I am searching for the December issue of the US magazine "Scale RC modeler" from 1985. Reason: I am starting to build Frank Smith“s 73" model of the DHC-4 CARIBOU, published by M.C. Beaulieu“s Plan Service same year. In this issue there was a construction article about the model.
Unfortunately, in a moment of brain loss, I dumped my old collection of several years of SRCM, including the Dec/1985 one. Fortunately, I found the reference to the plan and its publication in SRCM in the website: Aerofred.com - "The oldest, largest, the best free model airplane plans service in the world". The three sheets of the Caribou-plan is there to download as a file, or to order paper versions.
As you may know the Caribou has a quite unique wing, a double gull wing. The plan show a a combined foam (outer wings) and built up (center section). As I don't have access to a foam cutter, when I ordered a cut kit from Lazer-Works/Action Hobbies way back in 2013 (!), I also asked if they could make parts for a complete built up wing. Which they did. They didn't have a file on the plan, just the paper plan I sent them. They also cut a 72" Fairey Swordfish for me from the Clifford Mcllwee plan (Sarik Hobbies MW2956), warning me that there was several errors in the plan, and wishing me the best of luck to built it. This has been addressed by a guy building from the plan, describing the process, I think here on RCU.
So, the Caribou plan and the cut parts are a challenge to build from, particularly the wing. Fuselage is a box, easy, not the double gull wing.
So, if there are someone who can sell me the December issue of SRCM, or to send me copies of the article, I would be more than grateful.
Search has not shown anything on models built from this plan. Jerry Bates has a much larger plan: 1/9 scale Wingspan 127,8". This is bigger than my living room/work table; absolutely "No!" from the wife.
Goodness, all the refs of the plan to producers, relevant according to the plan for parts (cowling, hinges etc), are no longer with us. No
problem, though. I am still 81yrs and building, with the old dream from having lived in Darwin, Australia, to have seen and heard one of the last Caribous remaining in Australia, flying slowly (not silently), just overhead to land.
That is why I also love slow flying planes, like bi-planes or tri-planes. You can see a video of my Fokker Dr I flying with a twin Lazer at You Tube (search my name: Terje Brantenberg) as I didn't manage to put it out properly. Plane and engine still flying almost 45 years old.
Thank you!
Terje Brantenberg
Member of "Tromsų Modellflyklubb"