I'm fed up with the same old kits that have been around for 20yrs. There's only 1 Decathlon in a kit. Dynaflite. Wendell Hostetler makes a set of plans for the 30% and the 33% Decathlon--but the kit cutters charge a pretty penny to cut those kits.

I wish Midwest would re-design their models to be lighter. Everyone of them is a plywood tank. I would really like to see those planes released with a balsa fuse and balsa formers instead of the 1/8" lite ply they are full of. You can build a plane to crash, or you can build it to fly. These planes were designed 20yrs ago, when we didn't know how strong the wood actually was. All of the bigger aerobats and the warbirds could be lightened by at least 3 or 4 pounds. But, Midwest isn't interested in doing anything new, or going back to the drawing board.

Aeroworks kits are okay, but I think they are about twice as expensive as they should be. They aren't anything special. If AW thinks their kits are special because the parts fit--they are full of it. Having parts that fit is EXPECTED when you purchase a kit. Thats part of being a manufacturer. You build something that fit, and builds into a plane, and you sell it. They aren't anything special. Not to me.

Great Planes hasn't really done anything exciting in the last 4 or 5 yrs.

Sig hasn't done anything new or exciting enough for me to bother with it in at least 5 yrs. Still selling the old 4* planes, and the Hog Bipe. Whoopty-doo.

It's a sad hobby for the kit builder today. I'm just not set up to scratch build from plans. Not everyone has all the tools to really do a good job at scratch building. I know someone is going to flame me for my opinion about the available kits out there, and tell me to scratch build. The thread isn't about scratch building. It's about the available kits. And there aren't enough new designs being released.