T E A M
I've always wanted to add some of the Balsa USA kits to my collection but never got around to do it. The bad news about a birthday at my age is that you are reminded that its a year closer to deep six 
but you get nice presents
. Well, look what the Fedex man brought today. 4 boxes from Balsa USA - Hooray for Birthdays.
Balsa USA does an assortment of scale and sport planes in their range but they are better known for their 1/3 and 1/4 scale WWI biplanes. I chose three 1/4 scale biplanes. The Sopwith Pup, Nieuport 28-c1 and the Fokker DR1. These three are the lightest in the range and are supposed to come out around about 12 to 14 pounds final weight. Will fit the MVVS 26 gasoline engines to a tee. The others in the range are heavier beasts with finished weights around 20+ pounds requiring 35cc gas. Thought it best to try the lighter weight ones first before venturing to the heavier models.
The boxes are pretty solid and contents were nicely packed and well protected. The boxes arrived undamaged and all the wood and safe and snug inside. The kits have nicely drawn rolled plans.
Cowls are nicely formed but appear somewhat thinner than I'd expected. I will probably get fiberglass replacements from Stan's Fibertech. Although the box is filled with what appears to be a small lumberyard worth of balsa wood, it was not as big as I had expected. I guess it must be the nature of the WWI aircraft being made of sticks and stringers - there are more sticks in the box than there are planks or sheet. Wood quality is excellent. Being a balsa basher - I really appreciated the nice clean and crisp balsa which filled the boxes to the brim. If you are not a balsa addict, the quantity of wood and parts in the box may give you a mild fit.
The planes do not come with much by way of accessories. Stuff like scale machine guns, vinyl decals and scale wheels are extras and they do add to the bill somewhat. Those are 7 in Dubro vintage wheels in the background. First time I have ever ordered these and they seem to be quite heavy. Perhaps nothing to a plane that has almost 2,000 sq inches of wing area but light they are not.
These are going to the back of the pile to wait their turn on the building board. There are several other kits that I further ahead on the construction queue that needs to be built first.
I found that my experience of ordering from Balsa USA has been a pleasant one. Response time to e-mail queries was very quick - usually by the first half of the next work day. Their ordering system was very straight forward. Accessories are listed. The only thing that you have to note is that their system does not give you a last chance review page before confirming the order. By last chance review page, I mean the page that usually comes after you have typed in your credit card details and you get the stage when the system asks you - "Hey dummy are you really really really sure you want to place the order". Some systems give you a 3rd chance and will ask again - "Hey - this is your last last last chance to change your mind now, hit the return button and forever hold your peace" page. The Balsa USA web site caught me by surprise. One moment I was keying the list of stuff I had wanted, next came the credit card details and in a blink, you get the thank you for your order note on the next screen. Nothing, absolutely nothing lies between the" filling of credit card details" page and the "thank you for your order" page. A few days later, the bell rings and a grinning Fedex man appears at your doorstep with a bunch of big boxes.
I won't find out about the parts fits etc until I start building but from the forums I've read about Balsa USA kits have been very positive and I shall be looking forward to building these kits soon.
but you get nice presents. Well, look what the Fedex man brought today. 4 boxes from Balsa USA - Hooray for Birthdays.Balsa USA does an assortment of scale and sport planes in their range but they are better known for their 1/3 and 1/4 scale WWI biplanes. I chose three 1/4 scale biplanes. The Sopwith Pup, Nieuport 28-c1 and the Fokker DR1. These three are the lightest in the range and are supposed to come out around about 12 to 14 pounds final weight. Will fit the MVVS 26 gasoline engines to a tee. The others in the range are heavier beasts with finished weights around 20+ pounds requiring 35cc gas. Thought it best to try the lighter weight ones first before venturing to the heavier models.
The boxes are pretty solid and contents were nicely packed and well protected. The boxes arrived undamaged and all the wood and safe and snug inside. The kits have nicely drawn rolled plans.
Cowls are nicely formed but appear somewhat thinner than I'd expected. I will probably get fiberglass replacements from Stan's Fibertech. Although the box is filled with what appears to be a small lumberyard worth of balsa wood, it was not as big as I had expected. I guess it must be the nature of the WWI aircraft being made of sticks and stringers - there are more sticks in the box than there are planks or sheet. Wood quality is excellent. Being a balsa basher - I really appreciated the nice clean and crisp balsa which filled the boxes to the brim. If you are not a balsa addict, the quantity of wood and parts in the box may give you a mild fit.
The planes do not come with much by way of accessories. Stuff like scale machine guns, vinyl decals and scale wheels are extras and they do add to the bill somewhat. Those are 7 in Dubro vintage wheels in the background. First time I have ever ordered these and they seem to be quite heavy. Perhaps nothing to a plane that has almost 2,000 sq inches of wing area but light they are not.
These are going to the back of the pile to wait their turn on the building board. There are several other kits that I further ahead on the construction queue that needs to be built first.
I found that my experience of ordering from Balsa USA has been a pleasant one. Response time to e-mail queries was very quick - usually by the first half of the next work day. Their ordering system was very straight forward. Accessories are listed. The only thing that you have to note is that their system does not give you a last chance review page before confirming the order. By last chance review page, I mean the page that usually comes after you have typed in your credit card details and you get the stage when the system asks you - "Hey dummy are you really really really sure you want to place the order". Some systems give you a 3rd chance and will ask again - "Hey - this is your last last last chance to change your mind now, hit the return button and forever hold your peace" page. The Balsa USA web site caught me by surprise. One moment I was keying the list of stuff I had wanted, next came the credit card details and in a blink, you get the thank you for your order note on the next screen. Nothing, absolutely nothing lies between the" filling of credit card details" page and the "thank you for your order" page. A few days later, the bell rings and a grinning Fedex man appears at your doorstep with a bunch of big boxes.
I won't find out about the parts fits etc until I start building but from the forums I've read about Balsa USA kits have been very positive and I shall be looking forward to building these kits soon.
. No, I only have the time now to build maybe 1 or two a year at the most. The rest for a well deserved retirement soon (I hope)
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