Most of my kit bashing was done with my late flying buddy, Carl "Flaps" Laffert, who died 3 years ago at age 90. Flaps loved to build, but wasn't the best RC flier. We teamed up many years ago and I test flew all his planes until he had to quit flying because he couldn't stand very long or look upward. After that, I took over all the flying and he 90% of the building. I used my radios since I normally fly left handed. I can fly a normal mode II, but I do better acro as a southpaw since I started flying that was back in 1970-71. I also bought most of the engines. As a builder, Flaps kept every scrap of balsa, plywood, every nut & bolt, all that left over junk I normally throw away. I buy all new hardware, especially for ARFs. The designs were a team work, but one of us would pick the project.

Here's 2 of our 4*60 kit bashes into Kawasaki Tony Ki-61s. They were both great flying airplanes.The gray 1st one had an OS .91FX for power. It crashed when the stab came off in flight when I flung it around too much.

The 2nd OD plane had a Magnum .91XLS with an Ultra Thrust tuned muffler. I could rotate vertical on takeoff and go up as far as I wanted. I did add under-the-stab bracing rods to this one.

Both planes had 2 ribs lopped off and a corresponding span round wingtip. The horizontal and vertical stabs had rounded tips added. With the wide stance main gear in the wings both planes would takeoff straight as an arrow. I could nail the power from a standstill and go. Both landed very easily, too.