A Tribute To RC Modeler Magazine January 1971

A Tribute To RC Modeler Magazine January 1971
This video contains a tribute to RC Modeler magazine January 1971 issue, where I will go through the entire issue (4+15 mark).
RC Modeler magazine (RCM) was the premier RC modeling magazine from its start in 1963 up until the early 2000s when it sadly went out of business. RC Modeler magazine came out monthly and was the premier source of RC model airplane plans, kit reviews, model airshows and building techniques for the RC model airplane pilot.
Each magazine issue contained 2-3 articles discussing plans for an RC model airplane that contained a detailed discussion of how to build the model. Full size plans could be ordered from the plans shop at RC modeler magazine and the modeler could make the RC model plane at home.
In this video I will go over the entire January 1971 issue of RC Modeler magazine at the 4+15 mark. It is interesting to "go back in time" to when there was no internet, and just about all of a modeler's knowledge on how to build and fly RC models came from the various magazines, to include RC Modeler magazine.
Here is a link to my KZbin Channel:
/ timmckay56
Many thanks in advance for a post of this video on Facebook, it truly helps the channel a lot!
Regards,
Tim
Guillow Arrow:
• Guillow Arrow Balsa Pl...
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:23 - History of RC Modeler magazine
00:53 - Jan 1971 issue overview
01:14 - Cost of radio systems
03:54 - RCM covers
04:15 - Jan 1971 RCM issue

[@garyvale8347]

Great video Tim !!!...I was in high school in the early 70's and can still clearly remember my father , who was an RC pioneer , ( he built many deBolt kits, all covered with silk , paint and dope and flew them rudder only , using those huge transmitters and receivers , with servos powered by rubber band escapements ) he would bring home these magazines home monthly, from the local hobby shop and we enjoyed looking at them.......thank you for sharing ......

[@TimMcKay56]

Gary: Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for checking in! Tim

[@jgroetsema]

Oh the memories! I got into the hobby in the mid 70's and had a subscription. Thanks for this video and hobby history lesson.

[@TimMcKay56]

Jeff: Thanks for checking in!! Tim

[@davesweany8650]

I loved the RCM magazine, that was the first magazine I went to on the magazine rack while Mom goes shopping. I miss the low price of kits and hardware from today's prices except radios. Back then I could only afford control line until I learned to fly RC in the Army / Hawaii. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

[@TimMcKay56]

Dave: Great stuff, thanks for checking in! Tim

[@davidbaker8483]

Hi Tim. Here in England I remember my Dad built a Macgregor transmitter kit that was single channel button push. Proportional was a dream then.

[@TimMcKay56]

David: cWe have thankfully come a long way! Tim

[@hangflyer907]

Another great video. Many people in the hobby, today, have no knowledge of the roots of the pastime that they enjoy. I have a complete collection of all of the issues. The first was published in October of 1963 and was primarily distributed on the west coast. We were stationed at Edwards AFB when my father picked it up at a Lancaster hobby shop. The index lists Phil Kraft's Multi-Bipe and Barry Halstead's Exodus as construction articles. Features included articles on the 1963 Nationals, a "Build 'Em Right" article, RX for Escapements, and an interview with Hal deBolt. The listed departments were the Editor's Memo, Bench Bits, Fly-In, Showcase '63, Solo, RCM Tech Data, and AMA. The magazine had 40 pages and sold for 40 cents. (A penny a page.) The last issue was published in June of 2005 and was just a ghost of its former glory. It had been declining for quite a while and was a far cry from the 1980's when some of the issues were 3/8 inch thick. I occasionally sit down and leaf through them remembering the early days of the hobby.

[@TimMcKay56]

HF: GREAT that you have a complete collection of RCM!! Tim

[@darrellwalker1934]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! It was a bit later in the 70s for me, but I remember going to the library to read RCM, & MAN and dream!

[@TimMcKay56]

Darrell: Anytime and thanks for checking in!! Tim

[@graemebrown8851]

Hi Tim, I came across your great channel a couple of months ago. I started RC in 1969 with a OS Pixie radio and escarpments. I purchased RCM for 30 odd years. Keep up the great channel. Regards Graeme from Sydney Australia.

