A good first kit?

[Chris Beer]

hello, can anyone  recomend a good first kit to build. i have some build experiance but its with boat kits. the kit dosnt have to be a trainer plane as i can fly but would need to be fairly easy to fly.

[Tony Nijhuis]

Chris, Why not try the SKY-40 trainer form SLEC Ltd....a true kit.....is mildly aerobatic too!

Tony

[David Ashby - Moderator]

The world is your oyster Chris......what type of planes do you like?

Try a kit from the Sig range?

David.  

[Chris Beer]

thankyou, i prefer scale types but they look harder to build.

tried looking on slec site but under construction, i need a pic.

im looking for a home for either a 32 os or ive got a 70 &80 fs.

the mag has some nice plans but i think a couple of kits should be built first, although ive noticed some have the option of ordering a wood kit.

also i dont want to spend too much on first kit.

[Jonathan Lewzey]

for the 32 - how about the Uno Wot from Chris foss? Maybe a 32 would be a bit big ,but would give you great aerobatic performance. Also the span is 62" so it's quite big.

the 70 and 80 4 strokes are a bit big for a trainer and you might do better saving them for a later project.

How about a glider? My first kit build was a Svenson Starter glider (bit of a boring name) but it flew ok despite a warped wing (my mistake) there is the middle phase from chris foss or you could plan build.

Jonathan

[Chris Beer]

looking at a sig four star 40 or the mid 40. on the sig site its showing $79.99, £40.

the four star 40 says easy build which sounds ideal,

thanks four the tip david,  will search for uk dealers now.

[Chris Beer]

hello, found a uk dealer of sig kits but cant belive the price.

on sig site the price of a four star 40 is $79.99 = £39 using converter on site

but uk dealer wants £74.  i know money has to be made but £35 extra, even with shipping( which would be bulk so cheaper) tax and shop overheads its a bit much. i might order direct, sorry uk shops.

[The real Ron Truth]

Go for a Flair kit.

 They are all very easy to build and can be scaled up to your hearts content.

 The Magnatilla is a mock Eindecker and flies like a trainer. Very simple straightforward build. 60 inch span, 52 four stroke.

The puppetter, se5a  legionaire and d7 are also nice builds but will involve a bit more thought to fly. You will however grin like an idiot when the wind drops as they look and fly so nicely.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Yes Chris, although in fairness to them I don't think it's profiteering - just costs to import via European distributor.

[Chris Beer]

hello, ive had an email from sig estimating postage to be about $50 (£25). uk price is £74+ postage, which is usually £6-9, so its still looking good from states. still not sure about duty though. could save nearly £20 which could be the price of covering model.

i`ll search more uk sites to try and find a model cheaper, i know its penny pinching but im a carer for my wife , so i cant work as such so of course i need to find a good deal

as for the flair kits, ive seen a couple down our field and they look and float very nice. i think i`ll stick to the sig 4star 40 or kobra as they said to be easy builds.

 thank you for your coments.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

I think I'd buy from the UK for speed and peace of mind that it has less far to travel.

[Mark Lubbock]

I would agree with Adam C, go for a Flair Magnatilla. Your OS 32 should be fine but may need some noseweight. They are a very simple but satisfying build & go together very quickly & the flying performance is all you could want from a sports model-also very robust & easy to repair should the worst happpens!!

[Julian Beckett]

Mmm...been down the importing route before. I purchased a Sig Liberty Sport biplane. As I recall the kit was something like $85. However I got well and truly shafted by HM customs and exercise, then parcelfarce...

 You might get lucky though, and the exchange rate is peachy at the moment...

[flytilbroke]

£39+£25+4%+17.5%=£78:21. Not much of a saving.

 price+post+import duty+ vat. Perhaps not exact but in reality zone. You would not be the first to find this out. Another chap recently posted his purchase saving on a similar Saving Cash Import,,,, See Julian's post

[Chris Beer]

hello, i bought a flair attila from a club sale. not exactly what i wanted but cheap. the instructions seem abit sketchy and im not sure on the names of wing parts, but will have a play over winter. thanks for all your coments.