The State of Play

[leccyflyer]

I'd buy a kit for a 72" span Douglas Boston in a heartbeat, but I seriously doubt that you would sell a hundred such kits. If it were available as a 55" span BNF foamie from one of the larger scale RTF manufacturers it could potentially be a moderate seller, at best. Certainly nolthing like the sales for a Spitfire, P-51 or FW-190.

I'm still not sure what kits are available now from Richard. I've had a look at the website and couldn't see anything current. Are the kits made to order?

[Jon H]

Posted by Eric Robson on 12/05/2020 23:56:39:

1949/ A 60" Sea Fury or Firefly would be good . Or a Douglas Invader would make a nice twin project.

I would love a firefly. Again though, it needs to be 70 inches at least to make it worth while with 80-85 being my preferred size. They just fly so much better at the larger size irrespective of power plant and you have room for retracts and all that. At 85 inch it would also be a scale stablemate for my 80 inch Sea Fury

I think chiltern models used to make one but they are long gone

[leccyflyer]

RCSA did a David Boddington freeplan for a nice funfighter-sized Firefly and I went as far as cutting a set of foam wings for a demo foam cutting session at a club meeting. No idea where those are now, still have the plan and article. Double that up to 80" and Bob;s your Uncle.

[Jon H]

Posted by leccyflyer on 13/05/2020 09:39:49:

RCSA did a David Boddington freeplan for a nice funfighter-sized Firefly and I went as far as cutting a set of foam wings for a demo foam cutting session at a club meeting. No idea where those are now, still have the plan and article. Double that up to 80" and Bob;s your Uncle.

I have the plans for the old complete a pac firefly at 62 inch...if that could be scaled up...hmmm

[RICHARD WILLS]

This was an interesting thread but revealed the diversity of demands. As you know, I have pulled the shutter down on the Warbirds Replicas site to re access and also to spend time on my Locomotive kit .

However , it has become apparent that the price of even foam ARTFS has reached a level I never anticipated , My rivals in that field like Avios and FMS are now over £300 ! That is an incredible price given the component cost of the items and material in each model .

Lets face it , foam costs nothing and none of you would actively go and buy the servos that come in the models .

This price hike does give me an incentive to rethink my most popular designs , I have noted that a 55" Mustang in wood ranges from a wooden kit that is never available (SFM ) at around £150 , A very semi scale (being polite here) P51 from VQ which may well be a little heavier than I'd like at £220 and the best flyer and looker albeit with a dodgy canopy and cowl , the Kyosho P51 at £300.

To that end I will be revising my P51 B and D to the standard of my Spitfire and will start a separate thread in order to keep people aware of its progress , To be fair , wood price has gone up , so each kit will probably be £10 more , but compared with the above , well.....

Maybe we should all start thinking about where our stuff comes from in the future too ?

[David Holland 2]

Me, me, I want one!!!

[Bruce Collinson]

So do I!!!

[leccyflyer]

Posted by RICHARD WILLS on 13/05/2020 10:34:25:

This was an interesting thread but revealed the diversity of demands. As you know, I have pulled the shutter down on the Warbirds Replicas site to re access and also to spend time on my Locomotive kit .

However , it has become apparent that the price of even foam ARTFS has reached a level I never anticipated , My rivals in that field like Avios and FMS are now over £300 ! That is an incredible price given the component cost of the items and material in each model .

Lets face it , foam costs nothing and none of you would actively go and buy the servos that come in the models .

This price hike does give me an incentive to rethink my most popular designs , I have noted that a 55" Mustang in wood ranges from a wooden kit that is never available (SFM ) at around £150 , A very semi scale (being polite here) P51 from VQ which may well be a little heavier than I'd like at £220 and the best flyer and looker albeit with a dodgy canopy and cowl , the Kyosho P51 at £300.

To that end I will be revising my P51 B and D to the standard of my Spitfire and will start a separate thread in order to keep people aware of its progress , To be fair , wood price has gone up , so each kit will probably be £10 more , but compared with the above , well.....

