It's no surprise to most here that I love finding "project planes" at swap meets, estate sales, or online. Most of the recent additions to the hangar have come to me that way, including the ones I added today. The idea with this thread is it will give people an idea as to what is available and a rough price. Keep in mind that price will depend heavily on your market and how popular RC is (or isn't). I'm in the Milwaukee area and it's a bad market for sellers, but great for buyers. Other areas may have expensive used planes. Anybody feel free to post your finds so that others can learn!
Here's what I ended up with today. #1 is a Great Planes Cherokee balsa kit, mostly built, 40 glow size. I actually have one of these as an ARF with electric power, but I'd much rather set it up with a gas engine and my own choice of covering design. The kit was $50 and included extras like the fuel tank and tires. It may have sold for a little less if I'd have worked on the seller, but he gave me a good deal on some covering so I paid his asking price. The wood is a little blotchy from age, but a light sanding should take care of that.
Plane #2 would be my next project if I already had an engine for it. This is the Telemaster Electro, an ARF designed for an electric motor. However, a previous owner set it up for a glow engine and cut up the engine bay a bit to make it fit. It would be easy to convert back to electric, but I'm probably going to set this one up for gas as well, a 9cc should be a good fit. $35 for the air frame, a great deal!
The engine bay was also painted yellow for some reason...? Even if I go gas over electric I'll un-do some of the mods done to it.
The last plane I got was this little Strato Streak, designed for .020 power and free flight. At this time I have no plans to build it any time soon, but couldn't pass it up for $10 for such a nice, clean kit. This would NOT be a good candidate for a gas conversion!
Last up is some covering I got from the guy selling the Cherokee. $25 for all 13 rolls - some new and some partially used. Covering is one of those things you just can't have enough of, although it still feels like I never have the right colors on-hand when needed. I went through my stash of covering yesterday and got it organized, but now I'll have to do it again to get these all put away. Guys who aren't building anymore are often happy to get even a few dollars per roll, so I try and grab it when I find it.
My buddy Mike went with me today and he picked up a completed airframe (no engine or electronics) for $20, to give to his father in law. For himself he grabbed a Funtana X, which is a .60 size aerobatic plane (a smaller version of the Funtana 90 I did a build thread on). That came with 4-stroke 90 glow engine, battery, and all electronics for $150. The seller even fueled it up and flew it for him, which was when I knew it was sold!
Here's what I ended up with today. #1 is a Great Planes Cherokee balsa kit, mostly built, 40 glow size. I actually have one of these as an ARF with electric power, but I'd much rather set it up with a gas engine and my own choice of covering design. The kit was $50 and included extras like the fuel tank and tires. It may have sold for a little less if I'd have worked on the seller, but he gave me a good deal on some covering so I paid his asking price. The wood is a little blotchy from age, but a light sanding should take care of that.
Plane #2 would be my next project if I already had an engine for it. This is the Telemaster Electro, an ARF designed for an electric motor. However, a previous owner set it up for a glow engine and cut up the engine bay a bit to make it fit. It would be easy to convert back to electric, but I'm probably going to set this one up for gas as well, a 9cc should be a good fit. $35 for the air frame, a great deal!
The engine bay was also painted yellow for some reason...? Even if I go gas over electric I'll un-do some of the mods done to it.
The last plane I got was this little Strato Streak, designed for .020 power and free flight. At this time I have no plans to build it any time soon, but couldn't pass it up for $10 for such a nice, clean kit. This would NOT be a good candidate for a gas conversion!
Last up is some covering I got from the guy selling the Cherokee. $25 for all 13 rolls - some new and some partially used. Covering is one of those things you just can't have enough of, although it still feels like I never have the right colors on-hand when needed. I went through my stash of covering yesterday and got it organized, but now I'll have to do it again to get these all put away. Guys who aren't building anymore are often happy to get even a few dollars per roll, so I try and grab it when I find it.
My buddy Mike went with me today and he picked up a completed airframe (no engine or electronics) for $20, to give to his father in law. For himself he grabbed a Funtana X, which is a .60 size aerobatic plane (a smaller version of the Funtana 90 I did a build thread on). That came with 4-stroke 90 glow engine, battery, and all electronics for $150. The seller even fueled it up and flew it for him, which was when I knew it was sold!