Calling out GreatPlanes Models
11-03-2013, 08:47 AM
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Calling out GreatPlanes Models
GreatPlanes has made some great kits/arfs over the years and would love to see them bring back some of the oldies but goodies tailored to the high performance electric and gas technologies we now have. I was recently viewing an old Model Airplane News "Feb 2003"and stumble upon an ad for the old Great Planes Patriot 40 prop jet. It would be great to see GP offer this in again in an electric or even a larger gas ARF version that could accommodate say a small gasser such as DLE20 or 30 "on a pipe 
". You could get a nice flight on a tank of gas if it was available in a gasser. Throw in some nice electric retracts and you have a great prop sport jet.
It would be something different for the market,
Mike
". You could get a nice flight on a tank of gas if it was available in a gasser. Throw in some nice electric retracts and you have a great prop sport jet.It would be something different for the market,
Mike
11-04-2013, 03:00 PM
#2
Mike,
Here is a little help in this area. I went through this a few years back. A couple of years after I got into RC flying a buddy of mine let me fly his Ultra Sport 60. I absolutely fell in love with the airplane at that time. The down side was that Great Planes had discontinued the kit and they were hard to find. I got into a discussion with a rep at Great Planes and during that conversation he let on that they magic number was 300, meaning that would be their targeted sales figure before they would even think about re-releasing the kit. Myself and my buddy Minnflyer (R.I.P. Mike) started a campaign here on RCU to see who would legitimately by an Ultra Sport if the kits were made available. Long story short, because of our efforts Great Planes saw the demand for the kit and release the Ultra Sport 40 and 60. The 60 was so popular that they actually had to make more than one kit run to fill the need.
So what does this boil down to for you?? It's all about money. If the demand for a plane isn't there GP/Hobbico isn't going to put the plane back out. But if you can show them the demand they will indeed put the product back on the market.
If it helps any, I would love to see this plane back out in a kit form. Not sure if I would be interested in an ARF, but I would hold that decision until I saw the actual plane that was released.
Hope this helps
Ken
Here is a little help in this area. I went through this a few years back. A couple of years after I got into RC flying a buddy of mine let me fly his Ultra Sport 60. I absolutely fell in love with the airplane at that time. The down side was that Great Planes had discontinued the kit and they were hard to find. I got into a discussion with a rep at Great Planes and during that conversation he let on that they magic number was 300, meaning that would be their targeted sales figure before they would even think about re-releasing the kit. Myself and my buddy Minnflyer (R.I.P. Mike) started a campaign here on RCU to see who would legitimately by an Ultra Sport if the kits were made available. Long story short, because of our efforts Great Planes saw the demand for the kit and release the Ultra Sport 40 and 60. The 60 was so popular that they actually had to make more than one kit run to fill the need.
So what does this boil down to for you?? It's all about money. If the demand for a plane isn't there GP/Hobbico isn't going to put the plane back out. But if you can show them the demand they will indeed put the product back on the market.
If it helps any, I would love to see this plane back out in a kit form. Not sure if I would be interested in an ARF, but I would hold that decision until I saw the actual plane that was released.
Hope this helps
Ken
11-04-2013, 06:02 PM
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Thanks for the info Ken!! That sounds about right so I will have to get my thinking cap on but would love to see these back in kit and arf forms. You make some great points and will get the wheels turning.
Hope all is well and thanks again,
Mike
Hope all is well and thanks again,
Mike
