JWN

My Feedback: (42)

We're going to make another pass at the static model competition and see what else has been submitted since our last pass.

Del Johnson built this very nice Fokker DR1.

Roger Hicks built this all aluminum HPI Savage.

Richard White build the very large and highly polished B-29.

Jeff Shutic built this large and colorful Fokker DVII.

Walt Carnes built the P-51D "Blondie".

Ken Cigler build the Giant Aeromaster biplane.

Terry Nitsch built the very nice looking BVM Electra jet.

Richard Driftmeyer built the A-7D Corsair II.

WinterHawke

Though folks would like to know that the Award Winners from this year's Toledo Show have been posted over at the Weak Signals website:

www.toledoshow.com

Best regards,

Lee McD

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Continueing through the show we find SonicTronics. They are a long established company who make high quality model aircraft hardware and accessories including their Ni-Starter which is basically the gold standard for glow plug lighters.

Wing Sling is one of those companies many people look at and say "Why didn't I think of that?". The concept of hanging a model with soft straps to cradle and support the model while being gentle on the finish instead of hard dowels or plywood cradles that never seem to fit the models countours, just makes sense. Sales seemed to be pretty good for this new company as it took very little in the way of a sales pitch once modelers saw how easy the Wing Sling was to use.

Kennedy Composites produces a full line of composite sailplanes and electric models utilizing the latest in composite structural materials and methods while remaining relatively easy to build. THey also carry building materials, power and flight systems to outfit your model the way the designed intended.

Eagle Tree Systems was present once again with their ever growing line of data recording, flight monitoring and telemetry equipment. The components of these systems are very reasonably priced and are surprisingly feature packed.

Micon with their Wireless Camera system was right next door. Their miniature wireless camera system is small enough to mount in most moderate sized R/C aircraft and surface models. With their system, you can virtually drive an R/C car from the view of a video monitor.

Next we see Dawg House R/C. They specialize in moderate to large size scale aerobatic models as well as the engines, radio gear and accessories needed to complete and maintain them.

Dynamic Balsa & Hobby Supply kits an impressive list of scale cockpit kits for many of the more popular airplanes on the market today. Their list includes models built from plans, kits and even ARF's.

Radical R/C has been busy adding new models to their own line of mini and micro sized electric R/C airplanes. These laser cut kits look to be of exceptional quality and very easy to build. These new kits compliment the extensive list of high quality kits from other manufacturers they also sell and help outfit.

Polk's Hobby is next on our trip through the show. Long known for their Tracker and Lancer line of transmitters, they also carry several nice looking model airplane and boat kits as well as everything needed to complete them.

Scande Research is still doing well with thier line of micro size model aircraft and the ever popular Demon flying wing.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Here we find Winged Shadow Systems produces flight data recording systems to record things like how high or how fast your model traveled. They also produce systems that measure and record battery volatage during flight to help determine if you have your electric power plant set up for best power and efficiency, or it can be used to monitor how much of a load on the batteries your radio equipment is generating during flight.

Ritch's Brew was a popular stop for modelers looking to buy a case or more of their well liked glow fuel.

Next we see the Weak Signals own raffle booth. Here you could purchase tickets for the raffle to benefit the clubs scholarship fund. I know it's tough to tell from the photo, but there were prizes stacked all the way to the floor behind the table.

Macs Products was selling their well known muffler and tuned pipe systems. They produce bare pipes and headers, as well as pre-tuned systems for many popular engines.

TME, Tejera Microsystems Engineering Inc. produce Lithium battery chargers, battery management systems and a nice smoke system. They also produce high end audio equipment as well as design custom microprocessor electronics.

Radio South was back again this year. They are a full service house for R/C equipment of all types. They also sell radio systems, paint and their own very high quality glow plug drivers.

CST - The Composite Store carries just about anything you could ever want or need in composite construction. Whether you need building materials and tools or vacuum bag supplies, they have what you're looking for. And, they can help you use those items to their fullest potential.

Cool Chem with their Cyanopoxy adhesive was doing demos and selling adhesive kits all weekend long. This is not your ordinary CA glue. This stuff is extremely strong even on materials regular CA has a difficult time sticking to.

Assurance is the distributor for the very well known Align line of R/C helicopters. They did not have anything for sale, but they more than happy to answer any questions posed about the models or where to buy them.

Dave Patrick Models is back up and running and the problems that plagued them previously should all now be in the past. Look forward to seeing their models available again very shortly with a service organization dedicated to providing their customers with the absolutely best service anywhere.

