Ringmaster S1A (oz7888)

About this Plan

Sterling Ringmaster S-1A. Profile control line stunt model. For .19 to .35 power.

Quote: "Hey Steve, I bought an original copy of the S1A version of the Ringmaster off eBay, and then found out a guy in my club had the actual kit. I like this version of the Ringmaster because it has a sheeted leading edge, as a D tube - the rest of the plane is the same as the S1, I think. I just captured most of the ribs from my buddy's kit in a drawing package I have, today...."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 20/9/2025: Added kit review from MAN September 1979, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Field & Bench Review. Sterling Ringmaster, by Jim Harris. Some aircraft have appeared to be timeless and ageless, fulfilling admirably the function for which they were designed. The Piper J-3 Cub and the DC-3/C-47 Douglas 'Gooney Bird' stand out among full-size aircraft. In model aviation, the Sterling Ringmaster is immortal.

I built my first Ringmaster when I was in my early teens. I chose the kit at that time because it looked good, appeared easy to build, and was recommended by my fellow modelers as a good basic airplane to fly. It could be used for everything from intermediate training to full stunt, and these were some of the functions it was designed to satisfy.

I have built many Ringmasters throughout my career and have used them for many purposes, such as learning to fly the stunt pattern, flying slow combat in competition or just for fun, and flying the balloon-bursting events. I've even seen them converted to profile carrier ships.

When I was asked to do this review, I happened to have one of the old kits on hand, and decided to build both old and new at the same time to permit direct comparison. Advancement in model aviation is as vast and varied as in aerospace technology and other sciences. The new Ringmaster kit incorporates some of these advancements and represents the manufacturer's desire to keep current.

The new kit includes a nylon elevator horn in place of the old die-cut plywood horn, which provides added safety and reliability. The wing in the new kit features an open 'D' construction with sheeted leading and trailing edges. This structure is strong and light. The wing ribs are die-cut and have building tabs, which permits building a completely true and flat assembly directly on a building board. I built both the new and old wings free of warps, but noted that there was much less chance for error in the new wing.

The canopy is now vacuum-formed clear plastic instead of solid balsa. This was changed in the earlier version and retained in the new kit. I think it improves appearance, and may cut costs a bit. The stab is assembled with strips of the new polypropylene hinge material. This is a bit harder for a novice builder, but is more durable and neater appearing. The rest of the kit is unchanged and features a one-piece, 1/2 in thick die-cut fuselage; die-cut stabilizer, elevator and rudder; and formed landing gear with mounting clamps and screws. The stabilizer is 3/16 thick and is more durable, with less chance of warping, than 1/8 thick stabs.

Everything needed to build the airplane is supplied, with the exception of the engine, wheels, bellcrank and leadout wires/cables. This is standard practice in the industry and allows for variations in the preferences of each individual. The die-cutting is nice and clean on the 1/8 plywood fuselage doublers and bellcrank mounting assembly pieces. No trimming was required before assembly. All balsa was graded and selected properly to permit construction of a lightweight but strong model; extremely soft and hard balsa were avoided. Die-cutting of 3/32 and 1/8 sheet-balsa is clean, with no additional cutting required for release and very little clean-up of notches re-quired. This is excellent!

Die-cutting of the 3/16 stabilizer parts was good and clean. Long straight lines are extremely difficult to accomplish, especially on sheet 3/16 and thicker. It should be mentioned to always check the hinge-line edges for straightness, and trim them if required. The fuselage die-cutting is clean and requires only a little trimming and fitting in the motor mount area. I rate the die-cutting overall as excellent.

The plan looks good and is spacious, suggesting the ease of construction of the model. It includes fullsize wing plan layout, complete step-by-step instructions and some nice photos of both the finished and uncovered model. If the instructions are followed completely, even a beginner can turn out a good model. Incidentally, the packaging is good. The use of photos on the box is both pleasant and truthful..."

Supplementary file notes

Review.

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