Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Greetings to you all, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those of you do not yet know me. But first I would like to thank those members, who took the time to chat with me through my ‘have you seen my old hammerhead????’ thread way back in 2012. Thanks, your generous comments and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and helped with my decision to re-introduce my hammerhead kit into the market. Anyway, let’s get on with my introduction. My name is Richie, I am 54 years old and I started aero modelling as a boy, (about 3 million years ago) way back in the 1970’s. it all began with building the old chuck’n’run free flight kits, which quickly progressed through to RC kits, then on to building from plans and on to designing my own models. If I am honest, though I enjoy the flying aspect of our hobby, my real passion is designing and building. There’s nothing quite like the sense of achievement you get from seeing something you have created from scratch take to the air for the first time. About two years ago, following a 17 year layoff, I decided it was time to return to the hobby I love and as I rarely do things by halves’ the decision to return to the hobby, quickly developed in to the decision to set up in business again. The decision to set-up Maddog Designs UK came about after a visit to my local model shop, the reason for such a long layoff from the hobby of aero modelling, was due to a bombshell that hit me back in the nineties, my whole world was turned upside down when my wife passed away, which, I am not ashamed to admit, had a profound effect on me. So much so, that, I made the decision to take some time away from aero modelling and the business I had set up around the hobby, a hobby which had dominated my life for many years. It was always in the back of my mind that I would return to the hobby and the business that I had setup, though I really didn’t think it would take 17 years. Anyway, two years ago I decided that it was time to start modelling again, so with my cash burning a big hole in my pocket, I took a stroll down to my local model shop eager to purchase the necessary items that would get me modelling again. So following the customary, hello stranger and the long time no see’s. I started to scan the shop to see which kit I would purchase to get me started. As a modeller who loves the building side of our hobby, you can imagine my horror when the only kits available were ARTF’s, not only that but it appeared that they were all foreign imports, however, my disappointment was short lived, when I spotted an old favourite sitting there on the shelf, with my excitement restored and happy in the knowledge that England still has at least one company manufacturing kits, so with my smile back, I said that I will have that one. Only to be told that, this kit, (a kit, WOT was probably the best seller in the UK) was also an ARTF kit and worse still, it was now made in China. Now as a patriotic Englishman, this hit me really hard. I know we as a nation lost the right to put ‘Made in England’ on the products we produce in this country many years ago, opting instead for ‘Made in UK’ Now, as I am as proud to be British as I am to be English I don’t have a problem with this. However it appears that we are rapidly loosing the desire to produce anything in this country. It was at this point that I decided to look in to the possibility of setting up in business again producing kits right here in good old England. So with this in mind, I set about the task of researching this possibility and to see if there were still aero modellers out there who, like me, still have the desire to build the models that fly. I spoke to many modellers, both locally and through modelling forums and was pleasantly surprised that the stock held in some hobby shops does not reflect the majority of modellers out there. This made me even more determined to get back to what I love doing. So I set about crunching some numbers and found that I could do this and better still I may even make a living too. So with passion restored in my heart and a drive that I have not felt for a long time, I started re-designing my old kits to bring them in to the 21st century. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Bennett Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 welcome back sir. nice to see some one having a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 The Kit. The Hammerhead 620 is the first of six kits I intend to produce and can be used as a lowing trainer or a club aerobatic model, and way back in the nineties was one of the first UK produced kits, designed and manufactured using computer technology. The latest in CAD systems have been used to redesign the Hammerhead range to bring it up to date, changes to the kit include, plug in wings and removable top deck, which gives easy access to the radio (and batteries for those modellers who chose to install an electric motor). The plug in wings also allows the epoxy undercarriage to be fixed directly to the fuselage. All of the birch-ply light-ply parts, balsa tail-plane/elevator and fin/rudder are cut using a state of the art C.N.C. laser machine to give a superbly accurate kit. The foam wings and decking are cut from low density foam and balsa skinned. The wing section has been specially developed by us for this model, to give excellent low speed handling without sacrificing aerobatic performance. All of the foam items are skinned with top quality balsa sheet, and finished by hand. All items including balsa, light-ply, birch-ply and accessories are supplied in sealed bags, to guarantee quality. The Hammerhead offers you, super stable landings and slow flying, without sacrificing aerobatic capabilities, due to a custom wing section and large flying surfaces. A self jigging fuselage along with wing brace boxes pre-installed in the wings and a comprehensive and easy to follow instruction manual ensure an easy and fun to build kit. One great design Two Popular Sizes Kit specifications:- Hammerhead 620 Price £ 159.48 Wingspan 1574mm (62&rdquo Weight: 2.7 – 3.2kg (6-7 lbs) Rec. engine size: 60-80cu.in Four-strokes and 60-72cu.in Two-strokes Radio: 4 function with 5 servos Hammerhead 750 Price: £ 194.00 Wingspan; 1905mm (75&rdquo Weight: 5.4 - 5.9 kg (12-13 lbs) Rec. Engine Size: 120 Four-strokes upwards and 15-38cc Two- strokes Radio: 4 function with 5 servos Kit contents: Balsa skinned foam wings and fuselage decking’s. C.N.C. Laser cut, balsa tail-plane, fin/rudder, light-ply and birch-ply fuselage sides and formers. Ample sheet/strip balsa, Fibreglass cowl and Epoxy glass undercarriage, Clear canopy, Tail-wheel assembly. Full accessory pack, including wheels, tank and spinner. Comprehensive and easy to follow instruction manual. Builder supplies: glues, covering materials, radio and engine. This kit is an excellent club flyer and is a must for those of you, who still enjoy building the models you fly and for those wishing to gain experience building from a kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Spare parts:- As we all know this hobby of aero modelling at times can be frustrating, especially when that dreaded prang occurs. You know that extra strong gust of wind or those times when the ground simply jumps up a couple of feet just as you are about to pull off that perfect three pointer. I myself have experienced those freaky occurrences on a few occasions, though thankfully to date, I have never suffered from that other freaky thing called ‘pilot error’ There is nothing worse than going to collect your model following such a prang, only to discover that the cowl or the canopy has been damaged beyond repair or maybe its the wing, tail or fuselage that is damaged but the rest of the model is fine. Trying to get spares for some kits is virtually impossible, especially for those imported kits. Well that is not the case with our kits, we have a full range of spares, from cowls to canopies, fin and rudder packs to tail-plane and elevator packs, to full wing packs and fuselage packs, in fact we can supply a spares pack for all parts on our kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Thanks Tony, it’s something I have been itching to do for years but the drop in salary required to start a new business had always put me off so I thought to myself, as I’m getting on a bit in life, I thought I’d take the plunge before its too late lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Looks a really nice design mate....will there be an option for us electric flyers for a conversion/kit ? Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Hi Tony, To-date I have never fitted an electric motor to the Hammerhead, however when re-designing the kit I did take this in to account, which is why the new kit has plug in wings and a removable top deck so that batteries can be easily changed. The decision to do this came about from following the progress of a member of this forum who successfully converted a hammerhead to electric which he successfully flew last year (thanks Graham ‘metalman’ for all of your input). Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Cheers Richie.....Is your Site live yet ? Seem to get a warning when looking for it ? Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Hi tony, No I’m working on that as we chat, just a few final tweaks to do so it should be going live within the next week or so. Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Hi Tony F Here’s a few screen shots of my web site so you can have a sneak preview. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 It looks nice and I would like to build one but the price!We can buy a Mick Reeves Gangster 63 Lite kit for 75 pounds. I cannot see many people paying twice that for a kit of the same size! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Acrowot around £120, XtraWot nearer £220, these are more comparable style wise so if that's the customer base you are after the prices are in the ballpark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Indeed, that is a nice looking plane at about the right price point. The 750 needs to accommodate a petrol fairly easily. Glow seems to be holding its ground in the smaller sizes, but Petrol is so much more economic for larger engines. I have to say that the 750 would make a great way in to Petrol aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Hi kc, You may well be right, but I have to give this a go and as the 75” Gangster was a model I built and flew for many years till the gremlins grabbed it out of the air and smashed it into the ground, I can assure you the only comparison you can make between the Gangster and the Hammerhead is that they are both model aircraft and that they both have that retro look but that’s where the comparison ends. Yes, I could produce the Hammerhead cheaper if I opted to have it manufactured abroad or if I used foreign suppliers for my materials, but that would go against everything I am trying to achieve here, this is 100% a British kit and everything that goes into my kit is purchased in the UK, so I have to set the price based on the manufacture costs, add that to the fact that as a new business I have nether the space or the funding to purchase materials in anything other than quantities hundreds, its not exactly what one would call bulk buying . However as like any business, as it grows, then so will my purchasing power and once it becomes cheaper me to produce kits, you will see this reflected in the price. I can assure you that, if I could produce kits cheaper I would. I thought long and hard about this and talked to a lot of my fellow modellers before I tool the plunge in to the abyss of starting a kit manufacturing business. Some said they would buy my kits at that price and some said they would not, as the old saying goes you really do get what you pay for. Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Thanks bob You hit the nail right on the head there. Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Hi Graham, You are correct, the prototype 750 was originally fitted with a pumped 120 four stroke and thought it performed a full aerobatic schedule well. I wanted to see how a petrol motor would do, so I installed a Super Tiger 2500 petrol conversion (which was kindly donated by Dr Keith Mitchell after he crashed his impressive Lancaster, actually I asked him if I could buy the engine shortly after the crash but donated sounds better lol) The transformation was incredible, the change in performance way was better than I had imagined. Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Richie that looks very professional mate , a real nicely designed site !!! if you need a prototype builder I'm your man lol All the very best in your venture mate. I'll be watching with interest and look forward to nosing around when it becomes active. Good luck again. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Tony, carful what you wish for mate, because I might just take you up on that offer for my 62” Nemesis prototype lol. All I have left to do are the cowl and undercarriage moulds, and then write the construction manual, but I have had to put those on hold for a month or two, just till the madness end and I finish building up a stock of Hammerhead 620 and 750 kits. I have already built the 75” version of the Nemesis and am just waiting for the perfect day to get her airborne, that’s if I ever get some spare time. Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 It'd be nice to see one of those with an over the top brushless motor in lol I love the colours Rich !!! If you want someone then I'd be happy to oblige For parts cost obviously lolTony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Bennett Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 now that is a nice looking model sir. congratulations on some nice model designs. hope it all goes well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Tony, I have little or no experience with electric power, so if we do this, I would provide the kit and decals FOC. You build it, put whatever motor you like in it, then send me some good quality photos, a report on how you did the conversion, how well she goes together and how she handles in the air. I have rather a lot on at the moment so I will not be to do this for a couple of months. Would that be OK? Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I hate the idea of ARTF made by what can only be near slave labour or child labour in some poor country. I want to make my own planes, and to that end I might buy a kit with some of the difficult bits done for me. And of course i want to buy something English made too. But who can justify a kit where you have to put many hours work in at a price that costs more than many an ARTF?My view is that the market lacks semi kits or plan packs for aerobatic models. The sort of kit where the ribs or foam wings, cowl etc are provided but the builder is left to choose his own balsa and fittings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Carey Maddog Designs UK Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Thank you Mr Bennett for your kind words they are very much appreciated. Richie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Bennett Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 well i would love to see a good kit get produced in the uk again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Sending a PM Rich.Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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