I didn’t know “Cracker Barrel” had these, that’s good to know. I love their chicken dumplings and baked apples! Thank you for your support and read and reply. I so very much appreciate it!
Toshi
LOL! I didn’t know about the aviation program. That’s why I now know why the small airport is by Kent State! Thank you so much for the read and reply!
Toshi
Careful Toshi, flying models can become very addicting. First it starts with plastic 1/72 and 1/48 scale, then you get a dimestore stick and tissue kit and fly it, then before you know it, your building a 1/4 scale fighter plane in your living room that will fly, have retractable landing gear, flaps, and will drop bombs.
Just a heads up from my personal experience[:D]
Hi, Toshi -
Thanks for the look in the “rear view mirror” of balsa models. My model building in the cold wet winter months, is split between plastic and scale balsa free flight.
As Don S said, many of the models of today are laser cut, quite a time saver. I’ve built several of the kits from Herr Engineering and Dumas, very nice productions, well worth the $$.
But I also still do the old school way, buying high quality plans of ancient models like Cleveland produced. I make a few copies, then place them over sheet balsa, brush on cellulose thinner to transfer the print color to the balsa. Then out comes the Xacto.
There is something very enjoyable about the process of hand cutting and trimming, time consuming yes, but what better to do with my time when it’s too ugly to be outside. Very satifying when parts cutting is finished, then the building begins. These newer kits fly very well when completed, a really enjoyable part of the hobby when summer arrives and we head out to the field to fly them.
Thanks again, Toshi, build on.
Patrick
LOL! LOL!!!
Thank you so much for making me laugh today. Yes, it’s infectious to fly aircrafts. There’s a Corsair airfield for RC aircraft in Kent, Ohio. Every time when Mrs. Toshi and I pass by there, I ask her if I can fly aircraft! LOL!
Toshi
Thank you so much for the support my friend. I highly appreciate it.
Toshi
You guys are right, Cracker Barrel does sell these things. Had to search a bit, but by golly there they were.
And Toshi, I thought of you and your favorite chicken-n-dumplins as I ate mine (as a part of the Cracker Barrel Sampler, of which the serving sizes are getting a bit chintzy at my local Barrel anyway). [^o)] [::DD0]
Edit: Oh crap, I am turning into an old Indiana person. Gaining weight and griping about portion sizes. Help, Cecil, help…
LOL! LOL! Your humor is too much! Thank you so very much in starting my day off with a smile and a good laugh. This is most infectious. From Cracker Barrel, I also so enjoy their creamed spinach and baked apples. My best wishes to you on this Labor Day weekend!
Toshi
It is interesting how we can start off with small free flight balsa planes, graduate up to larger RC craft, even go up to flying/working on full size warbirds 
Basically that is how is was for me, I did all that and then took up plastic models again a few years back. All of this experience is not waisted though, I was contracted by a restaurant group to build static display models for them like 1920’s era planes, sailboats ,steam locos ect.
Here is the first one completed in actual Cotton and celulose.
Span is about 7’
Sorry for the hijack, but sometimes interesting to see how our modling experience and skills can be “usefull” later in life
Theuns
Theuns, that is definitely cool, thanks for sharing that!
OK, I gotta get in on the balsa thing. I was visiting an airplane guy and friend at his insurance agency recently and as I was leaving my
friend tossed me a childs giveaway gift and told me “you build models and here’s one for you!” It was just a sheet of stamped balsa and a metal clip with instructions.
About one hour later I e-mailed him a shot of it finished. Wow, it even flys well! LOL!
Max
What is actually cool about those types of sheet models is that it taught you basics like shifting the wing forward or back to get the trimming right
Theuns
Remember the American Junior (Jim Walker’s company) glider? We used to call it the ten cent glider, even though there were other brands selling for that amount. It had steamed in camber as well as dihedral, and that made it a much superior flyer.
I remember the first time I ever saw them, at an airshow at Selfridge AFB in late 1945 or early 1946. It was the first show in the Detroit area after the P-80 was made public, and also featured a B-29. Soon hobby shops and dime stores carried those things. I bought dozens of them, even while building stick and tissue and plastic models.
We used to modify them, carving different profiles into the fuselage, different planforms in wings, adding landing gear, etc.
I still have a couple around here- I’ll shoot some pictures. A guy about twenty years ago bought the rights to the name, and the models, and the new company stayed in business for a few years. I think it is gone now.
BTW, reason I gave up RC and concentrate on static scale now is, I moved to Minnesota, and weather is not kind to flying models. Not only cold, long winters, but much higher average wind speeds even in summer.
No sorry needed sir and you did not hijack anything. This forum is for everyone and for me is a learning experience. I did not know you were commissioned to build. That is so cool. You see! I learned something new about you. I absolutely love that aircraft especially the beautiful wood work! Keep it coming!
Toshi
Here’s one everyone should have in their collection:
I have been building RC models for 30 odd years and these days it seems to be a rare thing to have any “building skills” with the new almost ready to fly stuff. People just do not want to build anymore, no time 
When I started I had no $ for expensive RC kits so I had to draw up my own plans and scratch build what ever I wanted, not always with the best results but that is how I learned what worked and what doesnt 
Theuns
Thats a very cool story, that’s why I love this forum. There are so many cool stories to be had! Thanks for sharing my friend!
Toshi
I know how you feel. When I started in RC, everyone around me built their own planes. Now, its all ready to fly out of the box that everyone is flying. I bought a few of the ready made fighter planes and had fun for awhile, but now am pretty much burned out on RC because I found I miss the comraderie of my local fliers all building with me.
In regards to the old stick and tissue kits, they are getting popular with us builders thanks to advents in micro RC and batteries. You can now build a 1/72 plane with 4 channel control and fly it around the workshop.
I was at Hobby Lobby a few years ago and got a pile of Guillows kits for around $15 a piece to start experimenting in converting them to RC and also try my hand at superdetailing.
I am presently trying to start a project of building a Guillows Thomas Morse Scout that will have 4 channel RC and powered with an electric motor and 2 cell battery. In researching on the internet, I am amazed on how detailed people are making these models and still make them fly.
So Toshi, the sky is the limit on what you can do in this hobby. Maybe sometime during a Hobby Lobby visit, Mrs. Toshi might get you a Guillows model. The small P-40 and Cessna 170 are great starters and you will have a lot of us to support you.
OK Toshi, here’s one more story you might like. About 45 years ago during a particularly bad Kansas winter, I bought a Guillows stick P-40. This guy has followed me for years through moving and even a divorce. About 30 years ago I was visiting the Air & Space museum in DC and saw my first real P-40. I photographed the sharks mouth and used the photos to re-create the mouth on mine along with a much needed refurbish. Another refurbish for battle damage and such about 15 years ago. I then hung it in my entrance way where it survives yet. Pardon the dust but it’s a tough climb and only dusted annually along with a vintage motorcycycle that hangs in th living room. Enjoy! [:)]
Max
Hey Toshi !
Was it fun ? You know that was one of the things about the balsa planes . They were intended to fly , wether they as simple as that one or the basic panel fuselage types or the stringer , bulkhead and silkspan types .
They were fun , and you built it .That was the best part , especially if it flew like the instructions said it would ! Didn’t it lighten your heart and mind to see that simple little thing fly ?
I have a balsa Taylorcraft in the bulkhead and stringer type build .It flew beautifully and still does .How old is it ? Probably about twenty ! The thing is , I built it and it flew ! . T.B
Yes, the deeper I delve into modeling the more I see the different aspects of the genre!
Toshi