Kangke USA was on hand displaying several of their designs as well as Brison and Evolution gasoline engines.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Let's keep right on rolling down to the Mecoa booth. Mecoa has been producing model engines for many, many years. They produce K&B, Mecoa, Toki, Fuji, HP, HB, Kavan, RJL and many vintage reproductions as well.

Du-Bro had their hardware products on hand. They have been expanding their small electric line quite a bit in the last year to keep up with that very fast growing aspect of the hobby.

Century Helicopter had a bunch of great looking models on display. They even had the prototype for their new 90 size electric powered model. The specs are pretty scarce at this time, but it does have a fully carbon fiber frame, 25mm diameter tail boom, 700 size motor and main blades in the 690mm - 710mm range.

CS Precision is our next stop to take a look at their high performance 2-stroke engines. They make engines for airplanes, boats and helicopters. They also make several small diesels including an absolutely tiny one that is only .024 cubic inch in displacement.

Batteries America had batteries of all types, sizes and configurations available. They even had loose cells in case you prefer to build your own packs or have a special needs requirement where a preassembled pack wouldn't work. They also carry chargers and everything else you need to keep your batteries healthy and in top performance for a long time to come.

Jet Hanger Hobbies was present again this year with their well known and good flying R/C jet aircraft models. Or, if you want something a little different to take to the lake, check out the turbo shaft powered Miss Budweiser they had on display!

R/C Aircraft Graphics had several of their signs and graphics available for sale. They can also custom create anything you need for just about any project whether it's R/C related or not.

Ohio Superstar had their tail wheels, Super Hinges and other products available for sale at the show.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

RCA Models has a very diverse product line. They kit a One Design airplane as well as a B-25. They also make a slick transmitter tray and a sailplane launch winch.

Roy Vaillancourt of Vally Aviation looks like he's enjoying himself. And why shouldn't he? He's was Toledo talking about scale R/C airplanes with modelers all weekend.

Hi Alpha Aviation Hobbies produces another one of those "why didn't I think of it" items. Gearlegs. Gearlegs attach to the landing gear of your airplane to keep it secure on the way to and from the flying field or on your storage rack at home. They have several configurations available for models of many different sizes.

Miniature Aircraft had their helicopters and accessories on display.

Classic Aero was back again this year and they have expanded their selection of unusual kits. New for this year are two different Aeronca K's and Loening Amphibian Biplane. The complicated looking float on the Loeing is actually very easy to build as it uses ABS plastic shells over a strong central crutch. Also new are their light weight built up floats specifically tailored to light electric models.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

I did not get the name of the manufacturer or the cool looking Starchaser R/C missile and GTP Flying Car. Both looked like they would be a lot of fun. The missile is built with an absolute minimum number of parts making assembly a snap. The missile body is simple an 8 sided rolled tube of foam. If you know the name of the manufacturer, please let me know.

Aero-Model Inc. had their Hacker line of brushless motors on hand. They produce motors from the tiniest indoor slow flyer to absolute giants as well as helicopters and all are extremely well made.

Doctor Diesel was present with their line of all things diesel. In addition to carrying the PAW line of engines which range in size from .030 to .60, they also carry everything you need to run and care for your model diesel engine.

Spirit of Yesteryear had their line of old timer models on display as well as for sale.

RC Showcase had enough ZDZ, RCS and Roto engines on hand to make most normal airplane modelers cry.

TJR/MATE Partners had a very nice airplane cart/stand on display. This cart is of heavy duty construction with square steel tubing to handle large models. It also has wheels to make moving the model around the field or work shop a breeze. And even better, it folds down flat for easy storage in the corner of the shop or your car/truck on the way to the field.

The Society of Antique Modelers had a lot of very good information available for anyone interested in flying models from a by gone past.

RJRCoolTools.com is just what their name implies. They have all kinds of cool tools that you may be hard pressed to find elsewhere. Everything is of the right size for modelers and all of good quality stuff. If you cannot find your odd ball tool here, you may have to make it yourself!

IFLYRC-RCU

My Feedback: (28)

I built the Extra 300 shown ealier -

A couple of more pics.... took first place in "Aerobatic"

Won a 9C radio compliments of Great Planes. A big Thank You to the Wealk Signals and G. P. !

Note: My plane HAS been to the field....

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Next we find See Temp, the makers of the See Temp pattern making material. Also available were several other useful tools, tubing, shop brushes and some odd and end clearance items.

Power-Line Hobby Distributors import several high quality ARF airplane models for glow and electric power. Not only was did they have a very full booth packed with their products, everything was available for sale.

ElectroDynamics has a full line of batteries and accessories to complete the radio or electrical power installation in any type of model.

