So I've been looking at getting into nitro, and Its taken a while but I finally have the cash to do it. I think I'm gonna get the evolution .46NX engine from Horizon. I am still looking for a frame tho. I saw on HK a couple of frames in my price range(under 150$) but the only trainer shipped from Europe, and the others where very much not trainers. So what I,m looking for is simple, a trainer, 3-4 channels, under 150$, can fit a .46 engine. If anybody has a recommendation, or even an old plane they would sell me, I would be grateful! Thanks!
Looking for first balsa plane.
- Thread starter liamnave
- Start date
F106DeltaDart
Elite member
I would highly recommend a telemaster. It is a kit, so you would have to build it, but it's difficult to beat how well they fly. They are out of stock at the moment, but here is where they are available: http://www.hobbyexpress.com/telemaster_40_kit_v2_1036879_prd1.htm. They are a very relaxed and laid back flyer, capable of flying in pretty much any conditions or field. It is one of the few planes out there I really don't have anything negative to say about.
Are you looking for an ARF or a kit? The engine size you are looking at would need a fairly big airframe in the trainer world, approx 70-80" wingspan. Be sure you have room to fly and the ability to transport such a bird!
The Telemaster mentioned would be a fine trainer and would fit the bill. Telemasters have a great reputation. Another option would be the Sig Kadet series. The Kadet Senior is very similar in specs, although it only calls for a .40 engine. The .46 would probably still work well, although I'm very new with nitro myself so I'd double check that first.
Currently I've got one Telemaster in my fleet (a mini) and it flies great. I've also got a Sig Kadet Mk1 that is almost ready for electronics, a Kadet Seniorita kit, a Kadet Senior I'm re-building, plans to build a Kadet Senior 150% with a 120" wingspan, and two Kadet Senior kits I'm selling. It's fair to say I really like the Kadet series! The kits are $75 plus shipping, and I can provide pics if interested.
The Telemaster mentioned would be a fine trainer and would fit the bill. Telemasters have a great reputation. Another option would be the Sig Kadet series. The Kadet Senior is very similar in specs, although it only calls for a .40 engine. The .46 would probably still work well, although I'm very new with nitro myself so I'd double check that first.
Currently I've got one Telemaster in my fleet (a mini) and it flies great. I've also got a Sig Kadet Mk1 that is almost ready for electronics, a Kadet Seniorita kit, a Kadet Senior I'm re-building, plans to build a Kadet Senior 150% with a 120" wingspan, and two Kadet Senior kits I'm selling. It's fair to say I really like the Kadet series! The kits are $75 plus shipping, and I can provide pics if interested.
Pictures are below. Shipping to CA from WI would run $14 via UPS. Note that the Kadet Senior is still manufactured by Sig, and they also sell any replacement parts should you need them in the future. The kit I'm selling has been around for a few years, but was never started, includes all the original documents, and even the plastic parts bags are still unopened. Both plan pages are there as well.
To finish the kit you'd need covering, covering iron, fuel tank, fuel line, wheels, etc. Sig does sell a "starter kit" for the Senior which includes much of the stuff you'd need, but you can probably get it for less from other sources. It's a convenience thing getting it all in one kit from them.
This is a die-cut kit, not laser cut, and the quality of the cutting is very nice. The fuselage is "stick built" from the included material. It's not a difficult design to build, and from what I've seen with the one I'm currently re-building it should be fairly simple. Here's a suggestion - if this is your first balsa kit and you don't have many supplies I'd spend a few dollars on something like the Fourmost Miter Saw, which would really help with the cuts. There are a lot of joints to be cut on the Kadet, and this saw has made it MUCH easier for me to get tight fitting joints. They also have a Fourmost Miter Sander which would do a similar job.
The Kadet Senior from Sig is HERE, they sell it new at $100.
Sig's replacement parts are HERE.
My re-build thread of a Senior is HERE.
To finish the kit you'd need covering, covering iron, fuel tank, fuel line, wheels, etc. Sig does sell a "starter kit" for the Senior which includes much of the stuff you'd need, but you can probably get it for less from other sources. It's a convenience thing getting it all in one kit from them.
