Hi,

Just stumbled over an old unbuiltGraupner Caravelle kit on the famous auction site (Germany) andthe bids are crazyhigh.
25 bids now and still 2 days left, for the moment US$ 849 (650 Euro). Would not be surprised if it go over $1000 before it ends.

Caravelle was designed by Gustav Sämann, Germany. He entered RC1 (later F3A) world championship 1962 in England with his Caravelle and placed 7th. In WC 1960 in Switzerland he placed second after Ed Kazmirski and I believe Gustavhad some early Caravelle prototype then. So this Caravelle plane, although it may look like a trainer, was top of the line acrobatic plane back then.

But no old balsa kit is worth such skyhighprice we can see here.
I happen to own an unbuiltGraupnerCarevelle kit myself and it seems it will be better to save it then build it as far as economy is concerned. Kit picture below from the famous site and a picture from a Graupner catalog I have.

/Bo
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Holy Cow,

Check out that transmitter. That thing is WAY WAY WAY before my time. Well, flying time anyway.... I really like the plane too. It may be me, but it appears to me if you took the dihedral out of the wing and lowered the wing to the bottom of the fuse, the plane could be mistaken for a Kaos....[X(].

Bo, I have to agree with you on the price you saw on the kit. That much money is just pure CRAZY. It reminds me of the last time I was in my LHS and I guy came in to pick up a little .21 size glow motor for one of his cars that he had ordered. When I heard the shop owner tell him the motor was $525.00 I had to bite my tongue to keep from busting out laughing....[sm=bananahead.gif]

David

David,

There are some remarkable facts to show when I read your post.

On the advertisement you see a “modern� radio it was of the period I did fly "bang bang" and copied also parts of that set,(the modulator).
On picture 1 you see the set Gustav Sämann did use in 1960.

In Europe “reeds� weren’t often used. (Stegmaier is the only one I know)
An Electronic low frequent filter with relais was used for each channel (Schumacher filters, also a pilot), and normally two channels for a servo..
I think a good point were the multichannel “sticks� of Graupner of they early period, Orbit did use a two channel switch for each servo so you did have to be a piano player.
Electronic tricks were used to combine functions.
Picture 2 (RFJ) Gustav Sämann Dübendorf (Switserland) 1960 World Camps.

Cees

Hi,

The crazy bidding on the Caravelle continues - now it is $936 (700 Euro). 12 hours now before it ends.

Cees:

Do You have any more facts about 1960 WC and Gustav S&auml;mann's plane he used back then that he placed 2ndwith, after Ed Kazmirski? The picture You posted with Gustav and his planekind of looks like an early prototype for a Caravelle although it was little more midwing back then.

/Bo

Bo,
Did you read the information of this page, start with post 806 of 14 November 2010?
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_79...page_33/tm.htm

I do know more about the airplane of Sämann, I will use that information first in my own thread to reconstruct the history of development steps of the Oldest Taurus on Earth and the Simla.

Cees

Cees,

OK, I have read some now and will read morelater in your thread and see what You will come up with on Gustav S&auml;mann and his plane in WC 1960.
I Googled some on Gustav and he lived to 2006, he was 84 when he died.
Anyone that is interested in a Caravelle can of course build one from the Graupner plans or buy the ARF that Graupner released some years ago
http://www.graupner.de/filerootdir/d..._rcmw__gb_.pdf

/Bo

Hi,

The Caravelle kit was sold for US $973 (727 Euro).
Hope the buyer will be happy with the kit - I suppose it was a collector that bough it.

The value of early pattern plane kits broke some kind of barrier now I think.
Some balsa, plywood pieces, drawings, decals, canopyand wheels etc... and a kit box.
Kind of sad that it is such money involved in old kits. But if you have the money, why not...

/Bo

[X(]I guess someone has still got too much money! I was under the impression that Graupner( Via Hobby Lobby) had that plane for sale as an ARF not too long ago.

Hi Skip,

It is correct that Graupner Caravelle was reintroduced not long time ago as an ARF. But this kit that was for sale on the buybay was the orginal balsa and plywood kit from 1960th, rather rare kit that was introduced in 1963 (it was in Graupner catalog then, maybe already in 1962)and was produced during the 1960th (at least to 1967) by Graupner.

/Bo

If I ever pay that much for a model, it's going to have a Jet-A tank in it.

Andy

I see now in for sale that it is another Graupner Caravelle kit, new in box, with asking price $1000... man, that nust be a new record for old pattern planes.
They are rather rare but... I have such kit myself and although it is a nice kit I just can not see that it could be worth such astronomical price.

/Bo