Tired of same ole kits
 

I've only been in this hobby since August, but I've managed to build a couple of planes. I started with the sig LT40, then the somethin extra, now I working on the GP RV-4. Already I am getting tired of looking at the same ole kits tower and horizon offer. It seems everyday someone is coming out with new ARF's, but no new kits. Is there a website that caters to the kit builder? We don't have a "local hobby shop", it's almost two hours away and it's impossible to get there because he works the same hours I do. Just looking for some new places to get ideas and build something no one at the club has!! Thanks in advance,

Sha.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

There are kits for almost anything you could ever want. What are you looking for?

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

And teh curent trend is towards ARFs. Pitty..

As for kits, there are plenty out there!! As flyboay siad.. just depends on what you're looking for...

SIG & GP have some of the best / most comelete kits out there. And from there, they drop off to a box of wood, a plan, and maybe some instructions... Skill level is also a determining factor..

www.sigmftg.om
www.balsaUSA.com
www.greatplanes.com
www.skyshark.com
Pica models
Top Flight models
Lanier
Midwest

And kit cutters, who'll do you a 'short kit' of many scale models...

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

Some of my favorite kits are the ones from house of Balsa.

[link=http://www.houseofbalsa.com/e/env/0001ObnMNdyz9AsugM9b6L7/index.html?link=/index.html]House of Balsa[/link]

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

For something fairly different, check out Bruce Tharpe's Delta Vortex. I have built his Venture 60, and it is by far the finest kit I have ever seen.

http://www.btemodels.com/vortex.html

Micky

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

You need to look a little harder. All the major companies still have a line of kits. I'm building a Sig Citabria right now. I haven't seen one at my club in two years. Same with the Spacewalker or the Astro Hog. Check out Balsa USA's line of WWI fighters. Top Flite still has most of their WWII lineup. Midwest has the Stearman and Super Stinker. You don't see those every day. I think Pica still kits the Wacco. Even Great Planes has a few gems. Check out their little Taylorcraft of the Skybolt.

Many of these kits take quite a bit of effort to build. Don't expect them to just fall together. We have ARF's for that.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

Here's a few links to browse thru
http://yfk.freeservers.com/Links/suppliers.html
http://www.rcyellowpages.com/lists_new.asp

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

I think someone mentioned kit cutters-a good alternative is to find a plan you like and have Joe Grasso or one of the other good cutters make you one. There are hundreds of interesting and little seen plans out there-search RCModeler site, the Model Aviation site, MAN, and that's just a start. I've been surprised that the costs for custom cutting were pretty reasonable. And the wood is usually hand select and worth the difference. And you get something that no one else is likely to have.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

try thirdcoasthobbies.com

egor

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

You have to check out the garage shops if you want variety. You can thank the ARF market for the lack of kits. Look at a Tower catalogue from now vs. one from 10 or more years ago. There are still kits, but you won't find many at the big stores where bottom line is #1. They just don't sell enough of them to make it worth it to them to carry them.

But the good news is that there is a lot out there. You just have to search for it. Learning to scratch build will give you unlimited possibilities as well.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

I too like to fly planes that are different than everyone else's. Its the main reason that I am not very interested in ARFs.

My observation is that the kits that we see built over and over are readily available, easy to build and result in planes that are known to fly good. Its not hard to get off the beaten path though and build something different, but it is a little more chancy.

I bought my Nobler kit shortly after it was released. Its a great flying little plane but mine is the only one that I've seen around here. Because it is a relatively new kit it is still an unknown to most folks, and it is a tougher build than a 4* or Somethin Extra. But it is readily available.

There are also plenty of small companies around that make some interesting planes if you look around. I am currently building a Twin-Air .45 kit that is sold by Northeast Aerodynamics. If you take a look at the build thread in the RCU Twins forum you can follow progress on the build. The plane designer actually jumped into the forum and collaborated with us on a redesign of the tail section to give the plane twin rudders! Ten of us have been selected to "prototype" the new design for him and we are in a race of sorts to see who gets to fly it first.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/Twin...1355375/tm.htm

The Twin-air kit is very nice- parts cut and fit, and wood quality is top notch. But it is a more involved build than most of the big name kits. Here is a link to the NE-A website:

[link=http://www.ne-aero.com/index.html]Northeast Aerodynamics[/link]

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

That's my problem, I don't know what I want until I see it. I like to "window shop" until something stands out at me.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

