OK, so I don't have the inventory of some of the guy's who post on here, but I find myself buying alot of kits recently, but not the current offerings, more like vintage and laser cut kits, I just bought the old birdi rearwin speedster on "the Bay". I find the older kits to be more enjoyable than the pour glue in the box and shake out a plane kits. Call me old fashion'd but I like having to sand a cowl to shape and fitting multipule sticks at various angles to achieve an airframe or wing. It seems that when I buy a old kit it just brings me back to when I started, when life was simple, there was an internet, but it didn't have hobby websites, or stuff like that. Everything I was informed about was by the good old model airplane news or RCM mag. So with that said, who else out there enjoys building old kits because it's a reminder of better times?

I understand your pain......

I understand the old kit scenario, I am getting to the point though that I want to use small weedeater motors on everything, and that virtually eliminates most kits out there. Its so funny how small planes today were the huge showstoppers of yesterday.

Yup! I remember when the giant aeromaster bipe was huge and the CGM ultimate bipe was all that and a bag of chips! Heck, the best pattern planes were super koas's?! but they still are. I even remember the two choices you had were build a kit , which there were about 300 to chose from or scratch build, but it seemed like every plane you could imagine was kitted by someone and the only limiting factor was size, you just lived with size, the model was more important than the shear size of it. Now a days, they offer every possible size of almost every 3D aerobatic plane on the market, ready to fly in 6 hours or less, man I really miss the good old standard,...Byron kits.

The last few years Ihave been getting plans from the 60s and 70s for the old clasic pattern planes that few people have ever seen fly. Ihave kept a couple but been giving most of them away to friends. I'm down to two old kits left in my shop and have to build one of them this year for the grand kid. I'm out of CG and Mid West kits and not finding any more of them at auctions. Imay start designing again but for now there are too many plans to be bought or traded for. Inever build the same plane twice but Ireally loved the Sukhoi 29 from M.A.N. plans, Iredisigned it for a gasser and would like to build one more, it was really a good flying machine and it died due to an operator malfunction.

  Are local hobby shop in the day carried about 200 kits in stock...

And as to Byron I could really get you wound up...The company was about a 90 minute drive from here, Some of my friends were their sponsored fliers/employees. I used to see all the Byron stuff  A LOT.  I still know of bunches of them around here (the planes) many of my friends were involved with the aviation show and flying after it left Ida Grove. I had dropped out of the hobby for awhile then and didn't go to the expo much .  Looking back I wish I had.

We recently had a club auction that was stacked with new unopened byron kits from a secret stcokpile..but they are harder and harder to find that way now. There are great similar ,even improved kits out now. But wow were those Byrons a major step forward when they were new...

  gray beard , I can remember going into the Hobby shop and seeing kits I had never heard of, and if you built fast you could have the first!, and unless you copied the one on the box it would not look like any other plane out there.  I know a lot of the newer fliers don't understand the way some people feel about arfs. But when someone put a new plane up back then you knew the poor guy had his heart and lungs in his throat. It sure was satisfying seeing a first flight end well.

I have some arfs and I like them, I do often wish I could convince myself to strip the covering and at least make them look original..but its tough to do , especially when they are covered nice to start with.

You're a hero to me. If more of us demand kits maybe they'll start making more.
I always felt a modeller builds their own but I have a few ARF's I confess. NO more though! MOst of the fun and satisfaction for me is in the building and I try and encourage others in this.

Thanks, as I sit here trying to put one of my builds on a diet before covering, I'm playing division bell, by floyd, thinking,......man I was almost graduated from HS when this came out, then I think of all the times I went to the flying field and ran a gallon through my sig colt or the eagle II for the day, maybe throw the good old spirit 2M up on the hi-start at the state beach and fly all day long. I say do your part to let manufactures know we want our kits, buy at least 2 or 3 a year if possible, or just write GP & Sig to express your love of building and hope to see the kit offerings continue for many years to come. But I must say, if things go bad between us and china due to politicians finger pointing, then we might be back to no arfs at all, heck almost every one of them are made in china as it is. So either the economy gets better and china gets more orders, or it gets worse and the kits produced here in the usa (which are few) become more attractive and popular.


