"Killer" Combat Kites
July 1954 Air Trails Hobbies for Young Men

July 1954 Air Trails

Table of Contents These pages from vintage modeling magazines like Flying Aces, Air Trails, American Modeler, American Aircraft Modeler, Young Men, Flying Models, Model Airplane News, R/C Modeler, captured the era. All copyrights acknowledged.

The object with these stick and tissue fighter airplane shaped kites is to use the sharp-edged sand that is glued to the kite string to saw through your opponent's string until it breaks. Part of the trick is that there is a long section of rubber in the kite string so that the kite is continually zooming back and forth, up and down. This provides the sawing motion needed to cut the string. The original plan calls for a single string, but it might be possible to work out a dual string control so that the kites can be maneuvered, thereby allowing more aggressive combat action. 

"Killer" Combat Kites

Ever flown "killer" kites? When these semi-scale profiles are aloft you'd swear a MiG-19 and F-100 were in mortal combat! Object is to cut your opponent's kite string. Using 50-50 mixture of cement and dope, glue model railroad ballast sand to the 50' of line nearest kite. Glue 2 feet at a time; glued string picks sand off newspaper, shake off surplus.

Both sides of all surfaces and fuselage are "dry" covered with Silkspan. Glue paper to balsa with dope; don't dope the finished kite. Remove warps.

Start flying with line in middle loop on bridle string. If calm, move string toward rear; windy, toward front. If you don't get enough "climb" bend adjuster-elevators up. As wind increases move hook forward and bend elevators up. Rigged and balanced for kite performance, model can't glide forward, so when string is cut it descends as if dethermalized.

Rubber-Tow Kite Flite provides plenty of fun when the wind's too strong for R/C or F/F activity. As towline you use T-56 flat 1/16" rubber. Let kite out from hand in nose-up attitude, playing out rubber "line" as fast as wind velocity permits. When line begins to stretch-h-h-h let kite go downwind as you hold rubber tight. When rubber stretches to capacity kite will zoom overhead. Then play out more line, kite again goes downwind. Hold line tight, kite soars overhead when rubber tension overcomes drag. Altitude depends on background obstacles; rubber will stretch about 5 times its length.

Killer Combat Kite Plan #1

Killer Combat Kite Plan #2

Full-size construction drawings for both the semi-scale F-100 and MiG-19 combat kites are available from Hobby Helpers, 770 Hunts Point Ave, New York 59, N. Y., as part of Group Plan #754 (50c).

Posted October 11, 2014