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skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 6:57:57 PM   
butlern


 

Posts: 299
Joined: 5/14/2003
From: Iowa City, IA, USA
Status: offline 		I just learned that Skyshark has discontinued their entire line of warbird kits.

It's shame that the market has forced this decision by Mike and Angie.

I don't have experience with every manufacturer's line of kits, but I do have two Skysharks, and they're unbelievabely well done.

I'll miss them.



       Post #: 1

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 7:17:17 PM   
arobatx


 

Posts: 1764
Joined: 1/18/2006
From: Kalona, IA, USA
Status: offline 		So Noah, this is probably a bad time to ask what you want for one of yours....since they just became collector's items I'm always a day late and a dollar short...

< Message edited by arobatx -- 6/20/2007 7:18:20 PM >

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Chad

(in reply to butlern)
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RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 7:19:03 PM   
butlern


 

Posts: 299
Joined: 5/14/2003
From: Iowa City, IA, USA
Status: offline 		You've got that straight!

(in reply to arobatx)
       Post #: 3

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 7:20:16 PM   
arobatx


 

Posts: 1764
Joined: 1/18/2006
From: Kalona, IA, USA
Status: offline 		Lol...figures. Well they sure look nice, at least I will be able to enjoy watching a few in our group fly em. I had no idea this was coming, what happened?

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Chad

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       Post #: 4

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 7:22:32 PM   
butlern


 

Posts: 299
Joined: 5/14/2003
From: Iowa City, IA, USA
Status: offline 		Being a big fan of Skyshark, I (naturally) susbscribe dto their newsletter. What follows comes straight from Mike and Angie:

"**Skyshark R/C kit availability update**

As most of you know, the hobby is changing very rapidly due to the wide availability of inexpensive ARFs, ready to fly, and park flyer type R/C aircraft. Unfortunately, kit building has been in decline for the last few years and demand for higher quality kits is also in decline. In response to lower demand, increased material, labor and other costs, we are forced to discontinue our line of warbird kits. We regret that we have to make this decision but we just don't have the resources to assemble kits and properly handle all the extra technical support many builders currently require.

We have a few kits left in stock but once they are gone, we will no longer be producing kits (this includes short kits, plans, etc). We will, however, still have some replacment parts (no wing or fuselage kits) available and will honor any planes covered by our crash free guarantee.

We would like to thank everyone for their support in the past. We hope that we can continue to provide you with high quality hobby products in the future.

Mike and Angie Grey
Skyshark R/C Corporation
www.skysharkrc.com"

(in reply to arobatx)
       Post #: 5

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 7:24:39 PM   
arobatx


 

Posts: 1764
Joined: 1/18/2006
From: Kalona, IA, USA
Status: offline 		That's too bad.....(shhhhhhhh, can you hear that? It's the sound of people rushing to their site as they read this thread to snap up whatever is left). Come to think of it, perhaps i will give em a quick call

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Chad

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       Post #: 6

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 7:25:36 PM   
JUGFLIER


 

Posts: 955
Joined: 1/29/2007
From: Muscle Shoals, AL, USA
Status: offline 		The problem was that they were always way overpriced, not very scale and a little too small for what people want. I had a person buy one and wanted me to build it. When they brought me the kit and accessories, it was about the same money to build my Top Flight GS P-47. You can get a very nice Top Flight 60 size kit for way less money.

(in reply to arobatx)
       Post #: 7

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 7:27:04 PM   
butlern


 

Posts: 299
Joined: 5/14/2003
From: Iowa City, IA, USA
Status: offline 		Here we go!!

