Profile SBD and SNJ plans from Don Hutchinson

I ordered (Monday 20 March 06) and received both sets of plans ($30.00 for the pair shipped to the downtown Ruksakinmakiak Post Office) Saturday, 25 March 06. The plans arrived in good shape rolled rather than folded, as nice plans should be shipped. To the best of my knowledge these plans are unique in their treatment of these two rarely seen planes designed as control line sport/stunt models.

Each plan has two large sheets, one with the full sized typical profile and plan views of the fuselage, wing and vertical part of the empennage. The other has balsa parts, and hardware (tank, flap and elevator horns, LG, etc.), patterns as well as the full sized horizontal tail feather plan view.

While Don specifies that he is not a professional draftsman, he has taken great pains to make his plans accurate and eminently useful. In addition to the plans themselves, there is a three page set of supplemental instructions, that, while not as detailed as what comes with some of the higher dollar kits of today, answer very adequately the questions I had that were not answered on the plans themselves.

Because the planes are designed as attractive models to be flown in P-40, they are designed around the OS Max FP .40 or other similar modern, low-vibration engine. The profile fuselage is designed to be built up rather than solid and looks very well engineered. The wings for both models are designed with (semi) scale dihedral and a partially swept forward hinge line. The full span flaps are segmented to allow this feature and Don's explanation of how to accomplish this task is almost worth the price of admission itself.

Obviously, I have not built either model yet, but when I do, I know I'll be able to do so with relative ease. While I wouldn't recommend either plane as a first (beginner) project, a semi experienced modeler should have little trouble building either, or better yet, both model(s).

In my opinion, Don's work is first rate and well worth the money spent. I thank him for making them available.