Gents, I received a question, a PM, and for answering this thread is a better place I think because maybe more vintage minded pilots are interested.

The question: Why the Taurus appears to be so revered?

Orion

It's not only the Taurus but a combination that was the key for succes so we have to go some further back, 1960.

Ed Kazmirski was world champion of the very first organized championships pattern flying in 1960 in Dubendorf Switserland. He and his Orion were famous after this moment, just as Orbit, the radio system of Bob Dunham that was used by ED.
Orion kits were available short after that, made by Top Flite.

First (successful) Taurus

To stay on top a succeeder was needed and the developing proces started as normally after the pattern contests of 1960. The Orion was a tail dragger but the tricycle had a better perspective that period and even you can put a tricycle gear on a taildragger (Yes, the Orion tricycle was there in 1961 !) there still are principal differences that cannot easy been overcome.

So, the first succesful Taurus of Ed Kazmirski was designed and constructed early 1961, after a less successful first attempt so called by "Flop".
The Flop was the first plane designed by Ed as a real tricycle but rejected after dissapointing results (glad the Orion was also there, even it was converted to a tricycle!).
Keep in mind, designing and developing these ships was a process of months. Small modifications, adjustments, changes in dimensions and test flying. Ed already wrote about this process related to the Orion.
The radio systems used by Ed in this period were the smallest available, the Orbit relay less system with the Transmites actuaters. Bob Dunham and Ed Kazmirski already cooperated during the 1960 worldchampionships.

The first successful Taurus was the eye catcher of 1961, second half of the year. see the attachment 4.

Frank Myers Taurus plans

After that Ed designed the commercial Taurus for interested modelers.
Plans were drawn by Frank Myers in December 1961 and distributed. The wings were interchangeable for Ed and more room in the fuselage was the most visible difference between that "First Successful" (relayless!) personal ship and the "later commercial" drawn by Frank Myers.
Most modelers didn't have these small Orbit relayless systems and a small cross sectional surface would be a real bottle-neck for most of them.

Top Flite Taurus

The Taurus was a succes and at some later date we also see the first (pre-production) Top Flite Taurus of Ed Kazmirski, in April 1962, at the trip to Rhodesia and at the 1962 NATS.
Ed became the NATS champion in 1962 so the Internats of 1963 in Genk Belgium was the next destination! In 1962 also a lot of other contest contributers succeeded with the Taurus at several contests in the USA.

Because Ed already was known world wide, and the Taurus promoted in England and Africa during his trip to Rhodesia in April 1962, we see short after that the Taurus, kitted by Top Flite, distributed all over the world.

Result? In 1963 at the worldchampionships pattern flying in Belgium Genk with 39 participants, we saw 17 Taurusses! See the First attachment the ranking of these Taurusses when we "forget" the other contributers. There also were 3 Dutch Taurusses and as far as I know Jan van Vliet is still pattern flying!!

The answer: Why the Taurus appears to be so revered!


That personnal Taurus of Ed he started with early 1961 was later developed in about 10 steps and used several years by Ed as primairy pattern ship, this Taurus did show up after Ed's passing away in December 2007! This Taurus never got much publicity for several reasons, the Top Flite did get all the attention (commercial!).
So reconstruction of the history of the First successful Taurus and the replica is an individual story of later date and was only possible after photographs became visible. Most of these photographs of the personal estate of Ed.

The Top Flite Taurus pre-production fuselage and the wings of that first personal Taurus of early 1961, as combined by Ed to fly in Belgium Genk, also are still existing as a Taurus and part of the collection of the AMA museum in Muncie! See the second attachment, Maria Vanvreede (r)(AMA museum), Bob Noll (m)(VR/CS) and Micheal Smith (r)(AMA museum),

TAURUS

In general Eds Taurus is known as the first real model airplane, multy pattern ship of the world!
For Ed the name Taurus was related to several unique pattern ships,
1 Flop and the personal developed Taurus of 1960/61 and later modified over about 5 years of “service time”,
2 Frank Myers, Top Flite and other commercial examples as MAN, RCM & E and
3 the last one, the Simla.

Simla

The Simla is the latest designed Taurus and a 150 % version of the first successful Taurus Ed started with (after the Flop) so he went back to the roots I discovered!!
To reconstruct the Simla all data I did find about the First Taurus was very helpfull and “in ratio”. This Simla is still under construction now but I can show the computer model, third attachment. Also most Simla photographs were part of the estate and the key for a successful computer/graphic reconstruction.

Cees