Alrighty guys... im 15 and one of my friends from my church who was teaching me how to fly died of a heart attack at 63. I got all of his planes and stuff. Anyways... I found a Rebel kit from 1955. Lime Wire is the manufacturer. I am currently building it. Any tips for the beginner?

I don't know how much flying experience you have, if you've soloed or what. Don't know what kind of plane a Rebel is, so I can't be much help. However, you can never go wrong posting some pics of your build as you go along, and feel free to ask for assistance anytime you run into a shady area. That's what this forum is for. Welcome to RCing. Good luck.

Yes, I'm with Safebet...

I have no idea what that plane is (my mother was 5 years old in 1955!) but if you have specific build questions I'm sure we'll all put our 2 cents in to give you a hand.

Best I can say right now is study the plans and instructions well and take your time building it.

It is a Hal DeBolt design, from 1958 and the name is Live Wire, not Lime Wire.

http://www.modelaircraft.org/museum/bio/deBolt.pdf

Building is as much fun for me as flying. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to see something I have built take to the air. There's no other thrill to match. Well - maybe not that far!
Tom

I am 19, and just started my first build- loads of fun. I cant wait to see her take to the air.

As for tips- rely the guys on this forum- they are eager to help and are pretty knowledgeable.

Check over the wood in the kit thoroughly for warps and bends- who knows what happened to that stuff for the last fifty three years, lol.

Post some pics, and good luck!

My condolences - sorry to hear of your loss. It sounds like you had a great friend and mentor and I'm sure he will be missed very much. I bet right now he is smiling and thinking how proud he is of you for wanting to continue in the hobby he must have loved. He obviously thought very much of you to have spent his valuable time with a 'youngun

For learning, I recommend a couple of things. Try to find a local RC club and ask for some help. You'll probably find someone willing to help you with your build, especially with such a rare kit.
Secondly, read as many "build threads" here as you can. There are tips on wood, connectors, balancing, etc. that are invaluable.

Good luck and definitely post pictures and ask as many questions as you can. We are all here to help.

God bless.

crash,
Also sending condolences on the death of your friend/mentor. People like that are becoming increasingly hard to find in this hobby.
Anyway, you might consider posting a parallel thread in the "Vintage & Antique R/C" forum. A lot of the guys there have probably built the Rebel and will be able to offer a lot of assistance.
Although I'm of the age, I never built any of the Live Wire kits. A bunch of my friends at the time did, though, and they were all great fliers. DeBolt was a great designer who liked to keep his kits simple, so you shouldn't have too much trouble. Just take your time and enjoy it. The only place I can see that might be confusing is if the plans on the kit show radio installation. It's liable to have a bunch of stuff listed that you never knew existed. You'll have to figure out how to fit more modern equipment into the space. That should not be a problem as the old radios were pretty big and you should have plenty of room.
Good luck and please keep us posted. PM me if you need help.

papermache

here are some pics of the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and control section of the fusilage.[link]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/Photomaster1992/IMG_0344.jpg[/link]
[link]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/Photomaster1992/IMG_0335.jpg[/link]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/Photomaster1992/IMG_0342.jpghttp://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/Photomaster1992/IMG_0339.jpghttp://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/Photomaster1992/IMG_0338.jpghttp://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/Photomaster1992/IMG_0336.jpg [link]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/Photomaster1992/IMG_0334.jpg[/link]

Did you do that, or was it already started?

Good job if you did- keep posting pics!

i did those myself... I have way more fusilage done now. more pics soon!!!

here is the forward fusilage but i'm stuck here

Why are you stuck?

i cant find the part that you connect to the trail part you cee in the picture. I dont know if i cut it from a piece that is already this long. the directions arent at all specific. they're from 1956 by the way not 1955...

Well, you can always go buy a 95 cent hunk of wood from the LHS and keep goin!

$25 in gas to get to the LHS to buy a $1 piece of balsa! I've been there...

Kit building isn't 1,2,3...you need to improvise some times. The instructions and plans are guides not rules.

First of all, my condolences for your miss.
Now, hello guys, it looks like on the 2nd spear the grain is vertical? Look at first picts.

I already have loads of balsa from him. I dont think ill ever need to go shopping. I have EVERYTHING

Well, I'm sorry about your friend. here are some good tips. be patient with the model, do a little bit everyday, when you are cuting out the pieces, i suggest that you have the wood tracing the plane, and mark the spot where the wood needs to be cut with a single edge razor blade. then cut the wood on the mark the the single edge, or a No. 11 Blade. Have Fun with the Kit.