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From time to time during the past 25 years, the HINESS name has appeared in the hobby magazines, generally unknown to most of us. This Japanese company--making hand-crafted model engines, including small l5s and 20s, a three cylinder radial, twins, and a four cylinder from a pair of geared twins--designed (copied) the Arrow .60 [which is] the subject of this article.
This inline axiel wonder was copied from the Russian Krasnorutskj 60, last months profile. Therein lies a tale to be told. Apparently one Nat Polk, attending the 1974 Air-olympics held in Lakehurst, NJ, where the fabulous Antanov was again flown by the Soviets, persuaded Krasnorutskj to part with one engine and having done so in subsequent weeks took the engine to the Hiness factory in Japan, requesting duplication for sale through his New York organization, Aristo-Craft Miniatures. Polk's was to have an exclusive on the newly named Arrow .60. It didn't happen. Hiness ended up selling to everyone after Polks had introduced the engine at $175, (Brown Hobby in NYC sold it "special" at $289) and many a sale took place elsewhere. Nat Polk stated that fewer than 1,000 were sold and most went straight into collections in the USA and throughout the world. Stu Richmond has the definitive article in the May 1988 issue of Model Builder.
The design of the Arrow 60 R/C with the fuel/air mixture flowing through and lubricating the central crankcase with the bevel gears was interpreted by the Japanese that the gear teeth were acting like a pump, the advertising, "HINESS ARROW .60 SCHNUERIE-ALL HAND MADE-INTERNAL SUPPER CHARGER", with the spelling errors theirs. Hilarious! They likened the gear/pump action to supercharging. This beautiful engine came in a handmade box wrapped in two shades of green fabric.
The label markings were cut from printed cardboard and carefully glued on the box. The Arrow 60 had the same basic layout as the Russian engine, but the design and construction were somewhat different. It featured spiral bevel gears and a ringed piston and was somewhat heavier at 25 ounces. The pressure cast case and case front were black anodized with some polished cooling rings on the case front. Each side of the case had four holes for use in mounting.
The beautifully machined cylinder and head with cooling fins cut horizontally was polished, with the top of the cylinder black anodized. Two glow plugs were deeply centered on the head. Mounted on top, parallel to the engine, the polished exhaust protrudes some 2 inches behind the cylinder head. The black anodized carburetor is of the automix type and also runs parallel to the hard chromed cylinder. A brass needle assembly is fitted to it. The crankshaft runs in four ball bearings. Both case top and bottom are removable with four polished head screws securing them. Six deeply set Allen head screws hold the cylinder head. The prop drive washer is a pressure fit on the shaft and both it and the prop washer are polished aluminum. A brass prop nut is utilized. On the side of the polished cylinder is stamped the serial number and "HINESS 60 made in Japan" is highlighted in black.
Obviously Nat Polk in conferring with the staff at the Hiness factory, stressed the need to copy and yet to make the new engine as attractive as possible as the Russian engine was not truly a good looking model engine. The designers and engineers succeeded. The rather quaint instructions that came with the engine state it was noted, "the highest grade materials were used for maximum performance, and the outer casings as well as the helical gears inside the engine are all hand made piece by piece"... and you guessed it, fellows, this is one hot collecting engine!!
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