Phil Bernhardt’s Mean Streak was modeled after the Strato Streak, one of several small free flight gas models designed by Hungarian immigrant, Louis Garami in the late ’30s/early ’40s. Garami favored small models because they were inexpensive to build and easy to transport to the flying field.
This radio control version was built by Phil in 1986, and is fitted with a hot Cox .09 engine running on a pressurized fuel system. The model was scaled up 8% from the from the original 40″ wingspan of the Garami. The covering on the wing and tail is MonoKote. The fuselage and all fins are covered with colored silk and clear dope, followed by a coat of clear K&B Superepoxy for fuel-proofing. The graphics on the wing and tail were spray painted directly on the bare wood before covering. The checkerboard pattern and lettering on the fuselage were cut from Japanese tissue and glued in place.