Anyone standing around there in the staging area that morning perhaps would also agree with you that Gene's CLPA was truly an OUTSTANDING and exceptional well made CLPA stunt machine....
however to say that those of us standing around there that morning razzin' Gene about his Fuzzy-wuzzie paint job and were not BLOWN AWAY at Gene's FAUX' MARBLE, FUR COAT PAINT SCHEME.....HAVE NO SOUL?
Now that I think about that moment....the only folks standing around that model in the long line up of models were close friends and peers of Gene and just maybe were a bit startled to see that kind of radically different paint scheme and took the liberty to dish out a bit of humored gamesmanship to that moment in time.
I too remember the razz and ribbing that my good close friendly competitior AL RABE that day was also receiving for his unique and different virtually full scale like CLPA Bear Cats and P-51.
And just next to Gene's mean machine...
Bob Baron was also taking a HUGE AMOUNT OF GAMESMANSHIP FLACK from almost every CLPA traditionalistic stunt flyer on the line that day. Even one of his closest long time fellow competitiors....walked up with his beautiful modified Nobler and bent down and gave Baron a pat on the back...saying: "Hey Bob....the COMBAT CIRCLE IS WAAAAAAY OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE FIELD?"
Bottom line: HEY ROBIN and ALL MY BELOVED AND CHARISHED BROTHA'S IN BALSA DUST... SORRY I LAID A BAD EGG on everyone who..has a perfect right to share their own likes and dislikes about CLPA. DIVERSITY in model design is I STILL ADVOCATE IS A GOOD THING!
Bob..
You know how much I love that new Caprice model of yours...even though I still think bottom line that beautiful YOUR AMAZING CROSSFIRE.... TO SHULTZIE....IS THE MOST BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED AND BUILT MODEL THAT THIS OL' KITE-TOY AIRPLANE KOOT HAS EVER SEEN.