Editor Kevin Crozier shares what’s coming up in the January 2024 issue of RCM&E.
Let’s take a brief look at what we have prepared for you in the January issue of RCM&E, starting with our regular columns. In this month’s ‘Scale Gliding’, Chris Williams resumes his slope-side bungee launching experiments. But first he reports from June’s ‘White Sheet’ scale fly-in. Next is ‘Make It Scale’ in which Danny Fenton looks at modelling logistics as he kits out his new modelling van, before Shaun Garrity covers another batch of vintage model topics in ‘Retro Ramblings’, plus he offers up a full-size Gopher R/C model plan.
This time we have a new column for you to enjoy called ‘The Insider’, as John Stennard kicks off a semi-regular feature dedicated to indoor model flying. Then it’s over to ‘One Man & His Shed’, inside of which Dave Goodenough looks at the benefits of strengthening airframes with those little triangular pieces of balsa or ply called gussets.
This month’s centre fold Pro-Plan is a real treat as Mike Delacole brings his popular ‘Chilli Breeze’ aerobatic design from the 1990s bang up to date with electric power and by fitting a 2.4 receiver and small servos.
Our feature articles start with ‘Ivan Pettigrew’s Planes’ in which Mike Roach pays homage to a master scale model designer. With ‘Skewer Your Hinges’ Dick van Mourik shows how to make sure your control surface hinges stay put before introducing his ‘Dactyl Mk. II’, an updated version of Dennis Bryant’s Dactyl flying wing. In ‘Indoor EDF – Going Smaller’, John Stennard sets himself a challenge to make some small, simple and light EDF models for flying indoors in spaces smaller than an average sport hall.
Wrapping things up with this month’s reviews, yours truly reports from the RCM&E photo studio with a look at a selection of small R/C models. First up is ‘Two Up from XFly’; XFly-Model’s latest kits are a smaller version of an existing P68 semi-scale twin and a stylish flying wing called the Eagle which sports twin 40mm EDF in pods on its wingtips. Then, starved of my usual flying fix due to windy weather I enjoy taking the latest Twister mini helicopter for a spin. This one is a well detailed scale model of a MBB BO-105 and it’s a real peach.
Oh, I nearly forgot! This month you may spot a slightly new look to many articles as we’ve finally let Mortons Media’s talented team of designers off the leash so that they can put their own stamp on things rather than working within the previous style guide inherited from our previous publisher. I hope you approve of the new look and enjoy reading it all.
Happy Flying!
Kevin Crozier
