Eureka/KYO B-36 kit variants (not stunt)

I've got a complete Eureka B-36 kit I've been holding onto with plans to build when I get to a place where I can have a shop large enough to handle it and other issues.

I also have a box full of spare parts from a kit where someone built up the fuselage but not the outer wing panels and tail group.

I'm trying to help a fellow who got in touch with me who needs the parts I have in the spares kit.

When it came down to laying everything out and checking carefully, I realized that the ribs in the spares kit are of a different design. They have surface stiffeners on the inner part of the wing and lightening holes in the ribs that the ribs in the kit don't have.

That would make me think that the ribs in the partial kit are of an improved design.

More intriguingly, the airfoil of the two sets of ribs is different.

I know this is a long shot, but there are some wide rangeing minds who read this forum who may know the specifics.

Can anyone tell me anything about the evolution of the kit design for the B-36 that came out of Japan in the '50's? The genre of big multi-engine kits came out under several brand names, "U-control" being the generic brand, "TKML", Eureka, KYO being others. You know what I'm talking about.

Any information regarding the airworthiness or flight charactrestics of these kits, the changes made/differences between them and which is preferable would be valuable.

Thanks in Advance.

Hi Cy,
I have a *U-Control* kit of the B-25 that a friend bought back in '73 in Atlanta. It's mostly built, but a metal cowl has been lost over the years. Can't speak to any of these kits ability to fly, but I intend to find out one day.
Bill

These kits were appartently manufactured by a Japanese "cotttage industry" during the 50's and 60's..... They are very intreguing because of the complexity and the nifty little accessory kits included....spun cowls (sorry, Neal), detailed landing gear, fake .50 cal. machine guns, etc.

My understanding is that they aren't that close to scale, and that they really don't seem to go together very well.....

John lost a bunch of these in his flood. I was able to provide him with a C-47, DC-6, C-46, a C-97?....I also had a couple of RC labeled kits, but the plans showed bellcrank installation, of a Japanese Hein and Zero. And a Beech Stagerwing that was labeled AristoCraft. Several of the kits were in unlabeled boxes, as I am told that they were samples for a NYC hobby shop.

I believe that George Gaydos, Jr. built and flew the DC-6 with 2 McCoy .19's and 2 McCoy .29's?

See Ya

The B-36 That is a plane that I've commented on before.
My brother sent me one from Japan in 1963, believe that the kit was $12.95 to my door. The kit was pitiful and was made by T.M.H.K.
There were no lightning holes in any of the parts and they were all of a very strange wood that was probably polywina? The balsa was hard and there certainly wasn't enough to do a kit.The landing gear while it looked neat with it's spring loaded set up would never do for the weight of this plane. Yes I built it and had a few parts special made for it like custom landing gear and really heavy bellcrank and a few other options.I never flew it and it was left at Mountain Home AFB when I rotated overseas.
In korea in 1966 there was another one. With OS 30's and Enya 19's and a lot of fabricated heavy duty parts, While I was doing mine some of the guys up at Camp Casy built one also. You really don't want to approch flying one of these casually as it makes Dan Banjock's double sized Flitestreak look like a puppy. It takes 2 people in the circle unless you have the mass of a moose and the arms and legs of a gorilla.
Meed a harness that your helper can hold on to you so you don't get dragged where ever the thing will take you.Double lines were used and a solid non adjustable handle for safety's sake.. A lap and a half to get airborne and 10 laps on that thing will make you pray for the engines to run out of fuel. Landing with 2 engines running is always spectacular
Had a third kit and that one is still probably at Langly AFB or somewhere in that areas landfills.
None of mine had lightening holes and all were T.M.H.K or T.M.K. kits and all were under $20.00. Can't even get the plans for it at that price today.
The Kits were lousy and to build them required a complete re-engineering to provide strength and durability. There were pitifully few longerons in the fuse to provide any stiffness,good hinges were almost non existant then and I had had pin and yoke hinges made just like the real one used. You needed to replace any of the formers that were load bearing with good ply ones too. I guess that they believed that since the whole plane was sheeted it would act as a stress skin and hold the thing together. Oh did I mention that the parts fit wasn't the best either.
I had built a Zero and an F8F Bearcat that I used a ST46 RC motor and 3 line on they wern't bad flyers but again you really did learn how to sheet or strip plank large areas. I always strip planked the fuselage as it was stronger and easier to handle the long pieces of balsa and trying to do a nice butt job on sheeting at a former is still not my favorite thing to do on a round fuselage. Not to mention how weak the joint really is.
My understanding of the manufacture of these kits also confirms that it was a cottage industry with parts made in several peoples homes and brought together to be put into kits.
Dennis

I've made a collection of this kind of kit. When I was in high school the first time around C/L, the idea of a twin was intoxicating. The kits were sparse structurally and in the detail of the plans, just a structure to hang some engines on. I could never afford them--Got a P-61 from a local hobby shop that was closing down just before I got out of the hobby and into full scale.

