Where Have All The Kits Gone ?
07-03-2018, 05:48 PM
#1127
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: North Port, FL
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I just bought my Top Flite P-40 .60 from Tower not too long ago. Went there today to look at the TF GS P-51 kit and they're all gone! This is sad. I'm glad I got my P-40 when I did! I really do like the building process. My next build will be a Bates Hellcat. I got the short kit and cowl from Bob Holman. At least we still have short kits available and we can always build from plans and cut our own.
07-03-2018, 08:18 PM
#1128
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Like the saying goes, don't know what you got, till it's gone.
A few years ago, the TF Giant P51 could been picked up for $200.00 on sale.....I thought......nah, I'd only fly it once or twice....now, I wish I picked it up anyway, just for the build.
A few years ago, the TF Giant P51 could been picked up for $200.00 on sale.....I thought......nah, I'd only fly it once or twice....now, I wish I picked it up anyway, just for the build.
07-04-2018, 02:18 AM
#1129
Join Date: Sep 2006
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I'm sure there are lots of unbuilt TF kits around. You just need someone to give (or sell) you the tracings of the die cut parts and a copy of the drawings. The hard part is finding the canopy's and cowling. I had the Dynaflite PT19 and Spitfire kits and I gave out lots of copy's of the die cut parts. Looks like a new thread needs to be started for sharing.
07-04-2018, 07:33 AM
#1130
My Feedback: (52)
Copying any kit for yourself is one thing. Copying and making a kit for sale is theft if you do not own the rights to the product. Remember, someone still owns the products. Just because they have gone out of commercial business does not mean there is not ownership and copyright factors involved.
07-04-2018, 05:17 PM
#1131
Copying any kit for yourself is one thing. Copying and making a kit for sale is theft if you do not own the rights to the product. Remember, someone still owns the products. Just because they have gone out of commercial business does not mean there is not ownership and copyright factors involved.
07-10-2018, 05:30 AM
#1133
Its weird with as many little dependent laser cutters making money cutting short kits for builders you would think a company would be able to keep a kit line in production. Maybe its a case of too many designs for too few builders? It does seem like the Horizons of the world don't want anything that doesn't fly off the shelves (pun intended) and produces massive amounts of cash flow. I think those days are gone for the hobby industry as whole. I have seen the RTF/ARF stuff going like gangbusters then the bottom fell out and it was helicopters next, then came the quad craze but it appears to have hit the fizzle stage too with those buyers moving on to the next big thing whatever that is. The Horizons of the world are still caught up chasing yesterday's craze not realizing it was only a fad coming then going just as fast.
07-10-2018, 05:59 AM
#1134
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Measnes, La Creuse, France.
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Yes I've just ordered this plan. Perhaps I'll never build it but hey ho. https://www.sarikhobbies.com/product/rsq1680-ilyushin-stormvik/
07-10-2018, 06:56 AM
#1135
I have the plans fiberglass and canopy for the Brian Taylor Spitfire 1A from Sarik Hobbies, I just wish there was a short kit I could get on this side of the Atlantic. The shipping works out to be about $31.00 or about 21% of the cost of the short kit.
Short kit with shipping at current rate of exchange is $192.81 with Spinner its $233.33
Full kit with shipping at current rate of exchange is $350.82 with Spinner its $391.34
Short kit with shipping at current rate of exchange is $192.81 with Spinner its $233.33
Full kit with shipping at current rate of exchange is $350.82 with Spinner its $391.34
Last edited by FlyerInOKC; 07-10-2018 at 07:12 AM.
07-10-2018, 08:27 AM
#1136
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Measnes, La Creuse, France.
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I have the plans fiberglass and canopy for the Brian Taylor Spitfire 1A from Sarik Hobbies, I just wish there was a short kit I could get on this side of the Atlantic. The shipping works out to be about $31.00 or about 21% of the cost of the short kit.
