Hello folks,

My name is Michael I am new to building anything really. After going to a hobby shop the guy recommended some snap together plane. It didnt really look that cool. So I asked about other planes. I discovered shortly that WWI style planes are what Im after. I love these planes. I told him that I wasnt afraid of hard work (because he kept recommending these planes that take an hour or less to build and get going) and said I would rather it take me a month to complete.

So really folks as crazy as this may sound. I really just want to build planes for a while then fly them later. I want to understand them better before I fly I guess.

So the reason I am here is my dad bought me a British WWI fighter plane called Sopwith 1.f1 Camel. There are so many parts it looks really cool. You can rubber band it or .049 to .15 u-control ?? It just really looks fun.


I hope to make some friends here that enjoy some of the same ideas I do. Also I need help building a studio. Looks like i might need a airbrush and some other things.

Just wanted to say hi and give a short story of my life!

Hi Michael,

Welcome to our wonderful hobby!   

I've been fascinated with model aviation ever since I was old enough to fly the Guillow's gliders and rubber-powered planes.  I started flying radio-control (R/C) way back in 1986, and I still enjoy it.

I'm guessing you have the Guillow's Camel - http://www.guillow.com/GuillowDetail.asp?UID=2901825&prod=801&SeriesId=24&FamilyId=1

You could build this kit several ways, including a nice static model.  However, with the smaller/lighter radio gear now available, it might also make a nice electric-powered radio-control project.  It certainly wouldn't be a good plane for you to learn on, but it would be neat to be able to fly it around later. 

The important thing to remember if you do decide to make it flyable is to keep it as light as possible.  A nice paint job and other details can make a plane look really cool but also make it harder to fly - if at all.

There are a couple of guys in the club (who are subscribers to this site) that may be able to help.

Brandon Denzer (username "Biff") has built at least two Sopwith Camels, one from a DJ Aerotech kit and one from plans.
Gene Bond (username "Gene Bond") is an excellent source of information on the smaller electric power systems.

Good luck!
Chuck Baker
Indy RC South