Originally Posted by
fly24-7
Vince:
I've been an admirer of your work and a silent follower of yours for years, going back to your Spacewalker build. I wanted to share that I am continually impressed by both your craftsmanship and the pragmatic approach to the modifications you make to the kits you build. You take a surgical approach to your builds. I particularly like the mindfulness toward eliminating typical failure points that either went overlooked or under-mitigated by the designer. I've seen a lot of scale models that were impressively finished on the outside, with little consideration for sound craftsmanship and mechanics in their bones.
For many years, I've remarked that one day I'll buy a box of sticks and invest the time to build a model with craftsmanship and attention to detail that would make an ARF look like kindling. I'd always stop short, convincing myself that it'll take way too long and it's just too much of a time investment. After playing a little catch-up and churning through your Bravo and Four Star 60 builds, I have renewed inspiration I'm ready to take the plunge, looking to build a 40 or 60 sized sport or sport-scale model with electric power.
So I ask you and your loyal followers for suggestions for good kits for a first-time builder. I respect the input of those that build with and value the kind of quality that you build to. Please DM me with any suggestions, I certainly don't want to hijack the thread. I will continue to follow this and future builds of yours with great interest. If ever you're planning to partake in any of the area events, let me know. I'd love to come up and see your work in person.
Regards,
Tom
Hey Tom,
Well you asked so here's my 0.02. I haven't built anything for many years and even then I had limited experience. I picked the Sig 4 Star kit (60 size in my case) because well, its a SIG kit which means high quality design and parts, plus the current kits have laser cut parts which makes working with them a breeze. Very little clean up and part fit is unbelievably good. They almost fall out from their panel, and some actually do fall out. The ribs have cut-outs already made for the webbing which makes them very easy to line up when building up the wing. If you wanted to just follow the plan and instructions the kit seems to just fall together and will be a very good flier as I understand it. I have people at the club who swear by the easy build and great flier once done.
I started my kit before seeing Vincent's build thread here at RCU. I actually went looking for someone who previously built the kit so I can get tips. Well I hit pay dirt when I found his very recent build, the one before this build. Go check out Vincent's
Sig Four-Star 60 Build. I am not doing all of the custom things he did but some I am. Now you are looking for electric and that would require a conversion of sorts to this plane but I am sure someone has done it and chronicled what they did.
-Steve