bigal126

My Feedback: (18)

Don't be afraid. I looked closely at all the wood in my kit and I have to say it looks excellent. So was the wood in my CG Extra. And it seams the wood is lighter than what I got in the sig kits I have built in the past. I did have a problem though. Check out the pics of the fuse sides. The first pic is exactly how they were packed in the box. I emailed the pics in and I had a replacement in 2 days. In fact, now I remember the plans were missing from my Extra kit and I had those in two days also. No questions asked. Very good customer service in my opinion, but their kit packers need more training!

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

O-boy, I guess I better break the seal and open her up to check for damage, I wonder how they'll take care of issues like that, seeing that they are discontinued now?

bigal126

My Feedback: (18)

I found my CG extra at a LHS last July. I believe the plane was discontinued months before that. They replaced the plans no questions asked.

maekju

You might be surprised planebuilder66 when you open the box. I bought mine in 92 and started building it 2008. I just got back to the build last month (I'm a field service engineer and have to move a lot) but I only found one piece of warped wood a 3"x24" piece of balsa.

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

Good for you, Jerry. Wish I had done the same thing, although I did pick up two of the ARFs a while back. One in each color scheme.


Ed Cregger

Prop_Washer2

My Feedback: (26)

Looks like all of the Goldberg ARF's are gone...darn corporate mergers...!!!

ArcticCatRider

My Feedback: (6)

That's too bad.

I consider myself lucky as a young hobbyist. I've built 3 Carl Goldberg Ultimates, and have two more for a rainy day. I'm lucky in the sense that I was able to experience kit building. It is a priviledge, considering many young people I run into at the field today are practically brain dead when it comes to building, designing, modifying. Many don't know what a stringers or bulkheads or root ribs are. Ohh well...I will have to pay up for the kits as I buy them on Ebay, or at tradeshows....but I will not cave in to today's "turn key" approach to this hobby. It is still my hobby.

Everyone who knows me is familiar with how I feel about Goldberg kits.

As far as Hobbico goes....I don't buy anything from them anyway. I prefer hobby shops instead. And as far as corps and capitalism goes, every capitalist knows that in a situation like this, one door closing opens another. Small, privately run, botique style kit makers will come up with, or maybe continue some great airplanes. The kits will be of better quality, as the small privately owned firm will manage how the kits are made, as opposed to managing marketing and multiple brands.

bigal126

My Feedback: (18)

A little off subject but I have to ask. What do you guys do with all these planes? Quotes in this thread: "I picked up two arfs awhile back". "I'm up to eight or so right now" (biplanes). It seems like many hobbyists have multiples of every plane that was ever kitted or ARF'd. How can you possibly store all of these planes? Who would want to? I own two planes and have a kit for a third. I can't see me getting another until one of these "expire" for good.

ArcticCatRider

My Feedback: (6)

Well, me personally..I have 5 flyers. The rest are in kit form in boxes...and take up relatively small amount of space.

I will wait till I crash one, sell one, whatever... before I build another. I have a 5 allowable airframe maximum.

The kits are like fine wine...they only get better. The discontiuing of a legend reinforces that point. Besides....you can shoe-horn them into closets, shelves, attics, etc....they don't take a bunch of space. ARF boxes are like refrigerator boxes.

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

You can't just have one, it's a disease you know, but the 8 I have are all different, one super skybolt, loved it, and decided to buy a hostetler skybolt, I have a pica bucker jungmiester, then I just had to have a CGB jungmann, then there is my little pitts from wattage that's converted glow, and while on the pitts theme, I got a CMP christen eagle, and finally there is my sportsman waco(small size). Now add the ultimate to the list. But now I'm slighted too many biplanes and not enough monoplanes, there are only a few monoplanes in my fleet. I built two plane racks that are 8 feet tall, and hold about 10 planes together with wings.

Constrictor

My Feedback: (46)

Whats the reason for collecting more money than you need this week? you might need it later! When your ready to build that kit you have been dreaming of, you might have to wait YEARS to find it, if EVER! I have kits on my ebay watch list that havent came up any for bid for years and years. Also the sooner you buy a kit, the less its going to cost you, who wants to pay $500 for a Goldberg Bucker, when if you were smart you could have bought one at the retail price of $199 when they were available!

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

I agree, why pay 500 later when I can pay less now. I too have alot of stashed kits, but they will all be built and flown, just now right now, I've got time, I'm anly 33, well, maybe 34 soon in a few months.

Wolflord

Yes I got lucky to have a friend find and buy a protege and ask me if I wanted it. I said ohh yeah and now I have a protege that I can build after my Tiger 60.

barndawg77

I inherited alot of stuff when my dad died a few years ago, and I just love airplanes. SO, I have all that stuff, plus I still have to get all the other planes that I love...It's a disease, man! LOOKOUT!!!

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

barndawg77, sorry to hear about your dad, but I'm glad YOU are carrying on where he left off.....oh I could be so lucky....

Jerry

barndawg77

Thanks tailskid. Yeah, he got me hooked. I grew up around the hobby; he owned and opperated his own hobby shop back in the 80's. Hell, my earliest memories are at the field with all the old characters he flew with and the smell of glow fuel burnin'! I also "blame" him for my absolute love of bipes, he had a pitts special and a christen eagle, i think a skybolt as well (when I was a youngin'). One of the planes i inherited was a dave patrick 1.20 ultimate; it's never been flown. I think this year that will change

...so, how many of you are seeking out or already building a CG ultimate? I really wanna get started on mine...