But the notion of a 4 engine model was all the more enticing. I've got two Connies and a DC-6. The two Constellations -- as near as I can tell -- are kits of identical design.

The holy grail of all of this was the B-36 just because it was so big and so unique.

As an actual kit, it leaves a lot to be desired. The bellcrank they ship with it is absolutely absurd. I would not trust it in a Nobler.

I think as models these things are almost better as a concept than as an actual item. There is something so expressively Japanese 1950 about them--copies of American technology enlarged upon in an odd manner.

And the doo-dads that ship with them are quaint as well, 6 wooden propellers, nifty working spring actuated landing gear, tiny little gas tanks--all of which was wonderful to find in a kit in those days but of questionable value in today's environment.

I'm planning to build them more or less stock as a kind of aeromodeling anthropology research project. I bet more of them ended up hanging from the ceiling of the local hobby shop than ever flew. In much the same vein I intend to take the OS pulsejet and put it in a F-86 or some such and fly that once, as well. A hugely impractical project, but one with a bit of panache.

But I digress...

A colleague in the modeling field is determined to get his kit flying with 6 electric engines and under radio control and I'd like to help. Turns out his kit shows the spare parts I have, which are NOT the same as the T.M.H.K variant. Which is apparently the same as the one complete kit I have.

Any info on the other version the one with 113 wingspan, not 112?

Any solid info about the different airfoil?

Oh, yes, before I press "Post Message", it should be noted the Tulsa Glue Dobbers have been here ahead of us....

http://208.191.17.233/mcrc/b36.html

Bill:

I have a U-Control label version of the B-25 and it has both cowls.

I've build a vacuforming box with the intention of sucking some plastic parts to replace the metal ones.

What is the wing span of your B-25 and how serious are you about getting it in the air?

Maybe I could generate a couple of cowls for you.

Hi Cy,
I would really appreciate that. I will have to let you know after we get back from our meet Sunday.
Thanks!
Bill

I have the plans to one along with a sheet of all the parts (ribs, bulkheads, motor mounts, spars etc) There were at least two distinct sizes kitted. The one that I have plans for was built here in Wichita KS and is around 110 inch span. It was powered by six Fox 19s (old three bolt backplate style) unthrottled. After it was built, the builder/owner got scared to fly it. He did run the engines a few times. I purchased the engines from him, and the plane now hangs in his son's basement ceiling sans engines.
The B-29 from that Co was produced in at least three different sizes. I have built and flown one with Four Enya 19s unthrottled and could fly it with one hand with no problem. That was AFTER the first flight. First flight pulled really REALLY hard. Trim was to take out almost ALL rudder offset, set the engines more closely to straight ahead, move the leadouts forward about 1/2 inch, and move the CG rearward some. Plane weighed between 4 and 5 lbs and would stay airborne on a single engine .
Bigiron

Hi Cy! I really got interested in your B-36 post. I do have a few of these giants myself. When I was in Viet Nam in 66-67 We had a C-130 that went to Japan every other week and picked up hobby supplies for the hobby shop on base(Phan Rang)I was able to get several of the beasts for about $25.00 to $35.00! The B-36 was the first kit I ordered and it was the KYO 118" W.S. and 78" fuselage. This plywood was made of BASS wood with a brown paper as the glue medium between the sheets of bass (3 ply). I have the B-29,A-26,B-25,DC-6,Super connie. I built the A-26 and it did fly very well with OS max 30R/C's on the wing. The super connie is hanging in my bedroom and is 11 1/2 lbs without the engines! All the rest are still in the box and in the collection. Back to the B-36,He's right about the longerons! I used 3/16 X 1/4 strip planking on the fuselage and the engine nacelles. I was suprised that the ply in the kit actually held up well under the strain. About 12 flights on the A-26 and got caught in a gust of wind on a wingover and lost it. I don't have a scanner, but do have a pix of it. BTW, when I bought the kit, New York Hobby center was selling this B-36 at $99.95! My Super connie is 74" W.S. and 67" Fuselage.