Focke-Wulf Stosser (oz1419)

About this Plan

Focke Wulf Stosser. Free flight rubber scale model.

Quote: "Focke-Wulf Stosser, by Paul Del Gatto. A rubber-powered Scale model, much like the old 25c kits, aimed at the modeller who likes economical modelling fun.

Rubber-powered Scale model flying is fascinating and exciting. We have found that it still has the lure, for us, that it had when we began model building many years ago. Those were the days when you could go to a hobby shop or candy store and pick from hundreds of interesting scale subjects. They had the racers, the biplanes, the triplanes, the hydros, and the latest light planes.. All in small size and all for rubber flying.

These little beauties never flew as well as the high-performance ships, which were also available, but they cut a pretty picture in the sky. Oftentimes, we launched from the higher regions of a second-story porch to get an added thrill. Aviation lived a little.

When we wanted to experiment, we built the 'weirder' types. Who can forget the kits of the Waterman Automobile? The triplanes and biplanes never flew well but they looked good, which is why we built them.

Fascinating was the fun of sticking on stringers, and more stringers, often adding twice as many as called for in the kit. Sometimes we went rib happy. We added extra ribs, false ribs, half ribs and rib braces. These things made the model harder to cover but we always managed to squeak through with only a wrinkle or two. Covering small ships is easier than the bigger ones.

This was exciting, but where to, today. Today's manufacturers claim that the young American isn't as smart, or agile with his fingers as the modellers of yore, which most manufacturers are. No more stringers, too hard to do. No more paper covering, too fragile and difficult to attach. No more propellers from wood..."

Supplementary file notes

Alternate scan from full size, thanks to JoeFergusson, Poacher.
Planfile includes article.

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