This is a die-cut kit, not laser cut, and the quality of the cutting is very nice. The fuselage is "stick built" from the included material. It's not a difficult design to build, and from what I've seen with the one I'm currently re-building it should be fairly simple. Here's a suggestion - if this is your first balsa kit and you don't have many supplies I'd spend a few dollars on something like the Fourmost Miter Saw, which would really help with the cuts. There are a lot of joints to be cut on the Kadet, and this saw has made it MUCH easier for me to get tight fitting joints. They also have a Fourmost Miter Sander which would do a similar job.
The Kadet Senior from Sig is HERE, they sell it new at $100.
Sig's replacement parts are HERE.
My re-build thread of a Senior is HERE.
hmm... seems pretty good, could you cover it in mono cote, or what would you use for covering? Would you take 60$+ shipping?. Although i'm 12 and cant get any kind of payment method till im 13, so I will have to use my moms. I also am leaving to go to church and then a friends house for the night, so I wont be able to get back to you for a while. One more thing, how dok I pay you? sorry I have never had any transactions outside of ebay or stuff like that.
I'm sending you a PM.
Turbojoe
Elite member
$89.00 shipped is a killer deal! I ended up paying full pop for my kit. That's OK. I finally got one and it's worth it. I'd love to start on the build but just don't have room for any more completed planes. 
Finishing up yet another MM Dandy now, then some of the older birds have to go!
Joe
Finishing up yet another MM Dandy now, then some of the older birds have to go!Joe
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agentkbl
Illegal Squid Fighting?
let us know when it flies! I'd love to see a build thread on this! I myself am only fifteen, so it would be nice to see someone without as much wisdom and skill as the more senior flyers on this site do a build. I have always wanted to do a balsa build, maybe this is the encouragement I need!
Wisdom and skill? Those are fighting words! Jump in and try balsa, it's not difficult unless you want it to be!
Jump in and try balsa, it's not difficult unless you want it to be!
TexMechsRobot
Posted a thousand or more times
If you want something you can make mistakes on and not feel too terrible about if you mess up, buy one of the 500 series Guillows kits. They are fairly inexpensive and come with almost everything you need to build. CA glue, sand paper, and a knife will get you through the frame assembly and then covering it may require a few additional tools depending on the method.
Granted, it won't fly well and so your expectations there should be limited but you'll get to experience building with balsa at a small investment of money. Once you have some confidence with building, then you can move onto something that will actually perform in the air by either staying with the Free Flight or getting a balsa RC kit like the one above.
But Joker 53150 is right, you'll never really be ready for it. Just jump in and you'll learn so much by doing!
Granted, it won't fly well and so your expectations there should be limited but you'll get to experience building with balsa at a small investment of money. Once you have some confidence with building, then you can move onto something that will actually perform in the air by either staying with the Free Flight or getting a balsa RC kit like the one above.
But Joker 53150 is right, you'll never really be ready for it. Just jump in and you'll learn so much by doing!
Well, okay! You can see a 12 year old fail...jk... hopefully.
Decades ago when I was your age I tried and failed, but that's way before the internet and there was nobody to help guide me along. You've got both, plus a much better kit than I had to start with! Make a build thread, post pictures, and ask questions you may have BEFORE gluing parts together!
Decades ago when I was your age I tried and failed, but that's way before the internet and there was nobody to help guide me along. You've got both, plus a much better kit than I had to start with! Make a build thread, post pictures, and ask questions you may have BEFORE gluing parts together!
Thanks for the advice! I may end up having to buy that second kit off you for spare parts lol. As a matter of fact I already do have a question. What glue do you use? And can you get it off amazon, because I am NOT waiting for glue if the kit is already here!
You won't need the 2nd one. If you crash and damage it you can just buy balsa sticks or sheets from a hobby shop or online and cut your own pieces with a much lower cost.
