tired of arfs....wanna start kit building
 

Been flying arfs now for a while.....and am finally ready to start kit building. Anybody have any recommendations on a good first kit? Not gonna be picky on what it is

Hi nw27;

Happy Holidays greetings from the ever warm Valley of the Sun.

No specific advice really, just about any kit[s] available at you LHS are AOK. EBay is another good choice to purchase from. I've built'em all SIG, MEN, deBolt Live Wire Series, Tidewaters, Mark's Models, JEMCOs, BALSA USAs, + others. Building is so much easier these days with the CA adhesives, just weld da pieces together accurately, like read the kit instructions carefully, build neat'n'clean, sand carefully, cover wid iron-on coverings, dress up and go fly. There are still a lot'o'kits out dere, take your pick and enjoy.

Will close for now, not much of an answer to your querry, but adequate I feel, best regards from Glendale,Arizona,

Joe Nagy.

Sig FourStar 40, or CarlGoldberg Tiger 2 for low-wings... These are very decent kits... albeit they're low-wing sport type planes.. If you want something a bit more scale without going over the top, how about a GreatPlanes Mustang, or a GreatPlanes Cub if you like some thing somewhat scale.. if you want an aerobat I'd even say a GreatPlanes Extra300 of some size(theres a few)..

Alot of your choice might depend on factors such as skill level, size, resources available ( IE engine(s) sitting around the shop maybe..).. I'd definately suggest one of the "Stik" style planes, as those build up great, and are excellent flyers... really everything I mentioned are very reliable flyers, and when built by the book you're almost gauranteed your plane will fly.. Good luck. :)

You really need to be careful when you start building kits. You can get addicted very very easily and it's a very hard habit to break. I would recommend, for your first kit, is not to go with something scale. But a simple kit like the Sig 4 Star 60, if you don't want big, go with the Sig 4 Star 40. These kits are easy to build and don't require advanced building skills.

If you really want something that looks more scale, yet has ease of construction, the Sig Kobra or King Kobra. The Sig King Kobra is a .60 size plane that is really fast.

One thing for sure, once you build your first kit, you will be addicted. The feeling of self satisfaction of going to the flying field with something you built will be over whelming. And the compliments you get from fellow club members will tend to swell the chest.
http://www.sigmfg.com/images/yy1SIGRC53a.jpg


http://www.sigmfg.com/images/yy1SIGRC106New.jpg
Sig King Kobra Sig 4 Star 40

Frank

As others have noted, depends on what your skill level is and what you like to fly.

How about a Telemaster plus or Senior Telemaster kit.

Sig Four Star 60

Where can I find one??? The nearest LHS is almost 2 hours away and tower hobbies shows no availability until mid January. Looks like I may have to wait it out

We REALLY need to know what you have been flying and that will show us your skill level. At that time it will be so much easier to recommend a kit. I have assembled many, many ARF's and built many more full build kits. Others that are answering this thread need this info also. Please give all of us a better idea of what you have been doing in this great hobby.

Which one are you asking about?

Here is a link on the Senior Telemaster:

http://www.hobbyexpress.com/senior_t...39259_prd1.htm

Something is going on with their website this week, it's been wonky so best to call them and double check stock status.

I fly everything from a 40 sized trainer to a 33 percent sukhoi. Ive been flying for about 27 years now. Everything has either been an arf or bought built airframe. I really wanna build my own.

Was asking about the 4 star series aircraft. I like their looks

I've noticed the Sig inventory everywhere is struggling... hmm.. How about a Super Sportster .60. Tower should have those in stock, and these are good kits to get your feet wet in building... or an Ultra Sport... all Great Planes kits...

The Ultra Sport would actually be a step or so up from the FourStar.. as the Ultra has a tapered wing, and is a bit more aerodynamic..

Hey.. A link just came up that just might get you what your looking for... as it says "in stock".. apparently direct from Sig. Have a look...

http://www.sigplanes.com/SIG-Four-Star-40-Kit_p_45.html

Good luck. :)

Loving all the suggestions so far.....but still more questions to be answered. What KIND of plane do you want to build? Don't say....an easy, white, fun, best, or all-around, perfect air frame. Sounds like you can fly most anything. Tell us what you want to build.....then you will get some advise.

Still like suggesting the Carl Goldberg Tiger 2 builds great and flys even better"

The Tiger 2 or the Sig 4 Stars, would be a great place to learn some building techniques. The 4 Stars come in various sizes, so they may fit the OP's preferences a little more easily.

Take a look at any of the Balsa U.S.A kit's. These will keep you busy for a while.

was hoping someone would recommend the Goldberg Tigers. Ive always liked the looks of them

Get it ordered, and get building. LOL

Here you go.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXYXF7&P=0

I've always liked the Top Flite Gold Edition kits. They easy builders and go together precisely. Before you buy any kit read the manual, particularly in building the wing. If they recommend a wing jig go on to the next kit. If you can't build the wing on a flat surface you have a potential problem.
Speaking of flat surfaces, that's the other thing you need for kit building. My last one was a 2 foot by 4 foot shelve from Home Depot with a layer of pink wall insulation (also from Home Depot) on top. The wall insulation is firm enough to build on yet you can push t-pins in for holding pieces in position while you glue.

Sounds like a great place to start. I have a Tiger 60 that will be my next build. I haven't built a Goldberg kit yet but from the looks of the laser cut parts and the plans and instructions, it should be a nice build. If you stick with Top Flite, Sig, Greatplanes and Goldberg I suspect you will be fine.

If you are like me, you'll cut parts too short, sand off too much balsa and glue things in the wrong place.. etc. But don't give up it'll come out fine and fly great, whatever you decide on!:D

SIG kits are great.
Another great and inexpensive starter kit is the Uproar from Tower- this is fun and easy to build - and a blast to fly.

I am about to embark on my first kit as well. Not necessarily because I wanted to but the plane I wanted was not available in ARF. Now that I have been researching it and already purchased the kit, excitement for the build is starting to grow. I went with a Wrong Way RC Laminar Wing Sukhoi Profile. I think it is about the easiest first kit out there to build.

This post made my day. Ever since Kits were phased out for the main stream, the hobby has changed dramatically. There is something very gratifying about showing up and maidening a plane that you built and not a 12 year old girl in China. You will thoroughly enjoy it and I am sure people like myself would love to help you through it. Good luck and a build thread would be cool as well.

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