[@TimMcKay56]

Graeme: Thanks again for checking in! Tim

[@1983dmd]

An EXCELLENT video Mr. McKay ! I was 11 in 1971 and I vividly remember me reading ( well, trying to read in english, since I speak french !!!) these R/C Modeler magazines each month and also telling myself how expensive these R/C radios were for that time !!! And what a surprise to find on page 79 of your magazine an ad for a local hobby shop that was well knowned here in Montreal, Carl's Hobby Shop !!! I also remember ads for America's Hobby Center in New York city. They were big, the store had many floors when I visited.Thanks for the memories !

[@TimMcKay56]

1983: Merci beaucoup, and thanks for checking in! Tim

[@michaelcasella4774]

This is that heart of the hobby. I truly wish I was around for these days. I was lucky enough to catch just the tail end of when kits magazines and hobby shops where the go too. I would have loved to experience these days.

[@TimMcKay56]

Michael: It was fun back in the day. But RC gear so affordable these days and you can still build these great models from plans. Go for it! Tim

[@waetos]

Boy that brings back memories!! My 1st RC unit was a pulse proportional 3 channel that used the rudder servo to cycle (the rudder flapped from left to right) as it engaged another gear to a throttle arm (a "false" 4th channel!)! It worked but was slow. Then I stepped up to a Cirrus Digital Propo unit in the mid 70's which really got me flying like a pro. My go-to magazine was this one!! The tips were a life saver, and free plans allowed me to build so many aircraft. I'm now 68 and still fly RC. But, my goodness, things have changed! Thanks for the video Tim!! Really enjoyed it😊😊 Keep them coming buddy!!

[@TimMcKay56]

Will do!! Tim

[@randall4411]

I loved RCM ! I scaled up several plans and with help from Riders hobby shop in Flint MI learned to fly rc airplanes in 1980 .

[@TimMcKay56]

Randall: All good! Tim

[@beerancher3225]

Way back when ! We used to call RCM "the west coast girlie magazine " , because of the number of covers featuring a gorgeous young lady displaying an equally impressive model , with a backdrop of the Pacific Ocean . I built , and still have an RCM Strikemaster , from , I think , the mid 70's .

[@TimMcKay56]

Bee: You raise a valid point, it was a great magazine! Tim

[@waetos]

Yes, the pretty ladies holding a pretty aircraft. These days some would call it politically incorrect or misogynistic!! I was 16 in 1971 and just got my PPL license - I couldn't drive a car, but could hire a C172! Talk about ironic!😊

[@spin1804]

RCM was my favourite magazine ever. Got the first one in 1989 with Ken Willard on the front .

[@TimMcKay56]

Spin: Sounds good! Tim

[@charleswilson925]

I see I'm a little late to the game by about a year thanks for the video that was a nice little stroll down memory lane brings back a lot of memories

[@TimMcKay56]

Chrles: You got that right. Things sure have changed a bit in the hobby!! Tim

[@mauricedyer6842]

Hi Tim. Great video and review. There was a msg over here in the UK , pretty much the same : Radio Modeller. Read every issue from 1975 until ceased production back in the mid 1990s. Pages on wing sections, engines and the like, model reviews and plans. My first radio was a Skyleader 4 channel in 1976, cost me £168 which today is roughly £1000, or 1300 USD.!. 4 servos 27 meg. Great days at the cutting edge of rc modelling.

[@TimMcKay56]

Maurice: Thanks for checking in a fully agree . . . back in those days an RC flight was a true achievement! Tim

[@TheGatFromPripyat]

Hey my grandfather is Don Dewey! Love the video, thank you for the appreciation of his magazine! I think I have all of his magazine additions, they are so cool!

