Balsa/wooden kits
12-07-2013, 11:03 AM
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Balsa/wooden kits
Hello RCU!
Does anybody know if there are any balsa/wooden kits available nowadays..? If there are some, please give some links...
Mostly I´m looking for F3A or smaller (110-size) kits all wooden construction (no foam wings etc.) and good quality.
There are a lot of ARFs, RTFs and so on on the market but those traditional kits have disappeared - or are they...?
Once I built KATO Arrow but that is history... I remember that quality was very good!
Greetings from Finland!
Does anybody know if there are any balsa/wooden kits available nowadays..? If there are some, please give some links...
Mostly I´m looking for F3A or smaller (110-size) kits all wooden construction (no foam wings etc.) and good quality.
There are a lot of ARFs, RTFs and so on on the market but those traditional kits have disappeared - or are they...?
Once I built KATO Arrow but that is history... I remember that quality was very good!
Greetings from Finland!
Last edited by V-P Sutinen; 12-07-2013 at 11:08 AM.
12-07-2013, 01:10 PM
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Hello RCU!
Does anybody know if there are any balsa/wooden kits available nowadays..? If there are some, please give some links...
Mostly I´m looking for F3A or smaller (110-size) kits all wooden construction (no foam wings etc.) and good quality.
There are a lot of ARFs, RTFs and so on on the market but those traditional kits have disappeared - or are they...?
Once I built KATO Arrow but that is history... I remember that quality was very good!
Greetings from Finland!
Does anybody know if there are any balsa/wooden kits available nowadays..? If there are some, please give some links...
Mostly I´m looking for F3A or smaller (110-size) kits all wooden construction (no foam wings etc.) and good quality.
There are a lot of ARFs, RTFs and so on on the market but those traditional kits have disappeared - or are they...?
Once I built KATO Arrow but that is history... I remember that quality was very good!
Greetings from Finland!
I have been working on producing CAD plans of some of my favourite F3A classic designs over the last few years. Some of these have made it to laser kits which I offered to those who wanted one. The latest ones are a Bridi Dirty Birdy 40 and a Kato (MK) Super Chipmunk 120. The former was an all wood kit like you are looking for while the latter, although originally an all wood kit, had the flying surfaces and top decks made from foam. This last was done on the Chipmunk to expedite the build a bit, improve its accuracy and reduce the design work needed.
I am currently working on several other designs in sizes ranging from 32 to 45 to 60. I mainly focus on sizes which aren't 60's as several of these are now available as foam/glass kits. At the moment I have the following designs in different stages of preparation for laser cutting:
- Tiporare 30 (48" span)
- Mach-8 40 (48.5" span)
- Arrow 40 (56" span)
- Citation 45 (59.75" span)
- Cutlass 50 (62" span)
- Bootlegger 60 (64" span)
- Brushfire 60 (66.5" span)
- UFO 25 (52" span)
- Dirty Birdy 40 (58" span)
- Super Chipmunk 120 (71.5" span)
Most of my re-design efforts have focused on making the models lighter than the original, easy to build and use interlocking construction. I have also taken some small liberties such as changing the scale slightly from the original - either up or down as best suited for my purposes. The 40 size kits (Mach-8, Arrow and Citation) are faithful to the original planform. The others have slight deviations either in scale or in design elements but not much in terms of planform. The drawing below is the latest effort and is almost complete.
There are a number of small companies producing laser/CNC cut wood kits including:
- Eureka Aircraft
- Lazer Works
- BlueJay Models
- Home and Hobby Solutions
David
Last edited by doxilia; 12-07-2013 at 02:11 PM.
12-07-2013, 03:46 PM
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Crank
Last edited by crankpin; 12-09-2013 at 01:37 AM.
12-07-2013, 09:59 PM
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Hello all of you and thank you very much for so quick reply and all information!!!
I was so surprised in the morning when I switched on my computer and saw so many replies!!
