Simon Cocker visits the up and coming mega modelling show in the south of Germany.

There is the Sinsheim Model show in April, followed by Dortmund in March and at the end of the year it is the grand finale down in the south of Germany with the Freidrichshafen event also known as the Modellbau BodenseeExhibition 2007. The organisation that masterminds these events (not including Dortmund) is Messe Sinsheim Gmbh and they have arranged further Fascination Modellbau fixture at Messe Bremen on the 23rd-25th of November. All are similar in concept, a massive show of all things modelling related from planes to trains and boats to cars and mammoth trucks and diggers, with plenty of interesting things in between and almost everything there is available to buy.

The massive indoor flying arena with a natural atrium to highlight the action made this a perfect arena for the indoor flying which was very entertaining.
The main hall with a vast static model display was also most captivating with a varied an interesting scope of models to drool over.

The Friedrichshafen show down on the Swiss border is now in its 6th year is still developing and growing in popularity. This event has reached a critical mass so has huge trade support ,perhaps even better for aircraft and helicopter enthusiasts than the earlier two shows. For the UK guests travelling to Friedrichshafen the journey is made really easy due to the direct flights from Stanstead Airport for only £12.50 plus taxes. The flight time for us was only one hour and twenty minutes with the Boeing 737 seemingly turning back time.
All around is the opportunity to buy all those essential little connectors and bits and bobs that can be so hard to source ...well here they all are in one hall

Over the channel they are an hour ahead so when we arrived at the Goldener Hirsch Hotel there was just enough time to chat with our posse over a few beers before heading off to our respective rooms to prepare for an early start the next day. I was impressed by the Ryan Air service which was fast and on time. I have not been in an aircraft before that taxis to the runway at such a speed that we were almost at V-1. Nevertheless the quick flight drops you within an eight euro taxi ride from the town centre hotels and the free bus service will take you to and from the show venue each day.

Arriving early at the enormous Messe complex was a good move as activity was already brisk and the idea of visiting on the first two days was to ensure we all got an opportunity to buy up any thing we needed of good value. Also the chance to see the show without the hassle of the usual throng of the masses that prevent you from getting to the stand and talking about their products in a relaxed manner was important to me as a reporter. After the initial surge it was fairly easy to get around on both days and in this respect is a far more relaxing event compared to the extreme hustle and bustle of the other shows.
The Krause stand is always packed with gorgeous models & customers who are drawn in by the shiny sleek display models. New on the stand was a 5m span 1:3 scale Astir cs G-102 and a lovely 1:3 scale 6m span ASH-26.These models are not all moulded but do have strong carbon reinforced foam core wings & tail surfaces.The kits are very well made and comprehensive and above all affordable.The Astir is 1030 Euros for example.Also new is a 7.04m span Nimbus 4 which will cost 1490 Euros. There is a well established and extensive range of sailplanes to choose from so check out the web site.

The Messe is actually built on the main Airport complex to a similar design as Messe Sinsheim and comprises of a total of eight very bright halls of which the show used five. Two days was barely enough time to enjoy thoroughly all that was on offer.

When you enter the complex the first spectacle is the massive full height atrium which is surrounded on all sides and at first floor level by spectators and at one side by the restaurant. We sat drinking and eating at lunch time here and were entertained with the most amazing electric powered foamy/Depron models I have ever seen. The skill level of many of these pilots was off the scale and made for some inspiring lunch times.

As well as a as a whopping hall stacked to the brim with aircraft which is of course our main passion there was a further four halls for other disciplines too. There is simply too much to take in so I took a long walk around the aircraft hall to glimpse the sheer magnitude of the products ranging from a 10.5m span Nimbus 4 sailplane to the aerotow release mechanisms I had been trying to source.
The new Graupner Stiletto is a superb all moulded 2.54 m span thermal soarer.A beautiful moulding and very light too. Features “elastic flaps” which are bottom hinged for massive downward surface deflection for braking. Aerofoil is HQ/W 2.5/8 and with a wing area of 42 Dm2 and just 1700gms all up weight will be very efficient and great up the line
The new all moulded Cirrus from Graupner with a V tail configuration. Wing section here is the old fashioned Eppler 203 which will no doubt suit this type of aircraft.

With each revolution of the traders I found I noticed more and more useful items which reveal themselves as you zone in on a particular specialist supplier. This is where having time is so important so you can absorb and chat to the characters that are all as passionate as we are about our sport.