For glue on your first build I would NOT recommend CA type adhesive, it dries way too fast and is unforgiving. Go to the hardware store or WalMart and get a small bottle of Titebond II. It can be cleaned up with water and dries slow enough to give you time to adjust parts as needed. You'll also want a 2' x 4' ceiling tile (the kind used in drop ceilings of office buildings, available at places like Home Depot, or maybe even ACE Hardware) and pins to assemble the pieces on. For pins, a "T" style would work well, although regular pins can be used if needed. They're not as easy to insert or remove, but if you want to keep costs down they'll work. A roll of wax paper, Saran Wrap, or parchment paper should be used between the plans and the balsa so you don't glue the wood directly to the plans. If your parents cook at home regularly you probably already have this. To cut all the "sticks" for the fuselage and wing spars a razor saw is a huge help. Maybe $5 from a hardware store, although the better ones like I mentioned a few days ago are around $25, but they are much handier at cutting accurate angles. Get a small package (or single sheet if the store sells it that way) of sandpaper in 220 grit and 80 grit, preferably with an adhesive back. From the paint department ask for a paint stir stick (normally FREE), which you will stick the sandpaper to, making a sanding block. Don't just use sandpaper in your hand, the results will be uneven. I'll also recommend a couple small, cheap paintbrushes to be used for the glue. Instead of squeezing glue onto the wood, put a little bit on a paper plate or something disposable and use the brush to apply it only where you want it. It's easy to over-do it, so watch for extra squeezing out of the joint and use the brush to clean it up. Too much glue is NOT your friend, it drips down and creates blobs which are hard to sand. All this stuff combined might run $40. Less if you don't need to buy the brush or wax paper. I've been using the same brush for 2+ years, and am careful to always clean it after use.
For glue on your first build I would NOT recommend CA type adhesive, it dries way too fast and is unforgiving. Go to the hardware store or WalMart and get a small bottle of Titebond II. It can be cleaned up with water and dries slow enough to give you time to adjust parts as needed. You'll also want a 2' x 4' ceiling tile (the kind used in drop ceilings of office buildings, available at places like Home Depot, or maybe even ACE Hardware) and pins to assemble the pieces on. For pins, a "T" style would work well, although regular pins can be used if needed. They're not as easy to insert or remove, but if you want to keep costs down they'll work. A roll of wax paper, Saran Wrap, or parchment paper should be used between the plans and the balsa so you don't glue the wood directly to the plans. If your parents cook at home regularly you probably already have this. To cut all the "sticks" for the fuselage and wing spars a razor saw is a huge help. Maybe $5 from a hardware store, although the better ones like I mentioned a few days ago are around $25, but they are much handier at cutting accurate angles. Get a small package (or single sheet if the store sells it that way) of sandpaper in 220 grit and 80 grit, preferably with an adhesive back. From the paint department ask for a paint stir stick (normally FREE), which you will stick the sandpaper to, making a sanding block. Don't just use sandpaper in your hand, the results will be uneven. I'll also recommend a couple small, cheap paintbrushes to be used for the glue. Instead of squeezing glue onto the wood, put a little bit on a paper plate or something disposable and use the brush to apply it only where you want it. It's easy to over-do it, so watch for extra squeezing out of the joint and use the brush to clean it up. Too much glue is NOT your friend, it drips down and creates blobs which are hard to sand. All this stuff combined might run $40. Less if you don't need to buy the brush or wax paper. I've been using the same brush for 2+ years, and am careful to always clean it after use.
roversgonemad
Member
I was about 9 or so when I started building Comet and Guillows kits. Needless to say, there were some epic fails! By the time I was 11, I had a Carl Goldberg Ranger 28 that flew pretty well. I even managed to get a Guillows Hellcat to fly. These were both rubber powered. When I was 12, I built a Craft Air Piece O' Cake. If I had actually flown with someone who knew how to fly, the Piece O' Cake might have lived! It had a really heavy tower hobbies two channel radio and a black widow .049 on the nose!
You'll do just fine, just build. It's a great learning process!
You'll do just fine, just build. It's a great learning process!
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