Learning to build

[john e. holliday]

Pulled a kit off the shelf looking for a Ringmaster S-1 by Sterling.   Found this kit collecting dust and the box was falling apart.  Spent today taping the plans/instructions back together so I can use them.   The thought hit me while taping, this is the type kit I learned to build model planes with.   Even the Scientific kits had the construction steps on them.    Even tho we bad mouth the old kits with the wood selection and die crunching, at least we got a lesson on constructing the kit.   I commend SIG, Brodak and others for giving us full size plans with an instruction manual.  But, I thought this might bring in some memories.

[scott matthews]

I have this plane (Ringmaster Imperial) sitting in my basement in dire need of recovering and a lot of TLC. My father started it when I was a kid and I convinced him to let me finish it, being young I rushed thru it and did not do very much sanding so it looks rough.I hope to one day take the time to redo it right.

[Russell Shaffer]

You make some good points, John.  The illustrated step by step instructions were great.  You just had to follow them, which could be a problem at times.  Those old kits were a great learning experience for me. 

[Tim Wescott]

It's making me think that a few illustrated step-by-step build articles should be put up on the web -- or even published in book form.

"How to build just about any model airplane".

[Douglas Ames]

I have one of Walt Umland's Ring Imp kits and his plans/ instructions are excellent.

On another note; Isn't it true that the reason "complete plans" were never drawn up for these older kits is that the manf'r. wanted to prevent scratch-building by copied plans? iow- Buy the kit! They provided just enough info to build and layout the critical parts...Conspiracy theory?

[john e. holliday]

I remember brother and myself copying some kits from the kit parts.   Ths was when some shaped leading/trailing edges were available and balsa wasn't so expensive.   

[Bill Little]

Hi Brother Doc,

The old kits were actually pretty good for the time.  Die cutting was the best technology available, the companies just didn't always have sharp dies.  I guess they might have been kinda expensive.  I did floow th einstructons for a while, then I kinda went off the reservation a bit.

BIG Bear