Model Airplane News

While working in a used bookstore I found a huge pile of MAN and the old American Modeler going back to the mid-50s, the dawn of plastic modeling. Those old mags didn't have much relevent to modern modelers, but I cut out some of the best detailed aircraft plans I've ever seen. I have a big stack of everything from Mustangs to the most obscure WW I biplane you never heard of. They are yellow and fragile, and I hope to copy them all some day before they crumble. Unfortunately, because I live in the City of No Space, I had to trash the magazines. It hurt to see them go.

Some of the advertisers in MAN were excellent sources for scale drawings of actual aircraft. One of the best was Cleveland Plans. Their plans were detailed enough to scratch-build true scale models. The company was bought out a few years ago, but the new owners still advertised in the magazine. They had dozens of aircraft that will never be offered by model manufacturers. Scratch builders heaven on earth.

in my spare time I also build rc airplanes and yes model airplane news is strictly an rc mag.

The term 'rag' was not meant as a derogatory comment. To me, all magazines are rags...


Fade to Black...

I do not know what it is like now, but I subscribed for some 30 years starting in the mid-50's.

It has always been for flying models (and is definitely NOT a "rag"), but for a very long time, it was also the source of some of the finest scale drawings ever done -- eg, Nye, Wylam, others. There are two books out (Kalmbach publ) that contain some of these drawings.

On one of my moves, my 30-year collection of MAN drawings got lost; I am still crying ....

If it's the same Model Airplane News I'm thinking of, the rag is exclusively devoted to flying models.


Fade to Black...