It is the smaller items which I often miss in the panic to see and feel everything so this year I opted to take a calmer more thoughtful look at the show. Sure enough I found all the products I needed including some specialist bungee and fittings.EMC Vega provided the heavy duty surgical rubber for launching up to half scale sailplanes from the slope side. The critical items for delivering this power and safely containing the rubber tubing are simple and neat and this was also supplied.
Schmierer Modellbau import all Valenta models from Czech Republic and the range is extensive for all moulded sport and scale models. They are famous for the Mini Dragon,Thermic Xl etc and the latest version is a carbon 5m span version. Check out the new Eso Pro too and the lovely Salto at 4.5m span.
The Blue Airlines new monster size Nimbus 4 which spans 10.560m and is beautifully crafted in glass and carbon.At the suggested flying weight of 24Kg this will be a most floaty machine on the HQW 2.5 aerofoil .There are many more all moulded models in the BA range now.
A new and powerful addition to the Hyperion range is this 10/12s Lipo fuelled monster for big aerobatic models.Nice detail is the machined cooling holes in the front case

ServoRahmen produce servo mounting systems for many types and sizes of servos and their stand was always busy. The nylon/plastic material used is very resilient and they are designed to drop into thin glider wings where there is little depth for the servo installation. I have used these products exclusively and have found them easy and quick to fit and great for on going maintainance.A servo can be replaced for example in just five minutes.Type19 is the largest heavy duty servo mount for the standard size servos such as JR8411 and Hitec 8595 and I needed to buy a healthy stock of these. The UK dealer is Cubitt models.

Peter Adolf Flugmodellbau this large Canadair CL-215 flying boat for twin electric power. At 2000mm span it had great presence & would be impressive to fly from your local fishing pond!
Plettenberg out runner motors have a vast range of German made products all of excellent quality. One of the larger types here but by no means the most powerful available. This one is good for 10s-12s lipo and will swing a 21x10 3bladed Biela prop with tremendous authority at 89% efficiency.
Finding specialist items such as aerotow release units of varying sizes, props, spinners, cockpit accessories, linkages, and electronic goodies is an invaluable quest as most of these necessities are difficult to source in the UK. At Friedrichshafen all I needed was in one hall at one time so it worth taking enough funds to cover all my needs and make the journey pay for itself.

There was something for everyone really, scale sailplanes were definitely well supported, but lots of sport models both electric and for soaring in style, it was all available for take away too!

As a bonus there were outside flying demonstrations too which were professionally organised with some outstanding quality flying from all aspects of this 3D sport. The quality of the spectacle was first rate and we were treated to the top pilots from Europe who brought their competition winning models to make the point. Stephen Volker for example flew his Jet Masters Hawk for us...wow.
Gernot Bruckman and his father aero towed his Acro Cup Contest winning single seat Fox behind their electric powered tug and then executed a smoke punctuated aerobatic display. It was staggering and a rare privilege to see such inspiring flying.

Horst Ebert or Herr Rowing showing the scale
of his new LS-8/18 at 1:3 scale and 6m span.
Also still available is the LS-4 at 4m span. The LS-5 at 5.5m span and the LS-6 which is 4.10m span
The LS-8/18 has scale interlocking carbon wing spars for simple rigging and excellent strength.
There is also a 1:4 scale version of this model too which spans 4.5m with the extended tips and 3.75m span in the short aerobatic guise.
The LS-8/18 has almost all of the work done for you and here you see the wiring loom routed to the inside of the instrument binnacle where the receiver will be installed

Meanwhile, back in the halls, there were huge manufacturers such as Graupner, Multiplex, Simprop and Aeronaut but more interestingly in the main were the smaller specialist companies such as PAF, Krause, Blue Airlines, Emcotec, Engel Electronic, Thommys and Franken Modellbau to mention just a few.

I was attracted immediately to a 1:3 scale LS 8-18 hand made by Horst Ebert who you may recall if I say “Rowing”. Horst has been producing all moulded sailplanes for many years and Stuart Blanchard used to import the LS-6 which was well ahead of its time at the time.

The fully carbonised LS 8-18 is almost ready to fly save the servo installation and has a great reputation already for its strength and performance. At 6m span in full stretch or 5m span with the aerobatic tips this is a practical size and has been bought by some of the top pilots for the Acro cup competition.

There is also a 1:4 scale version which spans 4.5m or 3.75mspan with the sport tips. Horst still offers the LS-4, LS-5 and LS-6 so check out the web site which will fill in all the relevant details.

The Seidel 7 cylinder engines are a work of art but perform as work horses of which they have plenty. Both Methanol and Benzin options for most of the range there is plenty of scope. 70cc upto 700cc so for the ultimate realism & sound...

I was immensely impressed by the German made Seidel seven cylinder motors which ranged from 70cc to the mammoth 700cc 40PS model for a mere 6800Euros.The weight of this huge power train is 15Kg so you will be needing an impressive scale airframe to absorb it. They are a work of art but do put in creditable performances too. The 250cc ST 7-250-B would be handy as tug motor in a 1:3 scale Wilga turning a 30x12 three blade prop. It is about 14PS so almost as powerful as the equivalent, say ZDZ 210 but the torque and the sound would be beautiful don’t you agree? The petrol version with exhaust ring is 3490 Euros. They are a marvel of engineering, almost a museum piece.

It was hard to miss the new Sailplane Blue Airlines had brought to the show as it eclipsed their stand under the immense 10.56m wings of the Nimbus 4.

Known for their Carbon-Tech wings with phenomenal strength in the air the BA range earned its reputation for flight performance with foam chore/Oracovered wing structures.

Now BA has their own range of fully moulded airframes and they are equally as tough, although the Nimbus will not of course thank you for pushing her too far. If you ordered the colossal Nimbus and some pilots did at the show for 1000Euros per metre a moulded Blue Vegas was thrown for good measure.

