I need some good-ol advise. I want to build a Top Flite Cessna 182. This will be my first kit and I have been told that this is not a starter kit, I understand that. I just dont see why I should by a $100.00 kit that I dont want. I have been model building (cars) for years. I build my r/c cars (hpi, Tamiya, and such) I play with train layouts. I am fairly handy with the old crafts. That being said I have no idea what it takes to kit build a plane. If you guys (those who kit build) think it is really unwise to start with the Cessna then I will heed your warnings and find another kit to start with. Any advise would be welcome. Thanks Bill H

You've answered you own question. Building an airplane requires skills that are learned as you progress. You don't see 16 year olds learning to drive in an Indy car do you? Just like everything else you need to learn and work your way up. The TF Cessna isn't the kit you need to be starting on. In the building process they assume you have skills attained earlier and may not mention everything you need to do, whereas in a "beginners" kit they explain every step that needs to be taken to ensure a good build.

Ken

Well enough, what would you suggest as a good beginners plane that will put me in line for the cessna some time down the road?

Sig 4-star or a Sig Something Extra are great kits to start on. Both are extremely well engineered and the instructions are second to none.

Ken

I'll echo what RCKen said 100%. The Cessna 182 is a 3rd or 4th kit plane.

Ken's recommendations are good. I'll add any of the stick-built trainers, such as the Goldberg Eagle, GP PT-40 or the Sig LT-40. All of these kits will give you step-by-step instructions, guidelines and hints.

Build it, do a nice covering job, and sell it. There's always a market for good, prebuilt trainers.

Good luck.

Dr.1

There's no magic to building planes. I wouldn't know how to build an R/C car but I know there's no magic to it either. I wouldn't recommend the 182 because it's hard kit to build or requires any special skills. But because as a first kit it probably won't turn out as good as you would like it to. I have a few plans that I'm putting off till I develop the building and flying skills to match what I would like the planes to be.

My vote's for the 4* it's a straight forward, forgiving, build and it's fun to fly. No matter what your flying skills. Plus, you can modify it a zillion different ways to learn more and make it more interesting.

Don't build something just to learn how to build that sounds to much like "home work"

Another skill you need is equipment setup. Cant tell you how many swapmeet planes I see setup in ways that I know will give it only one flight. About a year ago a friend bought a big bingo that lasted one flight. Too excited and couldnt wait for experienced builders to look it over. Beautiful plane, but it had about 6" of nyrod unsupported outside the fuse on the elevator and rudder. The nyrods flexed and he lost it. I wasnt there, but sure wish I was. Setup is just as important as the building for a plane to last a long time.
Edwin

Bill,

I disagree with the rest! If you have skills, are handy with your hands, and have common sense and patience, then go for it. My first kit was a Piper Arrow 2 with re-tracts and alot of difficult parts to the build. I own a real Piper and since they don't have anymore PA-28 140 Kits available I went for the Gold Edition Piper Arrow ordered thru Tower Hobbies. I wanted a plane that looked like my real plane so I had a very good covering friend, cover it for me and then I added the details to make it look like the real thing. I say go for the GUSTO!!!

Gibbs

being a new builder myself i agree with ken to a point i have the TF 182 kit but i have put it to side till my building skills get where they need to be i have built a Lt 40 came out pretty good not perfect but good ..... if you have the Patience to stick to it... looks like a long build to me to get it right and go slow it will probably come out good but won't be great ........ i want a show stopper with all the bells and whisles .... hey if you screw up you can always get another what is it 200$$ plus shipping you will spend more that that in this hobby i would try something in the Goldberg line the expect you to build and fabricate .....tiger 2 maybe not as boxier as some of the others (i got one of these also ) that will be my third what ever you decide good luck on your build you won't regret it if you do it right check out www.airfieldmodels.com that guy has skills (he speaks volumes on building )you see him in here as cafineeman i do believe ...... ken you are pretty darn good too

Help me understand what skills you would gain from building a Sig Something Extra that you would consider a pre-requisite for any other kit? Some kits build faster due to few part counts and pre-shaped this and that, but does that make them a better first kit?

If a kit is easy enough to make success a high probability, and still provide a good foundation for learning the basics of building, I would say that it would be a good first kit.

I built a 4 * 40 and found it instructional, even though I had already framed up the wings on a Top Flite Spitfire kit. The semi-symetrical wing of the 4 * that still builds flat on the buildboard, is a good introduction to built up wings. The simple fuse construction with it's turtledeck nose is a gentle intro to fuse construction. The slab tailfeathers allow you to concentrate on hinging, linkages and alignment, all of which are even more critical in intermediate kits like the Top Flite.

There are several advantages to building a plane like the 4 *, or even a trainer. One is cost. It is easy to dump a lot of money into a kit like the Top Flite. If I were to add up all that I have in my Spitfire, it is probably somewhere around $1500. Granted, I did a lot to my kit that are not necessary. I quickly realized that I wanted to learn flying on something a bit easier and cheaper. That was the main motivation for me building the 4 *( I ultimately got a trainer too).

Another advantage of the 4* is that it has a lot of flexibility to help in your flying progress. Built per plans with a 40 engine, it's a fairly gentle flier and a real floater on landings. You can put a larger engine in it, like a 46 or 50, and get a good performance boost. For a further boost, you can clip the wings.

Also, with it's simple construction, it is a fairly easy plane to repair. I've had two significant crashes, 1 of which involved rebuilding everything from the cockpit forward, fixing breaks in the fuse at the tail, and repairing the LE and a couple of ribs.

It's a build you can get through quickly, and have something to fly when you want to take a break from building.

As to the question of can you start with a plane like the C182, it depends. I started with a TF Spitfire, which I just completed. I feel I benefited from the 4 * if for no other reason than to help assure myself I could successfully build. I also have to say that a lot of my success on my Spit build is because of being able to follow along other TF Spitfire build threads here on RCU. I know for a fact that I would not have been able to achieve the results I have, without them.

I would recommend a plane like the 4 * before starting your TF kit. If you really don't like it, in the end, sell it and recover some of the cost to put toward your 182.

Whichever way you go, there's a lot of good help here on RCU. Use it.

good luck and good building

Scott

PS, If you haven't already, check out Paul Johnson's website at www.airfieldmodels.com

wrh117, you didn't say how long you have been flying r/c planes. If you already have a good amount of experience flying arfs then you already know how to set up servos, pushrods, install an engine and do basic repairs and maintenance, maybe some covering. Graduating from this stage to building is not such a big step. You will already know about things like the importance of overall weight, recognizing high stress areas in an airframe and where to look for potential weaknesses in a structure like the firewall, wing joint, etc. All this you will have learned from flying (and crashing) arfs.

If you don't already have that level of knowledge about r/c planes, then you will want to choose a kit that walks you through and explains the do's and don'ts of model planes. Or, at least have an experienced builder spot check your work as you progress through the kit. There's nothing difficult about glueing balsa wood together. The hard part is not knowing the things that experience brings, like installing pushrods before you cover, or planning ahead about where to put the servos, etc. With advanced kits you have to be able to visualize the finished product as you build and plan ahead for subsequent steps, since the manufacturer typically assumes that you have a certain level of experience doing this.