Best first balsa kit?

[Flying Fish Fin]

Hi all,
I'm pretty comfortable with flying foamies, but I'm looking for a first balsa kit. Does anyone have any suggestions? Preferably, it would be from a well-known company like great planes so I can go to my local hobby shop.
Thanks,
Fin

 

[earthsciteach]

I don't know if you can get a Sig Stik in a kit, but they are great airplanes.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[bicyclemonkey]

By balsa kit, do you mean ARF or or kit as in a box of wood that you have to frame up yourself?

 

[Freaky_1]

Every rc home should have a hand built telemaster, regardless of pilot skill level. That same telemaster can have as many different wing designs as the builder decides to design over the years..

As far as build up, the telemaster is obviously an all time favorite across the board and through the years for many a flyer. If something more on the flat ply "sport" side, the 4 star is another great bird (which I assume is still a kit these days).

Whatever you go with, don't be fast on the build, even if you can. If it's your first build, you'll want to make the memory anyway.

Have an awesome day and soon an awesome build,
Frank

 

[pgerts]

Another wote for SIG.
The Astro Hog is a really nice plane.

 

[Flying Fish Fin]

@bicyclemonkey Probably one that I would have to frame myself, but if I find a good ARF, then maybe that.

 

[Flying Fish Fin]

@Frank Yes, I've heard good things about the telemaster, so I might try that.

 

[bicyclemonkey]

Depending on how big you want to go, the Telemaster comes in all sizes. Also check out Alien Aircraft. Both the stuff from alien aircraft and the telemasters are a laser cut tab-in-notch kits. The tab in notch stuff pretty much fits together like a puzzle and you put a couple drops of thin CA on each seam. It makes for a fast build but is a little more difficult sanding and the CA tends to run places you don't want. They say to put wax paper b/wn the plan and wood but thin CA always sticks to the wax paper...use saran wrap, it won't stick to that.

My first kit was a laser cut tab-in-notch kit and my second, the one I'm working on now is a traditional Balsa USA die cut kit. It builds with standard carpenters wood glue and is much less messy and smelly. I prefer the traditional kits now.

Balsa USA even has a kit that's designed for teaching you how to build a traditional kit. http://shop.balsausa.com/product_p/426.htm

 

[Flying Fish Fin]

All right, I'll go with the telemaster or a kit from Alien Aircraft. Thanks for all the replies!
-Fin

 

[mungral]

I have got 3 planes from http://www.parkscalemodels.com. nice clean easy to understand / build balsa laser cut kits.
good place to start if your new to building balsa planes

 

[roversgonemad]

You want a big Telemaster with the lifting tail, so you can do cool stuff like this!!

 

[Balsa to Foam]

Four Star 20

I fly a Sig Four Star 20 EP. Awesome balsa build, not overly expensive ($83), and not too large (48in span). the only difficult thing about it is with the recomended motor size (250w to 350w) it would be a rocket. I used a 200w motor and there is still good power and not overly fast.
that would be the plane I recomend.

 

[Simon]

Hey Flying Fish Fin,
Simon here fro Australia. I would say it all depends on you flying skill. If you are an intermediate flyer Great Planes make a staight forward 60" Extra 300s. I am ready to cover mine and had a 3d printed pilot of me made. I have been flying a Hangar9 Pulse XT60 recently so this will be my first true aerobatic plane. SIG also make great Piper Cub kits i hear. Good luck!

 

[rc@nyc]

best first balsa kit

I'm building the Great Planes PT-40 right now. It's a great kit with great instructions. I would recommend this to anybody.