[@TimMcKay56]

KPT: How cool is that?!?? Thanks so much, your Grandfather is a remarkable man who did a fantastic job with RCM. A classic for the ages. 😊👍🏻✈️ Tim

[@TheGatFromPripyat]

@@TimMcKay56 Thank you so much! He was a great man I really wish I could’ve met him! The Smithsonian actually wanted one of his original planes but sadly we didn’t have it

[@TimMcKay56]

@@TheGatFromPripyat 😊✈️ Tim

[@spottyjack614]

Hi Tim..Great video once again,!!! I especially took interest in this video because I collect vintage R/C aircraft and pretty much anything and everything R/C ...I grew up in the 80's here in Colorado and learned how to fly rc aircraft by 1st flying my cox PT -19 trainer..I think that's the name of the plane? I then got a cox 182 skylane R/C plane kit.. it Came with a cox Sanwa 2 channel aircraft radio the plane had a cox 0.49 sure start motor and a gas tank that held enough fuel for 7 -8 , minutes..you got the motor to Rev as high as possible and then you chucked the plane in the air with a little up elevator.. it was a blast to fly when you are 14 yrs old..that was top of the line as far as what cox was offering then in the mid to late 1980s.. I learned how to fly with that plane and have that plane still today... so I collect vintage rc stuff as I was saying and I bought a early 1980s nitro hydro race boat and it has a very very old futaba 2 channel radio in it. I was wondering if I could email you pictures of it and maybe tell me when abouts it was made?? I cannot seem to find much information about it??? Id love to also pick your brain about some Guillows aircraft kits as well.... thanks Tim.... Ray from Colorado

[@TimMcKay56]

Ray: Sounds good! I am at gbmckay at Gee Male dot com. Tim

[@RubyS.1]

I would watch this as its own channel. My grandpa said he had a 2 channel futaba that was 600 bucks for flying gliders. Just one stick

[@TimMcKay56]

FPV: Many thanks for checking in, and agree RC systems much more affordable today. 😁 Tim

[@lancer2134]

Hey Tim, I am pretty new to hobby... It's really awesome to imagine those days when people wrote their questions to magzine in order to get answer ... Specially engine clinic ...

[@TimMcKay56]

Narenda: Yup, that was just the way it was prior to the internet, fax, email, etc. Tim

[@Luckless_Pedestrian]

Interesting look back to a time before the internet and social media changed everything... The RC modeling environment has certainly changed. My preference in magazines back then was Flying Models (I subscribed to the end), but I also subscribed to RCM for years and years. I particularly liked Ken Willard's column "Sunday Flying" (my first RC was his Top Flite kitted School Master design with a single channel pulse system... and a screaming Cox .049 in the nose... dates me, I know). Still at it, but everything is electric now. Enjoy....

[@TimMcKay56]

James: You and I are RC twins. 😁 I built Ken’s BT-70 RC trainer back in 1972, used an ancient 3 channel radio. Good times! Tim

[@hobbypassion]

RCM had a great series that provided instruction on helicopter aerodynamics that presaged RC helicopters.

[@TimMcKay56]

HP: Copy all! Tim

[@Yankee2003]

Tim, Such a fun channel. Diverse, interesting and informative. I am a new subscriber so forgive me if I bring up old business, but…..have you ever covered the…voodoo, black magic, or whatever they call accurately bending 1/8 wire landing gear and/or cabanes involves. This is still something that eludes me. I have fun every time I watch one of your videos….thank you for your efforts. Mike Thank you for the video.

[@TimMcKay56]

Michael: Thanks for checking in! Great idea on bending landing gear, will add to the list! Tim

[@chuckcampbell3927]

🛫📖🛬 Do you remember a man by the name of Dan Santich? He was involved in all phases of RC development. Please let me know I'm curious if you ever knew him. 📖🛐✈️🐆🐝

[@TimMcKay56]

Chuck: Name rings a bell, but no clear recollection. Ti

[@chuckcampbell3927]

@@TimMcKay56 🛫📖🛬 Thanks for your reply. Dan was good buddies with Don Dewey. Tim, you have really caused me to have a flood of memories from the Golden age of RC. Good fun, Good times and Good people. Please tell me what was the name of Phil Kraft's brother??? Phil sold me one of his first signature edition units. (KPS16 SERVOS) small and powerful. Do you remember "World Engines" based in Ohio? Hazel (Sigafoos)? And her clipped wing cub. We all bought their kits. Really glad I found your channel, it's a treasure. 📖🛐✈️🐆🐝

[@TheGatFromPripyat]

I’ll have to ask my mom if she knew him, my grandfather is Don Dewey!

[@chuckcampbell3927]

@@TheGatFromPripyat you had a grandfather that was a very dynamic individual. He contributed much to the world of R/C development, which consisted of everything R/C.