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Author Topic: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?  (Read 2853 times)

Offline Ron Varnas

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Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« on: August 02, 2017, 05:42:32 PM »
Anyone know if plans exsist for Ski Dombrowski's  "Lace Maker"   ?

thanks beforehand,
Ron
RJV Melb. Australia

Offline Dan McEntee

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2017, 08:07:57 PM »
   Hi Ron;
    I don't know about plans, but I got to see that model and meet "Ski" at a early 90's NATS at Lawrenceville, IL, and I can testify to it's beauty and coolness factor! reading that caption and finding out it was several years old at hat time is amazing. I have snap shots of it around here but would take for ever to dig up. i would like to know if Ski and the airplane are still around? How about it East Coast guys?
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee
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Online Frank Imbriaco

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2017, 08:17:33 PM »
He was just out at the Philly contest last weekend.

Offline Ron Varnas

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2017, 09:09:06 PM »
Frank,

Do you know anyone on the forum here where I could get Ski's contact details please?
RJV Melb. Australia

Offline Ron Varnas

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2017, 09:13:51 PM »
   Hi Ron;
    I don't know about plans, but I got to see that model and meet "Ski" at a early 90's NATS at Lawrenceville, IL, and I can testify to it's beauty and coolness factor! reading that caption and finding out it was several years old at hat time is amazing. I have snap shots of it around here but would take for ever to dig up. i would like to know if Ski and the airplane are still around? How about it East Coast guys?
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee


G'day Dan,

My thoughts exactly on the beauty of the Lace Maker, IMO its the best looking twin fin ship ever designed it outshines other twins Olympus, Olympic even the Stunt Machine does not have the cool classic lines of the Lace Maker.

RV
RJV Melb. Australia

Offline Dennis Moritz

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2017, 02:11:48 PM »
I'll message you the names of folks who can. Ski reads these forums st times. Perhaps he'll get in touch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Offline Ron Varnas

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #6 on: August 06, 2017, 12:20:37 AM »
Thanks Dennis much appreciated. :)
RJV Melb. Australia

Offline Scott Richlen

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2017, 02:25:53 PM »
So, did anyone come up with the plans?  The plane deserves a Stunt News article.

Offline Bob Hunt

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #8 on: August 11, 2017, 06:10:50 PM »
So, did anyone come up with the plans?  The plane deserves a Stunt News article.

Hi Scott: I tried several times to get Ski to allow me to publish the Lacemaker. I tried as Editor of Flying Models, and I tried as Editor of  Model Aviation, and I tried as Editor of Stunt News, No dice.

Ironically, I also tried to get a certain Silver Lancer as an article several times over the years, but the designer turned me down each time.

It seems that very few designers want to expend the necessary effort to get their designs published these days. Oh well...

Bob Hunt

Offline Scott Richlen

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #9 on: August 11, 2017, 06:47:16 PM »
Bob:

I didn't turn you down.  I just haven't got it done.  (Ask me how long it took to finish the Nobler kit that I got for Christmas in 8th grade....)

We each have our patterns, you know.   ;D

Offline Ron Varnas

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2017, 02:06:28 AM »
Hi Scott: I tried several times to get Ski to allow me to publish the Lacemaker. I tried as Editor of Flying Models, and I tried as Editor of  Model Aviation, and I tried as Editor of Stunt News, No dice.

Ironically, I also tried to get a certain Silver Lancer as an article several times over the years, but the designer turned me down each time.

It seems that very few designers want to expend the necessary effort to get their designs published these days. Oh well...

Bob Hunt

Bob,

Did Ski give the reasons at the time for not wishing to have the 'Lace Maker' published ?

I hope Ski gets to see this thread and realise how popular & "wanted" the Lace Maker is still to this day  :)

Good background story thanks Bob.

RJV
RJV Melb. Australia

Offline Bob Hunt

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2017, 08:41:47 AM »
Hi Ron:

It's not that Ski didn't want the design published; it's just that he has other priorities in his life and has little to no time in which to draw the plans and write the article. Many here might not know that Ski is an expert in the field of Bonsai trees. Look up that subject on the web and you will see Ski's name a lot. 