The plane I´m looking for could be a classic pattern plane as Arrow (etc.) or modern plane which are made nowadays. Once there was Oxai Axiome 110 and that for example was very nice! The plane can be a full size F3A as well but those smaller ones maybe even better.
I can put a short list of the planes so you get a better idea:
- Arrow
- Curare
- Smaragd
- Pinnacle
- Osmose
- Zeque (SUPER!)
- and so on..
- no biplanes or historical ones
The minimun size should be for .60 gas engine (Webra 61F Racing) or for OS RX140. I have those waiting for the kits.........
All wooden construction would be ideal (must...) - I have plan to paint the model all around. Of course there can be some small parts made of foam - such as fuselage´s upper curved part (it should have been covered with balsa sheet).
And cowling usually is made from composite so that´s not a problem.
Yesterday I watched how Addiction is built... Awesome! http://f3a.sakura.ne.jp/radiocontrol...dction_01.html
That kind of kit I´d like to have....
Yes, I think it possible to purchase a kind of kit in USA. Shipping is always a bit expensive but life is expensive...
The main task at first is to find something.
I hope I could give some tips about models.
Once again I thank you all so far and if you know any more manufacturers I´d love to hear about them!
Of course I´m going through all those contacts mentioned above.
Best regards, V-P Sutinen
I was so surprised in the morning when I switched on my computer and saw so many replies!!
The plane I´m looking for could be a classic pattern plane as Arrow (etc.) or modern plane which are made nowadays. Once there was Oxai Axiome 110 and that for example was very nice! The plane can be a full size F3A as well but those smaller ones maybe even better.
I can put a short list of the planes so you get a better idea:
- Arrow
- Curare
- Smaragd
- Pinnacle
- Osmose
- Zeque (SUPER!)
- and so on..
- no biplanes or historical ones
The minimun size should be for .60 gas engine (Webra 61F Racing) or for OS RX140. I have those waiting for the kits.........
All wooden construction would be ideal (must...) - I have plan to paint the model all around. Of course there can be some small parts made of foam - such as fuselage´s upper curved part (it should have been covered with balsa sheet).
And cowling usually is made from composite so that´s not a problem.
Yesterday I watched how Addiction is built... Awesome! http://f3a.sakura.ne.jp/radiocontrol...dction_01.html
That kind of kit I´d like to have....
Yes, I think it possible to purchase a kind of kit in USA. Shipping is always a bit expensive but life is expensive...
The main task at first is to find something.
I hope I could give some tips about models.
Once again I thank you all so far and if you know any more manufacturers I´d love to hear about them!
Of course I´m going through all those contacts mentioned above.
Best regards, V-P Sutinen
Last edited by V-P Sutinen; 12-07-2013 at 10:01 PM.
12-10-2013, 07:18 AM
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Hi V-P,
Thanks for your PM. I just replied to it.
As I pointed out and I thought it might be worth mentioning here, this is the classic pattern forum. Some of the current 2m designs you mention are not really models that are discussed here as this is a pre-turnaround (60's to '93) forum where we primarily discuss, build and fly models that were originally designed for 2-stroke 60 size glow power during a 30 year, or so, period. We have scaled these models up and down to build bigger and smaller versions and we have also used electric and to some extent gas power but we're primarily a group who enjoys and loves 2-stroke piped power and models with retract gear.
As such, you're thread would be best served by focusing on those types of designs if you have an interest in them. If you are primarily interested in current 2 meter pattern designs, you would be better off discussing those in a thread on the appropriate forum as suggested in my PM. You'll get better traction and feedback on those designs there.
You've mentioned the Arrow and the Curare and those are two classics for certain that are often discussed and flown here.
Welcome aboard!
David
Thanks for your PM. I just replied to it.