Short kit with shipping at current rate of exchange is $192.81 with Spinner its $233.33
Full kit with shipping at current rate of exchange is $350.82 with Spinner its $391.34
Short kit with shipping at current rate of exchange is $192.81 with Spinner its $233.33
Full kit with shipping at current rate of exchange is $350.82 with Spinner its $391.34
07-10-2018, 11:05 AM
#1138
There is this too where you can make your own.
https://glowforge.com/
Pricey, but considering how easy it works and what it can do,in the long run may actually pay for itself.
https://glowforge.com/
Pricey, but considering how easy it works and what it can do,in the long run may actually pay for itself.
07-10-2018, 12:54 PM
#1140
Me too, but man look at what it can do! Make copies of plan templates, paste them onto wood, stick it in the machine and it takes a picture of it, stores it and you can make multiple copies of the part. Does all the work for you.
07-30-2018, 08:50 PM
#1143
Where Have All The Kits Gone
NOW, let's go back a little farther in time before Kits. For get the Kits and Scratch Build. I have 4 Friends around the world that have set out to preserve any and all plans. SCRATCH BUILD!
Portugal: AeroFred.com 23,000 plus plans and people are still uploading. Fred tries very hard to keep current manufactured Kits out of his Plans. But most Plans were printed in Mags that then became a Kit. A good Building Forum. Correct sized Plans Printed for a nominal fee. One thing very interesting that Fred started doing is if you have parts you want 3D Printed, he supplies those. I am going to get a Heavy Rotary Engine in 5,7 and 9 Jugs that I can use on my Scale Projects. The possibilities are endless between these guys.
Books, Technical Documents, and such are Linked to AeroFred through Hslat. He Only speaks Greek so Fred works with him. He is an Electrical and Mechanical Engineer. He Edits Plans for Fred's website. His Aircraft Knowledge is unsurpassed. There is an "AD" Box near the Bottom Right of each page for his Docs.
Canada: Outerzone.com, He has 10's of thousands plans then Fred does. There is another big site like this one that feeds him plans, and his wife runs the Mags and Docs Dept. He just takes everything whether it is Marketed or not. He also Prints Plans for a small fee.
USA: ModelFlying.co.uk - Historical Collection of RCM&E up to today.
The Plan Page
I have a couple others I have to find. They are great resources for Plans and Documentation. As well my top 2 will Print Plans right Size, Make 3d Printer Parts, Kit Cutters, Do everything except build it for you.
Now, I used to live in Battle Creek, MI, about 35 miles West of me. I was an Officer in their "Balsa Bees" Club for years. Since I have moved away I heard a friend of mine passed away. I called Jerry at JT Hobbies to find out what happened. He passed away from natural causes. Jerry interestingly told me he had left his collection of Model Aircraft Mags with him and Jerry himself was going through a very rough time with his health and didn't know to do with the Collection. I told him I would take it and take it down to Muncie, IN, AMA HQ. Well I put my drive on 4 X 8 ft trailer on behind my truck. We just kept loading very heavy boxes for a 64 yr old. Finally I headed home. I was going to send it to Greece or Portugal, but it was WAY too heavy. I went 3 blocks smelling something hot. Finally my trailer tire burst into flames about a block from a tire shop. I had both wheels lubed and new bearings on the outside and new Hubs and Tires, higher rated. And left for home again. It took me most of the day and into the night to get those things into my Apt. I finally took my digital scale too weigh the load. I had told Fred that I had a "ton" of Mags and he said I was exaggerating. I weighed all the boxes and got 2050 Lbs. No wonder my under rated tire burst into fire!
NOW, I have to figure out what to do with them. I am going to get them on an Excel SS the first thing. Muncie refused to take them. I am a 3.5 hour drive away. But they said they didn't have the Staff to work that big a project with their current load.
Bill Bailey
07-30-2018, 09:54 PM
#1144
You can ask me about a particular kit you are interested in and I will let you know if I can do it. I can also change the size of the kit to your specifications easily in my CAD program and on the laser cutter. I will soon put out a 104" wingspan B-17, for example, based on the Royal and/or Guillows kit.