I'm no hero, just another overgrown kid that wants to play with his model airplanes.

I never miss it when I see a club auction posted in the window of the LHS. Ihave scored more good deals on kits over the years at auctions because no one is bidding on the?? Iscored a coupld of the CG Extras for $10.00, A giant scale Royal Corsair with spun cowl for $10.00 my Mid West Hots was $10.00. Some very good finds at auctions on older kits.
The Photos show my Harley Extra from A CG kit, Ihave built several of these and they are all bought at auction or from kit collecting friends. The little yellow DR Iposted a few weeks ago, it was plans built using left over wood and scrap Ihad in the shop, everything was free and I have never seen another one flying at any field I have ever been at. It was designed and flown in 1966 and Idon't think it was ever kitted??
All plans building intails is buying the plans and cutting your own kit then building the plane of your dreams. For fun, kit builders should go into the AMA plans site or go look into M.A.N. or R.C.M. plans and see all the planes you can build. You don't need to depend on kit manufactures to put out that plane you always thought was so cool. Buying balsa wood in bulk is pretty cheap and you will always have wood for repairs in stock.
How many of you always wanted one of those colorful PEA SHOOTERS for a warbird?? M.A.N. has them in two sizes just waiting for you, you just have to cut your own kit and build it. Only takes a couple of hours and you can make changes to the plans as you like!!
Go take a peek, hundreds of planes just waiting for you to make your own kit!!

Boy do I agree with you guys!  I'm very tired of the "new generation" models.  I was introduced to modeling by my dad in the early '50's.  I miss it so much that I'm moving back to control line after 40 years of R/C.  I just ordered a set of original plans for the plane that my dad had when I was three years old.  It's as far back as I can remember.  It's the "Black Tiger" that won the nats in 1952.  Anyone remember that one?  My dad had two of them and sold them both when I was about 5 years old.  That airplane set me on a course as a professional pilot.  Now that I've retired, I'm on a mission to bring back my youth with VooDoo's, Flight Streaks, Noblers, Chiefs, etc.  Can't wait!!  Sad, but I lost my dad in 1983.  Wish he was here to cheer me on, just like in the '50's.

Paul

66,

Your words say a great deal for myself and I hope many of us.

Congratulations on your new kit, the Rearwin Speedster. I wish you the best with it.

I also have and are buying the older kits. I just purchased the Stafford twin Comanche.

Certainly I miss the good old days of modeling. who wouldn't if they actually experienced them.

I turned 63 yesterday, and I'll probably be dead when I get around to building the Twin Comanche, not to mention the other classic RC and CL kits I have.

I'll be the happiest guy in hell.

Thanks for your words.

Charles

I can't agree with all of you guys any more if I wanted to!  I do think however that it would be nice to have a blend of old and new, new age design with old age quality, and selection.  I am only 22 but i hear stories from my dad about they way it was in the 70's and I just think WOW, why cant more things be like that now-a-days!

It can be,....there just has to be inspiration by builders to promote more modelers in clubs and online to buy and try to build a kit or two. I'm currently mentoring a friend to build, when he first got the kit it was by the advise of a co-worker who is a good builder, but left him high-n-dry when it came time to build it. I stepped in and have been teaching him how to build the plane, little by little I can see his skills get better and better, soon he'll be confident in tackling almost any kit out there. Which kit did he choose for his first?,.........A TF 1/8th corsair, I tried to talk him out of building it as his first but he insisted on building it. At first he was frustrated, now he's enjoying the build and see's how every step plays a part in the model as a whole.

Addicted? Me? Not me. I'm not addicted. I can quit any time it want to.

