Looking in the scrap boxes, I had almost everything I’d need to finish.  What I didn’t have was the exact spar material.  I needed 1/8” x1/4” balsa sticks, which I didn’t have.  But I did have a 1/8”x1/2” stick that was long enough, so out came the balsa stripper.  If Y’all haven’t got one of these in your tool kit, you should get one.  It’s something that I waited entirely too long to acquire.




Then it was just putting it all together.  Here’re the L.E/T.E./bottom pieces installed:




And the upper spar installed:




And ready to cover:





The yellow covering is the last of some of the new, poor quality MonoKote I had, and the red is something that was in the bottom of the box, but I don’t know exactly what it is.  No markings on the roll. 




The finished weight is a little more than I was hoping for at 5.25 ounces, but it’ll still zip on an .049.  I’m not sure if I’ll stick with this engine.  I have a Golden Bee, or I have an anodized red stunt tank I can put on something.  Don’t know how I’ll go with this.  Maybe I’ll just leave it as is.  Who knows.  I was right when I though it looked nose heavy.  I cut the nose down 1/8” from what the plans said, and it’s still a tad nose heavy.   Ah, well.  It’s done now.

This is why I like scratch building from old plans.  I get a plane that looks like no other.  And using scraps helps get rid of the materials laying around.  So now that it’s finished, it needs a name.  What name for a plane built from leftovers that I scratched from a magazine page?  Why, "Scrap ‘N Snip" of course!

Mark

Very nice. I like it...a lot. - JB

This was one of my favorite planes from when I was a kid. A few years ago I pulled out the old parts that I had left and scratch built another one and enjoy flying it as well. I have 3 new old stock kits on display in my shop.

   What's the story on the Lil' Snip? Who kitted it or was it published? I think I have one in my 1/2A kit stack. Midwest?? It's hell to get old!
   Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

Yes, Midwest kitted it.

As drawn, the TD version had a LONG nose moment. I shorted all of my Snip-based TD powered planes. My Snip-based airplanes pictured above (that I called the "Cheap Trick") were originally built for Black Widow combat, but as you can see, I refitted them for bladder and a TD and used them fighting the OKC boys waaay back in the mid-80s. Those two pictured above are the only survivors. A light built Snip w/TD and bladder weighs about 4- 4.5 oz. They're really a nice little airplane.

Andre

    Hey Mingster;
           I checked and I do have a Midwest kit. Yours look like they have longer tail booms?  There is a guy over in the classifieds looking for a Sterling Viper that has a very similar diamond shaped airfoil. I can remember at least one combat model published that also had a diamond shaped airfoil back in the day, and also reading that this shape for the airfoil wasn't the best for a stunt or combat ship?? I think I am remembering this correctly. I was surprised at the size of the Snip, bigger than the Kombat Kittens, Goldberg Lil Satans and the like that I used to build as a kid. I just might have to try one. Thanks for posting the pictures.
   Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee