The new MAN
 

Model airplane news, that is, Jan, 2005.. It's got a 24 page plans guide for the MAN plans- many of which are for 1/2a! I guess that's not really news, since all 700 MAN plans are listed on their web site. Still it's nice to have the 350 or so printed in a pamplet with little pictures for reference.

Also there's a funny ad on page 198 for what looks like at first glance an awesome deal on a five cylinder radial made out of cox .049 engine parts. Only 169 dollars! A lovely crank case all shared by the five jugs just like a real radial.. But I thought "gee must not run very long with five bangers drawing from the stock babe-bee tank...Aha!-- the fine print..
Only one cylinder fires! It's FAKE what kinda *^%$@#??! The website does not work- widecanyonengines.com.

RE: The new MAN
 

5 cylinders with only one firing? If they are cut off stockers then that engine would make a fine noseweight... :D

RE: The new MAN
 

Clint,

widecanyon was selling alot of those multi cylinder engines on e$ay. I think they wer egoing for $40-$60. It's a nice looking piece just to bad it's not a "real multi".

Later,
Tim

RE: The new MAN
 

"All 700"? I'll bet MAN has published well over 2000 plans over the years, and perhaps over 3000. I figured 75 years at an average of 2.5 plans per issue. In the old days, it was not unusual for a single issue to have 3-4 or even 5 construction articles. Today, you are lucky to get one or two (Except FM, which usually has at least 2 or 3).
Anyway, there is a lot of stuff MAN published which is now essentially unavailable.
Dave

RE: The new MAN
 

Ain't it the truth!!!

I find it disheartening that the mags have severely reduced their plans offerings. The construction articles were always my first read when the magazine arrived. Besides 3 or 4 plansets, you probably also remember the extremely detailed fineline drawings of a featured fullscale aircraft. I also still have a number of plan sets from MAN where each set came with 3 complete plans, usually two smaller planes on one side and a larger one on the flip side.

Yep, there were some advantages to the "old days".;)

RE: The new MAN
 

Andrew,
Right! For example, the March 1948 issue of MAN had:

The Hot Rock, CL stunter
Scale CO2 powered Se5 FreeFlight
3 views for a Luscombe Sedan (full page)
Fleet Canuk w/ floats (Earl Stahl) rubber FF
Part 2 of Wylam's plans for the Sopwith Camel (VERY detailed, 2 full pages)
Rubber FF Autogyro by Roy Clough
and fianally a small 3 view for a Morane Saulnier "N"
monoplane (1/4 page)
Thats 4 contruction articles, 3 3-views.

And back then, the plans were dimensioned so you could lay them out,
or include full size templates, or had "grids" behind curved parts for enlargement.
And often all 3 features, so you could build from what you had in your hands already.

The full size plans must be somewhat popular today, as they are a selling feature of
a couple of the UK mags and "Fly R/C" too. The old R/C Sportsman (70's), and the Old Air Trails
(40's) had fold out full size plans....it's a different audience today I guess.
Dave

RE: The new MAN
 

Back in "the good old days" we did a LOT of building, before ARF's, laser cut parts and multi page instruction books ... with pictures no less!
Plan contained all the instructions you were going to get and surprisingly we did pretty well!
There are many buy and fly folks now, in '46 there were none.
Personally building is as much fun as flying. I probably have a hundred or so sets of plans to scratch build from.


"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did................I said I didn't know."
Mark Twain

RE: The new MAN
 

Dave,

Don't forget that magazines used to sell plans sets (one sheet, printed on both sides) that contained plans for all the construction models in that issue (I say models because some were boats and cars). That may account for the smaller number.

Some mags do not have all plans available from their beginning. For instance, I think Flying Models had a fire at one time and only has plans available after that time. I believe this also happened to another mag (American Modeler?).

One of the most complete plans libraries was created by John Pond. John took on the task of preserving as many plans as he could. Since John's passing, AMA has acquired these plans and will someday make them available.

At one time a magazine would print so many plans sets and had to warehouse them until they were gone. I remember MAN having a sale on left-over plans sets just to get rid of them.

George

RE: The new MAN
 

Don't forget Model Builder, one of the most interesting and creative magazines in the field. Bill Northrup still has catalogs listing many of the great MB plans. Many fun and interesting designs there.

RE: The new MAN
 

I still have a number of the older MAN plans from the early 60, most of which are no longer available. Also many Flying Models magazines where they printed full size patterns on several pages and had one or two page plans in something like 1/4 or 1/3 size to make scaling up easy. In those days, many of the planes, whether control line, FF or radio, had curves and form to them, not like many of today's box designs. Of course, back then, I wasn't working 55 or more hours a week, or coming in to work in the morning and finding a nice little request from my boss to get over to the airport with several days clothes, materials from work, etc and get there in an hour (30 minutes drive on a good day). I've even stooped so low as to get a number of ARFs just to keep my stock of flyables adequate. I still feel that a good honest kit built or plan built looks and flys better than an ARF, and often lasts longer.
I've got quite a few plans from those newer English publications, and find them adequate to build from, if a bit primitive.

RE: The new MAN
 

I liked Model Builder better before they went to all RC. Same with MAN.

I have one of Bill Northrop's plans lists. He later came out with an additional list for the plans that appeared full-size in some issues.

I always liked "Dear Jake, Advice For The Prop Worn"...my kind of humor. :)

George

RE: The new MAN
 

I was dissapointed when they started to go to an all R/C format as R/C Model Builder, but within about a year they came to their senses and went back to being a model airplane magazine, unlike the new MAN which seems to be turning into an advertising publication. I might not renew my subscription next year.