Do plans exist for Ski Dombrowski's "Lace Maker" ?

[Ron Varnas]

Anyone know if plans exsist for Ski Dombrowski's  "Lace Maker"   ?

thanks beforehand,
Ron

[Dan McEntee]

   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

[Frank Imbriaco]

He was just out at the Philly contest last weekend.

[Ron Varnas]

Frank,

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

[Ron Varnas]

   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

[Dennis Moritz]

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

[Ron Varnas]

Thanks Dennis much appreciated.

[Scott Richlen]

So, did anyone come up with the plans?  The plane deserves a Stunt News article.

[Scott Richlen]

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.   

[Ron Varnas]

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

[Juan Valentin]

               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

[Scott Richlen]

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... 

[peabody]

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!

[John Saunders]

    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. )