In the latter part of the year I, and people around me had a few niggling health problems which promted a 'slow down' - not easy as I was up to my ears in projects. While I resolved to spend a little less time at the bench (for a while) I had Pete's F2b to finish and fly and had been tempted by a 1/8 A1 Balilla - I just loved the potential colour schemes! There was also a long standing comittment to build a simpler model of Yakovlev's first powered aircraft design. Well, with a bit of effort, the F2b was finished, flown, crashed, rebuilt and fown many times more - it is my heaviest and largest model to date and is extremely stable in flight. The little Balilla exercised my finishing skills with a stained balsa fuselage, 'in-your-face' camoulflage and outlandish personal markings. Plus of course the delightful red/white/green Italian livery!
She was finished and flown. The other model completed from the Rake stable was the rather nice, simple Yak AIR-1. This flew 'off-the-drawing-board'. No vices, very light weight and simple to fly. It was a good exercise in keeping it simple after the F2b and Balilla builds.

Pat

As usual, more info can be found in the build threads:

Yak AIR-1 build: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1319554
F2b thread: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1116684
Ansaldo Balilla: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...hlight=ansaldo