Gremlin Combat in Sturbridge, MA

On an overcast Saturday in April, surrounded by the fragrant grounds of a land fill in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, Jim Reith hosted a warm up Gremlin contest to kick off the combat season. Jim's company, RA Cores, produces the Gremlin combat plane kit, and also does custom foam wing cutting for model aircraft.

Attached to the Gremlin is a 25 foot string towing a 25 foot long streamer. Each heat consists of two combatants battling it out for 2 minutes, trying to cut the other's streamer by any means possible. A cut is an immediate 3 points for the cutter, and also signals the end of the heat. The closest to land to a mark gets an additional point. Mid air collisions don't generate any points, but they please the spectators immensely.

*** These are thumbnails of larger images. Click on any thumbnail to see the full-size image.

In his last appearance as a resident of New England, Dan Snow reaches down to fire up his Gremlin. Dan has since moved to the west coast.	Charlie Watt, Contest Director Jim Reith, and Jack Zimmank observe the proceedings while nice and warm in their single piece coveralls.
Jim launches the Gremlin of a fellow competitor. The blue streamer can be seen snaking out behind Jim.	Kay Fisher prepares to land his Gremlin as close to the landing mark as possible. The white tape on the ground is used to score the landing. The competitor closest to the mark gets an extra point for the round.