Well, you have lots of good links to look at here, and you can watch the RCU marketplace for kits. There are more than you think. Looking at the tower sales rag gets really boring. You have to figure out what plane you want and go get it. Its only boring if you let it be. I have built over 150 planes and have 55 total right now. The hobby is pretty endless if you put some work into it. The "what should I build next" threads are getting to be more and more seen. That is one question I have never asked. I always know what I want to build next. Just lucky I guess.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

I agree with you 100%. I have built a couple of sigs and I am very impressed with my current GP kit. I've only been in this hobby for seven months, but from what I've seen the kits stay the same. If you look in the tower 2003 catalog and the 2004 catalog there are the same ole kits. That is my reason for posting this, I thought maybe there is a hidden website that caters to the kit builders.
I think it sux that we are treated like the stepchild just because we like to build our own planes.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

cde0214 - As I said, there are a lot of kits out there and they aren't that hard to find. Visit web sites, look at links pages. In an hour or two you can probably find 2 dozen companies that make their own kits or kits from plans. It just takes a little searching, but I find sites all the time.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

Thanks everone for your input, hopefully I can find something else to start on in the near future.( I guess I need to get the RV-4 in the air before I get too excited about a new plane!)

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

My 2c-->look at skyshark products. I have not read a bad thing about them yet and they do somewhat out of the ordinary stuff (warbirds but that's what I like now).

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

Never too early to look. I have 4 going at once right now. :D

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

One aspect, that these littel planes 'look similar' is that they are all based off a formula that works. they fly great, and are designed for ease of building, and to minimize peices; making it easy to design, package, and build, all for a low cost. Hence why teh 4*, Ultra Sport, Raptor, etc.. look the same; they fit the formula. Also, over the years, building and manufacturing techniques have changed. The latest' tab and slot' style construction is a proven method to ensure a qualtity and easy build.

The full sized '3D' planes all look roughly teh same as well, because of a formula that seems to work.

Another aspect / questin you have to ask yourself, is what type of planes really thrill you. there are kits typically reffered to as 'builders kits' which reuire a fair amount of skill, and will produce a plane (usually scale) with great detail. And as previously mentioned, there is alwyas scratch building, where jsut fabricatring the parts can take months!

Seriously, look in the scale or warbird forums, and look extensively at 'kit cutters'. You'll get a 'short kit' with jsut planes, some fabricated peices, and maybe an instruction sheet. You can
t get any more 'basic' than that.

If you think about it, all cars look the same, all trucks look teh same. All SUVs look teh same....


the current trend is towards teh ARF, but tehre are sill kits out there..

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

cde,
Good list from Dr Wogz, but I'd include Fun Aero and Adrian Page. They have some great kits.

papermache

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

I recently discovered that Joe Bridi has a some old kits that he is selling. Many may remember that he kitted many differnt models of the Chaos over the last few decades. I bought three kits from him last week and plan to store two of them for later. Perhaps this is the last of these legendary designs? His kits are priced very low (in my opinion) but he only has a few left. You can check out his web site at www.bridiradiocontrol.com. I'm not affiliated with him in any way - just passing along some information I found.

Will

PS:

I bought the Big Chaos, Utter Chaos 60 & the Bridi Stick. I'm going to build the stick and put either an OS BGX 3500 or ST-3000 in it. I'll be needing some help soon...

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

Never too early to look. I have 4 going at once right now. :D
[/quote]

Ok, you may have started something with that statement! Started looking at the goldburg super chipmunk...any words of wisdom on that kit?

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

I'll admit, they are ARFs...but they are different from most stuff

http://www.rchomebuilts.com/

Don

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

If the Chipmunk caught your eye, check out the Airsail kits. I've got their RCAF version of the Chipmunk ready to paint and its very accurate to scale and very light, reported to be an excellent flier. Other options to consider are The Unionville kits available at www.greathobbies.com. They are large, excellent value, and build and fly well. If you're looking for something that'll be more challenging check out the Marutaka kits from www.hobbybarn.com. Many of these are more challenging, but some (with spun aluminum cowl) aren't too bad. They are excellent fliers as well. I don't think I saw Pica mentioned either. I'm not recommending the Pica kits, just mentioning them. Hope you've checked out the Skyshark kits mentioned earlier.

RE: Tired of same ole kits
 

The chipmunk is nice. Build it light. My friend dave built one many years ago. Still has it and it is still gorgous. He doesn't fly it much any more, well, he doesn't fly anything much any more. Its a good plane. Faster than you would expect.