As I pointed out and I thought it might be worth mentioning here, this is the classic pattern forum. Some of the current 2m designs you mention are not really models that are discussed here as this is a pre-turnaround (60's to '93) forum where we primarily discuss, build and fly models that were originally designed for 2-stroke 60 size glow power during a 30 year, or so, period. We have scaled these models up and down to build bigger and smaller versions and we have also used electric and to some extent gas power but we're primarily a group who enjoys and loves 2-stroke piped power and models with retract gear.
As such, you're thread would be best served by focusing on those types of designs if you have an interest in them. If you are primarily interested in current 2 meter pattern designs, you would be better off discussing those in a thread on the appropriate forum as suggested in my PM. You'll get better traction and feedback on those designs there.
You've mentioned the Arrow and the Curare and those are two classics for certain that are often discussed and flown here.
Welcome aboard!
David
12-10-2013, 08:35 AM
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Hello!
Yes, you are right - I mixed classic and current models... Sorry..
But let´s keep Arrow and Curare in discussions!
And how about Dalotel? Is it somewhere after Arrow..?
doxilia: got your PM - thank´s a lot! Reply coming soon...
Regards, V-P
Yes, you are right - I mixed classic and current models... Sorry..
But let´s keep Arrow and Curare in discussions!
And how about Dalotel? Is it somewhere after Arrow..?
doxilia: got your PM - thank´s a lot! Reply coming soon...
Regards, V-P
Last edited by V-P Sutinen; 12-10-2013 at 09:35 AM.
12-10-2013, 12:21 PM
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Hi V-P,
I can answer your question about current pattern kits here and would have done so sooner, but I wanted to do a bit more research.
First, Oxai only produces finished airplanes, no kits. This is a real pity since their airplanes all start as laser cut kits. I have inquired about the possibility of Oxai selling kit versions of their pattern airplanes, but they are not interested. Here is my list of currently available modern pattern kits. It does not include the Starcraft Addiction kit which is no longer in production; it is a very nice kit!
1) Eureka (as mentioned above) can also provide a 'short kit' for the Lightning design. Their website will point you at the plans source, too.
2) Insight R/C (insightrc.com) produces a 'short kit' of the Pentathalon Evo which has been well received here in the USA
3) FAI Unlimited is another US source for pattern kits and equipment. They have imported a few wood kits in the past; you might email them about kit availability.
4) Radiance-f3a.com - the Radiance is a nice, all wood, 2meter kit. Alex Voicu has posted extensively on the regular pattern thread here on RC universe.
5) rc-composit.com - produce the Europa Pro LT in both composite and all wood versions as well as a 'mini' version which is about .90 sized. Email them about their wood kits as they may not appear on the website.
6) Naruke hobbies produce top quality wood kits of the Asyuler 120 and Asyuler Eternal (2meter). Email them for details and other kits.
**** There are at least 5 other kit producers in Japan, but they won't ship overseas. You may be able to purchase a kit through Singapore hobbies who will order the kit direct from the manufacturer and then ship to you. All the Japanese kits are top quality, but take a bit of time to get because they are only produced when paid for (typical wait time is 8-10 weeks)
7) Kanno R/C works produce the Proteus biplane
8) Flight Hobby produce the Stage EX (2 meter) and Stage 90
9) The Success Glory is a nice looking pattern ship kitted somewhere in Japan, you will have to do some google searching.
10) Sunshine Products produce the Wingray kit which has been imported by F3A Unlimited
11) Wingcraft Inagaki produce kits of the Fantasista and Excalibur
Happy hunting! I think you will be very happy with any of the kits listed above.
regards,
Will
I can answer your question about current pattern kits here and would have done so sooner, but I wanted to do a bit more research.
First, Oxai only produces finished airplanes, no kits. This is a real pity since their airplanes all start as laser cut kits. I have inquired about the possibility of Oxai selling kit versions of their pattern airplanes, but they are not interested. Here is my list of currently available modern pattern kits. It does not include the Starcraft Addiction kit which is no longer in production; it is a very nice kit!
