Yellow Aircraft No Longer Selling Kits
10-05-2014, 07:28 AM
#36
I hate to see another company go away, I have always wanted to build the large F-18 but kept backing out since I only have the desire to build a D model. I also hate the fact is at this rate by the time i retire and build a shop that allows for kit building they are all going to be gone.
10-05-2014, 08:34 AM
#37
Thread Starter
Hi,
Yep, it sucks. It's another reason I resent the 'el cheapo' ARF's that flooded the market starting 10 years ago. I think that wave helped nail the coffin shut on 'building.' When I first started in the retail hobby business, the shelves were stocked with dozens of balsa kits by so many different manufacturers. Now, if you walk into a LHS, you'd be lucky to find any balsa plane kits at all. Now it's just toys and cheap Chinese ARF's. The new generation of customers that come in don't know a decent airplane from the junk and garbage they mostly offer.
A few years back, I was at the Miramar club field and there were three giant scale Spits in the pit. From a distance, I thought they were kit-built, but as I approached, I saw that they were ARFs. I don't remember the make, but they were pretty typical junky, plasticized cheapies. After talking to the owners, it turns out they were kind of a group-build project. I was excited to see them fly (because even a cheap ARF Spit is cool) and I also went there with a friend to fly my Y/A Spit. When I pulled mine out and got the wings bolted on, I wheeled it over to where the others were. The guys were really impressed, but they thought I just put an airbrush to an ARF similar to theirs. When I told them mine was kit-built, it was like they didn't understand what that meant. It was like they were unaware that such things existed. It turned out that one of the guys built two of the three ARFs and helped the third guy. He was their guru, and was helping them get situated. He could put an ARF together (which they could not) so he was the real-deal in their eyes. On close inspection, the planes were very sloppily put together with uneven hinge gaps, servo boxes in the wings that might as well have been mail boxes, control-horn mounting screws poking out through the top of the ailerons and elevators, etc.... To the new guys, that was impressive modeling and those guys would never buy a giant-scale Spit 'kit' so why would a manufacturer make one and try and compete it against a so-called ARF for the same price?
Yep, it sucks. It's another reason I resent the 'el cheapo' ARF's that flooded the market starting 10 years ago. I think that wave helped nail the coffin shut on 'building.' When I first started in the retail hobby business, the shelves were stocked with dozens of balsa kits by so many different manufacturers. Now, if you walk into a LHS, you'd be lucky to find any balsa plane kits at all. Now it's just toys and cheap Chinese ARF's. The new generation of customers that come in don't know a decent airplane from the junk and garbage they mostly offer.
A few years back, I was at the Miramar club field and there were three giant scale Spits in the pit. From a distance, I thought they were kit-built, but as I approached, I saw that they were ARFs. I don't remember the make, but they were pretty typical junky, plasticized cheapies. After talking to the owners, it turns out they were kind of a group-build project. I was excited to see them fly (because even a cheap ARF Spit is cool) and I also went there with a friend to fly my Y/A Spit. When I pulled mine out and got the wings bolted on, I wheeled it over to where the others were. The guys were really impressed, but they thought I just put an airbrush to an ARF similar to theirs. When I told them mine was kit-built, it was like they didn't understand what that meant. It was like they were unaware that such things existed. It turned out that one of the guys built two of the three ARFs and helped the third guy. He was their guru, and was helping them get situated. He could put an ARF together (which they could not) so he was the real-deal in their eyes. On close inspection, the planes were very sloppily put together with uneven hinge gaps, servo boxes in the wings that might as well have been mail boxes, control-horn mounting screws poking out through the top of the ailerons and elevators, etc.... To the new guys, that was impressive modeling and those guys would never buy a giant-scale Spit 'kit' so why would a manufacturer make one and try and compete it against a so-called ARF for the same price?
10-05-2014, 08:35 AM
#38
Thread Starter
10-05-2014, 09:59 AM
#40
Thread Starter
Hi,
No on the P-38's. Those are long-gone. I wanted one, too.
I've updated my site to reflect what's left. If there's no photo of the kit, it means it's gone. I've deleted two kits in the last 24 hours
Thanks!
No on the P-38's. Those are long-gone. I wanted one, too.
I've updated my site to reflect what's left. If there's no photo of the kit, it means it's gone. I've deleted two kits in the last 24 hours
Thanks!
Last edited by Shaun Evans; 10-08-2014 at 10:09 AM.
10-08-2014, 01:17 PM
#45
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So just to confirm, there are no more F-18 Twin kits available anymore? Does Charles not have any either? Sad to see this as well, my dad and I had many A-4's and a few Starfires back when they were from JMP. Yellow always made a great kit.
10-08-2014, 05:53 PM
#46
Thread Starter
The price on the kit is $640. The gear are $140 for the gear set and $185 for the semi-scale struts. You can definitely get the gear later. This kit isn't like the F-16 in the sense that you really need the gear to build the plane.
10-08-2014, 05:54 PM
#47
Thread Starter
Hi,
Yep, the A-4 remains one of my favorite jets of all time. I have a NIB kit here that's gonna get a K-60 (which should be a perfect engine for it). The information on stock refers to both of us. I'm out of all of my stock and the inventory remaining is referring to the home office.
10-08-2014, 07:00 PM
#48
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Fair Oaks, CA
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Sucks to hear you guys will no longer be selling kits once the stock is out though... I was hoping to get a warbird some time when the time was right! (aka, when I had some spare change...)
