Old Airplanes

[Zuriel Armstrong]

edit to add pictures.

This morning one of my employees brought me 2 airplanes and a tool box.  The planes are built pretty good and have the AMA number on the wing and one of them has an Aero Products decal on the tail and a PAMPA decal too.  He purchased these items at the Benton, Arkansas Auction for a very cheap price. 

Does anyone recognize them or know anything about them.  If they belong to someone else I would like to return them if possible.  If not I will use them for trainers or someone looking for a project.

Thanks

[Steve Helmick]

The white one is a Buccaneer, probably from a Custom Models kit (Texas). Can't say if it's a 740 or 746, which is size designation, but if the two models are about the same size, it's a 746. The black one is a Mo'Best. Both are good designs, from Brickhaus and Cunningham, respectively. Bring them to VSC, and I'd haul 'em home... Steve

[Bill Little]

Bill ( ) from Custom Models was a great guy!  I never knew why he had to stop making kits.   I won a Buccaneer 740 at a contest and we were gong to build it for my son, Aaron, who was just moving up in stunt.  When he opened the kit, it contained all the parts for the 740, but it had the wing cores for the 746!  I called (or emailed, can't remember) Bill and told him I wanted to buy a set of 740 cores.  He would not allow me to buy the 740 cores or return the 746 cores.  INSTEAD, he insisted on sending me a free set of the 740 cores and told me to keep the 746 ones.  Couldn't talk him out of it, he said it was their mix up!  THAT is customer service and a great guy.  The 746 cores became Aaron's Vector II that he entered in his first NATS in '96.  Still is a great flying plane, but retired.  The 740 also got built!  Both fly very well.

Wonder where Bill is today.

[Clint Ormosen]

A little off topic here, but it reminded me that I still had a Custom Models Buccaneer 746 kit to build. It was a gift from my wife for my 26th birthday (I'm 37 now). Custom Models made beautiful kits. What ever happend to them?
Oh, if anybody has the assembly instructions for this kit, I'd sure like a copy. Mine are gone......somewhere.

Clint

[Bill Little]

A little off topic here, but it reminded me that I still had a Custom Models Buccaneer 746 kit to build. It was a gift from my wife for my 26th birthday (I'm 37 now). Custom Models made beautiful kits. What ever happend to them?
Oh, if anybody has the assembly instructions for this kit, I'd sure like a copy. Mine are gone......somewhere.

Clint

Hi Clint,

I'll look around and see if I can find the instructions that came in our kit.  Not sure if I've seen them in years, but since I don't throw anything away, I probably still have them somewhere!

Beautiful kit, great flying plane, and a very simple build.

Bill <><

[SteveMoon]

Bill Hopkins of Arlington, TX ran Custom Models. He and his wife Karen have tireless
in promoting the model airplane hobby in general. He has moved on to building
custom giant scale RC models for customers. I'm talking GIANT scale.

When my brother Doug and I were first starting out in this hobby in '90 or '91 Bill
was very helpful to us. We went to his house several times and bought a couple
of Forerunners from him, as Scimitar, and a Buc 746. Doug won a Buc 740 flying in
Beginner at the '94 Nats. That was a great plane for Doug for a long time.

When we wanted to start doing the Buccaneer kits at Ultra Hobby, Bill was very
helpful and encouraging. The Buc 740 is still a great plane. Ryan Young used one
to win Beginner and Junior at the Nats last year.

Later, Steve

[Bill Little]

Bill Hopkins of Arlington, TX ran Custom Models. He and his wife Karen have tireless
in promoting the model airplane hobby in general. He has moved on to building
custom giant scale RC models for customers. I'm talking GIANT scale.

When my brother Doug and I were first starting out in this hobby in '90 or '91 Bill
was very helpful to us. We went to his house several times and bought a couple
of Forerunners from him, as Scimitar, and a Buc 746. Doug won a Buc 740 flying in
Beginner at the '94 Nats. That was a great plane for Doug for a long time.

When we wanted to start doing the Buccaneer kits at Ultra Hobby, Bill was very
helpful and encouraging. The Buc 740 is still a great plane. Ryan Young used one
to win Beginner and Junior at the Nats last year.

Later, Steve

Hi Steve,

Have you listed UHP in the Vendor's Corner?  Please do so and list your offerings.  I know y'all do great kits.

Walter, Tom N., and y'all in the cottage business add to Eric, Brodak, and Sig to bring us excellent offerings.  (I hope I didn't leave anyone out!)

Any "New" kits in the works at UHP??

Thanks
Bill <><

[Clint Ormosen]

Hi Clint,

I'll look around and see if I can find the instructions that came in our kit.  Not sure if I've seen them in years, but since I don't throw anything away, I probably still have them somewhere!

Beautiful kit, great flying plane, and a very simple build.

Bill <><

Never mind, Bill! I found the instruction book for the 746 while looking through a stack of old Stunt News.