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

the Ultimate is 'on my plan' to build soon...but I have a couple ahead of it I'm lucky 'cuz I have one with glass cowl and wheel pants!

barndawg77

Fiberglass specialties makes a cowl and wheelpants for it, I think I might go that route as well.

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

I'm in the same boat as tailskid,...I have too many to choose from, I think I might build the hostetler skybolt first, but there are a few other bipes in my collection that are begging to be built as well, I also plan on building 2 of the 3 sailplanes I have, yup, sailplanes, getting back to basics can sometimes be too much fun. But as far as the ultimate goes, I might put a YS 1.40 in mine, or a saito, who knows, maybe even a RCv 1.30 cd, my 91 cd in the super skybolt runs like a champ & to boot, it doesnt stick out of the cowl.

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

Now that all the bipe fans are here. Who makes plans for a good flying bipe that flies similarly to the CG Ultimate?

Thanks,
John

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

I'm sure thare's something that's close, but it won't be the same. You might have to go up in size or down a bit, there doesn't seem to be many 60-90 sized good bipes out there.

ARUP

The Ultimate is a great flying airplane. Good practice for learning about cutting your own parts is to duplicate what you have. You learn how to manage grain vs sawblade vs feed rate, economy of parts per sheet vs impractical layouts and other nuances of plans building. Another thing you might consider is finishing the cowl and wheelpants to a high level of 'perfection' but don't drill holes in it. Then wax and glass the outside to pull a mold. That's good practice for 'rolling your own' parts.

planebuilder66

My Feedback: (8)

I almost always pull molds of every kit I have, assemble the cowl and pull the mold, making glass parts is much easier than most people think.

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

I really really wanted a CG Ultimate but I do not want to pay an outrageous price for one. There does not seem to be any plans available. I've checked every plans site I can find. There are plenty of ultimate plans out there but not Dave Patricks or Carl Goldbergs. So I did what any red blooded modeler would do bought another kit. This one is Northeast Aerodynamics Zeph-Air 1.20 66" WS bipe. They are going out of business which is a crying shame. Anyway $160.00 for this kit is a steal.

http://www.shop.ne-aero.com/product....0&categoryId=7

John

Atlanta 60

My Feedback: (18)

I sure hate to see the CG Ultimate Bipe kit go away..How sad..

I have one I built many years ago and I love it!! It's one of those planes I always wanna have in my hanger...I actually haven't flown it in the last few years but want to get it going again...It needs a bit of maintenance from sitting...I'm sending the YS 120 out to be gone through plus I wanna do new servo's and switch the radio stuff over to 2.4...

I never really finished covering it...It's black and white for the main colors but was suppose to have some light blue and hot pink stripes (was built in the 80's so pink was cool then)...I started flying it and never got around to the stripes...lol (or maybe I'm still trying to decide if I wanna use the hot pink or not??)...It's a little heavy because I sheeted the fuse with 1/16 balsa when I built it...I was concerned of the fuse breaking aft of the wing during hard landing's ect (some rumor I heard back then)...I thought the sheeting would make it allot stronger plus it would be easier to cover with my planned "highly intricate" covering job..he he...I forget how much it weighs but it still performs well with the YS 120 on the nose...I made a mold for the cowl but it's too tight because of my added sheeting..duhhh!! I've re-worked the mold and I'll try making another one to see if it will fit...he he

I have been thinking over the past few years "I should get another kit to put on the shelve just in case" (thinking of crashing)...I'd occasionally go to Towers website and see it was still around but never ordered one...Fortunately I saw this thread in the first few days and was able to get one from Graves R/C and it may have been the last one they had?? Tower had already sold out buy the time I got there so was glad I got to Graves in time...

I have another framed up CG Ultimate Bipe which I just bought from a local fellow...It's been sitting for several years and needs allot of TLC but I think it will be decent...The guy I got it from had started to do the sheeting of the fuse like I did too...lol (must have been a big rumor)...I'll strip all that stuff off this one and just plan on some carbon fiber for reinforcement instead... [8D]

OK...So You wanna hear Crazy??

I always wanted a Great Planes Christen Eagle (ARF..I know)...I saw them drying up but I finally got a used airframe only which I drove over 500 miles to go pick up...LOL...

But that's not the crazy part...This is:

The used one was a bit dinged up...Not all that bad but it wasn't "new"...Soooo...I started ordering individual repair parts to assemble a full kit!! That's pretty crazy...But!! I'm not done yet....I was ordering things one part at a time (mostly because of money but also availability)...Some of the parts got a little damaged in shipping...The fuse got a little hole in the covering because another part was rubbing against it in the box...Soo...I ordered a second fuse and planned to contact Tower to send the other back..Then the bottom wing got a little crease in the leading edge from shipping so I ordered a second set of those and planned to send the others back...And so on....

Time goes on and one day I was sitting there looking at my pile of Christen Eagle parts and realized...Ya know...If I just ordered one or two more things I could just have TWO complete airplanes!! Two is much better than One!! Soo that's what I did...lol...Pretty crazy if you ask me!! I forget how much the GP Christen Eagle ARF kit retailed for?? I can tell you it was allot more economical than "building one" from repair parts...But since I did it a little at a time I really didn't feel the pain too bad...

I've yet to fly a GP Christen Eagle...I hear some people hate them and some like them...I sure hope I like it!!

Have Fun...

Chuck