Conrad Connrod (oz8731)

About this Plan

Conrad Connrod. Novelty profile model for Jetex 50 power.

Conrad Conrod was a comic strip character in Model Airplane News in the 1950s.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 14/12/2021: Replaced this plan with a clearer copy, thanks to JohnLockwood. This has a partly re-drawn area added, using Karsten's photo for info, now shows the missing leg angle template and layout view.

Update 15/12/2021: Added article, thanks to Pit.

Quote: "Conrad, Our Hero. Look, ma, I'm flying! With assist from Jetex 50, modeling's Sad Sack spreads his arms and takes off. And, by gosh, even the jets can't do better than our intrepid birdman. By Bill Dean and Ray Malmstrom.

During a discussion on cartoon art, we both voted Conrad tops in the model magazine field. To mark the occasion suitably, we decided to produce a flying version of Mr C - the result of which appears in the leading photo.

Dave Kneeland was so tickled with the original when he saw it at Cranfield last August, we replaced Conrad's head with a likeness of Dave and presented him with the model at the Banquet, on the occasion of his winning the '53 World Free Flight Championship. The biggest joke about this Jetex 50 powered job is that it really flies well, as you can prove for yourself after a couple of hours at the workbench.

Trace the parts onto medium weight sheet balsa, using 1/8 for the body and 1/16 for the arms, legs and feet. Make two wing panels (sorry, arms!) to the pattern shown and round off the edges of all the parts. Taper the body aft of the arm slot to 1/16 thickness at the extreme rear and pierce - finishing off with the back of the sandpaper - then mark on the decorations in soft pencil. Now go over the pencil lines with colored ball point pens, taking care not to smudge the ink.

Chamfer the arms (at the arm pits?) to allow for the dihedral, then pin the right one to the building board and pack up the other 1-3/4 in as shown. When dry, scour the wrists on the underside and bend upward, squeezing cement in the cracks (ouch!) and checking the tilt with the angle template. Cut the legs apart at the center line, then cement together, using the triangular template to check the angle.

Cement the shoes to the legs, making sure that they are vertical in the front view, and put aside to dry. Now slide the completed arms through the body slot and cement well, carefully checking alinement. Complete the assembly by cementing the legs into the rear body notch.

All that now remains is to attach the Jetex clip to the right side of the fuselage. Cement a small strip of hardwood to the left side, then screw the clip in place. A 1 x 1/2 in rectangle of asbestos paper cemented just behind the clip will prevent a fire starting in the vicinity of Conrad's hip pocket.

Test glide over long grass with the Jetex motor in position, adding clay to the nose to correct any stalling tendency. Slight trim adjustments may be made by gently warping the arms or legs..."

Update 17/12/2021: Replaced the article file, now includes missing last page, thanks to Pit. Also a scan of the comic strip itself, an example of Conrad Connrod in action, from MAN Feb 1952.

Supplementary file notes

Article.
Comic strip.
Previous scan version.

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