G'day guys, i'm a relatively new rc pilot, i have only been doing it for about 18 months, started on a boomerang 40, went to a Seagull PC-9 and now have a Black Horse Extra 300 (.55 AX) which i love. All 3 planes are still intact, a few hard landings but no major crashes.

I don't get a great deal of time to fly and i almost always fly by myself which can be a little boring. I really enjoy the build process though and want to build a kit plane, i'm reasonablly confident in my building skills, a lack of tools will be my main problem to begin with i think.

I'm wondering what kits people might suggest, it doesn't have to be overly simple or quick, i don't care if it takes a year to build, that is the idea, i would like something with good instructions and plans though with no major design floors i have to work out myself.

It's going to have a OS .46 AX in it and i'm open to ideas. I want something that looks nice more than anything, i like scale aerobatics planes and warbirds, i've also considered a bi-plane. I need something with either reasoable sized wheels or a plane i can fit large wheels on as i fly on a rough grass strip.

Any suggestions guys?

Stix

Great Planes Super Sportster 40, or Sig 4-star 40 are both doable builds and will keep you entertained in the air. I built a SS40, powered it with an OS 46 AX and it's quite fast and aerobatic. My 4-star is a 60 size but I'am sure a 40 size with your OS 46 AX will be a great combo. Of the two, the 4-star will be the more gentle to fly and land (better on the rough grass field), and the SS 40 will be more of a "hot rod" and would need a modified landing gear on your rough grass field. The Goldberg Tiger 40 would be another EZ build that's good on grass. Good luck with whatever you choose.

That super sporster doesn't look to bad.

As i said, it probably won't get a great deal of time in the air, it's more about building something that looks good and flys ok. Since flying the PC-9 and even more so the Extra 300 i'm loving having a reasonably large cowl that covers most of the engine. A russian warbird would be nice but i'm limited a bit with the .46.

If you go with the SS 40, reinforce the landing gear mount blocks that are in the wing and bend up a replacement set of main gear that are a little longer than the stock ones for extra prop to ground clearance. Also bend them so the wheels are forward of the leading edge to prevent nose overs and use larger diameter main wheels. I just saw your thread in the beginers section and see that you are flying some rather advanced planes (for an almost newbee) so I am sure you can handle the SS 40 and will enjoy it flight performance. Best of luck to you there "down under".

Yeah i didn't really follow "the mold" of airplane progression other than spending plenty of time on my trainer. Most of my planes are capable of flying much much better than i am capable of flying them but it's all worked out ok for me. Really looking forward to my first kit build, i doubt i will have it finished in under 12 months. Considering maybe building something bigger, i would love an LA-7 kit, jst weighing up if it's worth forking out $500 for a nice 4 stroke or little gasser. The SS is nice but with the time it will take me i sort of want something extrodinary, lol.

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS"><span style="font-size: x-small">my first kit that i built and paid attention to was an RV-4 from great planes. i love it and still have it. i have an O.S. 40 FX with a bisson pitts style mufflerunder the hood and the only thing sticking out is the 2 pipes on the bottom. it's a awesome build, takes time as you would like (but not too difficult), and is a lazy flyer on sundays, or i'm guessing with the 46AX, quite the hotrod. it is a taildragger, you can build it with flaps or without, and it is semi-scale. takes 2.5" wheels, and is just beautiful, if you ask me. right now i'm building a sig smith miniplane. a bipe. more of a stick build and some soldering required. other than that, yep. pics of the motor/muffler combo and RV-4 in the middle of recovering after some moving damage.</span></span>

<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS"><span style="font-size: x-small">oh, and the kit comes with all ABS crap, but i got a 'glassedcowl from fiberglassspecialtiesinc.com, ditched the wheel pants, and hand shaped some wingtips out of balsa. (vs. the ABS ones)</span></span>

Damn crash - what font are you using? Need ctrl-+ 5 times. Eyesight must be goin' ...

Em, strictly from a "build technique" - if you're interested in stick assembly - SIG's Kadet Senior can be really bashed. Tool inventory is pretty simple. Want a Bipe? Low wing? Sea plane? The Senior build threads provide a lot of kindling for creative planes. I built one, sanded every piece on all sides so that it would look good with transparent covering. I doweled butt joints for the details and strength. Dado joints instead of butt joints. Took 2nd place in our club's build competition. If it's all about the "build", a stick build is fun. One of our club's best builders focuses strictly on this type of build though he has a fantastic scale Stuka hanging from his hobby shop's ceiling.

Former, doubled sides, laser cut lite ply, then any of the popular kits work fine. Planes like the SIG 4Stars "snap" together for a fairly straight wing and fuse. Much less cutting and fitting. Likely not a candidate for transparent covering to show off the "guts". Makes for a great 1st build though.

Another very popular build is a SIG Somethin' Extra (SSE) - they love the 46 AX, 55 AX, etc.. Great candidate for some pretty creative builds. Probably more SSE bashed build threads on RCU than any other single plane. Build it simple to the plans or get as creative as you want. Roll rate of 720 degrees a second are a no brainer. Add some composite techniques? Modify the size of the controls? Creative cowls? Great fun just doing the research, planning the build, then DO A THREAD! Quite a few "arm chair" builders that love to follow along, contribute &amp; offer suggestions as you share your experience.

Yea, I have a SSE kit on the shelf that's just waiting ...

Whatever you build, please share. Good luck. Someone much more successful than me said "the devil's in the details" - he must have been thinking a about kit building.

Another thought - if you are looking to gain structural knowledge about the planes that you fly (and will likely need repair) look at your favorite flying plane and then pick a kit that has a similar structure.

The Venture 60 is being re-released again; all of the ones I've seen fly look to be very good sport ships. They are a pretty much straight forward build also.

Hmmm, cheers guys, some decent looking planes there, i really liked that enclosed cowl on the RV-4

My first plane and kit (that I'm building now) is a sig 4 star 40, very easy to build etc. But i think you can just about build anything you wish, just do enough research on it, start a thread and then you'll have way more support than needed to complete it, building is not that hard you just have to think before you do. Oh and All I used was a Drill sandpaper, hobby knife and Glue (Thin and Medium CA) oh and 5 min epoxy... I use a cheap Black and Decker (clothes)Iron for my covering... You can Improvise as you go, That RV 4 looks Great! GP also makes an Ultimate 40...
Hope you get what your looking for
Cheers
Riaan

The Sig Somethin Extra or SSE is a fantastic first kit. The parts basically fall right in place. All laser cut for accuracy, and sig quality. It handles very well on low rates.

Accordingly with the original post I would go for the GP Ultimate 40 size biplane, the reasons:
1. It fits the engine of your choice.
2. It is a biplane, as an option posted.
3. It is like a scale building and will fly very sport.
4. Building two wings surely will improve your skills, and as mentioned in the original post, time is not an issue.
5. Great Planes has great manuals which include pictures and tips to make your build easier and will serve for future buildings.
6. You may download the manual, before buying the product so you can get familiar with the process and buy the tools that you will need.
There are many other reasons to go with this bipe, but it is a pita to write from my cel phone, so I will post other reasons later.

Good luck on your choice and better luck on your build.
Alfred.