The Staff here at Model Airplane News is very proud of editor Gerry Yarrish for his well-deserved First Place win in the World War 1 Category at the 2014 WRAM Show!
Most MAN readers will recognize this impressive red and black Fokker Triplane, Gerry started this impressive 1/3-scale project in 2012 and featured it in dozens of Online Workshop Build-Along posts. Demonstrating many model building techniques, from the basic out-of-the-box build using the Balsa USA kit, (http://balsausa.com) to installing the engine and radio system, and then covering, painting and detailing the giant scale aeroplane, Gerry’s Fokker Triplane is typical of the exclusive online information brought to you by Model Airplane News.
With decades of scale RC modeling experience, Gerry’s talents in the workshop are well known by all who know him and consider him a biplane and multi-wing model expert.
Back Story–
Gerry first saw the new prototype 1/3-scale Triplane when it was introduced at the Toledo show in 2012. He was one of the first to get on the list for this classic WW1 aeroplane kit. He started building the model in October and spend 500 hours building and setting up the project, taking hundreds of photos along the way. The painting, detailing and weathering took another 100 hours.
Weighing in at about 37 pounds, the Triplane was first test flown at the Long Island Sky Hawks’ Dawn Patrol WW1 meet, and Gerry flew the model for the rest of the 2013 flying season including events in Kingston, Ontario Canada, and the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, NY, where he flew the triplane as part of the halftime RC demo flight during the airshow. He also flew it at the Central CT RC Club’s 12th Annual Big Biplane Bash in Farmington, CT where Gerry won the “Best Warbird” award.
After putting in a full flying season with the triplane, Gerry brought the triplane back to his workbench to get serious with the scale detailing and weathering. The added bits of eye-candy included a new dummy rotary engine and scale propeller hub, scale resin casted spark plugs, adding the pilots foot stirrup on the left side, magnetically attached wingtip skid axe handles on the bottom wings, and the two hand grips under the tail. Gerry also produced a scale “Mini-Me” pilot of himself complete with flying helmet, goggles and flight gear. The leather jacket and clothing coming from Wendy at “Perfect Pilots” in the UK. http://perfect-pilots.com/
For weathering, Gerry added smudges and oil streaks where ever a 1/3-scale mechanic would have handled the triplane, and then added bits of corrosion, mud and rust here and there to give his model, that Cole Palen used Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome look. Though not exact scale, Gerry also added a smoke system and functional bomb drop, to duplicate Cole Palen’s show character “The Black Baron” dropping bombs during his full size airshow. Gerry’s wife Anita also made a 1/3-scale dummy “Trudy Truelove” for Gerry to drop just like the Black Baron did!
(Above) Gerry receiving his award.
All of Gerry’s hard work certainly paid of nicely as Gerry earned the First Place World War 1 award. There has always a very high standard for all the competition models at the annual WRAM Show held at the Meadowland’s Expo Convention Center in Secaucus, NJ.
Great show!