radial

Was the old Staggerwings Unlimited kit popped from the '60s ITC mold. Many mods needed to make a decent model. Prop, cowl,glass,landing gear,full cockpit and all exterior details. But a lot easier than a total scratchbuild. The kits are still available at vendors booths and on line for 90-200 dollars. Mine below.

I wonder if most of the a/c wanted in the above posts could be produced as simple but accurate kits with a parts count of 30-40pcs. Would that defray costs on both the manufacturing and consumer side? Brian's Beaver is an example of that type of kit.

You see from the lack of response to your topic, there is no interest in GA a/c. Thus, no market value. Decided 10 yrs. ago not to be frustrated by this and decided to either scratchbuild or do conversions. How about a mono coupe or boring all polished aluminum Cessna 120/140. No guns no bombs no problem.

Excellent vac-form work!

Love redos. An especially fine Connie. I'll be at the Zoo Sat.

N3: Thanks! Very interested in your White Knight build. Kev: Thank you for lookin in. Paul Budzik: Been viewing your exemplary builds for years. Much Respect! Thanks Midnight: Never perfect...but thanks for your interest.

.015 stiff steel wire available in most LHS. See "Rigging Method" in the Tips and Tech section.

You've been on this site since '05 and you don't know where to sell on this forum?

Brian, Thanks for your generous comments. As for a WIP, with my total lack of typing and computer skills I'd never complete a build. I do admire your ability to do a WIP and bring it to completion. BTW IMO your Dixie Boy is the quintessential Mustang build. Day walker, see you at Mad City right after da Bears win the Superbowl! Maru, thank you for your unbridled enthusiasm. It brings joy to my cynical soul. All the rest of you fellas, I appreciate your kind comments!

Just goes to show what a pro can do with a tired old kit. I always try to emulate your clean build style.

Wow most excellent! Very impressed with the louver detail.

This is a Waco YMF5, currently in 1:1 production by the Waco Aircraft Corp. in Battlecreek MI. They are faithfully reproducing the 1934 A/C using modern materials, advanced engine technology and avionics. These A/C are built to the buyers specifications which includes; custom cockpit materials and exterior paint color combinations at a cost of $400K. Construction: Paul Matt plans were used as the basis of the build. The fuselage is vacuum-formed from a wood mold. The wings are solid resin. Tail surfaces and L.G. Leg fairings are plexiglas. The cowl was kit bashed from bin as was the 7 cyl. Engine. The pants are from a Williams Bros. kit. The cabanas and struts were made out of aluminum tube and brass. The Prop is machined and polished aluminum. Really, tried and true scratch building methods. Paint and details: The A/C was base coated automotive primer after which panels were scribed and Archer Decals rivets and louvers were applied. More primer and then the color coat. The colors are custom mixedK PPG automotive lacquers applied with a Grex Tritium A/B. The decals were made by Ad Astra. Ian designed and produced from crude drawings and photos. Most impressed with his quality and service. On to the pics.....

Elric By my rough count you've expertly done 10 Reno racers. How is that humanly possible? Blows me away!

If you have a stash of Williams Bros. racer kits, you could snatch wheel pants from one of them; cut them down and shape the profile.

Can't stand it any longer. You are doing such an outstanding job on the exterior and the color scheme, you really really must reconsider your decision not to do a cabin and windows. How about a half cabin. Just put plate below the IP and cut some 1/24 automotive seats in half and fake in the rest. A cool build no matter what!

Ad Astra also does decals. I'm sure Ian could scan your decals and produce them. I just finished using custom decals he made for me and they are excellent.

Oh f**k!

Wow what a great subject! Reminds me of the Staggerwing Unlimiteds beech kit. Frightening! Looks like 200hrs.of work on the exterior alone, so might as well be all in with the interior and windows. With your skills you can do it. All in?

It is amazing the number of shades of reds. I painted an a/c recently in red and ended up using Duplicolor touch up paint. It is lacquer and mixes 3:1 with lacquer thinner and is available everywhere. At the very least you'll be able to establish the shade you want. Don't forget the white base coat. Like your build!

Judging from the beautiful woodwork you've displayed on your site,you definitely have the talent to fab a/c molds. Making wood molds for vac form and resin casting can't be taught. I'm on my fifth 30's era scratch a/c now thinking at the start much the same as you;basic air frame, other existing kit parts. How hard can it be? What I learned is there are no simple airframes. If there is a kit out there of the a/c you want source it and pay any price. My current scratch a/c is nearing the $800 mark for materials alone. If there is no kit; go for it. There is no reason with your skills that you could achieve a very good model.

Wow Mike that LG join is ugly! Was that due to resin warp. I have this kit and every major component is warped. Hopefully,that's the worst bit.

A tour de force! I'm on my fifth scratch build and I truly appreciate the amount of work that went into your build. I really like the fact that you modeled it " clean".

Your detailing and seats look great. Don't be too concerned with some slight size inaccuracies. Even with the seemingly large windows ,it's amazing how little of the cabin is actually visible due to the top wing arrangement. Excellent work, keep it goin.

I to am a novice to resin casting and am enjoying this discussion. I would avoid using talc as my experience was it created voids in the final cast. After many tries with talc I gave up. What worked much better was 91% iso alcohol both to prep the mold and release the part. Have you sprayed your reject parts with primer? May be a bummer because what I thought were perfect parts showed 100s of tiny pinholes that effectively ruined the parts. Btw the alcohol must be completely dry. All moisture of any kind creates voids.

Remember 1982. No more pension plan, we have a new wonderful plan called a 401k. That was the end... Screw em go on disability.