1) Eureka (as mentioned above) can also provide a 'short kit' for the Lightning design. Their website will point you at the plans source, too.
2) Insight R/C (insightrc.com) produces a 'short kit' of the Pentathalon Evo which has been well received here in the USA
3) FAI Unlimited is another US source for pattern kits and equipment. They have imported a few wood kits in the past; you might email them about kit availability.
4) Radiance-f3a.com - the Radiance is a nice, all wood, 2meter kit. Alex Voicu has posted extensively on the regular pattern thread here on RC universe.
5) rc-composit.com - produce the Europa Pro LT in both composite and all wood versions as well as a 'mini' version which is about .90 sized. Email them about their wood kits as they may not appear on the website.
6) Naruke hobbies produce top quality wood kits of the Asyuler 120 and Asyuler Eternal (2meter). Email them for details and other kits.
**** There are at least 5 other kit producers in Japan, but they won't ship overseas. You may be able to purchase a kit through Singapore hobbies who will order the kit direct from the manufacturer and then ship to you. All the Japanese kits are top quality, but take a bit of time to get because they are only produced when paid for (typical wait time is 8-10 weeks)
7) Kanno R/C works produce the Proteus biplane
8) Flight Hobby produce the Stage EX (2 meter) and Stage 90
9) The Success Glory is a nice looking pattern ship kitted somewhere in Japan, you will have to do some google searching.
10) Sunshine Products produce the Wingray kit which has been imported by F3A Unlimited
11) Wingcraft Inagaki produce kits of the Fantasista and Excalibur
Happy hunting! I think you will be very happy with any of the kits listed above.
regards,
Will
12-12-2013, 08:35 AM
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Hi V-P,
I can answer your question about current pattern kits here and would have done so sooner, but I wanted to do a bit more research.
First, Oxai only produces finished airplanes, no kits. This is a real pity since their airplanes all start as laser cut kits. I have inquired about the possibility of Oxai selling kit versions of their pattern airplanes, but they are not interested. Here is my list of currently available modern pattern kits. It does not include the Starcraft Addiction kit which is no longer in production; it is a very nice kit!
1) Eureka (as mentioned above) can also provide a 'short kit' for the Lightning design. Their website will point you at the plans source, too.
2) Insight R/C (insightrc.com) produces a 'short kit' of the Pentathalon Evo which has been well received here in the USA
3) FAI Unlimited is another US source for pattern kits and equipment. They have imported a few wood kits in the past; you might email them about kit availability.
4) Radiance-f3a.com - the Radiance is a nice, all wood, 2meter kit. Alex Voicu has posted extensively on the regular pattern thread here on RC universe.
5) rc-composit.com - produce the Europa Pro LT in both composite and all wood versions as well as a 'mini' version which is about .90 sized. Email them about their wood kits as they may not appear on the website.
6) Naruke hobbies produce top quality wood kits of the Asyuler 120 and Asyuler Eternal (2meter). Email them for details and other kits.
**** There are at least 5 other kit producers in Japan, but they won't ship overseas. You may be able to purchase a kit through Singapore hobbies who will order the kit direct from the manufacturer and then ship to you. All the Japanese kits are top quality, but take a bit of time to get because they are only produced when paid for (typical wait time is 8-10 weeks)
7) Kanno R/C works produce the Proteus biplane
8) Flight Hobby produce the Stage EX (2 meter) and Stage 90
9) The Success Glory is a nice looking pattern ship kitted somewhere in Japan, you will have to do some google searching.
10) Sunshine Products produce the Wingray kit which has been imported by F3A Unlimited
11) Wingcraft Inagaki produce kits of the Fantasista and Excalibur
Happy hunting! I think you will be very happy with any of the kits listed above.
regards,
Will
I can answer your question about current pattern kits here and would have done so sooner, but I wanted to do a bit more research.
