SPA Modeler

Remember those? Years ago, I tried building one as a kid, too hard and confusing for a kid then. Are they still around? I never see them anywhere - not even at Hobby Lobby.

It’s something I’d love to take on a challenge in building a balsa wood aircraft kit another go.

Are you talking about the Guillows type? Stick and tissue to make a flying model? You’d probably need to check a shop that specializes in RC and other flying models.
I made one when I was in high school, but only got a few flights out of it before I overwound the rubber band and snapped the anchor point for that. So much effort for so little return…

Ive got one in my stash.
Saw a 1/16th P-47 in the hobby shop the other day. $210
https://www.acornmodels.co.nz/products/ ... aft/96362/

There is a lot out there still, a lot of them laser cut. I make larger size kits and plans, mostly of models from the 30'a and 40's, for R/C. I have done a kit for one rubber power low wing job. Truthfully, I hate the Guillows and Sterling kits and think they turned a lot of kids away from the hobby because the wood was of such low quality. The link to my web site is in my signature line, you can navigate back up to my R/C stuff from there.

Oh yes, remember very well!

I had a friend who started to build on balsa plane (making a RC airplane). He gave up after a while, was not so easy the tought (or he did not have patience with it)

- Kari

Stikpusher wrote:Are you talking about the Guillows type? Stick and tissue to make a flying model? You’d probably need to check a shop that specializes in RC and other flying models.
I made one when I was in high school, but only got a few flights out of it before I overwound the rubber band and snapped the anchor point for that. So much effort for so little return…

Yup. Those were it - the stick and tissue flyiing model kits.

Got the DHC-2 languishing and the Guillows DC-3 waiting. The DHC-2 was laser cut and a joy to work with. The DC-3 is die cut.

BlackSheep214 wrote:Remember those? Years ago, I tried building one as a kid, too hard and confusing for a kid then.

I had the same experience as a kid. Thing sat around unfinished forever, might have still been there when I left for school for all I know.

Like Kari's friend, I did do an RC one about 15 yrs, a simple, beginner level kit. I finished mine. I found the larger components much easier to deal with than the fiddly Guillows scale balsa and it turned out pretty good.

Our 'instructor' crashed it on it's first flight (not really his fault, he went inverted and I didn't know I was supposed to secure the battery in position). Never forget the look on my son's face. Devastating.

I'd like to try a good quality laser cut kit. I remember being so frustrated with the ones that were essentially printed on balsa. No exacto in the world was sharp enough to keep the balsa from splitting.