40 ModelAirplaneNews.com
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
By Rich Uravitch
A
s Top Gun’s longtime craftsmanship
judge, I’m frequently asked about what
I’m looking for on a scale model. Surface
detail and overall texture are very important. Are
the fasteners and rivets of the proper size, pattern,
and spacing? Are they of the correct type? If they
are applied as glue dots to produce a “raised”
fastener and the documentation photos show the
surface with flush rivets, a downgrade is in order.
Exposed, nonscale control linkages are another
area for a potential downgrade; unless Du-Bro
makes full-scale clevises and control horns for the
aero industry, I wouldn’t expect to find them visible
on a model. The same goes for tires; the tires on
your Cub, Champ, or FW 190 shouldn’t have a
“Sullivan Lite Fly” logo visible on them.
Moving along to another scrutinized area:
wheel wells. It always amazes me that a builder
will produce a superb model, complete with an
outstanding landing-gear mechanism, while the
home for that landing gear is completed with
visible 1/4 x 1/2-inch spruce spars, plywood
reinforcement ribs, and raw balsa upper-wing
skins—all of these items unpainted, except for
overspray, no less? Hinge lines on most control
surfaces shouldn’t vary a lot in width and the
fit should be close, with some exceptions being
Cub-type models where control-surface gaps
can be significant. The hinges themselves? Back
to Du-Bro and Robart—they work great but may
be downgraded if the full-scale hinge consists of
metal fittings, nuts, and bolts.
Surface edges are another trap. The sharp
ones should be sharp, and when applying color
coats, the builder should move the surface to get
paint on the edges rather than letting the primer
be visible.
One of the things that makes Top Gun different
from other scale events is its static judging, which
is divided into four sections: outline, finish color
and markings, craftsmanship, and realism. The first
three categories each receive a maximum of 30
points, for a total of 90 possible points. Up to an
additional 10 points can be awarded for the final
category, which is based on the judge’s impression
of the model’s overall scale appearance.
As expected, there were some amazing
models competing at this edition of Top Gun. I’ve
attended all 31 events, and this year’s competition
featured the largest number of truly outstanding
replicas that I’ve ever seen. And they weren’t
limited to one type. Here’s why. For the benefit of
those of you that insist “rag” airplanes like Cubs,
Champs, and the like are simpler subjects and,
therefore, easier to model, I’ve got a news flash—
they aren’t!
This year’s entries varied all the way from
Todd Bixby’s beautiful WW I Albatros D.Va to
Bret Becker’s incredible electric-powered North
American XB-70 Valkyrie, and covered every
period in between. With so many outstanding
subjects to look at, I found it difficult to come up
with favorites for this coverage. So I’ve narrowed
the field by choosing three models that had
never appeared before at Top Gun, demonstrating
the fact that there are always new and exciting
projects underway.
The first of these was the BAE Hawk 100 of
the eventual Mr. Top Gun winner, Peter Goldsmith.
Masterfully executed, the big Hawk was built from
the Tomahawk kit and finished in the markings of
an operational Hawk from Pete’s home country of
Australia. Those of you who think that all-metalsubjects, especially ARFs, are easy need only look
closely at the surface detail on this machine. While
it may be true that a lot of these new-generation
jets arrive at your door with a lot of panel lines,
fastener details, and hatches molded in at the
factory, they are not always correct and frequently
don’t match the documentation. The only solution
to achieve a maximum score is to keep the correct
ones and redo the incorrect ones. This was the
case with Pete’s Hawk. Beyond the addition
of functioning external sight gauges and an
amazingly complete cockpit, this model featured
some of the most realistic weathering effects I’ve
ever seen, and I know it sure didn’t come out of theSee the remarkable hatch detail on Rich Feroldi’s
scratch-built Davis D-1W. Note the cockpit lacing.
Here, you see the level of detail required to be
successful at Top Gun. Todd Bixby’s WW I Albatros
got better the more you looked. How many of you knew that the WW I Albatros had a cooling fan fitted behind the spinner? Todd Bixby sure
did, and he duplicated it on his amazing model.
Top Gun “royalty” and former Mr. Top Gun Dave Wigley (left) holds his Westland Wyvern vertically for the judges,
while his buddy and present Mr. Top Gun Peter Goldsmith lends a hand. This is a special subject with counter-
rotating props that sounds unique in flight.Top Gun Scale Invitational