The Vintage Radio Control Society is the AMA special interest group dedicated to the preservation of models designed and built in the early years of radio control flight.

Castle Creations has been busy developing new products this year with several new items present. First we see their SHV line of brushless ESC''s including the MONSTER 90V unit capable of handling up to 22500 Watts. That''s 22.5KW! Of course there are slightly smaller units to handle tasks such as powering a BVM Electra jet.

If you are an electric power boat modeler, you will find the new Hydra line of water cooled ESC''s of interest with models available to handle up to 240A current.

Keep an eye open for the soon to be released Castle Creations 22 and 34mm series brushless outrunner motors.

Also available later this summer are the Phoenix Ice ESC''s. They incorporate the features of previous Phoenix ESC''s with the addition of data logging.

And last, the Mamba Monster supports up to 6s Li-Po batteries to provide unparalleled power for Monster Trucks and other 1/8th scale surface vehicles.

DualSky USA had a large selection of the batteries, ESC''s, and other items for electric powered flight on sale at very attractive show special prices.

TufFlight had their models on display as well as for sale with special show only prices. They also ran a pair on monitors all weekend showing just how Tuf their models are even when intentionally crashed.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Here we find the Cermark booth. Their new brushless motors and ESC''s are just about ready for full release, but what they do have ready to go are their new mid-sized aerobatic models. Touted as being "26cc" size they are suitable for a wide range of power plants from electric to glow or small gas. Offerings in this new class of model are a Sukhoi, Extra and Edge.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics was, as always, on hand to provide information to new as well as established modelers about our hobby and what their organization does to not only protect our hobby as it exists, but improve it as times change and technologies grow.

Wing Manufacturing had their full line of short kits on hand for sale. This is a great way to build a very good flying model with a kit that allows the modeler to build the model completely stock or make changes/modifications that best fit their needs and desires in the model.

Four Pi offers several nice models and accessories including a new 25 size electric Gee Bee racer.

Aspect Aviation was selling the very popular Permagrit shaping tools plus their own line of good looking yet slightly unconventional airplane ARF''s.

GetStencils.com offers a wide array of products to give your new model that extra little something to really make it stand out. Whether you need a stencil to create your own logo or scale marking. They also offer dry transfer decals of popular markings as well as other products to complete the finish of your model.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Skyartec specializes in small electric aircraft. They had several of their model airplane ARF''s available at the show, but it was quite obvious the big thing this year was small helicopters.

Dave Brown Products was again in attendance. Now that he is no longer the AMA President, Dave was able to be on hand in the booth for the entire show to answer questions about his products and aeromodeling in general.

Hayes Products was had their full line of hardware and fuel tanks on display.

Model Aero makes a varied line of small electric airplanes using the popular Depron foam material. Their models are quick to build and reported to fly very well for being so simple and small.

If you needed some very high quality oil to mix in your fuel, Klotz was on hand to make sure you had the right product to get the most out of your engine while assuring long life and reliability.

Dave Platt Models had Mr. Scale himself on hand all weekend offering information and advice to anyone who wanted to learn how to turn an average looking model into something extraordinary. All of his highly informative videos were available for sale as well.

Right next door was Klass Kote with their well known and respected line of epoxy paint finishes. These paints have pretty much the standard for high quality finishes on R/C aircraft models due to their ease of use and durability.

Sinbad Glue had their full line of adhesives and accessories on display as well as for sale.

Tiny Brite Lights produces several different kits of very small, yet bright, lights for outfitting on R/C models. Their systems, including batteries, are so small and light they can be added to most small models as well as larger ones as well.

Thunder Power RC had their high performance batteries, chargers and ESC''s on hand and were helping to answer questions for anyone looking to get the best performance possible out of their electric powered models.

Stevens AeroModel was, as usual, very busy all weekend long. With a stack of all of their very high quality laser cut kits, there was always a group of modelers taking a look at what was available at the special show prices.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Fox Manufacturing was back at the show this year with their full line of glow and gasoline powered engines. Also available for sale were their large scale props and glow plugs by the card that carried prices better than one could ever hope to find at their local hobby shop.

Budget RC was busy all weekend living up to their name sake by selling their electric powered airplane kits at prices many would have a hard time believing existed in this day and age.

Miller R/C Products had their well known gear reduction starters available as well as several neat and useful airplane accessories.

FMA Direct had their full line of receivers, servos, flight stabilization system plus their CellPro Li-Po batteries, chargers and battery management systems.

Z-Planes was kept busy selling their electric powered airplane kits in addition to several RTF micro helicopters, static models and a ton of glue! And of course, all of it was tagged at special show only prices.

