acdii

On the flip side, if there is a plane you are building that you would also want, you can make two of them at once. A friend of mine has a Pica P-40 that he wants to build, so he made copies of the plans, and we are buying stock to build 2 or 3 more at the same time using the kit parts as masters. It is an opportunity to make duplicates when that rare no longer available kit comes around. If it has plastic and or fiberglass parts, also an opportunity to make molds and plugs of those parts.

CalvaryCustoms

Thank you for all the comments and suggestions. I'm not looking to make a living from building, I just love to build and i'm off on medical for the next few months, so I figure this will give me something to do

mikes68charger

My Feedback: (34)

Really old post, LOL,

I do a lot more RC Repairs than full builds lately, for those guys who have an older kit that no longer can be ordered.

Honestly, its tuff market out there, the money is really in the jets. I have been to 8 jet shows last year alone, and you realize that even those 80% of these turbine jets come already painted and detailed a guy who spends 10K on a jet makes more money doing there job than paying someone 1k to build there jet for them as time cost money.


There are 2-3 master rc jet builders who charge 2-5k to build and custom paint and build your jet. This is because jet guys don't like having the same thing as everyone els, and most manufactures only sell 3-6 paint schemes.

95% of my work has been fiberglass repair, and automotive painting, as they would not except anything less.

I felt bad last year, I was at a huge jet show, and a guy just bought an 6k jet then spent 4k for a master builder to built it, and paint it custom for him, he crashed it on his second flight at the show, I help pulled it out the tree with him. Got back to the tents and he was stripping it apart and throwing it in the trash. I bought the remains for $300, cost me $1500 in fiberglass, automotive paints, landing gear to repair this jet. I felt bad because of the damage to the jell coat, I had to strip off his 2k paint job and start over (most jet guys will pull there gear, motor, fuel tanks, pipe and just order a new body) heck the manufacture wanted $525 plus shipping from Germany for 2 fuel tanks, that I made for $30 using the lost foam method. I thought of selling it but no one would pay for the 2 months of every night 4 hours a night I took to get it in this shape, better to buy a new one.

sorry for the rant.

carlgrover

Here's what my Father in law does: He builds kits or from plans all year long. Sometimes he builds 3 or 4 of the same plane. Then every year he loads them all up and takes them to the Perry, GA swap meet and sells them. None of them have been flown yet and they are all set up with a generic type installation for the radio and engine so the buyer can put whatever flavor he wants in it.

Some years he sell out. Other years he doesn't sell anything. Mostly what happens is the buyers try to beat him down to nothing on the price. He loves to build and likely loses a little bit of money on every one. But he enjoys it so it's a good thing.


carl