Maybe we should all start thinking about where our stuff comes from in the future too ?

Aaah, I didn't know that you had stopped the website, I thought that the Spitfire kit was just temporarily sold out.

I have the original Kyosho P-51D sportscale ARTF and it's been sitting in it's box 70% complete as an electric conversion for at least a decade, if not longer - stalled at the point of wanting to fit a full cockpit kit.. However I'd really like a similarly sized P-51B, which I would like to finish as a Mustang III of 65 Squadron, based at RAF Dallachy. in 1945. If you make a kit, I will certainly buy one. I'll watch that thread with interest.

[Martian]

That's encouraging news Richard

[peter harvey 1]

P51b in invasion colours for me, the 2 large lavochkins have been finished, the laser80 flys a treat, the other was built for electric by another club member.it was maidened just at the end of last year and was reported as a great flyer (I havent seen it due to lockdown). Richard if you do the 51b you can have my money now.

cheers

Peter

[RICHARD WILLS]

I'm with you on that Peter , the P51B for me has the history and the racy look , especially with a all of the mods fitted to the ones that the pilots insisted on keeping , like the Malcolm hood , the dorsal fin and whip aerial . Lovely ! Of course the D version is a glamour puss , so there wil be plenty of those too.

I will start a new thread elsewhere and leave a signpost here . I am very aware that some of the lads here are not going to get what the want , which is a pity , If they could herd them selves into an orderly fashion .......

[Bucksboy]

I've kept out of this even though the Defiant was mentioned. I've already got a small La-7 which is electric. My larger La-7 with a Laser in it is about to be painted. I've got the 110 kit in a box untouched too, all Richards. I've also got the Chris Golds short kit of the Defiant waiting a build. So, to be honest I wouldn't be buying anything so I've not contributed. But, if it needs show of hands for a P51B to hit the streets, I'm in. Not because I'm a huge fan of the plane, but because I'm a fan of well made, fun to build kits. I've really enjoyed building the La-7's, they look great. I nearly put my hand up for one of the latest batch of Spitfires but managed to resist. But, I can't. So, I'll have a P51B please.

[RICHARD WILLS]

Moral support is just as good Bucksboys .Thanks for the endorsement , Who knows , if the P51 goes well , I might be encouraged to try something else .

Richard

[Ron Gray]

Like you Bucksboy, the P51 was / is not top of my list but Richard's kits are good fun to build so I will be putting my hand up for one. Who knows, I may even think about getting 2 for conversion into the P82!

[RICHARD WILLS]

Now that is weird Ron . I must have been thinking about the F82 after Chris mentioned it . So I had been doing a bit of research . In fact my partner in crime , Phil use to make the Galaxy Mustang Kit , but actually developed a single F82 for an individual builder . It was quite a machine at that scale , A smaller one would be pretty cool .

[Paul Johnson 4]

Hope is here

Edited By Paul Johnson 4 on 13/05/2020 21:14:59

[Tim Flyer]

One plane that hasn’t been mentioned and I think could be quite popular when people see it is the Tempest mk2. That has a nice radial cowl and should fly like a “sports car” (sorry for comparison but that’s why I like fighters). It’s a great candidate for a nice big IC model😉

here are some photos of the Tempest 2 at Hendon Museum 

https://www.modelflying.co.uk/albums/member_album.asp?a=53222

Edited By Tim Flyer on 15/05/2020 09:49:07

[alan p]

Sorry Tim the last photo is a Tempest 2, the others a republic P47 Thunderbolt. Sidney Camm might have been offended with the comparison.

[Bob Cotsford]

Aren't a couple of those of a P47 cowl Tim? I was up for the option of a Tempest the last time Richard asked for subjects, though I'd have opted for the MkV chin inlet myself.

