ckangaroo70

My Feedback: (51)

All I have to say is &&(*^(* (* #$$ ?#@!%%! A couple months ago they discontinue the GP Spacewalker ARF, and now the GP Super Sportster 60 kit! Whats this world comming to?

nickj

That IS a bummer. Bugged me when they dropped the 90-120. Can't compete, I guess. Too many ARFs and 3D toys out there.

carrellh

My brother recently finished a SS-60 kit. He was thinking about getting a second one and noticed this.

ckangaroo70

My Feedback: (51)

I have the SS 90/120, and it is a great flyer. I have also had the 40 size SS. Thought it might be nice to build the 60 size as well someday, but it looks like I will have to search the RCU Market Place or ebay if I want to do that some day. Below is a few pics of my SS 90/120.

ckangaroo70

My Feedback: (51)

Well I hope your brother sends Great Planes a nice long nasty letter full of many unflattering words! I know I will be, even though it will be in vain!

LSP972

My Feedback: (13)

You got THAT right![&o]

The SS kits are a great transition from an "easy" kit with a lite-ply interlocking box fuselage to something requiring a bit of care and effort. Seems like before long, the only kits will be shake & bake with laser cut parts that slap together, or a box of balsa sheets and sticks with a set of plans.

Many of the Great Planes kits are challenging, but not TOO difficult. But look at the selection of kits in the 2006 Tower catalog; perhaps two or three dozen, at most.

ckangaroo70

My Feedback: (51)

How does Tower plan to sell all those great kit building tools if there are no kits to build in the future? I am getting mighty disgusted seeing great kits disappearing every month! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LOVE OF BUILDING? Being able to fly an RC Plane is great, but so many people have lost out on the experience of building their own Plane! To me, the ultimate high in this hobby is seeing something that you created with your own hands take to the sky. When someone ask me, what impresses me the most in this hobby? It is the guys who really really know how to build an awesome Plane, and not so much the guys who know how to fancy fly an ARF! Good Kit and scratch builders are the Ultimate Model Airplane hobbiest in my book! Sad to see their building options dwindling every month.

ckangaroo70

My Feedback: (51)

OH CRAPO!!!!!!!! I just went to look at the Great Planes Super Sportster 40 Kit, and noticed that it is discontinued also!! Now I am really disgusted! Note to Great Planes: Why don't you just rip my heart from my chest, and jump up and down on it you BAST%#*s?! What are they thinking ????????????????????? Just ruined my perfectly good day!

mcarleno

I just spoke to GP and it is correct. Though this plane is listed as a current kit, it is discontinued. I would recommend that if you interested, you should check with a LHS as they may have availability. My LHS is Hobby Town USA who also stocks many of these kits. I am not sure if they are available. Seams to me that Hobbico is moving away from kits and moving solely to ARFs. I know that the market for instant gratification has a need for these things, but when manufactures have "rights" to these aircraft then they squash the availability to just ARFs they are doing know one a service.

Tower also has discontinued the GS Corsair after only having it available for about a month! The TF P39 is discontinued, TF FW190 discontinued, Patriot discontinued... I think I will help make a statement by limitting my hardware purchases to Dubro, Sig, or Hayes. Hobbico thinks that they rule the world of RC. Maybe we should show them different and stop buying there stuff until they hear the market! I think that my short list just got all of the Top Flite stuff crossed out. Looks like its going to be a Skyshark kind of christmas!

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

Ticks me off. I just sold mine too! I can't wait till I get back to work so I can find another kit.

Fubar-One

My Feedback: (1)

And my father thought I was nuts when I started buying all the versions I could find on Ebay. I must have subconsciously seen the writing on the wall or something. In some cases I bought one to build and fly and one to replace it if I crash and destroy it.
There is an SS 60 kit on Ebay as I write this, guys. No, I am not the one selling it. I'm holding on to mine!

