butlern

My Feedback: (15)

I just learned that Skyshark has discontinued their entire line of warbird kits.

It's shame that the market has forced this decision by Mike and Angie.

I don't have experience with every manufacturer's line of kits, but I do have two Skysharks, and they're unbelievabely well done.

I'll miss them.

arobatx

So Noah, this is probably a bad time to ask what you want for one of yours....since they just became collector's items I'm always a day late and a dollar short...

butlern

My Feedback: (15)

You've got that straight!

arobatx

Lol...figures. Well they sure look nice, at least I will be able to enjoy watching a few in our group fly em. I had no idea this was coming, what happened?

butlern

My Feedback: (15)

Being a big fan of Skyshark, I (naturally) susbscribe dto their newsletter. What follows comes straight from Mike and Angie:

"**Skyshark R/C kit availability update**

As most of you know, the hobby is changing very rapidly due to the wide availability of inexpensive ARFs, ready to fly, and park flyer type R/C aircraft. Unfortunately, kit building has been in decline for the last few years and demand for higher quality kits is also in decline. In response to lower demand, increased material, labor and other costs, we are forced to discontinue our line of warbird kits. We regret that we have to make this decision but we just don't have the resources to assemble kits and properly handle all the extra technical support many builders currently require.

We have a few kits left in stock but once they are gone, we will no longer be producing kits (this includes short kits, plans, etc). We will, however, still have some replacment parts (no wing or fuselage kits) available and will honor any planes covered by our crash free guarantee.

We would like to thank everyone for their support in the past. We hope that we can continue to provide you with high quality hobby products in the future.

Mike and Angie Grey
Skyshark R/C Corporation
www.skysharkrc.com"

arobatx

That's too bad.....(shhhhhhhh, can you hear that? It's the sound of people rushing to their site as they read this thread to snap up whatever is left). Come to think of it, perhaps i will give em a quick call

JUGFLIER

The problem was that they were always way overpriced, not very scale and a little too small for what people want. I had a person buy one and wanted me to build it. When they brought me the kit and accessories, it was about the same money to build my Top Flight GS P-47. You can get a very nice Top Flight 60 size kit for way less money.

butlern

My Feedback: (15)

Here we go!!

Adonis

I won’t be rushing out to buy one, they are already at collector prices. To small and too out of the main stream, despite what people say everyone needs a P-47, P-51 and a Corsair. That’s what PCM models got burned on, everyone was saying they wanted something different, then when he made his Russian plane no one bought it. Despite what Skyshark claims, they are not that scale, and even if they were they are useless as a contest machine so the scale issue is moot. There was a day when anything you wanted you had to build it, I’m glad I was part of that time, but it’s over now. With the experience I have and the huge amount of plans out there, anything I want I can build. I can do this for much cheaper than it would cost to buy a kit like these Skysharks. It’s just the end of an era, but there never was a market for a $300 60� wingspan box of wood Stuka or any other expensive small obscure plane. Supply and demand, simple as that.

ramcfarland

My Feedback: (44)

Oh bull crap thats the problem an idiot believes since his plane is bigger its better I've had my fill of bigger is better now back to building my 100" Stinson

SMUGator

Can you guys hold on for a second while I run get a beer and some chips. I don't want to miss any of this one!

arobatx

Lol....beer, chips and flying fur, SMUGator, you're not the only one bellying up to this bar, I'm with ya.

P-51B

My Feedback: (5)

I'm with you at the bar, oh here's some popcorn for ya mates.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I'm just glad I had the pleasure of building one of there kits, the F6F. A true work of the kit building art. It was small and got A bit tight installing the air/air gear but the finished product was worth the effort. The price of the kit did keep me from buying one of my own but I still hunger for the JU-87, I like the plane and I like the lack of retract gears.
I sure hate to see another kit manufacturer go and this was one of the great ones!![]

BankYank

My Feedback: (63)

That is the problem i had with them also. Im sure they were quality kits,,But $319.95 for a 65 inch ws ME109 was just out of my league. If there product was not making them money it had to be because of the price causing slow sales. The P-40 arf is on sale now for $450.00 usually the price is $749.95 That is a $299.95 price drop and even with the sale price they are not selling it at a monetary loss. It looks to me that there not making the hugh profit they want to make so there moving on to something they believe will make the profit they expect.
Maybe if they tried lowering there price to be more in line with other similar size kit's and plan on a smaller profit off each kit they could sell a million of them and more then make up for it with volume. I know i would buy a few of them if they did!!!!.
TF/GP make a nice kit also and i would like to know just what made SkyShark SOOOO much better it was worth so much more?
Pat

butlern

My Feedback: (15)

"I sure hate to see another kit manufacturer go and this was one of the great ones!!"