I just don't want to.[8D]

My first kit was a control line Shoestring Racer. Build up fuselage and a balsa sheet wing. Heavy as all get out but it would go around pulled by that starwart .049 motor. My buddy had the "Miss World's Fair". (Forgot who made 'em.) Never looked back. Oh, I've had ARFs and won't knock 'em but I certainly get the thrill of building stuff them and mentally "flying" them before their complete.

Chevelle, you polish too,.....salute! Vodka for everyone!

I do admit to suffering from similar pathology... Bench flying has gotta be one of the best thrills - not quite on par with sky diving but it does permeate your dreams. If Iactually bench flew less, I might get more building done!

For you old pattern aficionados, here are a coupla shots of my in progress 61% 40" span Tiporare - an American classic. Enjoy!

Happy building to all.

David.

Did any of you guys ever try designing your own planes. I've done a few myself and I must say they fly pretty good. I posted a picture today of a twin I finished a while back.
Still learning to find my way around here but I hope to post more pics soon.

I thought about it, but decided to build a few more to put into the hanger before standing back and taking a collective design of the many birds sitting here. If I get my brother to download the pro-e onto my laptop, then it will make designing a little easier, but I always start with sketches on good old fasion paper with lead. If I get a few good designs, I might have a few cut and sent off to various people to see what they think of them, but that's down the road in a year or two.

Well Iguess it depends on what you mean by "design". Ihave thought about it but never actually did an original design, a plane entirely of my creation. I have done two designs to re-create full scale planes into a R/C versions. In one case, my design is being used to build a full scale.

You can follow them on other threads in the Scale section but one is a 1910 Glenn Curtiss Hudson Flier. Idid a full scale 3D model and drawings for a museum that is building a flying replica. My 1/4 scale version is under construction as well. Iam also in the latter stages of designing a 1/4/ scale 1910 AVROTriplane. I have (insane) aspirations of maybe started my own kit company. The AVRO may be its first offering. The RAFFE8 and Albatros CIII may be the next.

As for a completely original design, I have been toying with the concept for what amounts to an R/C "Truck". One that can be adapted for many of the other aspects of the hobby like towing, dropping stuff, aerial photography, etc.

I remember that!

Ahh the good old day, eh Mike.

Yep. You me and Tom in the school yard

Something that I feel every kit builder should be doing today with every kit they get there hands on, that's making a template of every part in that kit. As the kits are no longer produced at least we can share these templates and plans with other builders so the planes can keep marching on. Just think about the loss we have had not too long ago, the Goldburg kits like there Sukhoi and Extra are no longer with us, a very sad thing for such great kits. Like a nut case I didn't make templates and can't afford the ebay prices people are getting for these kit today. It would be nice to have the plans, instructions and templates for these and others.
As for designing my own Iused to design many of my own control line and free flight planes but that was before computers. Itried doing it with a computer but I'm computer stupid and didn't do too well, the program takes a lot more learning and understanding then Ican come up with. Give me a Vemco Drafting Machine and I can still do it.
Just a few years ago the magazines all had building articles in them each month, a very loose build along then you could buy the plans for that months build. Idon't see much of that anymore but it could just be people not designing for them any longer? Not many magazines left either, well, ones worth reading. RCM and MAN both have there plans service going so there are hundreds of planes we can build. When you order you get the plans and a poor copy of the article. Lke most magazine plans there are some mistakes or parts drawn out wrong or just a bit off but nothing you can't catch and correct. Ilike to redisign them a bit or even enlarge the plans so Ican make different sizes of planes for the engines I'm going to use.
It's fun to build my own kits and very easy to build them the way I like. Well worth the little extra time.

Acutally I think I am going to attempt to do that next month, I designed a Pitts Profile Fun Fly as something I could bang out quick and fly, and if it flys good maybe bangin out a few more to sell and make a quick buck, but since this is a kit building thread Maybe I'll make it a kit????????