(in reply to JUGFLIER)
       Post #: 8

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 8:02:26 PM   
Adonis


 

Posts: 39
Joined: 5/18/2007
From: ., ID, USA
Status: offline 		I won’t be rushing out to buy one, they are already at collector prices. To small and too out of the main stream, despite what people say everyone needs a P-47, P-51 and a Corsair. That’s what PCM models got burned on, everyone was saying they wanted something different, then when he made his Russian plane no one bought it. Despite what Skyshark claims, they are not that scale, and even if they were they are useless as a contest machine so the scale issue is moot. There was a day when anything you wanted you had to build it, I’m glad I was part of that time, but it’s over now. With the experience I have and the huge amount of plans out there, anything I want I can build. I can do this for much cheaper than it would cost to buy a kit like these Skysharks. It’s just the end of an era, but there never was a market for a $300 60” wingspan box of wood Stuka or any other expensive small obscure plane. Supply and demand, simple as that.

(in reply to butlern)
       Post #: 9

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 8:17:39 PM   
ramcfarland



Posts: 3217
Joined: 11/4/2002
From: Waldorf , MD, USA
Status: offline 		Oh bull crap thats the problem an idiot believes since his plane is bigger its better I've had my fill of bigger is better now back to building my 100" Stinson

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Fast Richard

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RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 8:21:48 PM   
SMUGator



Posts: 1375
Joined: 10/28/2003
From: Sammamish, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Can you guys hold on for a second while I run get a beer and some chips. I don't want to miss any of this one!

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Currently building a 1/6 Scale F4U-1A Corsair (BuNo 17777) and finishing a TF 1/8 Corsair

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       Post #: 11

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 8:27:24 PM   
arobatx


 

Posts: 1764
Joined: 1/18/2006
From: Kalona, IA, USA
Status: offline 		Lol....beer, chips and flying fur, SMUGator, you're not the only one bellying up to this bar, I'm with ya.

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Chad

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RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 8:33:45 PM   
P-51B



Posts: 6173
Joined: 10/11/2002
From: An Iceburg in, ANTARCTICA
Status: offline 		I'm with you at the bar, oh here's some popcorn for ya mates.

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In order to think "outside the box", one must first accept there IS a box.

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       Post #: 13

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 8:40:53 PM   
Gray Beard


 

Posts: 2216
Joined: 4/21/2003
From: Hemderson, NV, USA
Status: offline 		I'm just glad I had the pleasure of building one of there kits, the F6F. A true work of the kit building art. It was small and got A bit tight installing the air/air gear but the finished product was worth the effort. The price of the kit did keep me from buying one of my own but I still hunger for the JU-87, I like the plane and I like the lack of retract gears.
I sure hate to see another kit manufacturer go and this was one of the great ones!!

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If drinking and driving are illegal, then why do bars have parking lots???

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RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 8:47:24 PM   
BankYank



Posts: 935
Joined: 11/1/2003
From: Kootenai, ID, USA
Status: offline 		That is the problem i had with them also. Im sure they were quality kits,,But $319.95 for a 65 inch ws ME109 was just out of my league. If there product was not making them money it had to be because of the price causing slow sales. The P-40 arf is on sale now for $450.00 usually the price is $749.95 That is a $299.95 price drop and even with the sale price they are not selling it at a monetary loss. It looks to me that there not making the hugh profit they want to make so there moving on to something they believe will make the profit they expect.
Maybe if they tried lowering there price to be more in line with other similar size kit's and plan on a smaller profit off each kit they could sell a million of them and more then make up for it with volume. I know i would buy a few of them if they did!!!!.
TF/GP make a nice kit also and i would like to know just what made SkyShark SOOOO much better it was worth so much more?
Pat

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I tell ya she turned me into a newt she did

(in reply to ramcfarland)
       Post #: 15

RE: skyshark kits no more - 6/20/2007 8:48:13 PM   
butlern


 

Posts: 299
Joined: 5/14/2003
From: Iowa City, IA, USA
Status: offline 		"I sure hate to see another kit manufacturer go and this was one of the great ones!!"

Skyshark is not gone! Don't overinterpret the letter they wrote. They said that they still aim to "provide high quality products." While their line of the warbird kits may be going away, it's likely that they're simply in the process of adapting to market demand.

< Message edited by butlern -- 6/20/2007 8:52:07 PM >

(in reply to Gray Beard)