I do think the Nimbus 4 is a delightful looking sailplane which exudes grace and beauty in motion. The massive span means loads of flex and the wings adopt a natural curve, you could say an angle of repose of the air, which to me mimics the effortless soaring style and capacity of the wandering Albatross.

For the sheer diversity of airframes all made by one company it would be hard to beat Topp-Rippin.They have been around for a long time now and offer some great value models provided you make them from a bag of parts. The quality is generally acceptable and they represent the lower end of the price bracket. You can buy a close rendition of an ASW-27 at 4.28m span for 369Euros. There is a good looking tug model called Big Lift which is 2.44m span for 325Euros.I liked the 4.0m span Fox for 557Euros.It seemed this one was already film covered.

Lots of unusual models here to choose from such as an all moulded Seagull, yes a bird, F-18 Hornet,F-5 Tiger, Hercules C-130, Cessna 177,motor gliders,warbirds and more Sailplanes. The choice is almost overwhelming.
Engel Electronic modified module in the MC24 uses two channels & a twin receiver system
This is the techy for Engel Electronics Jens Leubecher who demonstrated the many affordable power management systems and their dual channel radio link. This is a two channel RF module and a twin receiver system
One of the power management systems from Engel which is used by the jet jockeys at top level so their products are well endorsed.

I was interested to see that Engel Electronic had developed a dual channel transmitting system which can hop from one to the other at the flick of a switch on the top corner of the transmitter. The idea is having bagged the two channels you want that if one starts to be a problem, say interference or you are being shot down, hey, with the decision made to swop over to the other channel you should be out of trouble. Seems a great idea to build in redundancy, which is all the rage with the increase in very expensive airframes.

Engel have a vast range of power management systems to cover entry level requirements up to a full blown Impuls Management Modul which can manage 30 servos and 10 channels. Their products are well endorsed by the top flyers in Europe and are more cost effective than some of the more established brands such as Emcotec and PowerBox.
Engel are competing in a growing market for these power management systems and have opted to provide excellent quality function for less.

PAF Modellbau had a variety of new interesting models including these lovely 1:10 scale vintage sailplanes. The Goppingen is 1700mm span and should weigh only 600gms for 3 channel radio. It is an ARTF for just 135 Euros. The Kranich is 1800mm span and 700gms ready to fly. Very pretty & neat little models for a realistic price.
Franken Modellbau have an unusual new all moulded electric model here in the form of the ubiquitous Dragon RapideDH89.Rolandand Sebastian Stelzner make most of their models and this one was a work of art & a labour of love to produce all the dozens of moulds.
PAF Modellflugbau has been exhibiting at many of the shows too for as long as I can remember. Peter Adolf has a plethora of useful products such as motor mounts for electric planes the famous silicon powder for reinforcing cyano joints; linkages etc.The range of models is wide and diverse too. I was impressed with the new 2m span twin electric Canadair flying boat this year. This is an impressive sized model and the kit features many epoxy glass mouldings of course with foam veneered wings and tail parts.

Franken Modellbau were displaying a new release at the show which was a delightful all moulded Dragon Rapide.From a German manufacturer it is an unusual subject to choose but the pre-orders for this enigmatic design seem to indicate its popularity particularly with the British modellers not surprisingly. Sebastian and Roland are a father and son team who hand craft all their own models in the range which includes some stunning sport sailplanes. You may have seen the Topflight, Highlight and Starlight models which are imported and sold in the UK by West London Models.

The Zeppelin flew over frequently conducting pleasure flights over the Friedrichshafen and Lake Bodensee. Quite a shock when you see the great machine come just over your head the first time

There is much too much to tell you about and show you which is why these event reports can only give you a snap shot of the corner of the overall content. The only solution is to make the trip yourself and be assured it will be an experience you wish you had tried much sooner.


The impressive Exhibition complex boasts a centre garden area
for circulating and just to enjoy some air & a few beers.
A massive Swift aerobatic glider comes to the pits after a spectacular smoke punctuated display of awesome aerobatics
A most unusual sight is the German prototype jet bomber, tailless and jet powered too of course.
The line up of some huge models demonstrated for the appreciative crowd..It was a truly excellent flying display covering all aspects of RC flight This is the solo Fox flown by Gernot Bruckman who is so young yet so gifted, he amazed us all
A vastly powerful electric aerobatic model coming back to the pits to recharge & cool down Lovely Simprop Prolution 4m span electic powered sailplanes flew well and showed the way for this style of model. Tough airframes which can thermal and sport hack
www.jr-foliendesign.de showed off some magnificent models decorated using their own custom vinyl cutting service The largest Plettenberg motor is this 25/8 which will haul a 2.6m span TOC style aerobatic around with ease.
488...An electronic switch which is to safeguard the massive voltage from sparking and zapping the ESC on connection.Also for safety it has great importance as Lipo cells are very expensive too.
This is the almost perfect copy of the Bae Hawk flown by Steven Volker with incredible realism & confidence.It is mind boggling to see the level of detail on this model