these would probably require bringing a physical colour swatch to the paint department for scanning and custom matching.

I hope to do the same for American ANA WWII colours as well, so watch this space...

Steve

I've reluctantly decided to stop offering my plans cutting service given the time-intensive nature of the work and the increasing cost of balsa. Many thanks to all my customers over the years; your trust and patronage allowed me to stretch the envelope of my skills in ways I'd never imagined.

Summit Model Aeronautics will continue for now as a future vehicle for selling kits of my own designs.

Fair skies!

Steve

For anyone interested in having a short kit cut for a plan they've got, or found online at OuterZone or elsewhere, check out my Plans Cutting Service blog post.



Here's a list of links to the plans I've cut to date, including prices for short kits (prices are current as of June 2019, do not include shipping, and are subject to change with exchange rates and materials cost):


Vito Garofalo/Tern Aero Super Starduster - 34" span - $30(USD)
Chad Veich Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat - 64" span - $180(USD)
Walter Musicano Ryan Navion - 67" span - $155(USD)
Talbot-Jones/Cross Great Planes Slowpoke 40 - 62" span - $110(USD)
Fred Randall AMA Golden Era 60 - 65" span - $135(USD)
Riley Wooten/Goldberg Voodoo - 36" span - $40(USD)
Bob Rich L-19 Bird Dog - 72" span - $120(USD)
Vic Smeed Pretty Baby - 48" span - $40(USD)
Doc Mathews 1929 Monoprep - 72" span - $55(USD)
Maxey Hester SIG Stratus - 70" span - $95(USD)
Mike Roach Sopwith Triplane - 36" span - $60(USD)
Chuck Cunningham Miss Bikini - 45" span - $65(USD)
Dan Reiss Miss Cosmic Wind - 58" span with new, built-up wing and CAD wing plan - $145(USD)
Lanier Shrike 40 - 43" span - $30(USD)
Franz Meier Focke-Wulf Ta-154 Moskito - 70" span - $155(USD)
Mike Roach Supermarine Walrus - 30" span with plans - $25(USD)
Mike Roach Bombardier CL-215/CL-415 - 48" span with plans - $70 (USD)
Mike Roach Airco DH2 - 1:12 Scale - 28" span with plans - $40 (USD)
...Continue Reading

I’ve recently started a plans cutting service using my CNC router to cut short kits of parts for model airplane plans available in the public domain (Outerzone, Aerofred, here on RCG, etc.) The way it works is simple:

- You find a plan you’d like to build and send it to me electronically, either by PM or e-mail
- I decide whether I can cut it satisfactorily
- I trace the plan parts into a CAD program at no cost or obligation to you
- I send you a firm quote to cut the parts
- If you’re still interested, I cut the short kit following receipt of payment from you
- I send you the parts

I’ve imagined the questions that most people might have about my service in the following list of FAQs:

What plan file formats can you cut?

- I can use most bitmapped (PDF, JPG, BMP, TIF etc) and some vector (PDF, DXF and DWG) file formats.

How long does it take?

- If I don't have any other orders in the queue, it usually takes about a week to trace the plan parts, assemble a cutfile, cut the parts and get them in the mail to you. Standard shipping using Canada Post/USPS Expedited Parcel takes a week to ten days to deliver across Canada and the continental US. When you send me a plan for a quote, I'll give you an estimate of how long it will take before I can start working on it, given any orders ahead of yours.

How much will it cost?

- Every plan is different, and the final quoted price depends on the number of sheets of balsa or bass and the total square inches...Continue Reading

Flying Models Magazine Article Index - 2005-2010

Five years ago I subscribed to Flying Models magazine, and I have to say it's my favourite model airplane magazine. Its strength lies in its wide coverage of all aspects of our hobby, from R/C to control line to free flight and others. It includes great columns by guys who know their stuff, and every issue has at least one plan and a construction article.

After having subcribed for a couple of years, I often found myself digging through back issues looking for an article I remembered. While this was always interesting, since I usually got caught up in reading all the old articles again, it didn't help me find what I was looking for any more quickly. I decided an article index would help me find what I was looking for, and spent a few evenings compiling the attached spreadsheet. It's in MicroSoft Excel format, and you can sort it on any column to find whatever you're looking for.

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS.

It seems the RC Groups blog application doesn't support uploading Excel files, so I've renamed the file with a .doc file extension, which tricks RC Groups into thinking it's a Word document, which it supports. To view the index, you have to right click on the file below, and click "Save Target As" to save a copy on your computer. Once it's saved to your computer, rename the file name from FM_Article_Index.doc to FM_Article_Index.xls, and then Microsoft Excel should be able to open it without any problems.

I have to provide the disclaimer that the index doesn't contain every article published in every issue, but it certainly has most of them. Any gaps are to be found in the product reviews, which I only started including as I got near the end of my stack of issues. All the construction articles are here, though, so scratchbuilders may find this most useful. If you enjoy this index, drop me a PM!

Steve