A short kit is one that does not contain all the wood and/or hardware required to fully complete the model in one single box.  Typically it would contain maybe pre-bent landing gear, maybe a canopy, and all the major parts that might require laser cutting, band saw cutting like fuse bulkheads and wing ribs etc. Major blocks for cowl carving and such may be included.  But many of the planks (for wing covering) and/or sticks of standard spec may not be there. You also get the plans of course.  Basically the stuff you might not like to cut yourself are included but none of the bulk wood that would allow for finishing a structure in total.  Something like that anyway is how I see them.

It seems like a good idea to me.

Just sell the precision-cut parts and let the builder buy the sticks and sheets at his LHS. 

I often finish up a kit with half the wood and hardware still in the box, or more, because I'm picky.  Or I build it with what's there and I'm sullen and bitchy while I do it -- because I'm picky.

So not paying for a bunch of stuff that I'm just going to throw away is attractive to me.

Back a few years when deciding to retire and get back to modeling I was disappointed in LHS selections of balsa and some of the mail order stuff was hit n miss...I got good at weight grading but still suck at grain evaluating and that can be real important for certain pieces like formed sheeting or stiff spars or LE edge, TE straightness...resistance to changing shape

I went to several RC swap meets and decided that some of the old Goldberg and Top Flite giant kits were being sold for a tenth of what the wood inside was worth and as example bought a Top Flight DC-3 84 inch wing span kit.  Yes quite a bit of the cut / shaped wood is only good to further cut to smaller pieces

BUT I found the spar and sheet stock incredibly good and most selected ( for a certain part of the Plan) was the correct grain to form / shape and consistent weights among the different sheets

Most of the sheet and spar stock were 48" by 3" or 4" wide and there was also a large selection of triangle and taper (TE) stock that was all very straight and usable

IN the one kit I paid $25 for was easily $125 worth of good balsa and ply.....and yes Virginia...about 1/3rd was so specific in cut and shape that it is just fire wood

Later I bought a Hanger 9 Extra 300 100" wingspan kit for $45 and same experience...a LOT of very good wood

Bottom line is do NOT be afraid of cottage industry short kits .... I have many from Pat Johnston, and others ...providing my own "long wood" based on the original plan or "experience" is a lot easier if you have a large selection

And here is the real trick

Example you ....like me.... asked about the Primary Force Mikey Pratt short kit

I do not know if the provided plan has specific call out for Spar or LE/ TE thickness or weights or preferred grain

Here on SH are so many folks who have the ARF and also built from KIt and even a few who scratch built that model

All I have to do is ask what would be the preferred wood on a certain section of the wing or fuse or stab /elevator and I will get good answers

and as soon as my short kit for Mikey get to me that is what I intend to do...ask for help

Love this web site

I've got a ThunderGazer kit from RSM and in a way it's a short kit. There's allot of CF laminate you need to buy and the leading edge and fuselage turtle decks need to be made on foam forms. also, this is the first wing I felt I needed a wing jig to build. Not really a short kit but not something you can just pop out of the box and glue together if you get my point.

MM

I look at it as scratch building made easy!  Study the plans like a scratch build for a couple days.  Think about the order of construction and what parts would need cut out as a true scratch build. 

Then study the plans again taking inventory of what parts are already cut for you.  Set of a building space and have at it.

Phil