Q-Ball

My Feedback: (1)

Question.

What is a short kit? I see this a lot and my thinking is that no hardware is included. Rite or wrong. Or what is a "short" kit..

Thanx Walt

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

A short kit is defined by the manufacturer. Most often this indicates something less than Deluxe, or their full retail kit. It could be missing metal items such as hardware, special covering, or fiberglass parts. These items may have been commercially available items (like from DuBro) or bolts. The decrease in cost is usually a minor savings in time, effort to locate, and packaging which otherwise would have been spent by the kit purchaser. It also leave little doubt as to the suitability of parts, as you do not have to substitute.

A semi-kit is even less. It usually only contains the shaped wood or fiberglass parts. You then have to supply more standard stripwood or sheet wood plus the metal hardware. This again in a way to save some costs as to shipping and packaging, but still get the same results.

In each situation, why should you buy a more expensive kit which includes bolts or stripwood in which you can get locally for less than one dollar.

Wm.

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Most of the short kits I know of are just the plans and ribs. You supply the wood for everything else. Every manuf is different in what they supply as stated though.

scottrc

It depends, some short kits is just hardware, fiberglass / plastic parts, and plans. Some are specific wood pieces and plans, some just may be short general items like sheeting. Depends on who is offering the "short" kit. Regardless, it's "short" something that you need to provide that normally would be in a full kit.

Wing mfg is the most common company offering short kits, For the P-40, I got the plastic cowling and wing saddles, hardware, precut ribs and formers, plans, and a complete list of what I would need and possible suppliers. Making this kit was just as simple if not better than buying a complete kit off the shelf because I was in control of what grades of wood for sheeting and quality of hardware to select. This items are commonly replaced in full kits by us picky modelers.

Jim Messer

My Feedback: (2)

I used to manufacture short kits for several 1/4 scale airplanes. Our definition at that time was a WOOD ONLY kit that included all curved parts, and all plywood parts. There was no straight stock, which was anything that could be defined for example; 1/2 x 1/2 x 28 balsa/spruce/or whatever. No hardware was ever included in a short kit.

Others may have a different definition, but that was ours.