[Tim Flyer]

Sorry chaps ! Well spotted!👍👍 in my haste of setting up the album just after posting I did accidentally include two of the same P47cowl shots... I took those on my visit because I’m also a p47 fan and have a Seagull version that I really enjoy 😊😊😊

Edited By Tim Flyer on 15/05/2020 11:59:36

[Tim Flyer]

I’m sure you might agree the tempest 2 is a really nice looking plane and I believe one of the fastest piston engine fighters, so is certainly on my list . I have removed incorrect photos from the album. 

Edited By Tim Flyer on 15/05/2020 12:00:52

[Graeme Poke]

A couple that I like, rarely modeled, are the Supermarine Spiteful/Seafang, followed the Spitfire, and the de Havilland Hornet, following on from the Mosquito. Cheers Graeme

[Chris Walby]

Graeme, I previously mentioned the Hornet, but like the Spitful/Spitfang I think they are too obscure as is evident with the P51 decision.

If I really want a Hornet I'll just have to make one off a set of plans and hope it doesn't fly like a dog. Part of the appeal of the WR designs are easy build (compared with just plans) and known nice flier.

I will live to regret my decision, but an electric warbird is not going to do it for me and I'll live in hope something Laser powered comes along.

[RICHARD WILLS]

The thing is chaps. Laser engines are wonderful things ,I have one of the gorgeous V twins myself . However , look at how the thread went . It didnt look like a massive win for the 56" mustang until we allowed those backers to vote elsewhere , Suddently it went from 3 very subdued votes , to thirty five in about two days . I would guess that the larger IC engined group is perhaps a bit smaller ( just being more expensive due to size maybe?) but what is lacking is a co-ordinated agreement .

Moral of that story ? Listen to the others , dont just try to push your only subject forward . None of us are hooked on only one type of warbird .

There are loads of large model designs already in existence , Don Smith , Dave Platt , Brian Taylor , Zirolli .

If you really,really , really wanted one of those specific models , you would have started . But I'm guessing that you do want one ,but also want a lot of short cuts to get you there quicker (and maybe cheaper ) .

So , I'm going to be cruel to be kind here .

Option 1 , Agree amongst yourselves what is an acceptable compromise . Think of the practicalities of creation from my point of view . eg is there already a cowl and canopy that could be used ? If foam veneer can be used , then dont get sniffy about it , as in large scale it will save you money and time . You could have your defiant if you can get enough people interested , But I would have thought something like the Tempest V Tempest II /Sea Fury would be much more of a goer . BT does a big cowl for the Typhoon which could be used . The round cowls are more generic anyhow . Before you mention Typhoon , the short nose prohibits it .

Option 2 , you all decide to do your own thing . Fine . But dont just dump the problem on somebody else . Take a reasonable look at it from the start . For example , You are the only one that wants a Hornet .

Find a plan in the ball park , see where you can create large chunks in foam veneer , ie top and bottom decks and of wings , plus tail surfaces . We could cut all of these from you plan and halve your build time and cost .

A couple of local lads bought the TN 134" Lancaster and all of the wood packs , After a month of head scratching they had constructed a very weak and wobbly fuselage structure that they had no confidence in . So they call me in to see if I wanted to buy the piles of wood, not yet used . I suggested the foam veneer route to which they agreed . Six weeks later they had wings , tail surfaces and all of the top and bottom decks from nose to tail .

We laid them all on the floor in "Lancaster " shape and you could literally see the end in sight . Oh , and all the pre-made chunks of Lanc cost half the price of the wood .

You pretty much all fly with Lasers , so that is something you all have in common but if you dont come together ,nobody can help you with a nice , light and practical British built model . And I think that is important , Most offerings from abroad are way overweight , but you can build the 73" Galaxy Mustang down to about 14lbs and they fly like trainers at that weight .

[Chris Walby]

Right ho, for the Laser Appreciation Society the questions are who's in and what do you want?

Pick your top 4 and lets see where we get to

Only my opinion:

70 too small for a warbird unless its a twin

80. 100 good balance between engine size and model size

155 possible but does the engine suit a warbird?

180 is the model getting too big for most people to build?

Who wants what?