Skyshark is not gone! Don't overinterpret the letter they wrote. They said that they still aim to "provide high quality products." While their line of the warbird kits may be going away, it's likely that they're simply in the process of adapting to market demand.

Hircflyer

I certainly will miss that young lady that used to showcase their products at tradeshows.

Made my heart go pitterpater.

scalebirdman

My Feedback: (6)

If you look at the whole picture Pat, you pay $150 for a topflite 60 size kit vs ~$300 for Skyshark. However you get a laser kit vs. die crunched, and overall a better engineered product. In the end you are going to have a grand or better tied up in one of these projects when it's all said and done, and the kit price is only going to be a fraction of that. Comes to it, you arn't even going to be able to complete a Top Flite kit for what you can by a cheap Chineese arf for. A small operation like Skyshark isn't ever going to be able to compete on price with the likes of Top Flite, and as long as you expect them too they will fall by the wayside. In the end you get what you pay for. Skyshark is not for the guys who buy the Chineese arfs, throw in a magnum motor, flimsy mechanical retracts and off-brand radios in them.

F4u5

My Feedback: (81)

I gotta go with scalebirdman on that last post....you do get what you pay for. As for me, I will keep building.

skull1971

So what else do they have?? They'er selling off the Christen Eagles on ebay, no more kits? What's left? A few spinners, a P-40, and some stickers. Can say what ya want, the writings on the wall.

scalebirdman

My Feedback: (6)

Jeff,

Are you going to make it back to Colorado in Sept?

BankYank

My Feedback: (63)

I have built from TF 2 P-40/2 P-47/ 1 P-47GS / 1 P-51/ 2 Cessna 182's. All either crashed or sold. I have not found there kits to be die crunched/ cut that way but not crunched and all parts usable as they come. All have gone together nicely. The 2 Goldberg planes i have built are the 10-300 and extra 300. They also went together nicely. The Hostetler Cessna 182 plans i did find just atrocious for parts fit if cut to the plans but does in the end build a NICE flying plane! The cessna and GS P-47 are the only ones i have around $1000.00 into and if im going to have that much into my model it's gonna be bigger then a 60size from anyone! the SS might be better engineered but they both build into a nice looking model so i would say they both are well engineered. I dont know about SS manual but the TF manual is pretty hard to beat.
I guess for ME i just could not see paying twice as much for something that in the end really depends on how I put it together and for slightly more dollars have a bigger plane that flies just as good or better.
Chinese arf's are the cheap way to go for sure either just throwing them together or bashing them into what you like. Some can be made to look VERY good and are a good place to start.
Kit's are going by,by and sadly so as most new people getting into the hobby want the quick fix. I'm guilty of it also. In the summer im done building a kit and now assemble arf's. I'll save kit's as long as i can get them for the winter..
Pat

scalebirdman

My Feedback: (6)

I'm guilty of arfing as much as anyone. I like the bigger stuff, so haven't bought any of the Skyshark kits, though I have examined a couple. The smallest warbird I have is a H9 Corsair (ARF) at ~$250. Junk the junk retracts and use Robarts (or CJ, or Sierra) another $250 RCV 120 $400. Radio gear $200 (assuming just the flight pack) By my old math that is the high side of a grand.

BankYank

My Feedback: (63)

Yeah allot depends on optional equipment. Engine/Retracts/Radio gear/covering. I can bring one in for between $750-$850 with an os91fs(249.00) and a $125.00 flight pack and a few more cheap BB servos. There is just no getting around retract cost.
I'm into the bigger ones now also. The 1.50 size H9 birds are great!.
Pat

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Yeah, for sure!

Skyshark wants to make some money? Produce a 12 month pin-up calendar (in good taste, of course!) of Angie! They would sell millions of them!