You didn't answer anything except I have bad eye sight and it's legal by reputation. You say they're up tight about rules at VHS I'll believe it. Just asking a question, you guys really pick up the ball and run with it.
I answered Bill's question. Show me where I said any of this? I never said you have bad eye sight, I said you couldn't tell if it was a polywog airfoil from the angle the photo was taken and at that distance and your depth perception and the camera depth of field isn't that good. I said Joe has a good reputation in the stunt community, not his model, and that he would not present a model that was not legal for competition at VSC. When you are flying against 60 to 80 people in a class and some of them are the top flyers in the country, would you put down a model that wasn't up to the standard! Have you ever been to VSC? The contest is run by PAMPA rules and basically the honor system. No one runs around with a rule book and a tape measure checking airplanes. Everyone there is pretty knowledgeable about the model designs and their history so no need for that. You see a wide selection of Jamison Specials, Humungous (Humungi???) and Ringmasters and a few models from guys who, in the spirit of the event, purposely search out odd ball or unique designs that are rarely or never seen, not just because it has a fat airfoil and may help their score a bit.
The way you asked the question about the polywog airfoil prompted me to "run with it." Do you know why the original Sterling Ringmaster had the polywog airfoil? Do you honestly think that the covering on a polywog airfoiled wing stays attached to the ribs forever? Do you really think that a fraction of an inch more balsa on the ribs in that wing in that airframe would make a real difference in getting 200 more points in a Classic pattern score? I know it wouldn't, but if you take that same polywog airfoil, put it in a wing and in a model that is expertly built straight, expertly balanced, trimmed properly for flight, and powered by an expertly set up power plant, and then practiced with relentlessly, yes, that will get you the extra 200 points !! And I'll bet that if you and Joe were to swap models, and then fly a contest , I would wager that he would still clean your clock !!
If you want a thick wing Ringmaster, just find a Ringmaster S-1A kit, that has a different ( notice I didn't say "better") airfoil and a D-tube wing. Sterling came out with this kit much later on. When Sterling was sold to Estes they later called it the "Super Stuntin' Ringmaster" I think. The wing may be the same as the wing in their profile Hellcat kit. I'm not sure what the time frame was but it may have been too late for even Super 70's Class. I have seen them fly before but I don't think they fly any better than the original, and are definitely heavier due to the extra balsa in the wing. But that kit, plus the other variations and sizes of the Ringmaster that the other cottage kit makers put out still have the flavor of the original and that is what most people are looking for, and some better flying characteristics come with that. I have a few of those in my kit stash also.
But the point of this all is, just a slight change in the airfoil of a Ringmaster won't get you a 600 point capable airplane !!
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee