Tell me about these kit cutters:
With all due respect to Chad and other fans of laser, the repeatability of production is not an issue with me. Due to idiosyncrasies in various drawings, a hand cut kit can more accurately compensate for hand drawn plans than a laser. Time and time again I adjust my kits when flaws become apparent in the drawings or in production. I also communicate these difficulties with the designer so that he can make adjustments in the plans if it is needed. Another advantage of hand cutting is the fact that I often have requests for special parts such as an adjusted firewall, or different retract mounts and I can make those adjustments as I go.
My guarantee states that I will replace any parts that are unsatisfactory to the modeler for any reason free of charge. I also replace parts that become damaged due to builder error and/or minor crash damage. I even honor this guarantee after the plane has been sold third party.
We can go back and forth about the accuracy of laser vs. hand cut for many, many posts, so I will move on by describing the quality of materials in my kits.
I have already described the lengths I go to when producing balsa, but the plywood I use is an AB/AB model grade plywood for the poplar parts, and I use a Finland birch ply for the Aircraft plywood parts. The 1/8th inch Birch ply I use is a five ply and extremely strong.
In the case of Don Smith's designs, all of his Fuselage and tail surfaces are done "on the clam shell" which ensures accurate parts regardless of who is doing the cutting.
Randall, I have described some of what goes into my kits, I challenge you to call me and the other kit cutters and ask many, many questions. Find out what is actually included in the kits, what materials are used, and what guarantees are offered. Another step is to do a search on R/C universe and find out what other people are saying who have not stumbled across this discussion. (if you search, ignore my posts and look at other people's).
Mace Gill
The Aeroplane Works
(732)-356-8557