I was wondering if I should get a kit. Kits are cheaper than ARFs. But are they hard to build? I want to get a Extra 300S form Great Planes.

Extra 300S kit

The fact that you are wondering about kits as opposed to ARF's gives me the impression that you do not have much, if any, kit building experience. I have been building kits since 1934 and of all my aircraft and boats I have only tried ARF's twice. They are much simpler for a non-experienced builder/pilot. The newer ARF's are very well built and assemble fairly easily. Check with someone who has built the ARF you are interested in to find out about any assembly problems and how the thing flys.
By the same token check with an experienced kit builder about the airplane you would like to build. Ask the same questions you would about an ARF. Some kits require a lot more skill than others. Get a simple trainer for a start. Consider what radio and engine you plan to use or what you will need for an electric.
Kits may be cheaper but that is not always the criteria for success.
Good luck whatever you choose.

Don't do it because it's cheaper. If you have the time the skill and the place the kit will be a better bird.Plus you will know how to repair it if there is a problem. Also dont assume kits are cheaper than ARF's.
I had a midwest 1/4 scale Extra. Kit was $269 glass cowl $50 Monocoat $50. The 1/4 scale Sukhio I have now
cost$399. as an ARF. By the time you count glue and other little things you spend on a kit the ARF is about the same. Ballgunner had another good point. The Extra may not be the best choice for your first build. If someone
close by has some building time then go for it. If not think about something a little easyer. Like Super
Sportster or Tiger 2 Or even a Sig Something Extra if your flying skills are up to it. Let us know what you decide
and were here to help either way. later daveo

Ya...
I want to be able to fly by early spring. The other airplane I had was a Super Sportster .60 kit that a friend put together for my birthday. It got totaled when a frequency burst disabled my plane. Went into a nosedive for about 75 meters then slamed into the ground. When I got to the crash site, there was a whole bunch of splinters and a big chunk of a wing.

My friend is saying that I should get a Pitts or Ultimate but I would more like a Mustang or Spitfire because they look some what the same design as my old plane and I always wanted a warbird.

If you want a good flying warbird try the p-47 thunderbolt.Modeltech makes an ARF and it's the best flyer of the warbirds. later daveo

I just looked at a picture of it. It looks like a cool plane.


Thanks for your help. I think I got a idea on my next plane.

Someone else mentioned the "hidden" costs of kit building. They are correct, but there are actually many many more costs if you are a first time builder. You will need glue (not cheap), an iron to apply the monocoat, gas tanks, fuel lines, building boards, pins, lots of misc. tools like small saws, x-acto knives, small bits, maybe tap sets, clamps, sandpaper, etc. etc. etc. This doesn't even count the "cool to have" tools like a dremmel, hinge slotter, or incadence meter. I bet I have bought a couple hundred dollars worth of odds and ends needed to assemble a kit, and I know I've still got a "beginners" tool set.

I think the people who build kits do it for the satisfaction of building, and definitally not to save money. Sometimes they don't tell you this at the hobby store. My $63 kit ended up closer to $300 by the time it was finished, even without the radio. Then again, I found out that I really enjoyed building, and you may too.

Oh, and yes, they are hard to build. Like anything, it gets easier with experience when you start learning little tricks here and there. I think a lot of the real experienced guys forget that a beginner doesn't know when thin CA would be better than thick CA in certain applications. These are nothing like the plastic kits you may have built as a kid. You take a box of square sticks and create a curved, aerodynamic object.

I'm not talking anyone out of kit building. It's fun and rewarding, but I could see how someone new could be very discouraged to see a kit on the wall of the hobby shop, with the great photos of the finished product, and have it in their mind that the pieces in that kit would go together in a few evenings. Most don't have an "estimated hours to complete" label.

Good luck! I think a warbird would be a blast to build and fly.

My rule of thumb has always been the add the kit price to the total cost / double the kit price. To get a an idea of what the plane will 'really' cost. not including engine or radio.

I totally agree with hidden costs and it I have never been able to just double the kit price --for instance 1/4 scale champ-kit cost 150.00 covering 120.00, glue has been around 20.00, hardware 50.00 extra balsa that I cut the wrong pieces and those types of mistakes was about 25.00-engine 399.00 and 225 for radio-but I actually love building more than flying --all the building tools you accumalate after 20 years -but I just love it and cannot get enough of it. I am so addicted I have even built a 20 X 30 climate controlled workshop with bright lights and finished in white sheetrock and pegboard, but R/C building is the most fun I have ever had -maybe I never grew up but I am thankful I didn't.-thanks[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]