Good Ol' Days?
 

I just started the old Top Flite P-51b, the old vintage kit from the 70's, to replace one I had some years back. I had to laugh after stacking all the blocks of balsa together....."cut off everything that doesn't look like a Mustang!" Modern kits do it in plastic, guess they think we can't carve wood!

A picture of the "stash" of balsa follows!

Clair

Good Ol' Days?
 

Nasty looking engine, Clair. Do you really think it's enough?

Haw.

Bill.

PS: You should try a Duellist 2/40 if you like to hack balsa. wr.

Balsa Blocks
 

I can see your stack of balsa blocks, and raise you a stack of balsa blocks, I just started an old duellist kit, now I know why I did all the whitteling as a boy, Paul

Good Ol' Days?
 

Yeah, were the 'good old days' really good? :-)....built a TF Bearcat a couple of years ago....4 sheets of paper folded in half - mostly diagrams - that's all the instructions that were needed - and it built LIGHT!

Jerry

Good Ol' Days?
 

strnglvr:

I'll see your stack and raise another. Along with the Duellist 2/40 to do I also have a Super Duellist Mk II 2/60.

Bill.

Good Ol' Days?
 

You guys have me out-stashed....."Haw" as Bill says!

Guys complain about modern instruction manuals.....the instructions with the TF P-51 are some 11 or 12 diagrams across the bottom of the plans. Period. Not a big deal for most old-timers though.

A long "carving" blade for the X-Acto, a couple of good wood planes, and a good old antique belt sander can reduce that stack of balsa pretty fast.....I can create a "balsa blizzard" in the shop when that belt sander goes on!

Enjoyed your responses!

Clair

Good Ol' Days?
 

Sterling P63 King Cobra , no contest I fold !!

Stacks and Stacks and Stacks and...
 

Well, for those of you who have never seen it, and there were only 50 made, here is the Super Duellist 2/60 Mk II in all its glory, still in the box.

Yes, that is a metal yardstick lost in there. The box is 48"x8"x8" and full of bull. I mean full of balsa, of course.

Bill.

Good Ol' Days?
 

Why didn't they just throw the whole damn tree in the box and say, "Here ya go boys!" L.O.L!

Good Ol' Days?
 

Green:

We had to cut the tree neatly to get it all in the box. Haw.

Our cost for the wood alone in the kit approached $150.

Bill.

Good Ol' Days?
 

Makes you wonder doesn't it? People complain about the modern instruction manuals. These things are books, and that's just for an ARF!!!

Good old days
 

I built one of the TopFlight Corsairs' (red box) in 1988. Instruction
manual was I think four pages, and the first one was a picture of
guy with a model boat and a puzzled look on his face and a
caption that said be sure to follow the directions! I think that I
really like the new topflight books.

Mike

Good Ol' Days?
 

My first kit was a Golberg Falcon 56 MkII. The instructions were about 8 diagrams on the plans.

While that was a bit "sparse", the modern books don't really help people think for themselves. I kind of like somthing in between these two extremes to tell someone the basics, but maybe have to think a bit about the best way to accomplish it.

Good Ol' Days?
 

I can not believe I built like this. These bolts are lime coted and the nuts well they are die stamped tin. you look at the wood and it !!!! Well I'm going to have to do that again . Would you believe it looks like an Airoplane. Any one want a P63!!! In the BONES

Good Ol' Days?
 

Ah! Those were the days.

I remember when you were given a pile of aluminum and steel, and you had to make your own engine with a nail file and a hammer.

:bananahea

-David C.

Good Ol' Days?
 

David:

You only thought you were being sarcastic. Some people do indeed make their own engines.

Go here:

http://www.5bears.com/curproj.htm

Are you now a believer?

Bill.

Good Ol' Days?
 

The Prez. of our club built one of the old P-51's and it came out just great. We looked at the balsa blocks and sicks in the box and a trip down memory lane came across both of us.
He installed retracts and flaps and used an old OS .61 FSR. I was choosen to do the first test flight and was really surprized at how well it flys. With the gear up and full throttle it sure looked good about 3 ft. of the deck haulin buns down wind. It flew like a pattern ship and was grovin like it was on rails...it was a pleasure to fly and to see the plane finished like it was compared to the box of wood as it was first opened gave meaning to the word "Pride". The club Prez. flys it almost every weekend and just loves it.

Good Ol' Days?
 

Well, as I remember, after a few hours under the influence of balsa dope I could carve Albatross V fuselages freehand and the tissue wing covering was always perfect.

Trouble is, the next morning when I had that ripping headache I would always find the dope had dried unevenly and pulled the wood and tissue all out of shape.

Good Ol' Days?
 

I built a Sterling Fledgling when I was twelve while walking to school in the snow uphill, both ways.

Good Ol' Days?
 

He, He...but would it fly?!

Manual?
 

VK Scale Fokker Dr1
Manual := 2 sheets of legal size paper, including parts list, wing alignment procedure and flying instructions. :eek:

Good Ol' Days?
 

.. and a couple years later. :cool:

Good Ol' Days?
 

Hey Jim,
Nice ARF you got there.

Good Ol' Days?
 

Jim_McIntyre:

I notice the time passing made the plane look better. Nice.

Pity it did nothing for your looks.

Haw.

Bill.

Good Ol' Days?
 

Let me phrase this in words you might comprehend...

dem's a-fightin' werds meester! :D