Wooden aircraft models

[Xcaliber]

Has anyone here ever bought custom wooden aircraft models of planes you've flown? What company did you use, did you like their product, and would you use them again?

 

[CoffeeIcePapers]

@JeppUpdater might know.

 

[Lawman]

Has anyone here ever bought custom wooden aircraft models of planes you've flown? What company did you use, did you like their product, and would you use them again?

I have a rep here in the Philippines where the factories all are. PM me your email and Ill get you his contact information for pricing and shipping etc.

He did me two models that matched the configuration down to the tail number and the weapons hanging under the wings for the particular mission it was supposed to reflect. All they needed was idiot proof photos with details in bullets of what the tail number should be etc.

 

[ComplexHiAv8r]

I used factory direct models. Very pleased as they sent approval pics.

 

[JeppUpdater]

I used Builder Science. A guy by the name of Winston Uy runs the place. Great service and communication, asked me a ton of questions about what I wanted and I sent him quite a few pictures. He followed up throughout asking different little things about it. We've now used him to do several models for the office of planes we operate.

If you don't mind waiting a bit, it's basically impossible to beat the price/quality ratio you can get from the Philippine companies. I've got another on the way (a Metro).

 

[chrisreedrules]

I prefer plastic and diecast myself

 

[Nark]

I second and third what @Lawman said. I ordered a few models from the same source.

 

[m77y]

How much are these things?

 

[AAPalmTree]

http://www.themodelairplane.com

They will custom make ANYTHING.

 

[ChasenSFO]

I second and third what @Lawman said. I ordered a few models from the same source. View attachment 29556

I'm sorry, but that E170/175 looks like absolute crap. Way too round and stubby, winglet looks all wrong, nose is wrong, cockpit windows are wrong, and the engines are hanging too low for starters. Part of my nerdom is collecting models, and that's an example of why I'd point people away from a lot of the Philippines manufactures. Most people don't care enough about airplanes to be as intimately familiar with the visual details like I am, and I get that, but if you want a wooden model bad enough to pay someone to make one for you, pay for a quality one.

Here's an example, Philippines A320:

Compared to the decent but not even top-of-the-line PacMin A320:

And they're close to the same price(less than $50 difference). Just sayin'....

 

[ZapBrannigan]

So there.

 

[CFI A&P]

I prefer plastic and diecast myself

You like the glue, don't you?

 

[Finny]

You like the glue, don't you?

Who doesn't?

 

[Nark]

And they're close to the same price(less than $50 difference). Just sayin'....

I emailed pacmin for a quote for the 60. If they are within the ballpark, I'll send a few of my not-that-hard-earned money their way.
There is plenty of great detail, however none of them are shrunken carbon copy. All of the models I have don't have super detail, which I'm fine with, but enough to impress the ladies.
I'll concede the cockpit windows are painted too high, however the other details are pretty spot on.

What really impressed me was the attempt to carve into the wood, the ribs on the Cub.

 

[chrisreedrules]

I love the heft and detail of diecast models, but the diecast market doesn't cater to larger scale civilian aircraft. And you can find 1:72 scale plastic kits of some civilian aircraft out there, but they usually have to modified to represent an aircraft you actually flew (example: they make a BE1900 plastic kit, but it is of a military version, so some care would have to be taken to modify it to be a civilian version).

 

[Xcaliber]

I'm sorry, but that E170/175 looks like absolute crap. Way too round and stubby, winglet looks all wrong, nose is wrong, cockpit windows are wrong, and the engines are hanging too low for starters. Part of my nerdom is collecting models, and that's an example of why I'd point people away from a lot of the Philippines manufactures. Most people don't care enough about airplanes to be as intimately familiar with the visual details like I am, and I get that, but if you want a wooden model bad enough to pay someone to make one for you, pay for a quality one.

Here's an example, Philippines A320:

Compared to the decent but not even top-of-the-line PacMin A320:

And they're close to the same price(less than $50 difference). Just sayin'....

Thanks for the comparison, Chasen. So who do you like best, and do you have any photos? I love looking at these things!

 

[Xcaliber]

Is that a pube on the door? sick

 

[Nark]

Cracked painted...

But $5 to the person who posts a link to a certain Airways picture.

 

[fholbert]

I had my Bellanca done. Took 8 months before they said they had no record of my order. 3 weeks later it was on eBay. I finally got it. Not sure who I used but be very careful.

In the picture below my friend built an RC model of his plane.