Hey! My bf had a lightweight radio controlled plane that he loved, but epically crashed into a stop sign. I wanted to get him a similar one for his birthday, but I have no idea where to shop or what to get. I want to get him another light weight plane that he can assemble and that comes with everything but the battery and the radio control. The last one was foam and another one like it would be great. Could you guys respond with some links to suggestions? Thanks

Try www.towerhobbies.com

A gift certificate to a local hobby shop would be best. If not a one from Tower Hobbies, or Horizon Hobby.

David

Putting myself in his shoes, I agree with daveopam.

A gift certificate permits him to get whatever he wants.

I'd suggest locating a local club and getting him to go out and see if they have training and flying facilities.

Another thumbs up for the gift certificate. Tower Hobbies in the link above also sells gift certificates. By doing it this way he can get what he wants and you don't have to worry about if he is going to return it!!!!   <div>
</div><div>Ken</div>

About the only way to get this right is with the aforementioned gift certificate or by speaking to his flying buddy if he has one. He really should get some instruction too, especially some pointers on picking out safe and appropriate flying sites. If he crashed into a stop sign then he was flying near or along a public road. He's lucky all he did was wreck his plane, as are the occupants of any vehicles in the area.

Without the absolutely accurate model he had, the battery and radio control(I presume came with the first) would almost certainly not be the right one for one we would suggest.

Thanks guys! A gift certificate is much better than blindly buying something!!

This came up the same way about a year ago and received the same answers. The wife gave him the certificate from either Tower or Horizon and he came on thanking everyone for helping is wife. Just too many planes out there for anyone else to choose from.

It's funny how quirky everyone's taste is in planes. After some time in the hobby, we get very specific about what we like. There's a guy in my club who is plumb silly with WWI biplanes while I probably won't ever want one, while the serious scale modelers have no use for the Kaos aerobatics plane that I love so much.

Really, I have gone through different stages. For years all I built was Bipes and for the most part WWI or pre WWII. Then I got out of Bipes completely and went into sport planes. If I could only have one plane it may be the Kaos or Dirty Birdy? It would be a Bridi design though. I still only build planes you don't see often. Right now the Swoose, then the old timer Satyr, then the Prime Cut +20, a new design. I do have an old PICA Cessna kit but I will never build it, I have never cared for civilian planes but I do have the Ultra Sport 1000 kit I hope to get to in the next year. I keep moving it back because I'm fickled and keep seeing plans of planes I think are cool. So many planes, so little time!! I even see ARFs I like but I have fought that feeling!!!

Oh I didn't mean that our tastes don't change from time to time. I only meant that most of us have pretty specific interests within the hobby at any given time. Some guys like yourself aren't terribly interested in ARF's because half the fun for you is building. I know IMAC guys who love Yaks and won't even look at an Edge 540 and vice versa. Most serious scale guys have no use for a pylon racer, and the racers don't see why Cubs are so stinkin' popular.