The Visible Wasp Airplane and V-8 Automobile Engines
by Renwal

December 1962 American Modeler 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.

I'm continually amazed at what people are willing to pay for vintage airplane and rocket products. Some kits from the 1960s and earlier sell for many times what even the inflation-adjusted prices of the originals sold for. This plastic Visible Airplane Engine kit from Renwal is a prime example. The engine is a Pratt & Whitney 9-cylinder "WASP" radial. It just went up for auction on eBay when I did the screen captures. The price is already at $127, and there are still six days left on the auction. The last one I saw ended up selling for around $350. In fact, featuring the auction here will probably help drive up the price for the seller (you're welcome).

I would love to have the Visible Airplane Engine to build and put on display, but there is no way I can afford to spend that kind of dough on a kit. I will graciously accept one as a gift, though. It would probably be a good investment for someone since the price increase seems to outpace inflation - and Uncle Sam won't tax you to death on the profit (at least not yet).

BTW, you can also buy a Visible V-8 Engine kit from Renwal. I had one as a kid, but after assembling it the mechanisms were so tight that I could barely get the engine to rotate (my fault, no doubt). There is also a Visible V-8 Engine kit for auction on eBay right now priced at $175 with 5 days left to go. You can buy a new Visible V-8 Engine kit from Revell if you want the model but don't want to pay for a vintage kit.

The Visible Airplane Engine Kit Contents, by Renwal

Wasp 9-Cylinder Radial by Pratt & Whitney

Kit Parts

Articles About Engines and Motors for Model Airplanes, Boats, and Cars:

• AT's Post-War Motor Roundup - September 1949 Air Trails
• Motor of the Month: K&B Torpedo .049 Engine - November 1952 Air Trails
• Mills "Brothers" - ½   Diesel Engines from England - January 1952 Air Trails
• World's Smallest Mass-Produced Glow Plug Engine Unveiled by Cox - May 1961 American Modeler
• Cameron .09 Marine Engine - July 1954 Air Trails
• Electromotive Power Plants - March 1974 American Aircraft Modeler
• Netzeband Reports on the Aero 35 Horizontal Piston Engine - October 1963 American Modeler
• Wankel Engine Models - July-August 1963 American Modeler
• Multi-Cylinder Engines - March 1967 American Modeler
• Air Progress: The Jet Engine - July 1951 Air Trails
• 50-HT Hopped-Up Jetex - March-April 1963 American Modeler
• Allyn .049 Sky Fury Engine Review - May 1954 Model Airplane News
• CO2 Power is Coming Back - April 1969 American Aircraft Modeler
• Cordless Electric Flight Motors - July 1973 American Aircraft Modeler
• Cox Babe Bee .049 Engine - Operation & Troubleshooting Guide
• Babe Bee: New Member of the Cox Family - April 1957 American Modeler
• Cox Golden Bee .049 Engine - Photo of disassembled engine
• Cox Thimble Drone PeeWee .020 Engine - Engine photo & operation sheet
• Junior 451 / DP-03 CO2 Model Airplane Motor - Photos, user's guide, and video of it running
• Designing a Ducted Fan - February 1971 American Aircraft Modeler
• Ducted Fans!  --  Scale-Like R/C Planes - March 1962 American Modeler
• Dyna-Jet Engine - June 1957 American Modeler
• Engine Idling Secrets (Part 1) | (Part 2)

      November & December 1962 American Modeler

• Engine Roundup - 1955 Air Trails Annual Edition
• Eureka Importing Company "Tiger Jet" Ad - July 1957 American Modeler
• Fox 15 C/L Engine - Photo of my 1st engine bigger than a Cox .049
• Fox 35 C/L Stunt Engine - Photo of my next C/L engine,
• Fox 40 R/C Advertisement - April 1962 American Modeler
• Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! - August 1969 American Aircraft Modeler
• Global Engine Review - 1963 Annual Edition American Modeler
• Hot Engines! - January/February 1963 American Modeler Article
• How Bill Wisniewski Reworks His Engines - June 1957 American Modeler
• How to Select the Proper Glow Plug ... and Why - 1963 Annual Edition American Modeler
• Inside the Two-Cycle Engine - February 1968 American Aircraft Modeler
• Iron Curtain Engines - Da? Nyet? - August 1962 American Modeler
• Jetex Jet Engine Ad - May 1954 Model Airplane News
• Jetex Motors & Fuel Pellets - Photos of my collection of motors
• Johnson Engines Continue on Improvement Program - February 1957 American Modeler
• Powerplant Revue: Hi's Radio Mill Proves Potent Yet Docile .35 - February 1962 American Modeler
• McCoy .35 Red Head C/L Engine - Photos of my engine and the user's sheet
• Model Motor Museums (Part 1) | (Part 2)

      November & December 1959 American Modeler

• Netzeband Reports on a Horizontal Piston Engine

       September/October 1963 American Modeler

• Norvell .15BB Revlite C/L Engine - Photos of my engine
• O.S. 25 LA Engine - Photos of my engine
• Outboard Model Boat Motors - Advertisements of many different outboards
• Rubber Motor Testing - August 1968 American Aircraft Modeler
• There's a Wankel in Your Future - June 1968 American Aircraft Modeler
• Thimble-Drome Piper Super Cub 105 - October 1957 American Modeler
• The Visible Wasp Airplane and V-8 Automobile Engines - Advertisements
• The Wright Cyclone 9 Radial Aircraft Engine - by Monogram

Posted December 28, 2012