First Foamy articles in RCM magazine

Erasmus80

Member
Here are the first 20th century references to foam in my Radio Control Modeler (RCM) collection.
  1. A two-part article on Foam Wings published in June and July 1967.
  2. RCM Published a Book "Foam Wings" in late 1971 (attached in four zipped parts).
  3. An article (packaged with the editorial) from the August 1974 issue introducing the use of foam board.
  4. The first two-part article on foam aircraft construction, published in April and May of 1975.
 

Attachments

  • RCM v11n08 Cover, TOC & Editorial.pdf
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  • RCM v12n04 Foam Construction Part 1.pdf
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  • RCM v12n05 Foam Construction Part 2.pdf
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  • FoamWingsP1 RCM 1967 06 JUN.pdf
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  • FoamWingsP2 RCM 1967 07 JUL.pdf
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  • RCM 1971 Foam Wings_Part1.zip
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  • RCM 1971 Foam Wings_Part2.zip
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  • RCM 1971 Foam Wings_Part3.zip
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  • RCM 1971 Foam Wings_Part4.zip
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Erasmus80

Member
The best of times. I built my first plane in 1974. It was the RCM Basic Trainer (1972) by Dick Tichenor, published in the "RCM Flight Training Course" book. It even flew. My #3 son has it now.
 

Thomas B

Member
Wow. After a year, time for another post in this thread.

In 1972 or 1973, I purchased my first foam RC kit at a local hobby shop in Fort Worth, TX. I cannot remember the model name or manufacturer.

It was a 72” spand glider/sailplane. Simple shape. Hot wire cut wings and tails and a fuse built up out of foam sheets, with a foam nose block. Not designed to need covering.

A super easy build. I added a Cox tank mount .049 above the wing.

Great flying model. Flew it for several years and literally wore it out.

Around the same time, perhaps a year later, I acquired my first molded foam model. It was a Canyon Plastics molded foam Schweitzer 1-26, with a 78” span. I put in many slope soaring flights with it on a nearby dam.

I ran across a copy of the ad for the model.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7597.png
    IMG_7597.png
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Piotrsko

Master member
Ace proportional radios went all out with their cast foam wings and I think they had a fuselage. Mattel ( house of Barbie) did a couple but mostly everyone took a toy foamie (typically made in Asia) and stuck radios in it. Radical as all get out back then. Some places like Sepulveda Basin outlawed them. For $20 and couple hours work you had a (generally) fuel proof ready to go. Some flights were flaming spectacular