Yellow Aircraft had many of their fine scale jet and prop airplanes. They also had their large F-22 Raptor designed for twin ducted fans or a single 28 lb. turbine engine. At 83" long, this is a large model that will command quite a presence at any flying field.

Mike''s Subworks had not only several submarine kits available, but some great looking R/C tanks, cars and micro RTF helicopters.

Sierra Giant Scale had their full line of retractable landing gear, struts and wheels available as well as full support kits designed to make the installation of this critical equipment set go smoothly with fully reliable operation.

Custom Electronics had a full line of R/C radio gear available at the show including the new Airtronics RD 8000 2.4GHz system. Also available were several sophisticated battery management controllers and even unassembled servo connector components for those who prefer to make their own extensions, harnesses or other leads.

Sullivan Products continues to quietly add new products to their already long list of R/C accessories and tools. New this year is their Universal Fuel Stopper that is compatible with gasoline, glow fuel, diesel and even smoke oil. Also new is their 3" aluminum cone designed to convert most of their starters for use with the large spinners so prevalent on models today. If you are looking for a slick and easy to use on board glow ignitor, they have two. One for single cylinder engines and another for twin cylinders. Also new is their 6mm helicopter starter extension kit which uses over-sized one way and thrust bearings.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

We''re in the very home stretch for our exhibitor coverage of this year''s 2008 Toledo Weak Signals show.

The last vendor we have to visit is Dietrich Performance. All of the models present in their booth are of the GIANT variety and most sported very bright and colorful finishes. All of these models appeared to be very well built with excellent design work behind them.

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

We have a few more static models to take a look at and here they are in no particular order.

Greg Hahn built the very nice looking Beechcraft C-45H Expediter.

Stan Zolodz built the F-86.

Dave Platt built the realistic looking A6M3 Zero from his own kit. If you get a chance to study one of his scale models for any length of time it becomes very obvious why he is known as "Mr. Scale".

Carl Diehl built the interesting and unusual 1922 Navy-Wright NW-1

Keith Shaw built the futuristic looking Crosby CR4. And yes, it is electric powered.

David Anderson built the very nice looking Grumman Lynx.

Roy Vaillancourt built the highly detailed FW-190 from his own plans.

David Behnken built the nice looking Grumman Hellcat.

Mr. Mrock built the Loening amphibious biplane from the new Classic Aero kit.

Scott Christensen built the 1953 Guillows Trixter Beam. Now this is one design you won''t find at my flying fields these days!

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Robert Pannell built the very large DC-10 in UPS colors. It is worth nothing the size of this model having a wingspan of 112", length of 124" and weight of 36 lbs. That may not sound too out of line until you consider uses electric driven ducted fans for power!

George Maiorana built the very impressive Russian TU-95MS Bear.

Herman Cholewinski built the large Fokker DR-1 425/17.

Dave Asman built the large and highly detailed F6F3 Hellcat.

Jason Miracle built the very nice Extra 260.

I did not get the name of the builder of the the large polished B-29.

Here we see what it all of these great looking models were competing for. There were just as many radios on the opposite side of this display! It is of note that in 2009, radios will no longer be given away to the winners of the static competition. Next year, all prizes will be CASH!

The results of the static competition are as follows:

Best of Show - USS MISSOURI by Brad Newland of Elmira, MI

Best Finish
1st Place - BVM Electra Jet by Terry Nitsch of Grove City, OH
2nd Place - Long Deck Launch by Jack Kipfer of Waterloo, Ontario Canada
3rd Place - General Dynamics F-16 by Graeme Mears of Woodbridge, Ontario Canada

Best Monokote
1st Place - Swoose by Faye Stilley of Wilton, CT
2nd Place - Contender by Jeff Oaks of Warren, MI
3rd Place - Carden Extra 260 by Jason Miracle of Findlay, OH

Designer Scale Plane
1st Place - Russion TU-95MS Bear by George Maiorana of Sterling Heights, MI
2nd Place - A6M3 Zero by Dave Platt of Palm Bay, FL
3rd Place - FW-190 by Roy Vaillancourt of Farmingville, NY

Aerobatic Plane
1st Place - 3W 40% Extra 300 by Jim Repp of Canton, MI
2nd Place - Carden Extra 260 40% by Jason Miracle of Findlay, OH
3rd Place - Ultimate Biplane by Michael Green, Techumseh, MI

Jet Plane
1st Place - F-16c by Graeme Mears of Woodbridge, Ontario Canada
2nd Place - BVM Electra by Terry Nitsch of Grove City, OH
3rd Place - F-86F-40 by Gerry Kerr of Johnstown, OH