Bill Bailey
08-03-2018, 11:50 AM
#1145
We might want to keep an eye on
We might want to keep an eye on
http://www.skysharkrc.com/
SkyShark stopped making kits for a year or so, but has introduced two of them. Perhaps they'll find a market, and bring back more.
http://www.skysharkrc.com/
SkyShark stopped making kits for a year or so, but has introduced two of them. Perhaps they'll find a market, and bring back more.
BBailey711
Last edited by BBailey711; 08-03-2018 at 11:55 AM. Reason: misprint
08-03-2018, 12:34 PM
#1146
The Market is full of Magazines and Books Full of Plans
If Skyshark had released a German kit I would have already bought it. Allied kits are over represented as it is (who DOESN'T make a P-51). Give me a FW190, ME109 or Zero. If a company offers a model that is commonplace at the airfield..no one gets too excited... if they offer something hardly anyone is doing..they create their own demand. Although I have wanted a Hellcat for a while...may pick that one up. Anyone know if it has flaps and such?
Edit: Take Impscale for example, a lot of plane kits no one else offers and he's backlogged 18 months when I talked to him a week ago. I wanted to build his 80+ ME109. He told me the best way to go about it was to buy the plans and have a third party cut it.
Edit: Take Impscale for example, a lot of plane kits no one else offers and he's backlogged 18 months when I talked to him a week ago. I wanted to build his 80+ ME109. He told me the best way to go about it was to buy the plans and have a third party cut it.
Here are two websites that both also have Magazine Website working with them;
www.AeroFred.com www.Forum at AeroFred.com
www.OuterZone.com
One Site states 24,000 Plans
One Sites states over 10,000's of Plans.
I have helped and used both of these plus a few more doing the same thing. If you want to test your worth at Building a reaL model yourself. Do yourself a favor and visit these sites.
BBailey711
08-03-2018, 06:13 PM
#1147
Liberty Sport
08-05-2018, 06:55 AM
#1148
Are you still looking for that Liberty Sport? I can run it down if so. Liberty Sport - by Dick Graham from Sig - 1973 - 57 in span - Scale IC R/C Biplane Civil. It's in my collection. I've had many SIG Plans since they went out of business before.
08-05-2018, 07:14 AM
#1149
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Measnes, La Creuse, France.
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I have admired the Big Guff for decades. It was one of the first models to win a competition for radio controlled models in the late Thirties. When I built my first r/c model, a Junior 60 in 1988, I was influenced in my choice after having read Peter Russell's "Vintage Model Aeroplanes." In this book Mr Russell is effusive in his praise of the flying qualities of the Big Guff so I have finally put my money where my mouth was and ordered a short-kit from Laser Design Services. http://store.laser-design-services.c...roducts_id=400 Apparently the proprietor has sold another five short kits of the Big Guff so I am now a member of quite an exclusive little club. I plan to cover it in Solartex and to power it by a Laser 70. I have a Laser 80 sculling about doing nothing, I could fit that and being much heavier than the 70 it would help with c/g problems which are encountered with such short-nosed designs. However, a Laser 80 would seriously over-power the model especially when you consider that Peter Russell's Big Guff was quite adequately powered by an early open rocker OS 60FS.
I have tracked the kit to Charles De Gaulle airport so it should be delivered in the next few days. I'm feeling quite excited about it and I'd better withdraw some cash to pay for the Value Added Tax and any Import Duties! Picture of Mr Russell's Big Guff below.
I have tracked the kit to Charles De Gaulle airport so it should be delivered in the next few days. I'm feeling quite excited about it and I'd better withdraw some cash to pay for the Value Added Tax and any Import Duties! Picture of Mr Russell's Big Guff below.
08-05-2018, 09:04 AM
#1150
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Walla Walla,
WA
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Copying any kit for yourself is one thing. Copying and making a kit for sale is theft if you do not own the rights to the product. Remember, someone still owns the products. Just because they have gone out of commercial business does not mean there is not ownership and copyright factors involved.