First, Oxai only produces finished airplanes, no kits. This is a real pity since their airplanes all start as laser cut kits. I have inquired about the possibility of Oxai selling kit versions of their pattern airplanes, but they are not interested. Here is my list of currently available modern pattern kits. It does not include the Starcraft Addiction kit which is no longer in production; it is a very nice kit!
1) Eureka (as mentioned above) can also provide a 'short kit' for the Lightning design. Their website will point you at the plans source, too.
2) Insight R/C (insightrc.com) produces a 'short kit' of the Pentathalon Evo which has been well received here in the USA
3) FAI Unlimited is another US source for pattern kits and equipment. They have imported a few wood kits in the past; you might email them about kit availability.
4) Radiance-f3a.com - the Radiance is a nice, all wood, 2meter kit. Alex Voicu has posted extensively on the regular pattern thread here on RC universe.
5) rc-composit.com - produce the Europa Pro LT in both composite and all wood versions as well as a 'mini' version which is about .90 sized. Email them about their wood kits as they may not appear on the website.
6) Naruke hobbies produce top quality wood kits of the Asyuler 120 and Asyuler Eternal (2meter). Email them for details and other kits.
**** There are at least 5 other kit producers in Japan, but they won't ship overseas. You may be able to purchase a kit through Singapore hobbies who will order the kit direct from the manufacturer and then ship to you. All the Japanese kits are top quality, but take a bit of time to get because they are only produced when paid for (typical wait time is 8-10 weeks)
7) Kanno R/C works produce the Proteus biplane
8) Flight Hobby produce the Stage EX (2 meter) and Stage 90
9) The Success Glory is a nice looking pattern ship kitted somewhere in Japan, you will have to do some google searching.
10) Sunshine Products produce the Wingray kit which has been imported by F3A Unlimited
11) Wingcraft Inagaki produce kits of the Fantasista and Excalibur
Happy hunting! I think you will be very happy with any of the kits listed above.
regards,
Will
Very good contacts!
I´m working on those companies and let´s see what will be the final result..
Regards, V-P
12-12-2013, 01:47 PM
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Classic Pattern Planes
Hi, V-P, If you are interested in either a Mach One, Curare,or Atlas i offer them in an all wood short kit, i am finishing up the EU-1A for an all wood short kit,if you ate interested you can PM me at [email protected] also if you have a drawing that you may want i do one off's
Thanks Pat
Thanks Pat
12-15-2013, 03:42 PM
#14
RCAiir.com kits the Black Magic VF3 as a wood and foam kit, the wings and tail are foam that one covers with wood. Just as one would do to a turtledeck on top of the fuselage. Email Don for information, I think he has two in stock right now.
Chris...
Chris...
12-15-2013, 05:21 PM
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Chris,
from an exchange with V-P, I gather he's interested in all wood kits as transport of foam cores to Finland is a pricey proposition.
The good news is that Don has his hands full anyhow with glass/foam kits and mold making 24/7!
David
from an exchange with V-P, I gather he's interested in all wood kits as transport of foam cores to Finland is a pricey proposition.
The good news is that Don has his hands full anyhow with glass/foam kits and mold making 24/7!
David
12-20-2013, 07:36 PM
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Hey Mark,
good is to hear from you. I have a NR Speed waiting for its wings and the Boot will likely be it. I'll probably fine tune the details as soon as I'm done with the Brushfire which is at the top of my list now that three others are going in for a cut early next year.
I'll be designing it around a glass top deck. The pipe floor will probably be on a slight ~9 degree upward slant from exhaust to pipe stinger.
A Webra Champion would be nice in one - a la Steve Helms.
David
good is to hear from you. I have a NR Speed waiting for its wings and the Boot will likely be it. I'll probably fine tune the details as soon as I'm done with the Brushfire which is at the top of my list now that three others are going in for a cut early next year.
I'll be designing it around a glass top deck. The pipe floor will probably be on a slight ~9 degree upward slant from exhaust to pipe stinger.
A Webra Champion would be nice in one - a la Steve Helms.
David