Micro RC Plane
1st Place - Piper L4 Grasshopper by Joe Malinchak of Greenfield TWP, PA
2nd Place - Aeronca K by Robert Romarsh of Colorado Springs, CO
3rd Place - Nessmith Cougar by Cindy Malinchak of Greehfield TWP, PA

Military Sport Scale Plane
1st Place - F6F3 Hellcat by Dave Asman of Sterling Heights, MI
2nd Place - Beechcraft C45H by Greg Hahn of New Castle, IN
3rd Place - Fokker DR1 by Del Johnson of Hamilton, OH

Non-Military Sport Scale Plane
1st Place - Douglas DC-3 by John Mainwaring of Windsor, Ontario Canada
2nd Place - Mooney M20L by Roy Maynard of Eden Prairie, MN
3rd Place - Crosby CR4 by Keith Shaw of Ann Arbor, MI

Old Timer Plane
1st Place - Hoiman by Stuart Warner of Westlake, OH
2nd Place - 1938 Lancer by Lawrence Latokski of Battle Creek, MI
3rd Place - Interceptor by Andrew Haggery of Warren, MI

Sailplane
1st Place - Olympic III by Tom Skully of Cadiz, KY
2nd Place - Lanzo Floater by Lawrence Latokski of Battle Creek, MI
3rd Place - Big Duck by Troy Lawicki of York, PA

Sport Biplane
1st Place - Giant Aeromaster by Ken Cigler of Painseville, OH
2nd Place - Sopwith 1E1 by Andrew Latowski of Battle Creek, MI
3rd Place - Micro SSX Bipe by James Karpy of Orlando, FL

Sport Mono-Plane
1st Place - Swoose by Fay Stilley of Wilton, CT
2nd Place - Contender by Jeff Oaks of Warren, MI
3rd Place - 1953 Guillows Trixter Beam by Scott Christensen of Montezuma, IA

Helicopter
1st Place - AH-64 Apache by Kerry Muncy of Moorseville, IN
2nd Place - Huey UH1-D by Paul Giles of Chesterfield TWP, MI
3rd Place - Vibe 50 by Jeff Hohsinger of Xenia, OH

Working Vessel Unarmed Boat
1st Place - Tugboat "Dearborn" by Patrick Matthews of West Bloomfield, MI
2nd Place - Tugboat "Cascade" by Karl Kuttruff of Sterling Heights, MI
3rd Place - Unnamed Tug which I missed getting a photo of

Competition Boat
1st Place - Miss Budweiser by Greg Hahn of Newcastle, IN
2nd Place - Weatherly sailboat by Bryant Thompson of Champaign, IL
3rd Place - Micro Whiplash by Taylor Shaw of Ontario Canada

Military Scale Boat
1st Place - USS Missouri by Brad Newland of Elmira, MI
2nd Place - Yamato by Patrick Matthews of West Bloomfield, MI
3rd Place - U2540 Submarine by Bryant Thompson of Champaign, IL

Pleasure Boat
1st Place - Long Deck Launch by Jack Kipfer of Waterloo, Ontario Canada
2nd Place - Classy Lady by Richard Koll of Oakhurst, NJ
3rd Place - Chris Craft by John Bergez of Hamilton, Ontario Canada

RC Car
1st Place - Truck by Dan Wyatt of Dearborn, MI
2nd Place - Tamiya TB-02 by Sarah Boes of Toledo, OH
3rd Place - Rock Crawler by Doug Schultz of Temperance, OH

This concludes this years RCUniverse.com coverage of the 2008 Toledo Weak Signals R/C Show. The show as a whole seemed to be a great success. Attendance was quite good, especially on Friday and Saturday. The swap shop was a mad house as is expected but there were a great number of deals to be found for those willing to brave the masses of people upstairs. I myself managed to spot an out of production Americas Cup sailboat kit that had never been opened.

I hope to be back next year for the 55th anniversary show and all of the great R/C models and people it will surely attract. See you there!

K_Biker_Bill

I appreciate youe efforts to cover Toledo, but I need to mention the photographs. Lots of them and that's great, but their quality (including lighting and focus) is very poor. What happened?

JWN

My Feedback: (42)

Lighting in these shows is an extreme challenge given the use of high intensity lights suspended approximately 30' over head. Focus in the photos is generally affected by shrinking of the images to keep load times reasonable while browsing the thread. If full size images were posted, we would have some very upset members when it takes 2-3 minutes to load each post.

xtraflyr

My Feedback: (11)

I hope to get there one year! Looks awesome!!