Hi, does anyone else get a little fed up with the fact that virtually all kit manufacturers seem to produce kits of the same aircraft? Spitfires, Mustangs, Cubs et. There does not seem to be much diversity of subjects made, but there are plenty of interesting aircraft to model! Anybody know why this is the case? Are other people interested in kits of different aircraft too?

Those kits were manufactured because they were the most popular aircraft. I would love to see more and different aircraft kitted or put in plans.

There are any number of plans out there for various planes, AND there are folks who will draw up plans for those planes that do not have plans already drawn up.

Take the plan(s) for the plane you want and have the parts cut for you (laser cutting). You now have a short kit. Problem solved.

Check Skyshark RC, their lineup has a few less modeled warbird aircraft in it.

I'm fed up with the same old kits that have been around for 20yrs. There's only 1 Decathlon in a kit. Dynaflite. Wendell Hostetler makes a set of plans for the 30% and the 33% Decathlon--but the kit cutters charge a pretty penny to cut those kits.

I wish Midwest would re-design their models to be lighter. Everyone of them is a plywood tank. I would really like to see those planes released with a balsa fuse and balsa formers instead of the 1/8" lite ply they are full of. You can build a plane to crash, or you can build it to fly. These planes were designed 20yrs ago, when we didn't know how strong the wood actually was. All of the bigger aerobats and the warbirds could be lightened by at least 3 or 4 pounds. But, Midwest isn't interested in doing anything new, or going back to the drawing board.

Aeroworks kits are okay, but I think they are about twice as expensive as they should be. They aren't anything special. If AW thinks their kits are special because the parts fit--they are full of it. Having parts that fit is EXPECTED when you purchase a kit. Thats part of being a manufacturer. You build something that fit, and builds into a plane, and you sell it. They aren't anything special. Not to me.

Great Planes hasn't really done anything exciting in the last 4 or 5 yrs.

Sig hasn't done anything new or exciting enough for me to bother with it in at least 5 yrs. Still selling the old 4* planes, and the Hog Bipe. Whoopty-doo.

It's a sad hobby for the kit builder today. I'm just not set up to scratch build from plans. Not everyone has all the tools to really do a good job at scratch building. I know someone is going to flame me for my opinion about the available kits out there, and tell me to scratch build. The thread isn't about scratch building. It's about the available kits. And there aren't enough new designs being released.

No builders = no new kits!

Unless more people get back into building, it isn't viable for manufacturers to produce new kits unless they are doing it strictly for their own enjoyment!

So do you think it's better to go for foam kits instead then? I'm in the same boat (ie I don't have the tools or the time to scratch build) so what do you think of the foam kits that are out there? Must be easier to put together, although I'm guessing that scale detailing could be a problem(?) Do they have any disadvantages in comparison with balsa kits?

Gents,
It really comes down to supply and demand. If they the manufacturers kit a particular plane and it does not sell, they wasted a lot of money on die cutting and tooling. If they kit a plane that is a hot seller you will see a ton of knock offs, God how many Yaks and extras can this hobby produce. If I was to start a company that was a kit supplier I would go all laser cut, because yo u can take plans and change them for size, do running changes and not have to re tool etc. I just wish teh big boys would get there heads out of thier backsides and offer kits in all sizes...say a 1/4 scale, a 1/3 scale and maybe even larger. people I think would pay the price if the kit was good, well designed and had good quality wood. Where they often make a huge mistake is they cheap out on the little things and that is where they lose interest. However having said all that, with the increasing demand for ARF's (which get people flying quicker), park flyers (for those that do not want to invest a lot) and foamies, (for those guys that just want to fly in a park somewhere) as well as electrics, it will be a frosty day in hell before Great Planes, Top Flite, Sig or Midwest as well as numerous others tool up to produce kits of any quantity. There are a ton of good kits out there that have been discontinued, the key is for more people to demand kits again...NOT arf's.