A New Twist
The ScaleBirds project has been through some significant twists over the last 8 months. Significantly, the 63% 2-seat F6F Hellcat we have shown development on up to now, has been put on the back-burner. A reason for this is time and resources; it takes a lot to engineer an airplane at this level. It is coming along well, and we fully intend to finish it in time.
But we are not stopping our project. We are working hard as ever to develop something which I think is too good to pass up: a simple, single-seat, fun-scale replica line - called Lite Fighters.
Lite Fighters will be a great kit for the Warbird enthusiast who would consider, lets call it as it is, a Sonex type project. Very economical to purchase and operate, simple tool pull-rivet construction, they will be very sporty and aggressive, but still designed for low-time pilots, light sport and purely recreational pilots. As the name suggests, these designs will comply with the current Light Sport Aircraft regulations and will include fixed landing gear (or optional retracts later on!), and utilize a ground adjustable propeller, 80 to 110 hp engine options, possess mild aerobatic capability and be of modular all-metal construction. As before, our two-seat 63% F6F will be a great choice for someone who wants a more all-around type of kitplane, with larger engines, serious cross-country ability, and serious detail, packaged in a warbird replica. So these will both continue forward as two equally viable design lines.
The good news is we are making huge progress on the Lite Fighters! The first two fuselage frames are complete, and we are building-out the first one as a P-40 Warhawk and the second frame as an F6F Hellcat. Our design is still modular, and at this level of detail, almost all our parts are standard. Thus most every part we design, we are making at least two sets. So for now you will see the P-40 coming together, but the F6F won't be too far behind it.
See our pics and follow this project with us.