It's sad that all the kits are vanishing these days. Especially now that I prefer to build kits than buy ARF's.

radioflier

Last spring I noticed at the Great Planes booth at Toledo is that all they were showing were ARFs.

ckangaroo70

My Feedback: (51)

I think the plan is to just slowly discontinue kits, and not replace. I hope the guy with 20 ARF's don't decide he would like to build a kit someday, cause there may not be many left to choose from!

prgonzalez

I think the market is going to small to medium size electric ARF planes. See how GP website is now full of electric stuff. I am with you guys and as I wrote in another thread, I am thinking on start accummulating kits for future building. I already have three kits in my closet. That will give me enough for one year. But in a year from now, I am not certain I will find any more kits. I guess the option will be scratch building as wood and plans are still being sold.

nickj

Kanga, that's a nice 90-120. I wish I still had mine. RCM sells the plans for it, and I'm thinking of scratch building another one. Seems to me you can still get a canopy for it.

My LHS has an old SS40 kit, before they lengthened the fuse and added all the tab-A-into-slot-B pieces. I might try and snag that tomorrow, just to keep one on hand.

I live not too far from Sheldon's Hobbies in San Jose (not my LHS, but close enough). Years ago they stopped selling anything from the Hobbico/Tower/GP conglomerate, so you can't get things like Monokote or O.S. engines. But they still have a whole wall of kits, from Sig, BUSA, CG, Midwest and a host of smaller companies. As long as they stay in business, I'll always have a good selection of kits to choose from. No matter what Tower does.

Oddly, Tower seems to be running hard thee days to compete with something. Lots of lower prices and special offers recently. I'm not sure whom they're competing against, but maybe sales are off. Now they're dropping inventory. I buy a ton of stuff from Tower, and would hate to see them go away.

Fubar-One

My Feedback: (1)

I think I am set from now thru when I get to retire in about a dozen years. I have a stack of kits 2 kits deep, 7' tall.
Fortunately there are still guys making kits like Bruce Thorpe and others. Suppose I ought to lay in a few of his kits also.

adrenalnjunky

My Feedback: (18)

Yep - I'm realatively new to R/C flying - just about 2 years into the hobby, but I love building - I'm finishing up a .40 size GP Ultimate - and the only reason I think that kit is still around is that there haven't been a whole lot of 40 sized Ultimates on the market in ARF form, but now with the new 40 size Cox ARF, and Cermark is still selling the sclaed down Dave Patrick 40 sized Ultimate, and a world Models 40 sized ARF out there now - I'm wondering how long the kit will continue.

Mine was made in 1999, and I bought the kit from someone on Ebay that never started it - the wood was ok, but it seemed that the dies were getting a little dull - I can only assume once the dies go on some of these older kits, that the manufacturer would rather discontinue it than invest in new dies or swap over to laser-cut parts.

Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

I am with you guys. I enjoy building although I still have a lot to learn about it.

Luckely here in Argentina there are several national brands that still make kits and a pretty good price.

Also, I have bought several cottage industry kits lately and have been really happy. The yak3 kit that Marc sells is fantastic. I like these kind of kits too because they are original and generally no one else at the field has one.

I think the future of kits will be the guys selling them out of their garage. Fine by me!

JimTrainor

Any links to the kit makers in Argentina?

mcarleno

Gringo,

Just wanted to clarify. The Yak-3 kit is made by Redstar RC. I bought the kit from them. I don't sell it, though I have probably help them sell a few. The reason I've spent so much time endorsing this kit is because it is a great kit and an excellent aircraft!

http://www.redstarrc.com

Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

I´m sorry Marc. It seems like any time I had a question about the plane you answered it so for some reason I thought you were affiliated with them. I think they also link your build thread on the website.

Sorry Redstar guys, lets give credit where its due!

murtagh

I am just building a Great Planes Super Sportster .60 from kit ( I have almost finish).
I thought to build the nose gear option.
Someone has some fly experience or building tips for me ??

PS: sorry for my poor english (I am from Italy, near Venice).