Guillows sheetwood flying models - the Zip nocals.

[simpleflyer]

The Electra is coming along nicely. Dihedral is formed and windows and door inked in on the doublers.

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Gluing doublers in place. Slotting and fitting nacelles to wing.

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Dry fit of parts and ready to glue up.

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[Scott]

That sure was a threatening sky that you flew the Logo Jet under.Looks like the birds were checking
out the flight in that one pic too.Looks like a good flyer.
Your Electra is looking sharp.Thanks for the comments about my diorama pics.I'm in a couple of
vintage GI Joe collector clubs,as well as other 1/6th scale figure forums.I still have the GI Joe
I was given in 1966.

[simpleflyer]

Thanks, Scott, for your comments. Your 1966 GI Joe must be a treasured reminder of a much simple and saner time. I too have a few such items, and it is a joy to revisit them from time to time to get one's bearings reset during these hyper-speeded broken times.

Although the day of the Logo Jet flights was threatening, the following day(yesterday) was the real thing. A late afternoon thunder storm blessing us with 2 inches of much needed rain. Now our trees and flowers will be happy for a few days and I can back off on the watering schedule.

The birds are doves that move into town during White Wing season to avoid being shot at by hunters.

The Electra was glued up and a loop added to the wing tip and a couple of lead BBs added to the nose.

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After yesterday's rain, today was mostly clear and a good day for a test flight.

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[Scott]

Great job on the Electra,she's a beauty in the air.There's something majestic
about four-engined aircraft.It's good that your area got that much needed
rain.
My Dad gave me that GI Joe for Christmas back in '66,so it's special to me.
He also gave me my love for airplanes.He was a Guillow's builder too.

[simpleflyer]

My Dad gave me that GI Joe for Christmas back in '66,so it's special to me.
He also gave me my love for airplanes.He was a Guillow's builder too.

Your dad gave you two valuable gifts, he was a good man.

Pictured is the C-118 that we were flying in on a flight Between Travis AFB, CA and Itazuke AB, Japan. This was on the leg between CA and Hawaii.

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This flight back in l962 consisted of 3 segments to get to Japan, with one more segment to get to Itazuke. A few years ago Norma and I flew back to her home in the Philippines on a 2 leg trip between CA and Manila. One leg was San Diego to Taipei, nonstop. An amazing and long flight.

The C-118 is our next transport ZIP model,

[simpleflyer]

Work on the foam ZIP gliders continues. The parts for the mono-plane cut from a couple of 'leftovers' foam trays.

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One of the nose doublers glued in place and slots cut for the wing and tail.

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The other doubler glued in place and the wing and tail in place.

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Test flights should happen soon.

[Scott]

Great pics of your C-118 flight to Hawaii.That was a long haul to Itazuke AB in Japan.My
stepsister and her husband flew to the Philippines about 8 years ago.It was for her
Filipina friend's wedding.I think it may have been in Lauzon?Your foam glider looks
good too.

[simpleflyer]

Thank you for your comments, Scott. Luzon is is the largest of the Philippine Island group. Manila is located on Luzon. Across Laguna Bay south of Manila is Los Banos. Norma's home town. Norma was born there in 1941. In 1945 the US Army's 11th Airborne assisted by Philippine guerrillas conducted a raid on an internment camp held by the Japanese and successfully extracted the POWs with no loss to the prisoners or main attack force.

http://www.rememberlosbanos1945.com/

As reprisal after the raid, the Japanese massacred some 1500 residents of Los Banos. Luckily, Norma's Mom and siblings escaped into the nearby mountains and survived. Unluckily, her dad who was a Filipino guerrilla did not survive the war. The 11th Airborne to this day provides generous financial support to the Los Banos Rural High School. On one of Norma's return visits to home, we were able to visit the Los Banos RHS. Her university graduating class had build some covered walkways for the school.

The foam mono-plane is ready for flight. Next to it are patterns for cutting balsa for the C-118 ZIP 'swinger'.

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Test flights of the mono-plane went well. On one of its flights it picked up distant wingman off the right wing.

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[Scott]

The Japanese military treated the Filipino people brutally during the war.I'm sorry to hear that
Norma's Dad was killed while defending his country.I saw a movie about the liberation of that
POW camp,a few years ago.Maybe the title was "Alamo Scouts",not sure.
My stepsister and her husband went out into the countryside for that wedding,where her friend's
family live.They brought back a great carving for my Dad in a dark wood.It was a boy riding on
the back of a water buffalo(I think it was a water buffalo).
Great pic of your mono glider,with that dove flying as wingman.

[simpleflyer]

After an interruption by some real life activities, work on the C-118 has resumed. Most of the parts are cut and some markings have been applied.

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Thank you, Scott, for the story of your Dad's water buffalo. In the Philippines the water buffaloes are known as Carabao. Over the years we've accumulated this small group. The three larger ones were given to us by Norma's friends. The small one we bought as a souvenir while on a trip to the Philippines. They are all carved from wood painted in a dark finish. The small one was originally dark, but sitting on a window ledge in the sunlight has bleached it to a light tan color.

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[simpleflyer]

The rest of the markings have been applied to our scratch-built 'ZIP' model kit of the C-118.

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[Scott]

Nice work on the C-118 markings,Al.That's also a nice collection of Carabao carvings
that you've got.Thanks for those Fly Boy links that you posted,I still haven't started
my Fly Boy kit yet,been too busy lately.

[simpleflyer]

Thanks, Scott, for your comments. I'm glad that the Fly Boy links were of use to you. I hope that you find time to begin work oh your Fly Boy at some future date. Those bouts of "been too busy lately" are a drag aren't they. Looking forward to when you get a chance to start on your Fly Boy. Ours are a joy to fly.

Made a bit of progress on the C-118. Attached the vertical tail and started adding doublers to the fuselage and nacelles.

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Doublers are waiting to dry. Final assembly starts tomorrow.

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[simpleflyer]

Hmmmmm, the Gu 4500 Mini-model series (aka the old Gu DC series "root canal" models) are listed on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GUILLOWS-US-Warhawk-Fighter-Mini-Laser-Cut-Kit-GUI4502-/331035934540?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item4d13477f4c

'Buy it now' price is $11.49 - listed by an eBay store named Hobby-USA. Item location: Columbia, Maryland.

Guillows shows it : no price - available this fall.

http://www.guillow.com/4500-minimodels.aspx

[simpleflyer]

David, I don't know if anyone asked Guillows for these Mini-Models. it's a kind of grass-roots thing. A number of us have been flying these DC-'root canal' models for several years. Mostly built from scratch using copies of old Guillows kit plans for these models.
There was thread begun in March 2007at the SFA forum where these models were discussed for awhile.

http://www.smallflyingartsforum.com/YaBB.pl?num=1172577843/0

Prior to this, a group of modelers were building them indoors in Winthrop MA.

More recently, Howard Littman and fellow Blacksheep Squadron menbers were flying them on the west coast.

http://balsamodels.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1646&start=135

More pictures of their DC models are on page 9 of this thread.

A year ago, Howard sent me a PM, giving me a heads-up that Guillows was planning to put them into production. And sure enough, they are finally here.

I guess that Guillows saw something of a market for the 'root-canal' models and decided to join in. If one goes to Hobby Lobby, they can find a wide variety of these 'root-canal' profiles marketed by Lyonaeec and Gayla. They are made of sheet foam, fully decorated in color, and quick to build in a wide range of types and sizes.

At over ten dollars a pop, I don't think that I will be buying any of the Guillows Mini-Models any time soon. I have a good supply of the DC series that I bought off eBay a while back before the prices went out of sight.

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