I kidded Scott Richlen a few posts up about not having submitted his very original, beautiful, and character-filled Silver Lancer for publication. I made the offer to Scott many times over the past 30 or so years. It's not that he didn't want to publish the design; it's just a matter of priorities... I fully understand how much work it is and how little return the author/designer sees from his or her efforts. True, if the design is published in one of the major magazines (and for CL that leaves only Model Aviation...) there is a stipend. It works out to about 50 cents per hour...

I guess we are all getting older and less prone to want to expend the energy and time required to produce a construction article. Most don't even have a clue about how much work it is to generate a good quality construction feature. Some have questioned the choices made by Model Aviation (and in the past Flying Models and Model Builder...) about the validity or viability of a design that appears in print. The truth is (and, this IS the truth...), they tend to print what they receive!

Another reason that many do not try to publish their designs is the fact that many who might build the model in question from plans are not capable of producing a light, straight, rigid, competent model. When the model does not perform up to their expectations, they sometimes blame the designer/author, and even the magazine for publishing a bad design. I know this has happened for a fact because one of my best friends published a Nats top-2 model and had that exact very negative response from a few who built his design from magazine plans. Long story short, I don't blame anyone for not publishing their designs if they choose not to.

I wish I could write a more upbeat and hopeful view of this situation...

Later - Bob Hunt     

Offline Juan Valentin

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #12 on: August 13, 2017, 09:11:07 AM »

               I might be confused but I think I saw pictures of that plane or one that looked a lot like it in an American Aircraft Modeler or Aircraft Modeler the fuse was bulkheads and stringers. I don`t remember if there were any plans. I`m getting forgetful but every once in a while a neuron makes contact and I remember stuff I hope this time is not my imagination.
                                                                                                                                                                      Juan

Offline Scott Richlen

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #13 on: August 14, 2017, 06:36:55 AM »
Ski was at the Jim Coll Memorial yesterday.  This is a 2-day meet that the Eastern Shore bunch host every August.  Profile and Old-Time on Saturday and PA on Sunday.  I asked about the Lacemaker.  Years ago someone (some guy out in Oklahoma I think he said) talked Ski into bundling up his plans and sending them out to him.  The guy was going to ink a set of plans for the Lacemaker and build the plane for a magazine article.  And then Ski never heard back from him.  Apparently the guy had died!  Ski didn't sound too enthusiastic about trying to round up any drawings he still has and possibly repeating this experience.  John Saunders also knows the story and might chime in to add details or corrections.

As Bob pointed out, it's a lot of effort to write up an article and draw up a set of good plans.  Years ago, you'd get a nice check for doing so (I guess Jack Sheeks almost became a one-person industry doing it for Flying Models); now: not so much.

Happily, Ski is showing up at contests and told me he was building (or had built?) a profile ship to fly.  So, you never know... 

Offline peabody

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #14 on: August 14, 2017, 07:41:03 AM »
The last time I saw Ski was at a Middlesex event....he didn't fly, but had a wonderfully constructed Top Flite Nobler ARF...powered by a Fox 35. He had made a lot of structural changes and the plane flew great!

Online John Saunders

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Re: Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?
« Reply #15 on: August 14, 2017, 09:21:19 AM »
    Yes Scott is correct , the plans may be lost to time . This what Ski told me at our last club meeting and he also added a jig he made to hold the rudders for alignment was also sent with the drawings to be inked was also lost .  Bob Hunt is also correct as to why Ski didn't bother to publish the plans. If you go to his last post and read the 4th paragraph this is one of the major reasons why this plan was never offered.  There were multiple jigs that Ski built before this airplane was ever created.  This was an outstanding and difficult airplane to build, which most of the parts were one of a kind hand made by Ski.  I believe Ski had told me at one time, that when the Lacemaker was finished he was late getting to the Nats that year and missed the appearance judging , and had to wait until the following year .  (It won the Concoures Award and garnered one of the few 20 point finishes awarded. )   
 


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