Laser Cut Parts In Top Flite Giant Kits ?
09-03-2018, 05:20 PM
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Laser Cut Parts In Top Flite Giant Kits ?
I recently purchased a P-51Top Flite Giant balsa kit from an individual. The kits appear to be complete and in fine shape, but the kit has two plywood sheets that were not die cut like the rest of the sheets in the kit. Instead, they were laser cut.
I'm wondering if this could be a production quirk with Top Flite, or did someone replace the original die cut parts with these laser cut parts ( maybe the original die cut parts were damaged or missing ) ?
The kit was sold to me as "never been opened and factory sealed".
The laser cut parts will be fine to use, but I would like to know for future reference.
Steve
I'm wondering if this could be a production quirk with Top Flite, or did someone replace the original die cut parts with these laser cut parts ( maybe the original die cut parts were damaged or missing ) ?
The kit was sold to me as "never been opened and factory sealed".
The laser cut parts will be fine to use, but I would like to know for future reference.
Steve
09-04-2018, 02:32 PM
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I'm not questioning everything, I'm fine with the mix of die and laser cut parts. I was just curious if original kits from Top Flite might include both die and laser cut parts. Since you didn't actually address the question, I guess we will wait for a more informative response.
09-11-2018, 05:38 AM
#4
I don't own this kit but I have seen other older designs when a modification is made the new parts if not the whole kit are laser cut going forward. I'm sure I don't need to tell you laser cutting is a lot less expensive than die cutting and as if not more accurate. Its a lot cheaper to build a cut file than a die that gets dull over time. I would guess that in the case of your kit the part design changed or was switched to laser cut do to a deterioration of the original die cutter.
09-11-2018, 07:47 AM
#6
It's too bad all the top Flite kits weren't converted to laser cut it would make the line more attractive to someone looking to buy the rights or help spur Horizon to keep them in production. Unfortunately Horizon's thinking and business model are stuck in the past. They continue to bet the business all or nothing on ARFs, BNF, and RTFs and watching their market continue to shrink. They need to look at Brodak and copy his success. He has a a little of everything so he can survive when business seesaws.
09-11-2018, 03:02 PM
#7
I just hope there are people out there tracing the die cut and laser cut parts in these kits.. for the future if they go away...Its a shame they never offered the FW 190 in a kit, I would have bought that immediately.. Its to bad the templates aren't included with the arfs as well...
09-11-2018, 06:12 PM
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I make tracing and then templates of all the kits I build. It is something I started doing about 10 years ago, I also started buying about 10 to 12 kits a year about the same time when I noticed company's discontinuing kits. My problem now is that I probably won't build them all before I assume room temperature. There's gonna be one hell of an estate sale.
09-12-2018, 02:37 PM
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I make tracing and then templates of all the kits I build. It is something I started doing about 10 years ago, I also started buying about 10 to 12 kits a year about the same time when I noticed company's discontinuing kits. My problem now is that I probably won't build them all before I assume room temperature. There's gonna be one hell of an estate sale.
