Thanks guys. It's not talent. Just experience and time.

It's not perfect. I make all kinds of mistakes. The only thing that makes this plane look good, is I know how to hide, fix or cover up my mistakes. You should have seen my first kit, a Kadet Senior, that I built back in 1998. It was twisted. I only had a 4" sanding block and a razor knife. I built it on my kitchen floor over wax paper. Looking back, I would say it looked like a boxcar full of smashed buttholes. [sm=lol.gif] But it flew, and I built another kit that same year. It was a little straighter, but the covering was applied with a clothing iron from WalMart that cost me $10. Another boxcar full of smashed buttholes.

Being a decent builder isn't some mysterious talent that I have. It just takes experience and time. I probably have close to 300hrs in this Citabria. And it's not done yet. I've lost count, but this is is something around kit #36 or #38 for me. You learn a few things as you build each kit. The most important thing is learning how to fix mistakes, because I make a LOT of them. I built a 4*120 in 2005. Somewhere along the way, I put the aileron servo hatches on the top of the wing. [:@] Stupid mistake from getting in a hurry. Had to cut them out and re-do it.

When I was building that 4*120, some guy told me, "You should be able to cover that in 3 or 4 hrs." He was serious too. I probably could have covered it in 4hrs. But it would have been another boxcar full or you-know-what............ The point is, I didn't want it to LOOK like I covered it in 4hrs. Anybody can cover an 80" plane in 4hrs if you don't care what it looks like. I do care what it looks like. The 4*120 probably took about 30hrs to cover.

Covering this Citabria fuse took me close to 8hrs yesterday. And it's not perfect. I blew a hole in an open bay because I was trying to get a wrinkle out. Dumb mistake.

Building a decent kit isn't magic and it isn't hard. It just takes time and experience.

Did I mention it takes time and experience?