From the old MAN Ken Willard plan, not the Top Flite kit. Two channels, TD 02, 1 ounce tank, checkerboard silk, and a whole lot of fun...

WOW that checkerboard is dizzying..but cool
keep up the cool pics/posts
Art

Beautiful 'lil plane EASYTIGER! I LOVE that checkered silk. Unfortunately, I can only cover with an iron....no dope fumes allowed in my house.

Ken Willard was another one of my heros....yours too I'm sure. It's a shame he passed on. There were a lot more creative little planes up in his noggin!

Yeah, I have a very carefully hoarded supply of checkerboard silk...I covet even small pieces I find!

I live in an apartment in the heart of NYC...DEFINITELY no doping indoors for me! I have to go outside, and have to let everything dry outside or in trash bags, as it takes quite a while for the smell to go away...but I manage!
Nothing is better for these old models than silk...
I noticed you were monokoting that Twin Lizzy...I did not want to say anything, thought you were just being lazy, which was surprising after all that woodwork! But if you can't dope, you can't dope!

All the best,
Curtis

Lazy? Yup! But the real reason I use colored transparent coverings is that I don't want to cover up all those 'lil sticks and lightening holes I slaved over for hours & hours!

Another little-known fact proven long ago by modelling Supreme Guru Jim Prillaman (rest his soul) is that an even more damaging flight condition than the dreaded "down-wind turn" is the DOWN LIGHT TURN. Transparent covering (for me at least) has proven to be a method of preventing the old "snap roll on final" syndrome by allowing the potentially uneven light pressure to pass right through the wings.

Ever notice how exquisitely radiant the light is that shines through the translucent covering of a built up plane as it circles overhead on a beautiful, calm morning? All part of the same effect. Good cop, bad cop, good light, bad light.

Yes, it definitely lets the smaller aerion particles pass through, while letting the larger ones bounce. Saves many an airplane...
Actually, silk is very transparent...even if you put an awful lot of dope on. Which you can't with these little models!
Colored silk is perfect, just a few coats of clear and you are there, nice and transparent....
I'll be the first to admit that ANY iron on, even one without adhesive, like litespan, is a whole lot easier to apply, but silk looks great, is light, and lasts a long time. But yeah, it's a lot more work...

I built a Roaring 20 from the Top Flite kit in the early 70's. It was powered with a Pee Wee .02. The radio was a Mattel pulse unit with an Adams Baby actuator for rudder only bang bang.

Cox was not known for the greatest quality control back then and a lot of poor performing engines like mine hit the market. Leisure Dynamics was in charge back then.

Anywho, I decided that morning to R.O.G. my model. It was a warm humid day and the engine just didn't want to run right. Undaunted I set the 20 in the center of the runway and let go. Just about the time it got going fast enough to lift the tail, the engine sagged. This happened a time or two, then it hit a pebble. The prop hit the ground, the engine burped and began running backwards!

The tail wheel planted itself firmly on the ground and that cranky old engine roared into life! Arrow straight down the center line, right back past the pits backwards with 6 foot tall me in hot pursuit! I never heard so much laughter! My Roaring 20 lacked a steerable tail wheel and the rudder didn't do any good being in the front! Red faced I finally caught up with it when it ran out of gas. No damage, except to my ego and the model lived to fly many more times!

They just don't make 'em like that anymore!

My Dad still has one of the Roaring 20's from Topflite. I think it has a pulser or maybe a excapment in it. Sure is a great flyer. By the way I posted those pic for you in the Antique section.

BobHH

sorry for dragging this thread up, but I had to tell someone.

Just got my little pee wee .020 running after years on confoundment. Turned out it had a leaky (bent) reed.

I fixed it and took out my little roaring 20, and had a blast! 10 flights in the space of half an hour. on 30cc of fuel! hehee!!!

fuel it, flip it chuck it, loop it, roll it, climb out till the engine shuts off, thermal (albeit poorly), touchdown at your feet, giggle, rinse, repeat!!

Still got mine, haven't flown it for a couple of years, must fix that.
I'm a big fan of Mr. Willard's designs, they always turn out pretty and fly great.

here's mine. It now has wheels and pants, as i fly off a dried salt lake these days

This was ALMOST my first successful R/C model from the Top Flite kit.

Almost, because I could never get the D.C Dart .5cc diesel to start & run properly.

My faithfull Mills .75 diesel came to the rescue but was too big for the Roaring 20 so
a scratch built Veron Cadinal was 'the first'.

I must catch up with the Roaring 20 again, I have all I need! - John.

...and if you want a REAL quick builder, sheet the entire wing with 1/32 balsa. it makes the thing damn near bullet proof!

If anyone is interested, here is the tiled version.
Gene
12/13/2010 Edit. About 2 weeks ago I opened up both files and then saved them with Acrobat 9. I just reloaded both the tiled version and the full size version. Hopefully they will now open. Please PM me with your email address if they do not.
Gene

Here's mine, kit is an EarlyRC, built by Fireman...Rog

I can't get that PDF page to open Gene.

Ditto

I am now using Acrobat 9. I was having simular problems opening some PDF files at another web site untill I updated from 6 to 9. Suggest downloading the latest addition of Reader. It's free.
Gene

I already have Reader Version 9 with the latest updates....John.

Opens fine for me - I'm using Adobe Reader 9.4.1 .

You might check your add-ons in the browser to ensure Reader is there and enabled.

????????.........John

John, have you been able to download the file? If not send me a PM with your email address and I'll send you a copy.
Gene

It opend fine for me as well.  Perhaps try right clicking on the link and then use the "Save Target as" option to save the pdf to your hard drive and then open it directly.  That will tell you if it's your version of Reader acting up or if it's your internet browser settings that use Adobe as a plugin.

Yeah, I can't get it to open either and I have Adobe 9.4.1. It's cutie for sure. Will have to free up the .020 Pee Wee that I have.

OK, now I got it. Thanks