Bent Throttles
Journal of the Racing & Record Aircraft Special Interest Group of IPMS-UK, No. 26 March 2003

Reviewed by Jim Schubert

In this issue Neil Crawford gives us an illustrated build-article/review of the Kora Models 1:72 scale kit of Rudy Kling's Folkert's Speed King SK-3 "Jupiter" racer. This is a SMALL airplane; the original had a wing span of only 16 feet, 4 inches! the 72nd scale model, thus, has a span of not quite 2 and 3/4 inches(~70mm)! The kit is mostly resin with a vac-formed canopy and photo-etched details. The built up model looks great and is quite well detailed, which creates a good impression, given its small size. The SIG leader, Anders Bruun, follows the 72nd scale kit article with the telling of scratchbuilding his 1:32 scale SK-3. He carved a male master of the fuselage, from which he made two female half-molds into which 1mm styrene was vac-formed. The wings and tail group were built, Harry Woodman style, of styrene skinning over balsa cores. In 1:32 scale the model has a span of 6 and 1/8 inches.

Good stuff.

Jim Kiker reports in detail on building the Atelier Noix 1:48 scale kit of the short wing version of the Hughes Racer. The Noix kits from Japan are terrific, albeit a bit pricey, ranging from about US$70 to about US$100. If, however, your time is worth anything the kits are cheap. As Bill Devins says, "It's only expensive if you don't build it." Too true.

There are also build reviews of the LF Models 1:48 scale resin kit of the US Army's Verville-Sperry R-3 racer, which won the 1924 Pulitzer Trophy and of the LF 1:72 scale resin kit of the 1923 Pulitzer winning Curtiss R2C-1.

The balance of this issue has the usual editorials, New Products news, three book and one CD reviews and a sample of Tachiro Yamashita's newly released 1:48 scale drawings of the long wing version of the Hughes Racer. These are really great drawings.

Contact SIG leader Anders Bruun for membership details. He accepts US dollars cash! If you like racers or speed or distance or any other kind of record airplanes you ought to join this SIG. IPMS membership is recommended but not required.