No Airfield Needed

Drag sled for launching model aircraft without a runway

If your radio-controlled or control-line model has a non-removable landing gear or its size does not allow a hand launch, don’t be upset by the lack of a suitable runway nearby. A drag sled will help — it can be used both in winter and in summer. To make such “skis,” you will need a Read more…

On Vant-Putens

DIY chain plates for sailing ship models

When building small-scale sailing ship models, a great deal of work goes into making realistic chain plates. I use a simplified method of imitating these parts and fittings entirely from a single piece of metal. Using a special forming jig makes it possible to achieve good results both in accuracy and in appearance. At a Read more…

The English Rescuer

DIY scale model of an RAF rescue service boat

As a prototype for this model, a twin-engine boat of the British Air Force was chosen. During World War II, such boats were used to search for and rescue pilots shot down over the sea, and also to perform guard duties. Work on making the model begins with drawing a full-size scale-copy plan. The plan Read more…

A Rotor on a Cord

Control-line autogyro model with a 1.5 cc engine

The term “autogyro” comes from two Greek words: autos — self, and gyros — rotation. In fact, they define the essence of this aircraft, in which lift is created by an airscrew-rotor that freely rotates under the action of the oncoming airflow, while forward motion is provided by a tractor or pusher propeller. The autogyro Read more…

An Auger Against Snowdrifts

Homemade screw snowblower for an ATV amphibian

For V. Berezhny, a resident of the town of Valday in Novgorod Oblast, the summer cottage plot is located not far from the town limits, on the western shore of Lake Vysokodno. From home it is a half-hour walk. That is why Viktor Dmitrievich tries to spend his free time on the plot all year Read more…

Young Pioneer’s Power Tiller

Vyatka-1M walk-behind tractor: Vyatich upgrade

Which exhibition exhibit is the most interesting? Obviously, the one with the most visitors, the one most often aimed at by camera lenses. That exhibit at the 1984 Moscow City Exhibition of Youth Scientific and Technical Creativity was the “Vyatka-1M” walk-behind tractor, built in the auto-design club of the Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren named Read more…

Single-Wheel Tractor

Single-wheel tractor with a wheel–motor layout

Compactness, maneuverability, and good traction characteristics are the undoubted advantages of the single-wheel tractor built at the young technicians’ station in the city of Novotroitsk. They were achieved by using a layout unusual for walk-behind tractors — “wheel–motor” — which gives the machine minimal dimensions and a simple transmission. It is no secret that large-diameter Read more…