Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: VG
$249
Very rare. 1932 early RTF stick-and-tissue model from Western Aircraft Manufacturing Company, Los Angeles California. The box and kit are both in investment-grade 'near mint' condition. I had seen these in 1930s magazines but did not know if any were left. All of the pieces of this aircraft have been factory assembled and simply need to be put together with the supplied rubber bands. The fuselage/rubber stick is cut, finished & painted and has both metal rubber motor clips installed. The wing, vertical and horizontal stabilizers are fully assembled of light-weight wood with the tissue applied. The horizontal stabilizer and wing have the correct airfoil camber built in, and the wing has the USA national insignia applied. There is a perfectly carved wooden propeller, metal rubber hook/propeller shaft, two fully finished wheels, other wood parts cut to size and ready to install. Even the original rubber bands used for installing sub-assembles together are present and still intact on the motor stick. The rubber band motor is present but very brittle and broken into many sections. There is an excellent set of front and back illustrated instructions that cover assembly, how to fly and adjust the aircraft and how to maintain it. Please note, this model must be shipped insured.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: VG
$29
1930s solid wood display model. Never started. It has been inventoried complete with all parts and includes plans/instructions.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: VG
$32
The 'Ace Whitman' name was used by Joe Ott for some of his marketed kits. This model is a solid display model from 1952 and features an 80% precarved fuselage, die cut parts, full size plans and a stapled bag of detail parts (probably wheels). The model has not been started. The parts are either in factory sealed bag(s) or inventoried 100% complete with all parts and instructions.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: Sealed VG+
$54
Still factory sealed. 1970s large scale issue for rubber or gas free flight, or easily converted to RC using today's tiny and light servos and receivers. Kit features traditional wood/tissue construction, insignia, detailed full size plans, building instructions, wheels, hardware, tissue and propeller. Comet was a famous manufacturer of stick and tissue flying and static models. In the 1930s Great Depression, they lead the low-priced kit revolution with the "Dime Scale" kits and famous advertisements in Model Airplane News magazine and others. Comet reached it's peak in the 1930s when they acquired the services of Carl Goldberg. Goldberg was a highly accomplished modeler with articles in Model Airplane News and famous designs that won him several National level competitions in the 1930s and beyond. (Carl Goldberg went on to found his own company and produced well designed and popular free-flight and RC aircraft). Comet survived the post World War economic slump and continued kit production until they were bought out by long-time competitor Guillow's in 1998.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: VG
$95
Very rare model from 1949. Highly prefabricated and robust control line model from the "Contest Craft Company." Features high quality balsa parts that are all either factory cut to shape or die-cut, covering material, landing gear wire, full size plans and detailed instructions. This kit has been inventoried complete but NOTE: it has minor and 'professional' quality assembly. The center core of the fuselage (a flat assembly) is built. There is no other assembly. Thanks to Dusty Rhodes, we now know a little bit more about Contest Craft. Mr. Richard W. Backora registered the company name in 1949 and it appears that this model was one of his designs. Mr. Backora was born in New York, NY in 1924. He was a WWII Navy veteran and also served in the US Marine Corps. He was an Armament Equipment Branch Head for the Naval Air Systems Command and retired after 28 years of government service. He then spent 15 years in the private sector as a staff and project engineer with Thiebolt Aircraft, Republic Aviation and Melpar, Inc. Mr. Backora was very active in his local community in Church and secular organizations. He was also a member of the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) and the Lewes R/C Club. Although no address is given for the manufacturer, the instructions state that you should ask your hobby dealer for other Contest Craft Company kits.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: NM
$26
Excellent wooden kit designed for rubber power but can also be converted to electric and R/C with todays small components. Features hand-selected laser cut balsa, contest rubber and plastic prop, vacuformed details, color decals, full size plan, hardware, lightweight colored tissue and full step by step instructions. The kit has never been started. The parts that were factory sealed are still in the sealed bags. The parts that were not factory sealed have been inventoried complete including decals and instructions.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: Good
$44
Large-scale big wingspan issue. High quality modern kit made in the finest tradition of the stick and tissue flyers. Features high quality printed balsa, strip wood, plastic propeller, rubber motor, clear windshield material, full sized plans, instructions, covering tissue and other accessories. The kit has never been started. It has been inventoried complete with all parts and includes instructions. Easy Built was a Canadian manufacturer who made original designed and excellent reproductions of classic flying designs from the 1930 and 1940s.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: VG
$75
From the 1950s. Flying gas model for control line. Completely pre-fabricated kit featuring fully formed balsa and hardwood fuselage, fully formed hardwood engine mount, thick, clear plastic wing tips and canopy, die-cut wing ribs, fully shaped and notched leading and trailing wing edges, die-cut fin and rudder, factory-hinged stabilizer, formed wire landing gear, hardware, detailed instructions and covering tissue. The kit has never been started. It has been inventoried 100% complete with all parts and instructions. Please note that there is very light bug damage on the instructions but heavy bug damage on the white tissue paper.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: Sealed Exc+
$18
Still factory sealed. Easy Built was a Canadian manufacturer who made excellent reproductions of classic flying designs from the 1930 and 1940s. Original plans were used. High quality modern kit made in the finest tradition of the stick and tissue flyers. Features high quality printed balsa, strip wood, propeller, rubber, full sized plans and other accessories.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: Good++
$550
Dated 1954. Rare, desirable and very collectible. Classic early multi-media kit with a fantastic internal box presentation. The box top has excellent color and gloss but general wear as shown, two properly repaired (from the inside) split corners and a closed tear (also repaired) on the lower side. Inside, the kit is factory new. All of the factory cardboard presentation material is present and grades from 'mint' to 'excellent++.' Includes numerous plastic parts in red, gray, clear and black, four unopened glass bottle of Mono*Dope that are still good, an unopened tube of MonoGlue still in the original mint box, all prefabricated wooden parts including the amazing Monofoil wing, three sheets of die-cut and factory painted wood (unpunched), colored die-cut cardstock sheet, sandpaper, gun barrel plastic material, decals in amazing 'near mint' condition, 'near mint' instruction book and full size plans and even a miniature Monogram Catalog showing this kit and the entire Speedee-Bilt line for '54. The kit has never been started. It has been carefully inventoried 100% complete with all parts, paperwork, instructions, plans and decals. Amazingly, the celluloid plastic parts range from no warping to very slight warping (on two of the nacelles). This is very rare, as that type of plastic was unstable and warped easily over time. Before injection molded plastic kits were common, Monogram issued the famous 'Speedee-Bilt' and 'Super Kits' which featured injection molded details and precarved wooden parts. Of these, the Speedee-Bilt B-24 and B-17 were the finest. These kits are very rare today due to their relatively high original price of $4.95. This kit must be shipped insured.
Wood Model Kit, Box Condition: VG+
$22
From the 1940s or very early 1950s. The scale is not given, but the wingspan is 8 inches. This is a higher-quality solid wood scale kit featuring all die-cut balsa parts, bread-and-butter fuselage constructions, die cut wings, printwood tail feathers and other parts, fully finished wheels, clear vacuform canopy (in like-new condition, very highly detailed plans with templates, step-by-step construction and even a painting guide. Never started and complete. The original part number of this kit was 25 S9, but the factory over-stamped it with the number listed.