Royal Zero Kit Build into Rufe
Hello All,
My good buddy and painter of my scale projects, Gerry Dupont, is starting on a kit that he has had for many years. He is a professional scrimshander for a living and a incredible model builder for a hobby. He is not a member of RCU nor is he interested in personally doing a build thread (he hates to type) so I told him I would do the thread for him. You will be able to follow along with the build of this beautiful Royal kit. The float plans are the ones originally designed for the Top Flite Zero and power will be an OS 81A. Below are his words that he wrote for our RC clubs website.
Fellow club members, modelers and wingnuts, Well here you have it......... A REAL kit in all its glory, lots of balsa and
ambiguously printed instructions with NO helpful photographs. ( And no break-off tabs under the wing rib trailing edge to aid in building the wing with wash-out! ) But it is what it is...... A 1977 issued
ROYAL .60 - .80 two-stroke sized kit of an A6M-5 Zero. I'll be constructing this kit with many modifications to be an A6M-2
Nakajima Rufe, complete with stretched wing and vertical stab, as well as a few "enhancements" for weight reduction, looks and especially "fly-ability". Ted Brito has offered to post construction photos and a cursory text on R/C Universe as the build progresses. This has been a long time coming, what with this kit being a Christmas present from my ex-wife in 1979. Some things should not be rushed and there's NO time like the present. You're all welcomed to live vicariously through my efforts, head-scratching frustration and hopefully pleasant outcome and if the very thought of this undertaking make you ARF-ers in an "instant world" nauseous, then hang in there and let the balsa dust fly. Wish me luck, patience and endurance to go the distance on this one. I'm definitely going to need it!
I have attached some of his scrimshaw work and a picture of his "new" 1977 kit! I also included pictures of the last two planes he painted for me.